During an appearance on the March 3 episode of Doug Bradley’s “Down To Hell” show, SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor was asked if he has plans to write another book. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I kind of put a pause on the books about five years ago because [my last book, 2017’s ‘America 51’] almost killed me. It was such a gnarly, gnarly experience. But I’m actually getting the itch to do another one again. And not just another one but, like, another fun [book].”

Taylor went on to elaborate on why writing “America 51” was so unenjoyable for him. “That was very political,” he said. “And I won’t bore anybody with my partisan crap, but it was just the lamentations of somebody who could see that we were in for a very long four years.

“When I wrote that, it was definitely something I needed to say,” he continued. “And I was, like, ‘You know what? I’m never doing another politics book ever again. I don’t even care.'”

When co-host Steph Sciullo pointed out that a lot of artists won’t voice their opinions because they don’t want to alienate any of their fans, Corey said: “But then they get so bent out of shape when people think that they’re fake or they’re two-dimensional. It’s, like, well, if you acted like yourself, maybe people would get a chance to get to know you and they would see that you’re a three-dimensional person. It’s this lambastic white-bred bullshit that keeps people from enjoying what they do.

“Early on, I said I don’t care if it gets me in trouble,” Taylor explained. “I’m gonna speak my mind. I’m not gonna be a jerk — well, okay, I was a jerk a handful of times — but I’m not gonna censor myself. If I have an opinion about something, I’m gonna say it. And I think people find that refreshing. I know it annoys some people, but at the same time, they’re, like, at least you know you’re gonna get exactly what I think.”

A year ago, Taylor told Matt Pinfield of 95.5 KLOS’s “New & Approved” series that he was “starting to get the itch” to write his fifth book. “I’ve got a concept in mind,” he said. “It has to do with social media and the age that we live in — the ‘outrage’ age. And it’s starting to really kind of form in my head. I may actually write it soon. Because it’s really kind of out of control out there right now.

“I was reading about how Gen Z is trying to cancel Eminem because of one line that was in a Rihanna song that he did with her,” he continued. “And I’m just, like, is that where we are right now? I mean, at this point, you’re talking about the Salem witch trials. You’re talking about America in the ’20s where the KKK was a political force. You’re talking about complete condemnation without context or any rationalization for an action like that. And to me, that’s [what’s] most dangerous — when the mob decides that you’re gone. That is Caesar at the Colosseum, for god’s sakes. That’s when it’s dangerous. The level of censorship that we’re starting to see… And I’m not saying that certain things haven’t been said that easily offend people. However, the flipside of that is that you can’t even make a joke anymore — even in the cleanest of situations. [People] completely turn on you. And there’s not one hint of satire, there’s no hint of irony — it’s just all-out rage, and it’s all through this [shows his smartphone]. And that’s when it’s really greedy, that’s when it’s really dirty. It can’t be that way. If we can’t have a conversation, how the hell are we gonna communicate. And if we can’t understand the difference between metaphor and complete reality, then we’re in real trouble. And that’s where I’m leaning with the book.”

Roughly one-third of “America 51” was dedicated to Corey’s derision for President Donald Trump.

Corey previously said that “writing a book” is “quite different” from writing songs. “With a book, I could just fucking vomit from the brain,” he explained. “But with music, at least for me, I like the confines of it, I like the structure. I love songs, I love getting in, being concise, getting people with a hook, blasting them… Whether it’s fucking angry or melodic, and then getting out and leaving them wanting more. So, to me, the book lets me unleash it and kinda take shit to its natural end, as far as that goes. Because my brain is fucked up. So I will take that as far as it will go until I kind of sit there and go, ‘I have no way to beat that to the fucking death anymore.’ And I kind of go from there. So it’s good to kinda have no rules, and rules. It’s refreshing.”

Corey, who is often referred to as the “Great Big Mouth” due to his outspoken views, told the 94.3 KILO radio station in a 2017 interview that he is not worried about possible fallout from his comments. “That’s part of being an American,” he explained. “I mean, nothing drives me more crazy than when somebody says to celebrities or whatever, ‘Why don’t you just stick to acting?’ And I’m, like, ‘What? Leave politics to you? Why don’t you stick to writing bad reviews in your mom’s basement? Just shut your mouth. I’m just as American as you are, I have every right to say what I want, and you can shove that kind of attitude straight up your ass.”

In February, Taylor released a new solo album, titled “CMFB…Sides”, via Roadrunner Records. “CMFB…Sides” comprises nine previously unreleased B-sides, covers of tunes that inspired Corey, acoustic renditions, and live versions.

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In a new interview with the “Murray Adventures” podcast and “The MGM Morning Show With Matt Murray” on 103.7 WMGM Rocks in Atlantic City, DEF LEPPARD drummer Rick Allen spoke about his “Legends” art series, which consists of lifelike-yet-impressionistic portraits of musicians who have influenced him, from Jimi Hendrix to Freddie Mercury to John Lennon to Charlie Watts and Eddie Van Halen. Regarding how he decides which artists to paint, Rick said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “These are all musicians, singers, songwriters that have inspired me over the years. The last one that I did, I mean, to me, it was pretty obvious — Charlie Watts. If it wasn’t for Charlie Watts, I wouldn’t be on the phone with you now. I think it’s the end of an era. He inspired so many to pick up a pair of sticks. And it was just my way of paying homage to him. And then another person that I really, really looked up to and I had the honor of meeting, it’s Eddie Van Halen. So all of these people somehow touched my life and somehow inspired me to do what I do today.”

When Murray pointed out that Watts always had a “smooth, calm and collected” approach to playing drums, Allen said: “That’s true and that was the mood that I tried to bring into the painting that I did. He’s just got this sort of content look about him, like he’s got nothing to prove. But he was a smoking drummer. I think in many ways he was very underrated. But without Charlie Watts, THE ROLLING STONES wouldn’t have sounded the way that they did. Just in the same way that if you took Keith Moon away from THE WHO, it wouldn’t necessarily have been the same.”

Allen became the drummer for DEF LEPPARD at age 15. As one of the world’s best-selling music artists, DEF LEPPARD have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, two albums with RIAA diamond certification (10 million albums sold) and were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2019.

At the height of worldwide fame in 1984, he had a car accident that changed his life. Rick lost an arm, but turned personal tragedy into spiritual transformation and continued his musical career. While he was already a hero to millions of young people, he soon added millions of new admirers. Since then, Rick has been reaching out and giving support to others all over the globe by sharing his personal experiences and his love of drumming. Over the past 13 years, Rick has reached out to teenage cancer patients, children with special needs, at-risk youth in crisis, families of domestic violence and veterans who have served in Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was awarded the Humanitarian Award by Maria Shriver’s Best Buddies of CA in 2002 and in 2012, was also awarded the prestigious Wounded Warrior Project’s Carry It Forward Award. Rick continues his work helping wounded warriors through Project Resiliency’s Warrior Resiliency Program sponsored by his charity foundation the Raven Drum Foundation.

An integral part of Rick’s creative life went public in 2012. After years of personal photographic work, Allen ventured into the fine art world with a blockbuster debut collection of abstract artwork built from rhythm. Allen has become a pioneer in the new medium, utilizing drumsticks and rhythm to dictate abstract visuals on canvas.

That debut collection, in 2012 featured 300 pieces, quickly sold-out in its initial offering to the public and boasted a sold-out exhibition. A second collection, released in 2013 and titled “Rock-On-Canvas”, met with a similar exceptional reception and helped to forge a relationship with America’s leading fine art retailer Wentworth Galleries.

Rick said: “Music, art and photography have been passions of mine since I was a boy. My life has been a journey of transformation and my art is a reflection of the many facets of dreams and perceptions that have shaped me. Each piece has a story and a connection to my life from my roots in England, my life changing car accident, journey to America, travels around the globe and to my deep connection to Wounded Warriors and their struggle to heal. The collection intends to express messages of hope, transcendence and the human condition.”

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SOIL bassist Tim King, who is promoting the debut album from his brutal old-school death metal outfit EMBRYONIC AUTOPSY, touched upon the status of his main band in a new interview with That Metal Interview. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “SOIL’s still going. We just hit 25 years this January with SOIL. We’ve got two records’ worth of material recorded which we’ll put out later on this year. So that’s still a major part of my life and we still do a lot with that. That’s my main band and everything like that.”

Back in December 2020, SOIL vocalist Ryan McCombs confirmed that he and his bandmates were working on the long-awaited follow-up to 2013’s “Whole” album. He said during a Headbangers Con live virtual panel: “We just started writing here recently with the SOIL guys. So that’s been a breath of fresh air for me, ’cause I’ve been going a little nuts not having something to write for a long time.

“Not having something to write is like an artist not having use of their hands to draw or paint, or whatever their medium is. I’ve never been able to play an instrument for shit, so I’ve always been reliant on having a good music writer, instrumentation-wise, a music writer, and I’ve been blessed with C.J. Pierce [during my days with DROWNING POOL] and Adam Zadel. So not having one of those guys sending me musical ideas to bounce back and forth on, I feel like an artist with no hands. So having, all of a sudden, half a dozen songs in two weeks’ time to write with, I feel like a mad scientist. I feel like my legs work again; I’ve got hands again. It’s been awesome.”

Ryan also talked about how SOIL might go about releasing new music and whether putting out full-length albums makes sense anymore.

“It’s been about 137 years since the last album, so we’ve talked ad nauseam about what could be a way of working,” he said. “I think one of the things that goes against us at times is Tim being in the music business on the other side of the fence. Tim’s on the label side of things as well, with Pavement, so he sees the problems that the business is having. And so it’s hard for him sometimes to separate the fact of the artist and the shirt-and-tie. And so that goes against us sometimes, because, as an artist, we’re just going, ‘Let’s write a new record. Let’s write some new songs. Let’s get a new record out there.’ And he’s the same way, but then he’s gotta [look at it from the point of view of], ‘What are we gonna do?’ Because, at the end of the day, nobody is selling anything. Records aren’t selling anymore. Hard copies, CDs aren’t selling anymore — not at the numbers that they need to to make them worthwhile for printing. So that puts us into bouncing ideas off each other, and that’s usually where things end up screeching to a halt. I think, actually, my dumb ass made the comment, ‘Well, to begin with, we need material. Until we have material, there’s no reason to worry about how you’re going to release it. So let’s get writing.’ And that’s when Tim finally [said], ‘You’re absolutely right.’ And that’s when he started writing the stuff. And now Adam’s on fire about it.”

In October 2019, SOIL released a “theatrical interpretation” of its song “One Love”. Conceptually, SOIL wanted to do something different and interesting with the song since “One Love” originally appeared on “Whole”. Indie filmmakers David Gregory (director) and James Morgan (director of photography) were tapped for the job. Filming was shot in the U.K. during SOIL’s tour supporting STATIC-X.

SOIL’s latest release was “Scream: The Essentials”, which arrived in September 2017 via Pavement Entertainment and AFM Records. The effort celebrated the band’s 20-year career and featured early recordings as well as alternate versions and mixes.

EMBRYONIC AUTOPSY’s debut LP, “Prophecies Of The Conjoined”, was released in February via Massacre Records.

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IRON ALLIES, the new band featuring former ACCEPT members Herman Frank and David Reece, has entered Horus Sound Studio in Hannover, Germany to begin recording its debut album. The LP, which is being co-produced by Arne Neurand, will be released later in the year via AFM Records.

Joining Frank and Reece in IRON ALLIES are bassist Donnie Van Stavern (RIOT) and drummer Francesco Jovino (U.D.O., PRIMAL FEAR, VOODOO CIRCLE, JORN).

Last October, Reece discussed his collaboration with Frank in an interview with the “Heavy Metal Mayhem” radio show. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “The ironic thing about Herman and I, we played festivals many times and not even met each other. And here we are, part of the same band and their history. And we would miss each other by, like, two minutes. We always wanted to see each other, but something came up [and] we never really got to meet. So Herman and I started talking, and we said, ‘Yeah, let’s put a band together. Who do you wanna get?’ Well, my manager suggested Donnie from RIOT on bass, Donnie Van Stavern. And we talked to [drummer] Mike Heller from FEAR FACTORY a few times, and that didn’t really work out. And then I said, ‘I’ve got Francesco Jovino, dude, on my [solo] album. This guy is a beast.’ So then we got the band together. So right now we’re sitting on about 22 songs that are recorded.”

Regarding the musical direction of IRON ALLIES, Reece said: “It’s got some of those elements of old [ACCEPT circa] ‘Restless And Wild’. It’s got Dave’s voice — [as heard on my solo albums] ‘Cacophony [Of Souls]’ and ‘Blacklist [Utopia]’. It’s ripping shit, man. I’m really excited about it.”

According to Reece, part of the motivation for putting IRON ALLIES together is the negative publicity surrounding their respective departures from ACCEPT. “They badmouth him, they badmouth me, there was this back-and-forth all the time, and then [Herman] said, ‘You know what? Screw it. I’m gonna call David Reece,'” David explained. “And I’d never really talked to him. He just came down to Italy about two weeks ago, and we got to actually meet face to face. We went out to a great dinner, hung out for about six hours. He was just driving around Europe, relaxing, ’cause he had just finished another VICTORY album and his solo album, so he needed a break.”

David said that he is excited about the prospect of hitting the road with a seasoned veteran like Herman.

“This is a band of guys who have been around and done it all,” he said. “So we’re not gonna have that, ‘Oh, I don’t wanna go there. Do we have to get up so early?’ We know what we’ve gotta do. We’ve gotta travel and we’ve gotta rock.”

He added: “I’m hoping we can release that in the early part of ’22, ’cause that’s really good.”

Frank broke the news of the collaboration in a June 2021 interview with Justin Smulison of Jace Media. He said: “I’m working right now — already working since a couple of months [ago] — on another project I wanna do with a singer, a well-known singer. He played in the same band as I did, but we never played [in the band] at the same time.” When Smulison guessed that Frank was referring to Reece, the guitarist said: “How do you know? Good guess.”

Herman joined ACCEPT in 1982 shortly before the release of the band’s “Restless And Wild” album and exited the group for the first time after the arrival of 1983’s “Balls To The Wall” LP.

When ACCEPT reunited for festival appearances in 2005, Herman handled second-guitar duties alongside founding axeman Wolf Hoffmann, with Stefan Schwarzmann sitting behind the kit.

Frank and Schwarzmann were involved in ACCEPT’s comeback with singer Mark Tornillo and appeared on the reunited group’s first three studio albums: 2010’s “Blood Of The Nations”, 2012’s “Stalingrad” and 2014’s “Blind Rage”.

Two years ago, Herman told All That Shreds about his decision to exit ACCEPT in December 2014: “It was just time to leave the band. Let’s put it this way: I wanted to do music the way I started to. I wanted to have my own band. I wanted my own music and just wanted to just play my own leads. Not to follow somebody’s guitar. I was getting too old for it. It’s fine to be a backup, but after a couple of years, it’s time for a different thing.”

Reece was recruited for ACCEPT’s “Eat The Heat” LP in 1989 following the departure of Udo Dirkschneider. Reece’s higher-pitched delivery was in sharp contrast to Dirkschneider’s distinctive style, and overall, the album was a critical and commercial disappointment. Midway through the “Eat The Heat” tour, differences between the band and Reece had come to a head, leading to the altercation between the singer and bassist Peter Baltes in Chicago. By the end of 1989, ACCEPT had hung it up.

David spoke about the circumstances that led to his dispute with the bassist during an interview with Metalliluola. He explained: “Peter had told my girlfriend I was having an affair. And I asked him, ‘Did you tell her?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’ So I slapped him. That ended it. It was bad before that, the communication. Ticket sales weren’t good. We were opening for W.A.S.P.”

He continued: “I think they really thought that getting the American [singer] in, they were gonna break the United States. But ACCEPT aren’t really huge in America, like [in Europe]. That’s why they hired me — they wanted a change. And the tour was going kind of slow. We did a headline tour first in the States, [playing in the] clubs. That was good. And then we went out with W.A.S.P. and METAL CHURCH, and it was half[-filled] rooms. So they were feeling the stress of that, and the communication was bad. So it was building.”

David went on to say that he is sorry for assaulting his former bandmate. “Peter and I are friends now,” he said, adding that “it was a bad decision” that was made while he and the rest of the group were under “a lot of stress. Being in a band, it can be a lot of drama. He had no right to tell her, and I had no right to slap him. So, I regret it.”

Francesco Jovino just finished all Iron Allies drum tracks onward people and greetings from Hannover at Horus studios new album on AFM announcement coming soon

Posted by David Reece Official on Saturday, March 12, 2022

With the great Arne Neurand Co producer of the new Iron Allies album coming out on AFM records

Posted by David Reece Official on Saturday, March 12, 2022

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The greatest modern blues players all have a fantastic understanding of how to inject “outside” notes into their phrases to create new and wild sounds. Those crazy-sounding notes are chromatic tones, but placing them in the right spot is what takes a phrase from dull to amazing. I’m going to show you how to take a boring blues scale and make it hip and exciting.Chromatic EnclosuresIf you’re used to playing pentatonic blues scales, then making a few small adjustments to how you visualize these scales will allow you to start adding chromatic notes to your phrases. Playing over a major blues, the commonly used notes would be the 1–2–3–4–5–6–b7. Ex. 1 introduces several chromatic notes using a technique called “enclosure.” This is when a target note is approached from above and below before being played. Chromatic enclosures are when you employ non-diatonic (chromatic) notes.Ex. 1The b5, b3, b6 and b9 are all used as a way of targeting the scale note nearest to them. Beginning on the b5 (Eb), the lick moves to the 5 as it climbs up the A major pentatonic scale (A–B–C#–E–F#). A chromatic enclosure is then used beginning on beat 3. The 4 (D) is played followed by the 2 (B) before the chromatic target note b3 (C). The exact same concept and fingering is used beginning on the “and” of beat 1 in measure three. The b6 (F) is targeted using enclosure in between the b7 (G) and 5 (E). As part of the final few notes, the root (A) is targeted using enclosure between the b9 (Bb) and b7 (G), which outlines a diminished 7 idea.Passing TonesOne of the easiest ways to use chromatics in your playing is to simply connect scale tones using the notes in between them (i.e. passing tones). Ex. 2 utilizes this concept, which is often found in jazz playing. We can use the same blues scale from the last lick. However this time we are connecting scale tones rather than simply using chromatic enclosures. In measure one on beat 3, the B descends to the A using the Bb as a passing note. In measure two there is another three-note passage where the middle note is a passing tone, going from F# to E using the F in between. Later in that measure there is a four-note passing tone idea in which the D is connected to the B simply by descending chromatically across all four notes.Ex. 2Changing DirectionsA great tool when using chromatics is changing the direction of the chromatic notes. This helps break up the repetitive feel of using passing tones. In Ex. 3 the beginning of this C7 lick starts with a chromatic slide into the root note and then descends from Eb to C before climbing back up to E on the 12th fret. However, instead of just climbing down and back up, using the b7 on the 2nd string creates an immediate direction change as the note drops down before the scale continues back upward. To help stop this from sounding simply like a descending and ascending scale, the changes in rhythm and direction occur simultaneously to create a more musical phrase. Just for fun, the last part of the lick uses a minor blues idea with a b5 passing tone.Ex. 3Start Using Grace NotesStevie Ray Vaughan fans may recognize a specific sound in this slow Bb7 blues lick. Ex. 4 starts with a standard blues bend opening, but just as SRV liked to do, the b9 is used as a grace note to and from the root. By slurring from the root note to the b9 and back you can create a grace note that sounds like a flurry when done quickly. In measure 2, the quick slide from the E to the Eb and then the quick hammer-on from the Db to D are great ways to use fast, slurred grace notes to hint at chromatic tones withoutEx. 4Connecting The Blues BoxWhen playing in your standard minor blues box, it’s incredibly easy to use chromatics, because you have multiple passing notes right there under your fingers. In Ex. 5, the first measure of this E9 lick simply climbs up the minor box via a triplet lick that crosses the middle four strings. Then it jumps from the C# up to the G# on the 1st string and descends chromatically all the way to the root note on the 12th fret. This passing tone idea is then repeated by connecting the 15th fret on the 2nd string to the 12th fret. In the middle of measure three there is a common blues idea of playing the b3 into the 3 using a slide, but notice, this is also part of a chromatic enclosure. This is then repeated in measure four, but this time as a grace note hammer-on. The coolest part of the lick is the end where it slides from the C (b6) to the C# (6) and then plays two chromatic tritones back to back (C# to G and D to G#).Ex. 5Double-StopsDouble-stops are a great way to use chromatic ideas because they connect nearly identical shapes down the neck. In this country-sounding lick in B, this concept is laid out on the 3rd and 2nd strings descending down the scale. Ex. 6 has us starting on a B major double-stop moving down through the scale. If you mapped out the double-stops without all the passing tones they would outline these chords: B–A–G#m–F#m–E–D#m–C#m–B. However, because of the similarity in shape between these double-stops, it is very easy to simply play passing tones between them. Once again, the rhythmic variety helps to stop this from sounding like an exercise and makes it much more musical. The end of the lick uses single-note passing tones to finish up the phrase.Ex. 6Diminished Sounds Are AwesomeFusion players love the use of chromatics. The reason for this is that introducing the b9 to a dominant 7 chord creates a diminished 7 chord. Ex. 7 showcases this diminished sound over a D7#9 chord. The lick starts with a diminished arpeggio sweep on the three high strings near the D blues box at the 10th fret. The next four notes outline the half-whole diminished scale (3–#9–b9–1). There are also a series of half-step bends that hint at these diminished notes, helping to create a variety of articulations instead of simply plucking everything. To further create a diminished sound, the use of a tritone is found in the middle of the last measure when the C to F# is played.Ex. 77 to 5 Always WorksBy now you probably have a decent understanding of how to include chromatic notes in your playing. However, one common rule will pretty much always work when playing over a dominant 7 chord. Ex. 8 showcases the rule of descending from the b7 to the 5 of any dominant chord. This passing tone idea is a great way to create a subtle yet sophisticated phrase. This E7#9 lick plays through this 7 to 5 concept twice, but the rhythm is what makes it sound different each time. Notice how each time the 7 to 5 concept is used it is merely on the way to a separate target note. This is key to the phrasing. Instead of making any of the chromatic notes or the 7 or 5 the target of the phrase, this idea simply is used to introduce a new note, which is the accented target note. The first time it is used at the beginning of measure one, the target note is E. Then later in measure four the target note is G.Ex. 8Mix and match these cool ideas and you’ll definitely add some spice to a recipe that can occasionally get a little stale for us all. Have at it!

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GHOST’s appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, which was originally set to take place two months ago, will finally happen this coming Wednesday, March 16.

The Swedish occult rockers were scheduled to perform on the January 20 episode of the ABC show, but pulled out just hours before, explaining that they “had a bit too much going on in Reno, getting all our shit together” for the band’s U.S. co-headlining tour with VOLBEAT.

GHOST’s 26-date arena tour with VOLBEAT and special guests TWIN TEMPLE kicked off on January 25 in Reno, Nevada and concluded on March 3 in Anaheim, California.

GHOST released its fifth album, “Impera”, on March 11 via Loma Vista/Concord. The band’s mastermind Tobias Forge worked on the follow-up to 2018’s “Prequelle” with producer Klas Åhlund and Swedish co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, whose credits include Madonna and Lady Gaga.

In March 2020, at final show of GHOST’s “Prequelle” tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the new character who would front the act for its next LP phase.

Forge performed as a “new” Papa Emeritus on each of the band’s first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of “Prequelle”.

Ghost is set to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live on March 16th according to Jimmy Kimmel ‘s website. Thanks to Legion Of Ghost group member Jon Pierson for the heads up!

Posted by Legion Of Ghost on Friday, March 11, 2022

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Fan-filmed video of SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE performing the VAN HALEN classic “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” live on March 6 at the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City, Florida can be seen below. Handling lead vocals on the David Lee Roth-era VH song was THE CIRCLE’s Michael Anthony, who was also a member of VAN HALEN’s classic lineup.

In a 2014 interview with the “Lamont And Tonelli Show”, which airs on the Bay Area rock station 107.7 The Bone, Anthony was told by the radio hosts that he is such a great lead singer in his own right that he could probably front his own band. “Yeah, you know, but I don’t need that kind of pressure on me,” he responded. “Lead singers, they’re their own breed.”

He added: “It wasn’t until the fourth or fifth VAN HALEN record that people would go, ‘Wow! You’re singing backgrounds on those records. That’s not David Lee Roth.’ And I go, ‘Hell, no! That’s not David Lee Roth.'”

Asked which classic VAN HALEN song he would pick to sing lead vocals on, if he had to choose one, Anthony said: “Ahh…. Oh my God… I sang ‘Somebody Get Me A Doctor’. That actually goes over quite well. But I don’t know… Man, I’d sing any of ’em. I could sing any of that crap. C’mon! I can sing it all. [Laughs]”

Back in 2013, VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth spoke to Rolling Stone magazine about the touchy subject of Anthony potentially replacing then-VAN HALEN bassist — and Eddie Van Halen’s son — Wolfgang Van Halen. He said: “Ed has his own vision, I’m assuming. We haven’t really been able to speak about it and it’s a disappointment, just as not having a chance for a reunion of the original band. Clearly, vocals are every bit as much a component of success as a rhythm section or a guitar solo… What we have at our fingertips is arguably one of the greatest high tenor voices ever — that was in Michael Anthony. In our tiny little corner of the universe, that voice is as identifiable as the high voice in EARTH, WIND & FIRE, as identifiable as the high voice in the BEACH BOYS. VAN HALEN is an indelicate house blend of both — that’s intentionally.”

In October 2011, Sammy Hagar accused VAN HALEN of using tapes of backing vocals originally done by Anthony on its 2007/2008 reunion tour, for which Anthony was replaced by Wolfgang. Hagar told Attention Deficit Delirium, “Those vocal harmonies on the last tour were Mike on tape. Mike should’ve reamed them for it. Wolfie don’t sing like that, and Ed sure as hell don’t. Go on the Internet and listen to Ed’s voice live from the reunion with me. Hear him sing on ‘When It’s Love’ and some of those songs. Ed can’t sing, and his voice is shot if he can, from cigarettes and booze anyway.”

Anthony and Hagar both last played with VAN HALEN on a 2004 reunion tour that ended acrimoniously. Both later claimed that Anthony was booted from VAN HALEN for maintaining a friendship and working relationship with Hagar.

A few years ago, Hagar told The Pulse Of Radio that he thinks VAN HALEN made a grave mistake leaving Anthony out of the reunion tour with Roth. “Anyone in their right mind would know if you’re gonna get Roth back finally. after all these abortions they’ve had, you get Mikey and you do the reunion tour, what the world really was waiting for. Not just fuck it up again. It’s almost like they don’t care about their fans. They just want to badger them until — see how much they’ll take.”

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During the question-and-answer portion of his March 3 spoken-word show at at Palace Of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson was asked if BLACK SABBATH can exist without its founding drummer Bill Ward. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I’m a massive lover of Bill Ward’s drumming style; I think it’s inspired. ‘Cause he’s not really a rock drummer; he’s more like a jazz drummer playing rock. And I love that kind of style; it’s kind of like drums that kind of wander around the rhythm and everything else. But he’s on it; he’s brilliant. And I met him. He’s a lovely bloke as well. Slightly mad, but very nice. But then aren’t we all? All of us are on the madness spectrum a little bit.”

Circling back to the original question, Bruce said: “Does BLACK SABBATH exist without Bill Ward? Well, it’s not a matter of… I don’t think BLACK SABBATH exist at all now.” He then took a swipe at Sharon Osbourne, the wife and manager of SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne, saying: “I think Sharon’s made sure of that.”

Back in 2005, Sharon allegedly arranged eggs to be thrown at IRON MAIDEN while they played at the Ozzfest, supposedly because Dickinson had made some comments on stage that she disliked. Sharon reportedly took exception to comments that Dickinson had allegedly made about the Osbournes’ MTV reality series. And ordered interference with MAIDEN’s PA system and delayed the stage entrance of the band’s mascot Eddie.

Five years ago, Dickinson downplayed the incident in an interview with NME, calling it “a complete storm in a teacup. I grew up listening to early SABBATH with Ozzy. Ozzy and SABBATH are icons, so that’s that, end of story. The fact that I don’t like reality TV shows. Well, I’m not gonna offer an olive branch to the Kardashians either.”

Ozzy addressed the supposed feud with Dickinson in a 2010 interview with The Quietus. At the time, he said: “Unbeknown to me, every night [Bruce] was going on stage slagging me off. And that wasn’t fair. If he didn’t like the fuckin’ tour, he should have said ‘I’m jumping [off] the fuckin’ tour,’ but to go on stage and fuckin’ slag me off for no reason… I’d never said a fuckin’ bad thing to him. The bass player [Steve Harris] came round at the last gig and said, ‘I’m sorry about Bruce,’ and I’m, like, ‘What the fuck are you talking about?’ Nobody had told me, you know. I said, ‘You know what? I don’t understand what the fuck you’re talking about here.’

“And so, I mean, Sharon got pissed off… it was nothing to do with me. I suppose Sharon got pissed off. I’ll back my wife up to the hilt, but I didn’t know what was going down. But you know what? [MAIDEN were getting] a few fuckin’ quid out of that Ozzfest. If you’ve got something to talk to me about, be a man. Come to my face and say, ‘I think you’re a fuckin’ asshole.’ Don’t be a fuckin’ idiot. It’s so pathetically childish. Unfortunately the rest of the band had to suffer: I suppose they were pissed off with him. But it’s wrong: I’ve never, ever, ever spoken to the guy… No, I tell a lie, one night they were about to go on stage and I didn’t know anything was going down, and I said to them, ‘Have a good show, guys.’ But I don’t like all that shit going down. If you don’t like me, just say, ‘I don’t like you, I’m doing this festival but I think you’re a cunt.’ That’s all right. But to go on my stage and start slagging me off — that ain’t fair. They weren’t fucking slagging me off when they got paid every fucking night.

“To this day, I don’t understand what the fuckin’ beef was,” Ozzy added. “I just don’t get it. To go on the Ozzfest and slag [people] off, that’s crazy. I really think he needs a fuckin’ psychiatrist if he does that, he’s fucking nuts. It’s an irresponsible fuckin’ thing to do. Sharon must have got pissed off with this cunt, you know.”

The original lineup of SABBATH came together in 1969 with Osbourne, Ward, Tony Iommi on guitar and Geezer Butler on bass. That lineup recorded and toured through 1978, and periodically reformed through the ’90s and 2000s for live work.

They regrouped again in late 2011 for a new album and tour, although Ward dropped out after a few months over financial issues. SABBATH used Ozzy’s regular touring drummer Tommy Clufetos since then for live work. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE’s Brad Wilk laid down the drum tracks on “13”, which came out in June 2013.

In February 2017, SABBATH finished “The End” tour in Birmingham, closing out the quartet’s groundbreaking 49-year career.

“The End” was SABBATH’s last tour because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

Coming to the @palaceoffineartstheatre Thursday Mar 3, 2022~
Bruce Dickinson is considered one of the world’s most…

Posted by Palace of Fine Arts Theatre on Thursday, November 4, 2021

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