Bruce Dickinson says that felt that he “had to leave” IRON MAIDEN nearly 30 years ago in order to “learn what it was like” to live life away from the band.

Dickinson joined MAIDEN in 1981, replacing Paul Di’Anno, and made his recording debut with the band on the 1982 album “The Number Of The Beast”. He quit the group in 1993, pursuing several solo projects, and rejoined in 1999.

Bruce touched upon his departure from MAIDEN during the question-and-answer portion of his March 23 spoken-word show at MTelus in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Asked about the reasons for his exit from the group, Dickinson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Honestly, I was as surprised as anybody else. I don’t think people really believed that at the time. I just thought that if I stayed with MAIDEN forever, all I would learn about was what it was like to be in MAIDEN. And in order to learn what it was like outside MAIDEN, you have to leave, because, unless you left, nobody would take anything that you did seriously. It would always be, like, ‘Oh, bless him. He’s doing a solo record. Let him have his fun and then he can go back to being in IRON MAIDEN.’ I hated that. So I thought, ‘Fuck it. I’ll just leave.’ And [people said], ‘What happens if your [solo] career doesn’t work out?’ I said, ‘Well, that’s God or fate saying maybe that’s [for] the best.’ And I said [it’s] better [to take a chance] now and do something else with your life than sit there somewhere in fantasy world and end up just grumpy.”

Back in 2019, Dickinson said that he had no interest in returning to MAIDEN more than 20 years ago if it meant only focusing on nostalgia.

“Well, all I needed to know was that we were not gonna come back as some sort of a reunion-type thing,” he explained. “I didn’t want to go back to the past. This was gonna be about putting a band together that was looking ahead to the future — to do a great new album and to really restart the whole impetus and direction of the band. And Steve [Harris, MAIDEN bassist and leader] said that’s what he wanted to do, and I was, like, ‘Okay. Let’s do it.’ And, of course, the first album we came out with after that was [2000’s] ‘Brave New World’ — I think one of the best MAIDEN albums that we’ve ever done.”

During Dickinson’s absence from MAIDEN, the band released two albums with his successor, former WOLFSBANE singer Blaze Bayley — 1995’s “The X Factor” and 1998’s “Virtual XI” — which saw MAIDEN relegated to playing small theaters in America for the first time in years.

Bruce’s two-month North American spoken-word tour kicked off on January 17 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and will run through the end of March.

Dickinson, who had a golf gall-size tumor on his tongue and another in the lymph node on the right side of his neck, got the all-clear in May 2015 after radiation and nine weeks of chemotherapy.

Bruce will hit the road with IRON MAIDEN for a new North American leg of the band’s “Legacy Of The Beast” tour in September.

Billy Graziadei says that there has been “talk” about putting BIOHAZARD back together.

The group, which is acknowledged as one of the earliest outfits to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip-hop, has been out of the public eye since Scott Roberts left the band more than six years ago.

Roberts, who played guitar on BIOHAZARD’s 2005 album “Means To An End”, rejoined the group in June 2011 as the replacement for bassist and co-vocalist Evan Seinfeld. Scott fronted BIOHAZARD for nearly five years before exiting the band in February 2016.

Asked by Metal Injection about BIOHAZARD’s current status, Billy said: “We talk often. I was with Evan at a memorial for my friend Scott [Koenig], and it was great to see him. Danny [Schuler, drums] and Bobby [Hambel, guitar] and I talk quite often, and during the pandemic there were a few people that wanted to play bass for us. And then during the pandemic, we were all discussing and had a heart to heart. And basically, the outcome was, like, life’s too short. If we don’t take away anything from this pandemic, it’s, like, if we’re going to do something, let’s put the band back together again.

“I’m the only member of the band that’s still active in music,” he continued. “I know the guys do things here and there, but it’s what I do with what I love. It’s me, so I’m going to keep going.

“With BIOHAZARD, it’s always been a vibe thing with us. It’s not like we sit down and say, ‘Hey, in 2023, let’s make an album. Let’s go on tour and release the album mid-tour.’ In a business sense, that’d be great. If I had the business sense that I have now, I would have been way more successful. But like I said, that was never my goal. It’s still not my goal. My goal is music and art first. I probably won’t be recognized for anything awesome until I’m dead and gone, but it’s okay. I have other means to pay the bills and I have a great wife who supports me.

“BIOHAZARD is kind of like a vibe thing,” Billy added. “It’s like when the planets align and shit lines up, we do it. There’s been different crazy twists and turns of our history, and I would imagine there will be in the future, but that’s life. The pandemic was the fucking craziest curveball anyone ever thought would come, you know?”

In an August 2020 interview with the “Aftershocks” podcast, Roberts said that he left BIOHAZARD because he “wasn’t happy” anymore. “There was one guy that I wasn’t getting along with very well, and it made touring not fun anymore for me,” he said. “My reason to stick around was to make a new record that was great and I’d be proud of and all that stuff, and then it became kind of clear that wasn’t gonna happen, so I was, like, ‘What am I doing it for?’ So I quit.”

According to Roberts, BIOHAZARD was “doing really good” on the live circuit before his decision to leave the group.

“I was actually in the band longer than anybody else that wasn’t the original four guys,” he said. “I was in the band twice, actually; I played guitar the first time. So I was in the band, like, seven years, I think. The second time, when I was singing, at first, we were, like, ‘Is this gonna work?’ ‘Cause it’s really hard to replace a singer. In history, how many times has that actually worked? IRON MAIDEN, AC/DC… a handful of times. At first, it was definitely weird; people didn’t know what to expect. But in time, the shows were getting bigger again, we were headlining festivals again — it was rolling, it was happening, it was working. But it all kind of fell apart.”

In a 2017 interview with “The Ex Man” podcast, Graziadei discussed Roberts’s split from the group, saying that the other members of the band “got into some issues” with Scott once work began on a new studio album. “He just grew out of it,” Billy claimed. “He was a fucking rigger in New York in the union, making tons of money, and leaving his family to go on tour for making a little bit of money, it didn’t pay for him. So I think that started harboring some issues with him. And eventually we were in the studio doing the new record, and we had some exchanges back and forth, and he quit. And we were, like, ‘Fuck! Here we are again.'”

Scott later responded to Billy’s comments, saying that he quit BIOHAZARD because it was no longer fun. “I was okay with losing money on tour as long as I was enjoying myself,” Roberts wrote on his Facebook page. “I would have kept doing that. The real problem was I wasn’t getting along with one of the members and wasn’t enjoying myself on tour with them anymore. The only other reason for me to keep doing it, was to make a new record that I was into and proud of. When another member of the band made it clear to me that wasn’t going to happen, there was no reason for me to do it anymore. That’s the simplest way I can explain it.”

He added: “The only reason to be in a band is for the love of it. Not because it’s a career. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you shouldn’t do it. That’s my opinion, for what’s it worth.”

In “The Ex Man” interview, Billy said that BIOHAZARD’s collaboration with Roberts “just worked. The band without Evan, in a small, hardcore way, it’s like VAN HALEN without David Lee Roth. It was different, it was something new, but it was different… Scott had the fire that we all had, and it just seemed to work, and people accepted him. He was great, he fit great, his vibe was great, he was all about the music, loved hardcore, loved what we did, he was really into it, and it was fucking awesome. So we toured, we kept doing it. And we saw the crowds getting bigger and the people accepted him and the BIOHAZARD name… the brand started growing again; instead of being stagnant or declining, it started to grow. And the shows kept doing better and better. And we were, like, ‘Cool. Let’s keep this going.'”

Seinfeld made his final recorded appearance with BIOHAZARD on 2012’s “Reborn In Defiance” album, which marked the first LP featuring the band’s original lineup in 18 years.

Graziadei is currently a member of POWERFLO, which also features former FEAR FACTORY bassist/guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers, Sen Dog from CYPRESS HILL, and Rogelio Lozano from DOWNSET.

Billy’s solo project, BILLYBIO, will release a new album, “Leaders And Liars”, on March 25 via AFM Records.

FOO FIGHTERS have been added to the list of artists who will perform at the 64th annual Grammy Awards.

Once again hosted by Trevor Noah, the ceremony will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

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”).

This year’s Grammy nominations were announced on November 23, 2021. The nominations were announced during a livestream from the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, which featured Mason and Board Of Trustees chair Tammy Hurt, as well as some special guests.

Up for the the “Best Metal Performance” award at the 64th annual Grammy Awards are DEFTONES, DREAM THEATER, GOJIRA, MASTODON and ROB ZOMBIE.

The eligibility period for the 64th annual Grammy Awards was September 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021.

The 2022 ceremony will be the first since The Recording Academy announced that it has made significant changes to its awards process to ensure that the Grammy Awards rules and guidelines are transparent and equitable. The show no longer uses anonymous review committees to determine its nominees. Now, all nominees are based solely on thousands of votes from the Academy’s voting members. They also changed the number of categories in which Academy members can vote and added two new awards.

In January 2020, former Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan filed a discrimination charge against the Recording Academy of Arts & Sciences, alleging she was being retaliated against for reporting misconduct within the Academy. In the 46-page complaint, Dugan further alleged that “the Grammy voting process is ripe with corruption,” detailing secret committees the group used to “push forward artists with whom it has relationships.” She said that as many as 30 artists who were not selected by the 12,000 voting members were added to the possible nomination list.

Just announced: Foo Fighters are taking the stage at the #GRAMMYs April 3 on @CBS! ⚡️ @RecordingAcad pic.twitter.com/2yqYo3RNxh
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) March 24, 2022

METALLICA and The Coda Collection have unveiled an extensive upcoming slate of live performance and documentary films set to arrive exclusively on the platform this spring. The partnership will bring seven titles to streaming for the first time ever, establishing a career-spanning catalog of content that sheds a light on METALLICA’s four-decade history together and allows fans to relive some of their most iconic performances to date.

Kicking off today with the release of “Cunning Stunts” and “Orgullo, Pasión, Y Gloria: Tres Noches En La Ciudad De México”, The Coda Collection will soon release the much-anticipated anniversary concerts, “Metallica 40th Anniversary Live”, two separate concert films delivered with all-new edits and fully remixed audio on March 31 and April 7, respectively. The special two-night event celebrating 40 years of METALLICA at San Francisco’s Chase Center sees the group in peak performance, with two unique setlists featuring live firsts and deep cuts that chronologically explore the earliest era of the band through present day during night one and then in reverse order in night two. Watch a brand new trailer for “Metallica 40th Anniversary Live” now below.

The momentous hometown shows, originally presented globally by The Coda Collection and powered by streaming partners Amazon Music and Prime Video channels last year, will then be followed by the streaming debuts of “A Year And A Half In The Life Of Metallica”, the 1992 documentary chronicling the creation of the band’s Grammy Award-winning self-titled fifth studio album; “Quebec Magnetic”, the concert film documenting back-to-back shows at Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, Canada on their 2009 “World Magnetic” tour; and “Français Pour Une Nuit”, the live performance film showcasing the band’s historic set at Arena of Nîmes in Nîmes, France in 2009.

To stream “Cunning Stunts” and “Orgullo, Pasión, Y Gloria: Tres Noches En La Ciudad De México”, and discover additional information and context on all of METALLICA’s upcoming titles, visit The Coda Collection now here.

For a complete release schedule, please see below.

* March 24 – “Cunning Stunts” and “Orgullo, Pasión, Y Gloria: Tres Noches En La Ciudad De México”
* March 31 – “Metallica 40th Anniversary Live” (Night One)
* April 7 – “Metallica 40th Anniversary Live” (Night Two)
* April 21 – “A Year And A Half In The Life Of Metallica”
* May 19 – “Quebec Magnetic”
* June 9 – “Français Pour Une Nuit”

Launched in early 2021, The Coda Collection is a unique subscription streaming service that features an exclusive, curated selection of the most iconic music documentaries, concert films, and episodic series spanning generations and genres. Paired with a complementary web site exploring new perspectives on music, The Coda Collection gives fans a destination to experience the untold stories behind the songs we love and share a deeper connection with our favorite artists.

The Coda Collection offers hundreds of hours of exclusive concert and documentary content from artists ranging from such legendary icons as Jimi Hendrix, THE ROLLING STONES and PEARL JAM to contemporary premieres of new material by such diverse artists as IDLES, THE CURE, EVANESCENCE, COLDPLAY, JANE’S ADDICTION, THE BLACK CROWES, Marcus King, the critically acclaimed Dave Grohl-directed documentary “What Drives Us” and Nigel Godrich’s seminal “From The Basement” performance series featuring such artists as THE WHITE STRIPES, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, RADIOHEAD and others.

The Coda Collection is available to Amazon Prime members in the U.S. now for $4.99 per month, with a free seven-day trial, and will roll out globally throughout the rest of the year.

To see the complete library of titles available to stream exclusively on The Coda Collection, click here. To explore The Coda Collection and to sign up for a free seven-day trial, visit www.codacollection.co.

Sammy Hagar will be honored with a shrunken head at The Golden Tiki in Las Vegas, Nevada later today (Thursday, March 24).

To commemorate the occasion, The Golden Tiki will add four new drinks to its cocktail menu rolling out on National Cocktail Day. The cocktails will be made with Hagar’s portfolio of award-winning spirits, Santo Tequila and Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum. The bar will also carry Hagar’s new line of sparkling rum cocktails, Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co.

New cocktails include:

* Tiki La Sunrise: Santo Blanco tequila, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto liqueur, passionfruit juice, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, and honey syrup, garnished with hibiscus and coconut.

* Red Headed Stranger: Sammy’s Beach Bar White Rum, Sammy’s Beach Bar Red Rum, lime juice, and honey, garnished with a dehydrated lime and mermaid.

* Kola Nui: Sammy’s Beach Bar Kola Rum, Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum, Dole Whip, coconut cream, lime juice, orange juice, and Don’s Mix, garnished with an orchid flower and pineapple frond garnish.

* Tres Puntos: Santo Mezquila, Santo Blanco, Santo Reposado, Velvet Falernum, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, honey syrup, lime juice, and pineapple juice, garnished with a pineapple wedge, Luxardo cherry, and pineapple frond garnish.

Hagar, who recently kicked off his second residency at The Strat Hotel, Casino & SkyPod in Las Vegas, will join several celebrities who have been honored with shrunken heads over the years, including Rod Stewart, Vinnie Paul Abbott (PANTERA, HELLYEAH) and Rich Little.

For more than four decades, Hagar has been recognized as one of the best and most accomplished lead singers and songwriters in rock music. From breaking into the industry with the seminal hard rock band MONTROSE, to his multi-platinum solo career, to his ride as the frontman of VAN HALEN, CHICKENFOOT and his latest best-selling supergroup THE CIRCLE, Hagar has amassed 25 platinum albums on sales surpassing 50 million worldwide. Along his journey, he has set the tone for some of the greatest rock anthems ever written with songs like “I Can’t Drive 55”, “Right Now” and “Why Can’t This Be Love” and earned the highest respect of the music industry with a Grammy Award and induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Since launching his flagship Cabo Wabo Cantina, he’s turned a lifelong passion for great food, music and spirits into a thriving and iconic lifestyle brand that now encompass top-shelf labels, Cabo Wabo Tequila (sold in 2008), Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum, Santo Tequila, several restaurants and his new spirits venture, Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co.’s sparkling rum cocktails. Never one to hit the brakes, Sammy’s also expanded his successes into publishing, TV, radio and beyond, including five seasons of his hit TV show “Rock & Roll Road Trip With Sammy Hagar” and as host of “Sammy Hagar’s Top Rock Countdown”, a weekly syndicated radio show broadcast airing on over 90 U.S. stations. He’s also a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author and dedicated philanthropist.

Rob Flynn (MACHINE HEAD) and Craig Locicero (FORBIDDEN) joined the BLACK SABBATH tribute band BACK STABBATH on stage on March 19 at the Elbo Room Jack London in Oakland, California to perform a set of BLACK SABBATH classics. Fan-filmed video of the concert is available below.

Back in 2015, Flynn told Metal Talk that he was 13 years old when he was first introduced to SABBATH’s music.

“My family moved around a lot so it was kind of hard to make friends,” he recalled. “As a kid, I was pretty introverted. The one thing I did get really into was Bruce Lee; I was obsessed with him. My dad signed me up to take judo and jiu-jitsu lessons with this guy who took me under his wing and brought out a lot of confidence in me. I got to be an orange belt, about halfway towards black belt.”

After another move, Flynn found himself away from his mentor and in a new environment where he was sparring with older kids. “I’m going up against dudes who were turning into men,” he remembered. “They just kicked my ass — they beat the crap out of me.

“My new sensei demoted me from orange belt back down to a yellow belt, and I was furious. I was, like, ‘Fuck this.’ A week later, my friend Elvis said, ‘Let’s go smoke weed.’ We raided his dad’s stash and got high.”

According to Flynn, a turning point came when his friend put on SABBATH’s “We Sold Our Souls For Rock’N’Roll”. “It had this creepy picture of this dead girl in a coffin and she’s got this huge chrome cross laying on her chest,” he said. “I just remember being high as fuck and terrified of the music that was coming out of the speakers. I had never heard anything so terrifying and dark and evil. It was a revelation. I wanted to make the sound that was coming out of the speakers. I didn’t know what it was, or how to do it. But they were the band that made me want to smoke weed, fuck girls, get snowblind and get drunk. And play the darkest, heaviest, most extreme stuff that I could get my hands on.”

MACHINE HEAD recently completed work on a new full-length album for a tentative summer release. Much of the LP was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with producer Zack Ohren.

MACHINE HEAD will team up with Sweden’s Viking metal overlords AMON AMARTH for a co-headline “Vikings And Lionhearts” European arena tour in September and October. Support on the trek will come from THE HALO EFFECT, the new band featuring five former members of IN FLAMES: Peter Iwers, Daniel Svensson, Jesper Strömblad, Niclas Engelin and Mikael Stanne.

Hell Yeah! Word on the street is that Rob Flynn from Machine Head is playing in Back Stabbath!

Posted by Elbo Room Jack London on Saturday, March 19, 2022