Scottish extreme metal clan, Tyrannus, wrecks fascists on its full-length debut, ‘Unslayable.’
The post Exclusive Track Premiere: Tyrannus – “The Flood” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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Machine Gun Kelly performed a cover version of SYSTEM OF A DOWN’s “Aerials” during an appearance on “The Howard Stern Show” earlier today (Thursday, March 31).

The 31-year-old rapper-turned-rocker, whose real name is Colson Baker, appeared on the program to promote his second pop-punk/emo-inspired album, “Mainstream Sellout”, which came out on Friday (March 25).

Among the people who reacted to Machine Gun Kelly’s attempt at “Aerials” was SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian who shared video of the performance on Instagram and asked his 365,000 followers for their “thoughts on MGKs cover of Aerials live on Howard Stern”.

Machine Gun Kelly made headlines last September when he publicly feuded with Corey Taylor after the SLIPKNOT frontman subtly and indirectly insulted the rapper in a “Cutter’s Rockcast” interview, referring to the latter as an artist who “failed in one genre and decided to go rock.”

Earlier this month, Machine Gun Kelly spoke to Billboard about the criticism he has faced after transitioning from rap to rock music, stating that he’s “earnt that shit.”

“I know it kills certain bands in that community that I got the success that I got. But I earned that shit,” he said. “Dude, I was fucking loading up the van with our drums and amps in 2010, driving to Indiana and Chicago, playing Warped Tour. I can tell you the fucking Wi-Fi codes to venues in Blackfoot, Idaho. Can you say that shit as a band?” he asked.

Addressing his role in the ongoing revival of the pop-punk genre, he commented: “The 2010s was great for singers and rappers, and I was part of that. But I think we needed something else: we needed an instrument. Kids come up to me, like, ‘Dude, the first time I ever saw someone play guitar in concert was at your concert — and now I take guitar lessons.’

“[Rock] needed a defibrillator,” he added. “Who cares who gives it, just as long as that motherfucker doesn’t die?”

During his “Howard Stern Show” appearance, Machine Gun Kelly confirmed he is frequently targeted by haters who believe he doesn’t deserve the success he’s achieved, specifically by rock fans who have misconceptions about the amount of time he has been involved in their scene.

“It blows my mind, even in the the genre that I’m in, when people act like this is like some new thing,” he explained. “It blows my mind. You can literally look back 10 years ago at rock festivals, and my name is right there on the flyer. Like, we’ve always been in the culture. I’m super confused where this, like, ‘Oh he’s new to the scene’ [claims come from]. Like, fuck you. We’ve been here so long, defying boxes and genres and odds.”

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JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford says that he “would love” to see his band get inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame while he is still alive.

PRIEST was previously on the ballot for Rock Hall induction in 2020, but failed to receive enough votes to make that year’s class.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was also on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

On February 2, it was announced that JUDAS PRIEST is among the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s class of 2022. Inductees will be announced in May. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2022 induction ceremony will take place this fall. The date, venue, and on-sale information will be announced later.

Asked in a new interview with the Boston Globe if he welcomes that “sort of quote-unquote respectability, being canonized, as it were,” Halford said: “Those are two great words, ‘respect’ and ‘canonization.’ I’ll take both of those, because that’s what it is.

“For the Rock Hall, you have to put about 25 years of your life into music, which we’ve done twice,” the 70-year-old vocalist continued. “For us, it’s as much about heavy metal music having its rightful representation as it is for anything else.

“The Hall is a beautiful place, because if you really love music and you pull down all the barriers about, ‘Oh, I hate this band and I hate that band, I hate this music and I hate that music.’ If you could throw it out the window, music is music is music. So what you’re left with is looking at all these incredibly talented, powerful musicians, either bands or individual artists that have really poured their heart and soul out into their art, into their craft and shared it with probably billions of people by now.

“We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we do get in,” Rob added. “Personally, I’d love it. I think there’s nothing wrong in celebrating each other’s achievements. Because we all do the same thing. It doesn’t matter whether we’re in a country and western band or a soul band or a rapper, we all do the same thing. There’s a connectivity in the craft that we make. We’ll wait and see. I think it’s gonna happen eventually. When I’m alive, please, would be nice.”

Once again, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has named the individual bandmembers that will enter should their group get inducted.

For JUDAS PRIEST, they picked current members Halford, Ian Hill (bass), Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums), along with former members K.K. Downing (guitar), Les Binks (drums) and late drummer Dave Holland.

Back in October 2020, Halford said that the heavy metal genre “hasn’t been respected enough” by the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Asked in an interview with Word In Your Ear if he was “bothered” by the fact that PRIEST hasn’t been inducted into the Rock Hall yet, Halford said: “Well, let’s put it this way. You have all of these institutions here in America — you’ve got the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for music; you’ve got the Basketball Hall Of Fame; you’ve got the Baseball Hall Of Fame; Football — you’ve got all of these places where, I think essentially, it’s just a really nice, cool recognition of what you’ve done, the work that you’ve done and the things that you’ve achieved, the place that you’ve been put at, and so on and so forth.

“So, am I bothered if we ever get in? Not really. But I think we do deserve to be in there. Because I look at the list of people that are in there, and I feel that we have a place. And it would not only be for JUDAS PRIEST — it would be for British music, particularly British heavy metal music, and that’s a beautiful achievement. [BLACK] SABBATH are in there, which is great. But I’ve always said that as far as what the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame represents, the genre of heavy metal music hasn’t really been looked after enough and respected enough.

“So, I’d like to feel that eventually we will get in.”

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N’ ROSES in that group’s first year of eligibility.

The Rock Hall didn’t induct BLACK SABBATH until 2006, and METALLICA followed three years later.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other “criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock ‘n’ roll,” which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn’t get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn’t get inducted until 2016.

After the 2020 Rock Hall inductees were announced in January of that year, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner said that it made no sense that DEPECHE MODE, Whitney Houston, NINE INCH NAILS and Biggie Smalls were going into the Rock Hall before PRIEST. “Hence why the Rock Hall holds no credibility for me and never has,” he tweeted.

Last month, Hill and Halford told Billboard that they would be happy to stand alongside Downing at a hypothetical Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction later this year. “It’s not a problem to us, no,” Hill said. “Ken was an integral part of this band for a very, very long time. He deserves to be there along with the rest of us.” Halford predicted that, “It won’t be as awkward as Ace [Frehley] and Peter [Criss with KISS’s Rock Hall induction]. I don’t think it’ll be awkward at all. I think you have to let all of that go because it’s the night that matters. It’s the moment that matters — but, again, the proverbial saying, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Downing previously told Rockin’ Metal Revival that there is a very good chance that he would perform with his former bandmates again if PRIEST gets the nod. “Oh, I think absolutely,” he said. “I mean, why wouldn’t you, really? It’s a special thing. We’re all of an age now. These opportunities only come once in a lifetime. And it seemingly takes a lifetime to get into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I’ve always said, there’s no such thing as a young legend, right? [Laughs] So, while we’re still here, it would be great to receive that accolade and put on a great performance and put that one to bed.”

A month before the start of PRIEST’s tour in support of its latest album, “Firepower”, Tipton bowed out due to the worsening of his Parkinson’s disease, first diagnosed eight years ago (after being stricken by the degenerative condition at least half a decade earlier). His spot in the band is being filled by “Firepower” album producer Andy Sneap.

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According to Rolling Stone, FOO FIGHTERS have canceled their appearance at Sunday’s (April 3) Grammy Awards following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.

Twelve-time Grammy winners FOO FIGHTERS earned three nominations this year for “Best Rock Performance” (“Making A Fire”), “Best Rock Song” (“Waiting On A War”), and “Best Rock Album” (“Medicine At Midnight”).

FOO FIGHTERS’ Grammy cancelation comes two days after the band officially scrapped all of its previously announced shows, explaining that they were taking “this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories we’ve made together.

Hawkins died at a hotel in Bogota, Colombia on Friday (March 25). Local officials said an ambulance was sent to the hotel after a man reported having chest pains. The 50-year-old FOO FIGHTERS drummer did not respond to resuscitation efforts and was declared dead, the city’s health department said.

On Saturday, the Colombian attorney general’s office announced that Hawkins had opioids, marijuana and other drugs in his system before he died. A toxicology report showed traces of 10 substances in his body, including anti-depressants, the office said. The statement added that the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences “will conduct the necessary medical studies to ascertain the cause of death” and that it “will continue the investigation and will report the results obtained within the framework thereof in a timely manner.”

FOO FIGHTERS announced Hawkins’s death on their Instagram account. “The FOO FIGHTERS family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins,” the announcement read. “His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever. Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time.”

The FOO FIGHTERS were scheduled to perform Friday at the Picnic Stereo festival in Bogota but their performance was canceled.

The band played Lollapalooza Chile on March 18 and Lollapalooza Argentina on March 20. They were scheduled to headline Lollapalooza Brasil on Sunday (March 27).

Hawkins has been open about his history of drug use. He overdosed on heroin in 2001 and spent a week in a coma, just four years after joining the FOO FIGHTERS.

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame earlier today (Thursday, March 31). The ceremony was held at 6212 Hollywood Boulevard, adjacent to Amoeba Records.

The CHILI PEPPERS star was unveiled by George Clinton, who produced the band’s 1985 record “Freaky Styley”, alongside Woody Harrelson, Bob Forrest and Hollywood Chamber Of Commerce chairwoman Nicole Mihalka.

Watch video of the ceremony below, courtesy of Variety.

Singer Anthony Kiedis told Variety: “I’m pretty sure that I have inadvertently vomited on Hollywood Walk Of Fame stars in my lifetime. I’ve certainly slept on top of Hollywood Boulevard Walk Of Fame stars in my lifetime. I’ve trod upon them not as a tourist but as a person running from the authorities or possibly running from somebody that I owed money to.”

Hollywood Walk Of Fame producer Ana Martinez said in a statement: “Our hometown Hollywood boys are finally coming to collect their star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. We have been waiting for them to break away from their busy schedules to dedicate their star, and we are thrilled to welcome them to our Walk Of Fame family.”

The honor comea one day before the release of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS’ new album, “Unlimited Love”. Due on April 1 via Warner, the band’s first new LP with guitarist John Frusciante since 2006’s “Stadium Arcadium” was once again produced by Rick Rubin who previously worked on “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” (1991), “Californication” (1999), “By The Way” (2002) and the aforementioned “Stadium Arcadium”.

Frusciante originally joined RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS following the death of founding guitarist Hillel Slovak in 1988. This lineup recorded two highly successful albums that brought the group mainstream popularity: “Mother’s Milk” and “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”. Sadly, Frusciante fell into a deep heroin addiction that caused him to leave the band while touring to support “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”. Frusciante rejoined CHILI PEPPERS six years later, playing on 1999 album “Californication”, 2002’s “By The Way” and 2006’s “Stadium Arcadium” before quitting the band again in September 2009.

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Failure was one of the most underrated bands of the 1990s. As they crafted their early groundbreakers Comfort (1992) and Magnified (1994), they developed a hardcore following, toured with and befriended Tool, played the Lollapalooza main stage, and got rotation on MTV. All that momentum culminated in their career-defining 1996 album Fantastic Planet. A quarter-century later, the band—co-founders Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards on shared vocals, guitar, bass, and keyboards, alongside drummer Kellii Scott—have released what may be their next classic, Wild Type Droid.But getting here wasn’t smooth sailing. The blissful ignorance that Andrews and Edwards say brought Failure success in the ’90s is also what nearly destroyed them. “So much of what I did on guitar on that first album, I had no idea what I was doing,” says Andrews. “That brought something different to it.” Edwards agrees, adding, “We discovered as it went.”While that approach opened the doors to creativity, it also brought frustration. “We knew when we were making Comfort that it wasn’t turning out the way we hoped,” Andrews relates. “Even on Magnified, there was this feeling of, ‘Dude, did we nail that? I’m not really sure.’ Case in point, the label actually wanted to release the demos for Magnified, as opposed to what we turned in as the finished thing. It was a struggle finding what our sound was until we took the reins for Fantastic Planet.”Failure – Headstand – Music VideoEven on that self-produced album, which Edwards describes as “really spread out” and eclectic, the band was searching. He explains, “When I demoed the idea for ‘Blank’ or ‘The Nurse Who Loved Me,’ I remember thinking, ‘These can’t be Failure songs.’ But they became staple Failure songs!”Things soon came undone, and in 1997, at the height of their career, Failure broke up. Instead of headlining shows with their crushing space riffs, the guys moved on to other bands and projects, which for Andrews included some A-list pop studio credits with Nine Inch Nails, Paramore, Andrew W.K., and Tenacious D. Though they were staying busy, the fans were left without until 2013, when Andrews, Edwards, and Scott announced their reunion.Far from a ’90s nostalgia trip, Andrews says the band wanted their return to be more intentional: “When we rebooted, and once we realized that the Failure sound is unique to these brains, it became more of a consideration of, ‘If we’re going to make music together, what kind of music is it going to be?’” Their subsequent albums The Heart Is a Monster and In the Future Your Body Will Be the Furthest Thing from Your Mind proved as vital, creative, and driven as ever.”Even if we hadn’t done what we did in the ’90s, I still feel like what we’re doing now is cool.” —Ken AndrewsNow, on Wild Type Droid, Failure sound like a robust and streamlined machine with a renewed focus, incorporating new tones alongside their signature mammoth riffs, cosmic themes, and dissonant harmonies. That’s due at least in part to a fresh and in-the-moment recording approach. “In the Future was written by forcing the songs into being,” says Edwards. “With this new process, we committed to going into a room together for a month and recording—four or five days a week, and five, six hours a day—everything we played. It was very organic.”Hours upon hours of jamming and creatively searching for new ideas did take a toll. Andrews says that process informed the sound of the album, calling it “a conscious decision to enter this mode of only improvising and not putting on the songwriter hat. That was a unique decision that I think paid off because it gave us this huge well of material. You can’t recreate that in a songwriting workshop studio thing. It’s that intangible randomness that happens when you have three brains working at the same time.”And while it lead to exhaustion in the studio, Edwards sees that as an asset and likens it to “Kubrick’s theory of doing way too many takes. You exhaust the actor, and after you go through all the terrible takes, all of a sudden, you transcended into another state of consciousness, and interesting stuff starts happening.”With both guitarists playing equal shares of guitar and bass, how do the songs begin? It’s as simple as one of them picking up an instrument. “I would see an instrument that I hadn’t played yet, grab it, then start making noise,” said Edwards. “Kellii would start playing a beat, and then all of a sudden, we’d be into something.”With that in mind, Andrews introduced two new pieces of gear, hoping they would be inspiring. He was right, and Edwards quickly took to one of them: a Danelectro baritone. “This was my first experience playing baritone,” he says. “And because it’s what I always do, a lot of my baritone parts are way up on the neck. It had a different quality than anything I’d heard from a guitar. ‘Long Division’ is a good example.”Failure’s GearGuitarsDanelectro baritoneSquier Bass VI1976 Gibson Les PaulGibson ExplorerFender JazzmasterVintage Gibson LG-1Amps & EffectsFractal Audio Axe-Fx IIIStrings & PicksErnie Ball Power Slinky Bass (.040–.-95)Ernie Ball Baritone Slinky (.013–.072)Ernie Ball Burly Slinky (.008—.038)Dunlop Tortex .60 mm, .73 mm, .88 mmAndrews’ other new addition was a Squier Bass VI. Failure has always placed bass front-and-center, driving their music with grinding tones and low-octave chords, so the Bass VI was an easy fit. “We’ve been playing chords on 4-string bass for a very long time,” says Andrews, “but I found that when I was playing the Bass VI it’s a different quality. You can hear it on ‘Submarines’ and ‘Long Division.’”Although there are appearances by a Jazzmaster, a new Gibson Explorer, and Andrews’ 1976 Les Paul, the Danelectro and the Bass VI defined the album. Failure’s other secret weapon was their trusty Fractal Audio Axe-Fx IIIs. “We were using presets and scenes from previous songs, from previous albums, even ’90s songs. And I’ve been using the Fractal since 2014, so I’m quite familiar with the unit,” says Andrews. “If I had recorded a DI track during writing, I could completely reconstruct the sound, hearing it in context with the final vocals at the end. There were several songs where, literally, I was playing back DI bass and DI guitar while essentially mixing them on the Fractal.”The refined sounds of Wild Type Droid’s woven tapestry of guitar and bass are a reminder that the Failure guitarists also geek out on production techniques. Reminiscing about the band’s early years, Andrews says, “I remember having long discussions [with Edwards] about production, more than individual riffs and parts. We were very aware of how impactful production can be on establishing an emotional mood that you get from listening to music. It became an obsession, in a way.”“So much of what I did on guitar on that first album, I had no idea what I was doing. That brought something different to it.”—Ken AndrewsThat obsession pays off throughout Wild Type Droid, helping the album sound meticulously crafted while never losing Failure’s raw, straightforward character. Songs like “Headstand” and “Bad Translation” take the best of Fantastic Planet’s power, dissonance, and pop sensibilities, and amplify them. Andrews and Edwards chalk that up to their creative connection, strengthened by decades of making music together.“Everything was very much about listening to the other person and saying, ‘What can I play that’s not stepping on that?’” says Edwards. “That’s a product of an evolving sensibility within the band members over many years,” Andrews continues. “We’re looking now at the challenge of complementing things, as opposed to doubling and strengthening things.”Failure’s albums sound better than ever, they still have a loyal fan base, and their new release is a musical success, but the 6-string duo are quick to mention how hard survival has been in the music industry. “In the ’90s, being signed was the biggest factor in what we were doing at any given time,” says Andrews. “And if you weren’t signed in the ’90s, you weren’t taken seriously,” chimes in Edwards.But Andrews points out that being on labels had its share of problems. “We were basically on their schedule,” he says. “We couldn’t release the record if they didn’t want to do it, we couldn’t tour, we couldn’t do anything. It was all about promoting our band within our own label to get them to pay attention and do stuff for us.”Today, that business model is dead, and most record labels have all but given up on album sales as a major revenue stream. “It’s crazy when you think about how much it changed from 2005 to 2012, and then from 2012-ish to now,” says Edwards.“It was a whole different thing,” agrees Andrews. “I remember when record companies started sniffing around our shows. I went to the bookstore and got Donald Passman’s book about the business of music [All You Need To Know About the Music Business]. In that book, the first thing he says is, ‘Do not try to force yourself into the public eye or into the music business. You have to be invited in,’ which sounds kind of crazy in 2022. What’s even left to invite you into?”“It’s like Kubrick’s theory of doing way too many takes. You exhaust the actor and after you go through all the terrible takes all of a sudden you transcended into another state of consciousness, and interesting stuff starts happening.”—Greg EdwardsToday’s uneasy music industry is all about streaming services, and Spotify sits comfortably at the top. But they’ve seen a steady trickle of artists challenging their platform or, as Neil Young did very publicly, abandoning the service altogether. Recently, Failure announced their decision to do the same. Though the day’s politics played a role, the band said it was inevitable and a long time coming. And since most artists don’t make much from Spotify streams anyway, leaving the platform wasn’t a major financial setback.“Spotify, in some sense, is the streaming arm of whatever you want to call the major-label world,” says Andrews. “But it’s completely flipped on its head. It’s all about aggregating the most content possible and paying the lowest possible for individual streams. If you really game it out, how does Spotify exist past another 10 years? Eventually, musicians won’t want to use a service that doesn’t give anything back to them. That’s what happened to us.”Andrews says Failure is in a better place now than during their first go-round. “I’m enjoying the process way more than I did in the ’90s. Even if we hadn’t done what we did in the ’90s, I still feel like what we’re doing now is cool. Why would you stop doing something when you feel like you’re getting more appreciation for it? I feel like we’re this independent, little business that happens to be a band. And we’re surviving.”Failure – Another Space Song (Live on KEXP)Greg Edwards’ clear, chime-y arpeggios float over the mesmeric groove created by Ken Andrews’ growling bass line and Kellii Scott’s repetitive kit work in this 2015 version of “Another Space Song” from Fantastic Planet.

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CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer says that he was “not prepared” for last year’s passing of the band’s guitarist, Jeff LaBar. Jeff was found dead by his wife, Debinique Salazar-LaBar, on July 14, 2021 inside his apartment in Nashville. He was 58 years old.

During an appearance on this past Tuesday’s (March 29) episode of SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, Keifer discussed LaBar’s passing for the first time, saying (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I’ve gotta tell you, you’re never really ready for that kind of loss; you’re not prepared to hear that kind of thing. And everyone is still trying to grieve and process it. It’s an emotional topic. Jeff was just such a passionate, amazing person, musician, human. He had a huge heart. And it was a tough one, man. It still is, for everybody.”

Tom continued: “Jeff and I had a really good relationship throughout out career. Obviously, in bands there’s times when you have differences; that’s part of being in a band. It’s true what people say about bands — that they’re like a family, but, honestly, it’s like that and even more intense, because there’s so many different facets that inform the dynamics between bands; everything from business to creativity and everything in between. But despite any differences that we’ve had over the years, and the band in general, as I’ve always said, we’ve never aired anything like that.

“Jeff and I had a great relationship,” Keifer repeated. “I loved Jeff — I really did — and have so many great memories of our journey together. He was amazing, and not just what he contributed to the music. Jeff had such a great sense of humor, and some of my favorite memories with Jeff are just kind of cutting up together on the bus. We were both big movie fans and could quote pretty much all our favorite movies. And we’d sit in the front lounge and quote ‘Arthur’ and ‘The Big Lebowski’ and ‘Caddyshack’. He was just a really passionate, really fun guy to be around, and obviously, an amazing performer. He was a huge part of CINDERELLA.

“Like I said, you’re never ready for that. And everyone is really honestly… I’m in touch with Eric [Brittingham, bass] and Fred [Coury, drums] regularly — everybody close to him — and we’re still trying to process it. We really are.”

When host Eddie Trunk noted that CINDERELLA fans were very supportive immediately after LaBar’s passing, Tom said: “That’s all I saw online — was really, really positive, because he projected that. He was a good soul and a good friend to me. Obviously, when you’re in a band, you try to hold each other up. And anything that Jeff was going through in his life I would try to have his back on, and he did the same for me. Especially when I had my voice challenges,” referencing his early ’90s battle with vocal cord paresis, a neurological condition on the left side of his voice box that almost put an end to Keifer’s career, “he was really supportive. There was a point where I was just at an all-time low before I met [vocal coach] Ron Anderson. And I was so self-conscious about my voice that I didn’t want anyone in the rehearsal room when I was trying to work through it. And I asked Jeff if he would just come in and play guitar and let me sing, ’cause there was so much brain power [required] just trying to work through the vocal issues that I couldn’t even play the guitar and sing at the same time. And he came every day. It was just me and him, and he just played the guitar and I sang the songs. And he heard a lot of really bad things come out of my mouth [laughs], and he would just always look at me and say, ‘You’re doing great.’ And I always tried to return and have his back on… He had his challenges too.”

With his voice cracking with emotion, Keifer continued: “We had a good relationship. We really did. I loved him, and I know in my heart he loved me. And in the end, that’s what’s most important. And I have great memories of him and they’re forever in my heart. And I cherish them.”

Although CINDERELLA hasn’t released a new studio album since 1994’s “Still Climbing”, the band started playing sporadic shows again in 2010 but has been largely inactive for the last few years while Keifer focused on his solo career.

Back in 2016, LaBar accepted blame for CINDERELLA’s prolonged period of inactivity, explaining that his “drinking problem” caused a rift between him and his bandmates. He told “Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley”: “I can only speculate, but I believe it’s all my fault. It’s no secret that I’ve had a drinking problem. And it showed its ugly face on one of those [cruises that CINDERELLA played]. I guess that’s what caused a rift… When I fell out on one of those cruise ships in front of everybody — like, basically O.D.’d — that’s when the band, and mostly Tom, took notice and was, like, ‘What the fuck?'”

Asked if he was sober at the time of the interview, LaBar said: “No, I’m not. Which is the problem. Which is probably the problem. Like I said, I can only speculate, because I don’t talk to the other guys anymore. I talk to Fred every now and then. Eric [Brittingham, bass] lives 20 minutes from me. We haven’t talked lately, but Eric and I have been the most consistent of all my bandmates throughout the past 32 years. It’s just Tom and I that don’t talk anymore. And I can only speculate that he’s very disappointed and doesn’t wanna see me die. He doesn’t wanna witness me dying.”

LaBar went on to say that the touring lifestyle “fed [his] appetite for partying… all the way back to the ’80s.” He explained: “I have a history. It’s not just these past issues. I have a history of drinking and cocaine… In the ’80s, it was cocaine abuse. In the ’90s, it was heroin. I went through every cliché phase that a rock star could go through. It just wasn’t highly publicized. I was arrested, I went through rehab, I did all the things MÖTLEY CRÜE did. I just didn’t publicize it. I was MÖTLEY CRÜE and GUNS N’ ROSES all wrapped into one. As a band, we tried to hide our dirty laundry, and most of our dirty laundry was me. We didn’t try to hide it; we just didn’t publicize it. We just didn’t tell people. ‘Oh, yeah, Jeff’s in rehab. Jeff’s in jail. Jeff’s in… whatever.’ We just didn’t publicize it. We actually kept it to ourselves. It was our family. It was our family business, and that’s how we treated it.”

Despite the fact that he hadn’t spoken to Keifer for a couple of years prior to the “Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley” interview, LaBar said that he didn’t hold a grudge against his longtime friend and bandmate. “I understand why he doesn’t return my calls, and I don’t blame him,” he said. “I understand. And hey, you know, he’s been the major talent of CINDERELLA all this time, and he deserves to be solo. Not deserves to be solo, but, you know, it was inevitable for him to go solo. He’s just one of those guys — lead singer, main songwriter. It’s inevitable that he should go solo and basically dump [laughs], dump the dead weight.”

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