AEROSMITH drummer Joey Kramer has “regrettably made the decision to sit out the band’s concerts in 2022 so he can focus his full attention on his family during these uncertain times,” according to a statement from the legendary rockers. While Kramer “takes a temporary leave of absence” from AEROSMITH, he will once again be replaced by his drum tech, John Douglas. “[Kramer] and the band look forward to his future performances with AEROSMITH,” the statement adds.

Two years ago, Kramer rejoined his AEROSMITH bandmates on stage during the group’s residency in Las Vegas. A month earlier, he sued the rest of AEROSMITH in a bid to perform with them at two Grammy-related events. But a Massachusetts judge eventually ruled against him and the group played without Kramer.

After Kramer injured his shoulder in 2019, Douglas filled in for a few gigs during AEROSMITH’s residency. Kramer did, however, perform with the rest of AEROSMITH in July of that year at the Twin Cities Summer Jam in Shakopee.

In his January 2020 16-page complaint filed in Massachusetts state court, Kramer said the disability he suffered three years ago was minor, and insisted he was ready to return to the group’s “lucrative” Las Vegas residency at the MGM Resorts a few months later, as well as its slate of “50th anniversary activities.”

Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford later responded to Kramer’s suit in a statement to People, saying Joey “has not been emotionally and physically able to perform with the band, by his own admission, for the last 6 months. We have missed him and have encouraged him to rejoin us to play many times but apparently he has not felt ready to do so. Joey has now waited until the last moment to accept our invitation, when we unfortunately have no time for necessary rehearsals during Grammys week. We would be doing a disservice to him, to ourselves and to our fans to have him play without adequate time to prepare and rehearse.”

In a statement at the time, Kramer said he was “extremely disappointed” with the judge’s ruling.

“I knew filing a lawsuit was a bit of an uphill battle,” the drummer said. “I can hold my head high knowing that I did the right thing — to fight for my right to celebrate the band’s success that I have dedicated the better part of my life to helping build.”

As previously reported, AEROSMITH will bring its residency back to Las Vegas this summer. “Aerosmith: Deuces Are Wild” heads to Dolby Live at Park MGM for 24 dates beginning Friday, June 17. According to a press release, the show will be the first live concert experience presented in Dolby Atmos at Dolby Live. Dolby Live is one of the world’s most technologically advanced performance venues for enjoying live music in Dolby Atmos.

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS have announced a global streaming event, to be held Friday, April 15 at 12 p.m. PT in an exclusive partnership with premium concert livestream platform Veeps.

“Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators – Live From Boston”, shot on location this month during the group’s sold-out House Of Blues show, the full production, multi-camera streaming concert event will give fans around the globe the chance to see SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS’ electrifying live show which The Chicago Sun-Times heralded “a rock-solid powerhouse” and “a curated, 21-song salute to some of their own best material” adding, “As long as Slash is still standing, rock music will always be alive and well.” The setlist will include classic favorites, as well as brand new songs from their new album “4”, released last month on Gibson Records/BMG.

Tickets for “Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators – Live From Boston” are on sale now at Veeps. The show will be available for viewing for 48 hours after the event airs.

Fueled by the explosive Top 10 rock song “The River Is Rising”, its high energy live performance video, as well as the best critical acclaim of SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS’ career, “4” debuted as the No. 1 most-selling hard rock album during release week. “The River Is Rising” reached No. 7 on the Active Rock chart, marking SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS’ eighth consecutive Top 10 single at radio.

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS’ performed “The River Is Rising” — which Rolling Stone hailed as “raucous” and Billboard described as “euphoric” with “a surging main riff, dissonant hooks, an infectious chorus, and a guitar solo that conjures images of a rowdy bar brawl” — on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Slash also did an interview with Kimmel during the show.

A decade and four albums into their career, “4” marks the first new music from SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS’ in four years and Slash’s fifth solo album overall. Slash and his CONSPIRATORS bandmates Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass and vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar and vocals) partnered with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Jason Isbell, RIVAL SONS), for the LP, resulting in the band’s strongest collective statement to date. Cobb shared the band’s desire to lay down the tracks live in the studio — including guitar solos and vocals — a first for the group, revealing a stunning, vital sound and style all captured live at RCA Studio A in Nashville, Tennessee.

“4” is SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS like you’ve never heard them before. A vibrant rock album fueled by memorable guitar hooks and compelling melodies, big choruses, and even bigger riffs, “4” hits on a wide range of sounds, styles, and moods in 10 songs, and does it all with laser-sharp musical focus and a lightning-in-a-bottle sense of immediacy. The album kicks off with “The River Is Rising”, one of the band’s toughest and most dynamic compositions to date, unraveling via a menacing, tightly-coiled riff and deep-in-the-pocket groove. From the deliberate stomp rock of “Whatever Gets You By”, the bright-toned, heart-on-sleeve pop-rocker “Fill My World”, to the talk box-drenched guitar hooks of “C’est La Vie”, exotica-tinged psychedelic fever dream of “Spirit Love”, the anthemic swell of “The Path Less Followed” to the cowbell-inflected boogie-shake of “Actions Speak Louder Than Words”, the grimy AEROSMITH-esque funk of “April Fool” to the rampaging attack of “Call Off The Dogs” and climaxing with the epic six-minute album closer “Fall Back To Earth”, “4” is an album that grabs hold and never lets go.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

Listen to “Half Rising Man,” the final track from Absent in Body’s (members of Neurosis, Amenra and Sepultura) debut album, Plague God.
The post Video Premiere: Absent in Body – ‘The Half Rising Man’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

With Def Leppard style hooks, Judas Priest anthemics and Maiden/Lizzy-esque guitar harmonies, Bomber’s debut is exactly what we need after two years of pandemic doom and gloom
The post Swedish Metal Squad BOMBER Combine Maiden and Lep Influences with “Black Pants Magic” on Their Killer Debut appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

On April 15, UMe/Mercury and Anthem Records label groups continue the extensive RUSH 40th-anniversary album series with new, expanded editions of the band’s groundbreaking 1981 release “Moving Pictures”, embodying its well-deserved classic album status. “Moving Pictures – 40th Anniversary” will be available to fans in six distinct configurations, including the (1) Super Deluxe Edition, (2) three-CD Deluxe Edition, (3) five-LP Deluxe Edition, (4) one-LP Edition, (5), Digital Deluxe Edition, and (6) Dolby Atmos Digital Edition and can be pre-ordered here.

In the video below, artist Hugh Syme narrates the creation of the “Moving Pictures” iconic album artwork.

“Moving Pictures”, RUSH’s eighth studio album, was originally released on February 12, 1981, and its adventurous-yet-accessible music catapulted the forward-thinking Canadian band to even newer heights as it began navigating the demands of a new decade. The album’s seven songs expertly blended RUSH’s intrinsic prowess for channeling its progressive roots into radio-friendly arrangements, a template the band had mastered to a T all throughout its previous album, 1980’s deservedly lauded “Permanent Waves”. “Moving Pictures” was also the second of many RUSH recording sessions at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec, which was ultimately nicknamed the trio’s own personal Abbey Road recording studio.

The album’s lead-off track, “Tom Sawyer”, became one of RUSH’s most cherished FM favorites in addition to taking its rightful place as a perpetual concert staple for decades to come. Next, the band shifts into the multi-generational dreamscape of “Red Barchetta”, which chronicles the thrills and chills of a high-stakes backroads car race. The instrumental barnburner “YYZ”, lovingly named after the airport identification code for Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, runs the gamut of the band’s forever impressive progressive chops in under four minutes flat. Side A closes out with the observational luminescence of “Limelight”, a timeless, if not prescient look at how introverted artists grapple with public demands while trying to maintain a personal level of earned privacy.

Side B commences with the expansive palette of “The Camera Eye”, a multi-layered, ten-minute-long travelogue that takes a bird’s eye view of the inherent hustle and bustle of New York City counterbalanced with the intense energy and deep-rooted history of London. “Witch Hunt” (subtitled as being “Part III of Fear”) offers a grim view of prejudice and mob mentality, while the album wraps up with the angular, cutting-edge “Vital Signs”, a propulsive track that clearly foreshadows a number of the more adventurous musical directions RUSH would undertake as the ever-shifting 1980s continued to unfold.

The Super Deluxe Edition includes three CDs, one Blu-ray Audio disc, and five high-quality 180-gram black vinyl LPs. The set encompasses the Abbey Road Mastering Studios 2015 remastered edition of the album for the first time on CD, along with two discs of previously unreleased and newly restored bonus live content newly mixed from the original analog live multi-tracks by RUSH’s original producer, Terry Brown, featuring the band’s complete, unreleased Toronto concert from Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, on March 25, 1981 (designated here as “Live In YYZ 1981”). The fourth bonus disc is a Blu-ray Audio disc with the core album newly mixed from the original multi-tracks in Dolby Atmos (a RUSH catalog first!), Dolby TrueHD 5.1, and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound as done by noted producer/engineer Richard Chycki, alongside the previously available PCM Stereo mix. Also included on the Blu-ray are four bonus videos: a brand-new video for “YYZ” plus three remastered vintage promo videos for “Tom Sawyer”, “Limelight” and “Vital Signs”. Additionally, all of the vinyl in the Super Deluxe Edition has been cut via half-speed Direct to Metal Mastering (DMM) (another RUSH catalog first!) on five 180-gram audiophile LPs.

The Super Deluxe Edition of “Moving Pictures – 40th Anniversary” will also include several exclusive items, including a 44-page hardcover book with unreleased photos and new artwork by original album designer Hugh Syme, along with new illustrations for each song; extensive liner notes by Kim Thayil (guitarist, SOUNDGARDEN), Les Claypool (bassist/vocalist, PRIMUS), Taylor Hawkins (drummer, FOO FIGHTERS), Bill Kelliher (guitarist, MASTODON), and Neil Sanderson (drummer, THREE DAYS GRACE); a Red Barchetta model car mounted on a black perch with an MP40 nameplate; two Neil Peart signature MP40 branded drumsticks; two metal-embossed guitar picks, one each with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson’s respective signatures engraved on them; a replica of the “Moving Pictures” 1981 official tour program; an MP40 logo enamel pin; a 3D lenticular “Moving Pictures in motion” lithograph; an 18×24-inch Toronto 1981 concert poster; a replica concert ticket from the 1981 Maple Leaf Gardens show; a 12×36-inch Rush Through The Years 1973-1981 poster; a YYZ luggage tag; and a All Access World Tour ’81 insert. All contents are housed in a premium lift-top box, which features movingly reimagined cover artwork by Hugh Syme.

The second configuration of “Moving Pictures – 40th Anniversary” will be released in a three-CD Deluxe Edition digipak that includes the newly remastered original album on CD 1 and the entire, unreleased 1981 Toronto concert on CDs 2 and 3. Extras include a 24-page booklet with unreleased photos and reimagined artwork by Syme, along with the aforementioned liner notes by Thayil, Claypool, Hawkins, Kelliher and Sanderson.

The third “Moving Pictures” configuration will be offered as a five-LP Deluxe Edition, all of it housed in a slipcase including a single-pocket jacket for the remastered original “Moving Pictures” on LP 1, and two gatefold jackets for LPs 2-5 that comprise all 19 tracks from the complete, unreleased “Live In YYZ” 1981 concert. As noted above, all vinyl has been cut for the first time ever via half-speed Direct to Metal Mastering (DMM) on 180-gram black audiophile vinyl. Extras include a 24-page booklet with unreleased photos, Syme’s reimagined artwork and new illustrations, and the complete liner notes.

The fourth configuration is a one-LP eCommerce exclusive edition, featuring the first-ever half-speed DMM vinyl pressing. It comes newly wrapped in a limited-edition premium tip-on style gatefold jacket with printed sleeve, and each pressing comes with one of six randomly inserted Neil Peart hand-drawn lyrics sheets.

The fifth configuration, the Deluxe Digital Edition, features the original album and all 19 bonus live performances from Toronto, and is the digital equivalent to the three-CD Deluxe Edition.

Finally, the sixth configuration, the Dolby Atmos Digital Edition, is the digital equivalent of Richard Chycki’s masterful Atmos mix of all seven tracks from the original album.

RUSH — bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist/vocalist Alex Lifeson, and drummer/lyricist Neil Peart — maintains a large and uniquely passionate worldwide fanbase that acknowledges and respects the band’s singular, bold, and perpetually exploratory songcraft that combines sterling musicianship, complex compositions, and distinctive lyrical flair. RUSH has sold more than 25 million albums in the U.S. alone, with worldwide sales estimated at 45 million (and counting), and has been awarded 24 gold, 14 platinum, and three multi-platinum album distinctions. RUSH has received seven Grammy nominations, and the band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame in 1994 and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013.

SCORPIONS have shared an eight-minute track-by-track breakdown of the band’s 19th studio album, “Rock Believer”, by singer Klaus Meine. Check it out below. The LP was released on February 25.

Asked in a recent interview with Chile’s Radio Futuro what fans can expect to hear on “Rock Believer”, Meine said: “Well, you can expect an album that is dedicated to all the rock believers in the world. And we’re very excited after all these years. We thought, when you think about all the touring we did the last 10 years, after the release of ‘Return To Forever’ in 2015, the time was right to go back into the studio, to write new material, to write new songs and check out if the creativity is still working. The big aim was, the goal was to make a rock album — to make an album with lots of attitude, power and focus on the good old times and really enjoy the music and have some fun with the music. And that feels really good.”

Speaking about the “Rock Believer” album title, SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker said: “Look, we are around the world since 50 years or more. And when somebody can say he’s a rock believer, then this is us. And of course, we meet our rock believers in front of us, our audience.

“So many people said rock is dead. It’s not dead,” he continued. “It’s always coming back — sometimes, okay, more stronger [or] less strong — but in the end, it’s great to play around the world in over 80 countries we’ve played so far, and all rock believers. It was always great to share the music with them together and be in connection with them. I mean, that’s so amazing and so fantastic, that we are very happy to come out with a new album. And yeah, let’s see what’s happening.”

Added Meine: “Over the years, we’ve heard people say lots of times that rock is dead. But there are still millions of rock believers out there all over the world that prove them wrong. Our fans are the best in the world. We’ll see you someday somewhere out there, because we’re rock believers, just like you.”

“Rock Believer” was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

“The album was written and recorded in the SCORPIONS DNA with core Schenker/Meine compositions,” said Klaus. “We recorded the album as a band live in one room, like we did in the ’80s.”

SCORPIONS’ new album marks their first release since 2017’s “Born To Touch Your Feelings – Best Of Rock Ballads”, which was an anthology of new and classic material.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

Meine previously told Talking Metal that the goal with using Fidelman to produce “Rock Believer” was to bring “the old vibe from albums like ‘Blackout’, ‘Love At First Sting’ or even ‘Lovedrive’. We try to focus on those albums and this attitude,” he said. “If we get there, who knows — it’s so many years later. But it’s the spirit and it’s the whole vibe around this album. This time, the focus is on the harder songs.”

“Rock Believer” track listing:

01. Gas In The Tank
02. Roots In My Boots
03. Knock ‘Em Dead
04. Rock Believer
05. Shining Of Your Soul
06. Seventh Sun
07. Hot And Cold
08. When I Lay My Bones To Rest
09. Peacemaker
10. Call Of The Wild
11. When You Know (Where You Come From)
12. Shoot For Your Heart
13. When Tomorrow Comes
14. Unleash The Beast
15. Crossing Borders

SCORPIONS will kick off their “Rock Believer” world tour on March 26 in Las Vegas where the band will play nine shows as part of their residency at Planet Hollywood Hotel. Afterwards they will cross the Atlantic to Europe where they will play six concerts in France and six shows In Germany supported by Wolfgang Van Halen’s new band MAMMOTH WVH.

SCORPIONS’ previous full-length collection of new recordings was the aforementioned “Return To Forever”, partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the ’80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS’ longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

ZZ TOP has reached back to its very early days with the first track to be released from their forthcoming “Raw” album, out July 22 from Shelter Records through BMG. “Brown Sugar” was a key cut on the very appropriately titled ZZ TOP’s first album that was released in January of 1971. Available today, “Brown Sugar” is the opening track on “Raw”, which itself is an homage to the band’s early days.

ZZ TOP’s “Brown Sugar”, penned by Billy Gibbons, should not be mistaken for THE ROLLING STONES song of the same title, the latter of which was actually released three months after ZZ TOP’s first album.

“Raw” was recorded and filmed for the Grammy-nominated Netflix documentary “That Little Ol’ Band From Texas” in the intimate setting of the famed Texas honky-tonk Gruene Hall between Austin and San Antonio. The historic venue dates to 1878 and has been in continuous use as the oldest, continually operating joint in the state. Gibbons, Frank Beard and the late Dusty Hill gathered there to record in a spare, bare bones way and the result of those efforts is “Brown Sugar” along with eleven additional tracks that comprise the “Raw” tune stack.

Gibbons commented: “‘Brown Sugar’ has been sweetening our concert sets for many decades now, so it seemed like the right song to kick off ‘Raw’. The Gruene Hall session was a satisfying return to our roots and a very special circumstance that we’re delighted to share with the friends and fans who have stuck with us all this time.”

When the three members of ZZ TOP gathered at Gruene Hall, they were in each other’s line of sight, making for a very organic recording session, part of which is seen in the film. “Raw”, the totality of their efforts there, will be available on 180-gram vinyl, CD and through digital platforms. The album was produced by Gibbons, engineered by Jake Mann and G.L. G-Mane Moon and mixed by Ryan Hewitt. The album is issued “in righteous memory” of Hill, who passed away last year.

The “Raw” title is derived from the unfettered and straightforward manner in which the tracks were recorded. As seen in the film, the bandmembers played, for the most part, together within sight of each other in the course of one day. The methodology employed was something of an homage to the way ZZ TOP recorded at the start of its epic five plus decades run at the pinnacle of rock’s pantheon.

The album’s liner notes by Billy and Frank explain the approach: “It was, in a very real way, a return to our roots. Just us and the music, no audience of thousands, no concession stands, no parking lot social hour, no phalanx of tour busses. Just us and the music. We knew right then it was a very special circumstance, all of us in the same place at the same time and what a time it most certainly was! It was as bare bones as when we first started touring in a behemoth Chrysler station wagon, driving vast stretches between those early far-flung shows under blackened Texas skies and first hearing our records on the radio. We were bonded as brothers.

“‘The Dust’ may have left the building but he’s still very much with us.”

“Raw” track listing:

Side 1

01. Brown Sugar
02. Just Got Paid
03. Heard It On The X
04. La Grange
05. Tush
06. Thunderbird

Side 2

01. I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide
02. Gimme All Your Lovin’
03. Blue Jean Blues
04. Certified Blues
05. Tube Snake Boogie