It was back in 1974 when AC/DC, then fronted by Dave Evans, performed its own interpretation of “Heartbreak Hotel”, a classic hit song by Elvis Presley, which got a special mention in the newspaper review of AC/DC’s performance at the Sydney Opera House and became such a success at every concert. And despite the talked-about intention, AC/DC has never recorded this cover.

Paying tribute to AC/DC’s upcoming 50th anniversary, Evans chose to record the song in almost the exact way the band used to perform it live. The music was recorded as a collaboration with musicians from Denmark and produced by Danish sound engineer, record producer and Grammy Award winner Flemming Rasmussen, recording engineer of the album “Difficult To Cure” by RAINBOW and producer of METALLICA’s albums “Ride The Lightning”, “Master Of Puppets” and “…And Justice For All”. As the final layer, the vocal tracks were recorded earlier this week by Evans on the Caribbean island of Aruba at Studio Tiss.

Evans’s version of “Heartbreak Hotel” will be released later in the year.

Dave recorded AC/DC’s first two singles, “Can I Sit Next To You Girl” and “Baby, Please Don’t Go”. But in October 1974, less than a year after AC/DC’s first gig, Evans was out of the band. He was replaced by Bon Scott, who sang on AC/DC’s first six studio albums and became a legend himself after his death in 1980.

Last year, Dave was asked in an interview with The Rocker Diaries if he thought “that would be it” for AC/DC after Bon’s death in 1980. He responded: “No, not at all. I mean, we all keep going. And AC/DC has had that many players through [the history of] the band. I don’t know how many. 20? And three singers, plus a stand-in singer as well.

“We were always ambitious when we first started,” he continued. “We always wanted to be the best in the world — all of us. And after me, Bon Scott got his chance. He did great with the band. And when he died, I just thought, ‘Who are they gonna get?’ I never thought [I would be approached about it] myself, because that’s water under the bridge. And I was busy with bands as well at the time, and doing my own music and recording. I was just wondering who it would be. I had heard of [Brian Johnson’s pre-AC/DC band] GEORDIE — just the name GEORDIE. I’d never heard of Brian. And then Brian popped up and, of course, the ‘Back In Black’ album came out, which was a massive album around the world, and they were off and running with Brian. But if Brian quit, they’d get another singer, and another singer. [They’ve gone through] different bass players [and] different drummers.

“The drive was always Malcolm Young,” Dave added. “I remember Malcolm when I first met him. He was such a driving force. Just a tiny little guy — just a little touch over five foot tall — but, boy, he had a big heart and a big personality. And he was tough, too — Malcolm was very tough. And no matter what, he was AC/DC through and through. And, of course, once he passed away, which is very sad, AC/DC, of course, will never, ever be the same without Malcolm. How can it be?”

Last May, Evans released a new compilation album called “BADASS Greatest Hits”. The effort contains “20 massive hits on one album,” including Dave’s version of “Rockin’ In The Parlour”, the song that originally appeared as the B-side of the “Can I Sit Next to You Girl” single.

Former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider, who has enjoyed great popularity in Russia for most of his career, weighed in on the country’s invasion of Ukraine in a new interview with Belgian Jasper. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “This is a really bad feeling, I tell you. Normally it was planned that we do another really long tour in Russia and Ukraine in October. Okay, Ukraine is definitely not possible, and Russia will be possible, but I don’t wanna do that. We canceled… All the bands are canceling all the Russian dates. This is impossible.

“I feel sorry for the fans, of course. I think at the moment, definitely it takes a while before you can do something like a tour again in Russia,” he continued. “I don’t know. I don’t see this, not before 2024 or something like that — maybe. You never know what’s coming. The war is still going on.

“And also, my guitar player [in U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER], Andrey [Smirnoff], he is Russian, but he was living already for eight years in the Ukraine. And luckily yesterday he arrived in Germany. He [was] driving through the whole Ukraine. Everybody was, like, ‘Well, Jesus, hopefully it works.’ And so yesterday evening he arrived in Germany with his whole family. And thank you. That was, for us, more personal, the whole thing also. It’s not like, okay, watching TV and seeing what’s going on. This is already a nightmare. But to have somebody there and to get him out [of] there, that was, like, ‘Phew.’ Especially one of my main guitarists — I mean, [he’s been in the band] for 10 years now. It’s, like, ‘Oooh.’ But finally it works.”

He added: “But the whole situation, it’s still… I have no words for this. It’s, like, why? Why? Why they do this? They are destroying Ukraine. Why? They are not [posing] any danger to Russia. I don’t know what kind of drugs this guy takes in Moscow,” he said, apparently referring to Russian president Vladimir Putin. “Hopefully it’s not getting worse.”

Udo is currently promoting his upcoming album, “My Way”, which will be released on April 22 via Atomic Fire Records. Billed as “his most personal and extraordinary album to date,” the effort contains 17 cover versions of the very songs that have influenced the musician and singer the most. All kinds of classics from music history are among them — including those that you might not expect from Udo.

Seven years after announcing that he would embark on a special tour during which he would perform ACCEPT songs one last time under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner before closing that chapter for good, Udo is continuing to play ACCEPT material at select shows.

A year ago, Udo confirmed to Canada’s The Metal Voice that U.D.O. will “definitely” play some ACCEPT songs if the band’s North American tour materializes in 2022.

Dirkschneider said in 2016 that his vow to never play ACCEPT material again came with one caveat. “If the band ACCEPT dissolves one day in the near future and I am still around with U.D.O., then there is a chance that I put ACCEPT songs back in the setlist,” he said. “But currently there is ACCEPT, so go see them [if you want to see those songs performed live]. They are playing these songs.”

Udo previously said the original plan was for DIRKSCHNEIDER to only “a few shows,” and “then [the tour] got bigger and bigger [due to demand].” But, he added, “I don’t want to complain about that.”

Drum-cam footage of SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph performing the song “Hell Awaits” with his bandmates can be seen below. The video was apparently filmed when former MACHINE HEAD guitarist Phil Demmel filled in for SLAYER guitarist Gary Holt for four European shows in the fall of 2018 after Gary returned home to be with his dying father.

In August 2020, Bostaph confirmed that he is involved in a brand new project headed up by his SLAYER bandmate Kerry King. The duo has spent the last couple of years working on music with the hopes of recording it properly once the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.

The drummer opened up about his latest collaboration with King in an interview with Australia’s Riff Crew. Asked to describe the musical direction of the music he has been working on with the founding SLAYER guitarist, Bostaph said: “I guess the best way to put it is Kerry writes what he writes. Is this gonna be a rock and roll record? No. Is it gonna be what you want it to be? Yes. Is it gonna be what you expect it to be? Yes. It’s not gonna be some rehashed stuff… It’s gonna sound like SLAYER without it being SLAYER — but not intentionally so. I mean, Kerry’s been writing songs in SLAYER his entire career, and he has a style. And that style, as a songwriter, you just don’t change your style because your band is done. But that’s what you love to write.

“Are things gonna maybe morph over time? Yeah. I would imagine so,” he continued. “I don’t think the first song Kerry wrote as a kid is the same as the last song he wrote for [SLAYER’s final album, 2015’s] ‘Repentless’. Songwriters do change over time based on their influences and how they feel at the time.

“Kerry’s on fire right now. So, all I can say is if you like heavy music and you like SLAYER, you’ll like this. Is it gonna be SLAYER? It’s not gonna be SLAYER — SLAYER is done; they retired…

“The thing about it is that we don’t wanna sound like ‘Baby SLAYER,’ you know what I mean?” he added. “There is SLAYER. But it’s gonna be good — it’s gonna be really good. I’ve been listening to the music and I just cannot wait to get into the room and start jamming with Kerry.

“Part of it for me is that I don’t have to… And this is not an insult; it’s definitely a compliment… I don’t have to drum under the show of [original SLAYER drummer] Dave’s [Lombardo] drumming badassery. That’s a good thing to do, but I might be able to stretch out a little bit and do some things that I like to do and still make it fit within the framework of what we’re doing. I’m looking forward to trying some things that I’ve wanted to try within SLAYER but couldn’t, just because I didn’t have it developed well enough. And we’ll see if I can make some of that stick in some of the new music.”

Asked if his songwriting approach with King has changed compared to how it was within the confines of SLAYER, Bostaph said: “Right now, the formula’s gonna be the same. I know how Kerry writes.

“When I first joined SLAYER, before we did [1994’s] ‘Divine Intervention’, Kerry and I were roommates, and we barely knew each other,” he explained. “And we spent a lot of time together, on a friendship level and jamming musically. I know what he wants out of a song, and we have that formula, and it’s a good formula that works, and we’re not gonna change it. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. You know what I mean?”

Around the same time, Kerry told Dean Guitars that he had plenty of musical ideas for his upcoming project. “I’ve been very, very lucky with riffs in 2020,” he said. “Maybe because I can’t go anywhere — I don’t know — but riffs have certainly not been a problem. And looking forward into the future, what that means for me is I’m gonna be able to cherrypick the best stuff. And it’s good stuff. I’ve got more than two records’ worth of music, but to be able to go through that and cherrypick the best 11 or 12 [songs]… That first record should be smoking.”

According to Kerry, who recently partnered with Dean Guitars as a signature artist, most of the songwriting for his next project so far has been a solitary effort.

“Right now, I’m the only lyricist, because I’m the only one writing music, because I’m not positive who everybody is that’s gonna be playing with me,” he said. “So it’s all on me at the moment. So, actually, I’ve actually gotta cherrypick those songs, pick my 10 or 12 favorites and actually start trying to put lyrics on them, just to move the process forward.”

SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, Kerry’s wife, Ayesha King, said that there is “not a chance in hell” that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances.

When SLAYER first announced that it was embarking on its final tour back in January 2018, Ayesha assured fans that they would “always get music” from her husband.

King has said in previous interviews that his post-SLAYER musical efforts would not be much different from the sound fans have grown accustomed to hearing from him.

“If someone quit, I’m not going to go around with a made-up SLAYER,” he told AZCentral.com back in 2010. “But my next band would sound like SLAYER, that’s all I know.”

SNOT guitarist Mikey Doling has blasted LIMP BIZKIT for agreeing to take the rap artist $NOT out as one of the support acts on its spring 2022 tour.

On Wednesday (March 16), LIMP BIZKIT announced that it will return to the road this April for the month-long “Still Sucks Tour”. The AEG Presents trek will kick off in the band’s former home state of Florida and will include a stop in New York City at Madison Square Garden (May 13) as well as cross-country shows in Baltimore (May 15) and Las Vegas (May 28) before concluding with a Los Angeles-area date (Ontario on May 31). LIMP BIZKIT will be supported by SCOWL, WARGASM UK, $NOT, DYING WISH and YUNG GRAVY for various shows.

Earlier today, Doling shared a video message on his social media in which he called out LIMP BIZKIT frontman Fred Durst — whom he referred to as a “friend” — for seemingly having approved the addition of $NOT to LIMP BIZKIT’s upcoming tour.

He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Mikey Doling here from the real SNOT. I’m making this video because there is a young rapper kid out there calling himself $NOT. I heard about him about a year and a half ago. [I] didn’t think nothing of it because he was in the hip-hop world, rapper — different worlds altogether. Well, now he has stepped into our lane, and I need to address it.

“LIMP BIZKIT just posted [dates for] a new tour, and they are taking this rapper kid named $NOT on tour with them,” he continued. “And I wanted to say to [LIMP BIZKIT frontman] Fred Durst, if you see this video, how dare you, man? You were friends with SNOT. SNOT loved you, man. You came onstage with us and performed. Lynn [Strait, late SNOT frontman] went on stage with you in Boston. And you know the incident I’m talking about. We were friends. We shared drinks, stage, music [and] all that, and all these years later you take an artist named $NOT on tour with you? What the fuck is that, man? Bullshit.

“So, yeah. I had to address it,” Doling added. “That’s my two cents. And to that fake $NOT kid — [extends middle finger] right there, brother. There’s only one fucking SNOT. Get some.”

The 24-year-old $NOT, who was born in New York to Haitian and Dominican parents as Edy Edouard, and lived in the city until age 7, spent most of his life in Lake Worth, Florida, and still resides in the Sunshine State.

SNOT disbanded in 1998 following the death of singer Lynn Strait, putting an end to a career that generated considerable promise but only one studio album, the 1997 Geffen Records release “Get Some”. Also killed was the band’s mascot Dobbs, Strait’s dog who adorned the cover of SNOT’s debut album. The band had been writing material for its sophomore CD and had completed ten songs at the time of Strait’s tragic passing. As a memorial to Strait, SNOT eventually decided to release those tracks, with lyrics and guest vocals provided by a host of stars from the alt-metal community. The resulting album, “Strait Up”, was a fitting tribute from Strait’s peers and friends, featuring members of LIMP BIZKIT, KORN, SLIPKNOT, SEVENDUST, (HED) P.E., COAL CHAMBER, SUGAR RAY, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, SOULFLY, and more.

In 2014, SNOT recruited Carl Bensley (VITIATE, CONSUME THE FIRE) to sing for the band following the departure of Tommy “Vext” Cummings (ex-BAD WOLVES, DIVINE HERESY).

Vext fronted SNOT in 2008-2009 before he and guitarist Sonny Mayo exited the group amid “strained relationships.”

SNOT the real SNOT

Posted by Mikey Doling on Saturday, March 19, 2022

Former IRON MAIDEN frontman Paul Di’Anno, who has been receiving lymphatic drainage treatments in Zagreb, Croatia in preparation for his upcoming knee surgery, will be fitted for a custom leg brace this coming week.

Stjepan Juras, a MAIDEN fan and author of many MAIDEN-related books, who is taking care of Paul during his stay in Croatia, has provided the following update to BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding Paul’s condition: “Paul was originally supposed to wear a carbon orthosis that would be thin and firm and over which he could wear his sneakers. However, his condition did not allow that type of orthosis and doctors suggested an orthosis with an already fitted shoe (which would mean he would have to walk for several months with two different shoes and that didn’t seem like the best option to him). Another option was temporary leg stiffness surgery and the installation of external fixators, after which Paul, awaiting major artificial knee implant surgery, could walk. Admittedly, a little stiffer, but he would walk. Paul agreed to this. However, after an ultra-scan and additional examination of the body the doctors concluded that his circulation in his leg was not yet good enough for the operation to be performed safely.”

Stjepan continued: “Paul will probably go to several barochamber treatments to improve circulation, but orthopedists have been looking for the best temporary solution and finally they found a type of orthosis that would suit Paul perfectly and that he could walk with. On Monday, Paul goes on to take foot measurements to make him a custom orthosis. When the orthosis arrives, Paul will spend some time in Croatia learning to walk again, and doctors predict that he will be able to get to his first concert after seven years (May 21, 2022). After that, Paul will have to walk and exercise intensively for several months in order for his circulation to fully recover and when that happens, he will be ready for the final surgery.”

Photos showing Di’Anno’s progress over the course of the three months that he has spent receiving treatment in Croatia can be seen below.

Di’Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN — a self-titled effort in 1980 and “Killers” in 1981 — before being fired and replaced by Bruce Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.

In January 2021, Kastro Pergjoni, operations director of the Cart & Horses pub in Stratford, London, England where IRON MAIDEN made its live debut in 1976, launched a crowdfunding campaign on JustGiving for Di’Anno to be treated privately. More than £13,000 was raised — roughly the cost for surgery on one of Paul’s knees. A second crowdfunding campaign was launched last summer and has raised more than £13,000 of a £26,000 target.

In February, Di’Anno told the “Još Jedan” podcast that his health was “better” than it was just a couple of months earlier but noted that he still “a lot of work to do — a lot of physio and stuff like that.”

Paul went on to blast the U.K.’s free-at-the-point-of-use National Health Service (NHS), saying: “Fucking NHS sucks. I was a defender of them big time. But the nurses are awesome and all the workers. It’s the fucking bureaucracy bullshit — the management and the people who run the NHS are just total assholes. But the poor heroes — the nurses and the staff — they’re great, but their hands are tied. So they didn’t know what to do. They just dumped me.”

Di’Anno, who will turn 64 in May, outlined some of the recent health issues he has battled that have kept him from performing for seven years.

“I caught sepsis [when an infection you already have triggers a chain reaction throughout your body] in 2015, and it almost killed me,” he said. “And I spent eight months in a hospital in England. You’ve got a crucial 45 minutes to get as many antibiotics in you before you die, and they managed to do that, which was great. Then I spent eight months in a hospital, and then another three months in a care home. And while I was in there getting things done, on hospital visits, I caught MRSA [Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, an infection caused by a type of staph bacteria that’s become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections] there twice, in the hospital. So that was it. So it kept delaying things and delaying things… And then they took this knee out put this cement thing in. And it was only supposed to be in there for a year. And the first time they put that in, it broke, so they cut me open again and put another in. And that one is still in here. And while it’s been in there this long, it’s going toxic. So, what the fuck are they doing over there at the NHS?”

According to Paul, his doctors in Zagreb found evidence of surgical instruments mistakenly being left within his body, potentially opening the door for him to pursue compensation through a lawsuit of medical malpractice.

“When I arrived here [in Croatia] at the clinic and they were looking me over, they found a fucking staple in my leg which was in there from the operation from four years ago. What’s going on?” he said.

“There’s gonna be a lawsuit, by the way. [Laughs]”

Di’Anno reportedly underwent an operation in 2016 to remove a “rugby ball-sized abscess” on his lungs and required a knee-replacement operation on both knees after getting involved in several motorcycle accidents over the years. As a result, Di’Anno was forced to sit down while performing at his most recent shows.

Arizona thrashers SACRED REICH have canceled two shows on their North American tour with SEPULTURA after frontman Phil Rind was hospitalized with a non-COVID-19-related illness. The trek, which kicked off on March 4 in Sacramento, California, also features support from CROWBAR and ART OF SHOCK.

Earlier today (Saturday, March 19), Phil released the following statement via social media: “Hi everyone, I have been battling a non-Covid illness since last Sunday in Pittsburgh. I have been doing my best every night because as they say ‘the show must go on’ even though my asthma has been getting progressively worse.

“I went to the hospital this morning in Philadelphia and have been admitted. As a result SACRED REICH will not be performing tonight in Philadelphia or tomorrow night in Baltimore on the Quadra Tour with SEPULTURA, CROWBAR and ART OF SHOCK.

“We are very disappointed to let you down. It sucks.

“Have a great time at the shows and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

“Peace and love, Phil & SACRED REICH”.

SACRED REICH’s tour with SEPULTURA, CROWBAR and ART OF SHOCK is scheduled to conclude on April 9 in Berkeley, California.

SACRED REICH’s latest album, “Awakening”, was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records. The band’s first LP in 23 years was produced by Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, POWER TRIP and CODE ORANGE, among others. The album marks SACRED REICH’s first release since the return of drummer Dave McClain.

“Awakening” was described in a press release as “a timeless collection comprised of blistering thrash, crushing grooves, killer solos and socially conscious lyrics that demonstrate a true understanding of everything that matters most in the world today.”

“Awakening” was engineered by John Aquilino and was mastered by Maor Appelbaum.

In 2019, SACRED REICH guitarist and founding member Jason Rainey exited the band for “health reasons” and was replaced by Joey Radziwill. Rainey died in March 2020 of an apparent heart attack.

We are very sorry. Have fun at the shows with @sepultura @crowbarmusic @artofshock #quadratour #asthmasucks

Posted by Sacred Reich on Saturday, March 19, 2022