Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell admonishes us (and himself) on how to “get your shit together” and stop annoying bandmates.

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Provogue Records / Mascot Label Group has presented a new lyric video to the classic MOUNTAIN song “Silver Paper” in front of the March 25 release of “Legacy: A Tribute To Leslie West”. The recording features vocals by Charlie Starr from BLACKBERRY SMOKE.

Friends, many of whom were influenced by the loved West, have contributed to “Legacy: A Tribute To Leslie West”. Among those who performed are TWISTED SISTER’s Dee Snider and Eddie Ojeda, Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, THE WINERY DOGS), Rudy Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, OZZY OSBOURNE), Robby Krieger, Slash, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Randy and Tal Bachman, JETHRO TULL’s Martin Barre, Joe Lynn Turner, Starr, THE CARS’ Elliot Easton, George Lynch, Marty Friedman, Steve Morse, DIRTY HONEY’s Mark Labelle, and West’s band members Bobby Rondinelli and Rev Jones. The release will be available as a limited-edition box set, on LP and CD, digitally, and as a web shop exclusive limited LP variation manufactured with digital.

When Leslie West passed away in December of 2020, he left behind a towering legacy of epic recordings that few rock guitarists can match. But there was more to West than great songs (although, to be sure, he created a ton of them); there was his brilliant, idiosyncratic sound, a gargantuan earth-mover that razed arenas and stadiums across the globe. More than just paralyzing tone, though, he also had a touch nobody could beat. Stinging, swooning and sensual melodies leapt from his fingertips — with a deft flick of his wrist, he sounded like a Delta bluesman had picked up a violin. These elements and more helped to make West one of the most significant, influential and irreplaceable guitarists of the rock era.

“There was nobody on earth quite like Leslie,” says the guitarist’s widow, Jenni West. “The second you heard him play, you knew it was him. He loved playing the guitar and making music. He lived to make people feel good — it was his passion. He was famous to his fans throughout the world, but he was adored by other musicians. Everybody from country stars, rappers and heavy metal players — they all loved Leslie. He found it surprising, but I think he was also pleased to know how much he inspired other musicians.”

West’s longtime manager Bob Ringe agrees, saying: “I’ve worked with some of the greatest guitarists on the planet, and nobody could hold a candle to Leslie. He was so unique and special — his sound, his style, his power and warmth. Any guitarist I talk to has been influenced in some way by him. They broke the mold when they made him, and he took it with him when he passed away. He was a true one of a kind.”

An astonishing array of West’s admirers — who also happened to be friends and peers — came together to celebrate the trailblazing musician on “Legacy: A Tribute To Leslie West”. Executive produced by Jenni West, Bob Ringe and John Lappen, the album was originally intended to be a retrospective celebration of West’s music on which the guitarist himself would perform some of his best-loved cuts with notable guests, along with a collection of new tracks. Two weeks before recording was set to commence, however, the guitarist passed away. Once Jenni West, Ringe and Lappen changed gears and put a tribute album in motion, they discovered that the process was far easier than they could have imagined: “We really didn’t have to reach out to many people,” Jenni says. “They came to us. What’s really amazing is, if Leslie himself had whispered into my ear and told me who he would want on this record, these would be the people he would have requested.”

West’s longtime rhythm section of bassist Rev Jones and Bobby Rondinelli laid down brilliant basic tracks for the guest artists to contribute their talents. One of the two exceptions is the dramatic retelling of “Theme For An Imaginary Western” (which West recorded with MOUNTAIN for the band’s 1970 debut, “Climbing!”), which features the walloping drumming of Mike Portnoy and commanding bass work by legendary QUIET RIOT / OZZY OSBOURNE bassist Rudy Sarzo. Two TWISTED SISTER alums — singer Dee Snider and guitarist Eddie Ojeda — turn in poignant performances on this grand and sweeping track.

“Leslie was a hero, friend, amazing guy and a guitar god,” says Snider. “I always wanted to sing this song. It’s my favorite Leslie West guitar solo. It resonates with me and speaks to me on so many levels. I’m honored to have gotten a chance to do it on this record.”

Unquestionably, West’s most famous song remains “Mississippi Queen” and who better to tackle such a historic sonic behemoth than GUNS N’ ROSES’ guitar titan Slash? Joining the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer on an absolutely ripping, rifftastic rendition is singer Marc LeBelle, currently riding high as the front man for the band DIRTY HONEY.

Former DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW vocalist Joe Lynn Turner tips his hat not only to West, but also to the late MOUNTAIN co-vocalist Felix Pappalardi on not one, but two cuts: On a standout version of “Nantucket Sleighride”, the bluesy, prog-flavored title track of MOUNTAIN’s second album from 1971, he’s joined by international guitar star Marty Friedman; and a haunting take of the psychedelic rocker “For Yasgur’s Farm” (from “Climbing!”), he teams with guitarist Martin Barre, best known as the longtime lead axeman for JETHRO TULL.

“It was an honor to do this tribute to Leslie,” says Turner, “especially to sing ‘Yasgur’s Farm’. I’ll never forget seeing MOUNTAIN at the Fillmore East. Felix had done the verse and when it came to that B section, Leslie was hit with a white spotlight in his buckskin. It still chills me to the bone today.”

In 1969, West had left his band THE VAGRANTS and began what was to be a solo career, but his album “Mountain” turned out to be the unofficial debut of the power trio of the same name. From that record, Zakk Wylde chose the tour de force stomper “Blood Of The Sun”, and like West himself, he’s a formidable, show-stopping double threat on guitar and vocals.

In later life, West befriended Charlie Starr, singer and guitarist for the band BLACKBERRY SMOKE. Starr was in in awe of West, and he selected the soulful gem “Silver Paper” (from “Climbing!”) as his way of remembering his late pal. Responding to the muscular rhythm section of Rev Jones and Bobby Rondinelli, as well as the bravura keyboard playing of Mike DiMeo, Starr laser beams on the song’s joyous spiritual center and doesn’t let go.

“I love ‘Silver Paper’, and it’s got one of the coolest guitar licks of all time,” says Starr. “Leslie played exactly what the song needed; his timing was impeccable. He played way back in the pocket, and it was so nasty and so great — the kind of things that you aspire to. I’m very proud to be part of this project. God bless Leslie West.”

THE DOORS legend Robby Krieger also knew West well — the two had shared numerous concert bills through the decades.

“The coolest thing about Leslie was the way he played blues – it was just very natural,” Krieger says. “He and Clapton were the best at the time. They just had the feel for the blues. Maybe in their former lifetimes they were blues guys.” Krieger picked a deep cut for his tribute — the ripping barn burner “The Doctor”, from the 1972 album “Why Dontcha” by West’s power trio supergroup WEST, BRUCE AND LAING (featuring CREAM’s Jack Bruce and MOUNTAIN’s Corky Laing) — and he burns spectacularly on the song’s dizzying, slippery lead lines. Rising to the occasion, singer Ronnie Romero, a veteran of bands like LORDS OF BLACK, RAINBOW and the MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, howls with grit and grace.

As the album unfolds, more treasures are revealed: The celebrated father/son duo BACHMAN AND BACHMAN seamlessly splice two tracks from 1976’s “The Leslie West Band” — “Money” and “By The River” — and fold them into one feisty, good-time flame thrower. CARS’ guitar star Elliot Easton is paired with singer Ronnie Romero on a sparky and frisky take on “Sittin’ On A Rainbow” (from “Climbing!”) — Easton’s fluid style is a spot-on fit for West’s country-flavored solo. “Climbing!” is revisited once more with “Never In My Life”, which features a go-for-the-throat repeat performance by Dee Snider and the paint-peeling guitar work of former DOKKEN lead picker. And DIXIE DREGS/DEEP PURPLE guitar god Steve Morse (along with a return trip by Ronnie Romero) heads into the outer limits, firing off leads that are by both spacey and fiery, on the gnashing title cut of “Why Dontcha”.

“Leslie could take a simple two- and three- note phrase and just sell it with that gritty determination,” says Morse, who shared many a stage with West. “What was not to like about him? He knew everything to do. Just the phrasing of the solos and the commitment and the tone — it was really awesome to stand next to him and experience that.”

“Long Red” is one of the most fascinating songs of West’s career. First featured on the guitarist’s 1969 solo album, it was also a highlight of the 1972 MOUNTAIN album “Live: The Road Goes Ever On”. Over the years, the psychedelic-funk groover has grown in stature thanks to the mind-boggling number of hip-hop artists — everyone from Kendrick Lamar to Kanye West to Ice-T — who have sampled it on mega-selling hits (even Mariah Carey used it on her 2014 cut “Money”). Here, international guitar icon Yngwie Malmsteen (backed by the ace rhythm section of drummer Bobby Rondinelli and bassist Rev Jones) locks into the bluesier aspects of the song and injects his own inimitable shred madness — and the results are wicked. With singer Teddy Rondinelli flooring it full-throttle, it’s a stone-cold slam dunk.

Jenni West sums the album up thusly: “Nobody in this world has ever made me feel loved as much as Leslie, and I feel so honored and grateful that I could give him this gift.” She laughs. “He would often say, ‘If it doesn’t make my balls rumble, it’s not right.’ And I think there’s some balls-rumbling tones on this record! When you’re listening to it, you might even think it’s Leslie playing — and that’s a good thing. He really believed that adage of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. Even when some of the players do their own twists on the music, they’re still doing it in a way that’s authentic and respectful, and Leslie would have appreciated that.”

Track listing:

01. Blood Of The Sun (feat. Zakk Wylde)
02. Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin) (feat. Joe Lynn Turner & Marty Friedman)
03. Theme For An Imaginary Western (feat. Dee Snider, Eddie Ojeda, Rudy Sarzo, Mike Portnoy)
04. For Yasgur’s Farm (feat. Joe Lynn Turner & Martin Barre)
05. Why Dontcha (feat. Steve Morse & Ronnie Romero)
06. Sittin’ On A Rainbow (feat. Elliot Easton & Ronnie Romero)
07. Never In My Life (feat. Dee Snider & George Lynch)
08. The Doctor (feat. Robby Krieger & Ronnie Romero)
09. Silver Paper (feat. Charlie Starr)
10. Money (Whatcha Gonna Do)/By The River medley (feat. Bachman & Bachman)
11. Long Red (feat. Yngwie Malmsteen & Teddy Rondinelli)
12. Mississippi Queen (feat. Slash & Marc LaBelle)

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Ludwig Drums has uploaded drum-cam video of Art Cruz performing the song “Memento Mori” with his LAMB OF GOD bandmates at one of the stops on the 2021 leg of “The Metal Tour Of The Year” with MEGADETH, TRIVIUM and HATEBREED. Check it out below.

Art filled in for original LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler on several of the band’s tours before being named Adler’s official replacement in July 2019.

Cruz made his live debut with LAMB OF GOD in July 2018 in Gilford, New Hampshire.

Art’s first full-length recording with LAMB OF GOD, the band’s self-titled album, arrived in June 2020 via Epic Records in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Records in Europe.

Asked by Outburn what his mindset was coming into a major band such as LAMB OF GOD and replacing Adler, Cruz said: “Chris was one of my favorite metal drummers growing up. It hits close to home for me. The idea of this is all surreal and it’s very mind-boggling. It’s very much a dream come true that I can continue to say constantly, and I will say it forever because it’s exactly what it is. To go into it as I did, I’ve been growing as a musician from start to finish. With bands like WINDS OF PLAGUE, I learned a lot of different things in that group. And then jumping to a band like PRONG that is also a legacy metal band and had been around for so many years, you learn so many different things. To be able to come in and have to fill the shoes of somebody like Chris Adler, you get a little nervous and things like that. But I was confident with the skills that I learned over the years, and having to deal with so many different ranges of personalities, it helps. Again, you can only be nervous, but you can only be yourself. Thanks to the guys for letting me do that. That was the only reason why I was able to fully bloom. It’s crazy that I have such a different approach, now that I got it out of the way with this new record. So, it was a challenge. It was very scary. I’m watched through a magnifying glass since I entered this band, even as a fill-in. So, I’m thankful for everything from start to finish, for sure.”

Speaking about his drumming approach on “Lamb Of God”, Cruz said: “LAMB OF GOD has such a signature sound that you cannot drift from, but that sound is a collective now. It’s not just a Chris Adler sound or just a Mark Morton sound or just a Willie [Adler] sound. It’s very much a collective effort. I did my best to be able to be myself, but at the same time, I grew up idolizing these guys and their music. So, I wasn’t very far off with keeping that sound what it was. I do pay some homage to Chris Adler, because, again, he’s my favorite metal drummer. So, at the end of the day, there were times that I felt like I had to turn the fire up, bring the fire down, and play for the band. I feel like a lot of drummers, musicians, and fans expected me to go above and beyond, to maybe try and outshine somebody like that, but that wasn’t the goal from the start. Thankfully, my education and growing as a musician helped me discipline myself like that. Because I’m playing for and with LAMB OF GOD, it’s not the Art Cruz show. So, there were times that they gave me time to shine for the music and for the songs. We came up with a lot of stuff in the studio, and, thankfully, we did drums last. I think it was very beneficial for me to go last. To understand and know that the guys were happy with where the songs were, their parts were done, and this is what they wanted. So, I was able to play along with things like that. I brought them groove like what I learned while playing in PRONG. I brought some intensity that I had when I was playing with WINDS OF PLAGUE. It shows my growth as a musician as well, and I think it really meshed a lot with the traditional LAMB OF GOD sound.”

“Lamb Of God” was recorded with longtime producer Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH, GOJIRA, TRIVIUM) and included special guest appearances by Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT).

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Los Angeles quintet HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD has released the official music video for its new single, “Chaos”. The haunting and artistically choreographed clip was directed by Jensen Noen, who has previously worked with ICE NINE KILLS, FALLING IN REVERSE and ASKING ALEXANDRIA. The track, produced by WZRD BLD a.k.a. Drew Fulk (Lil Wayne, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, Lil Peep), is among the heaviest to ever be released by the group, yet still combines dynamic elements of rap, hard rock and alternative in a way that is authentically UNDEAD. The track offers the first glimpse of the band’s yet-to-be-announced new album.

“‘Chaos’ is about getting to the end of the road, thinking you can finally rest, and realizing it’s not only more chaos, but that’s all there is ever gonna be. No rest for the wicked,” says HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD’s Johnny 3 Tears.

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD kicked off the “Kill The Noise” North American tour with PAPA ROACH and BAD WOLVES on March 1 with a sold-out show in Anaheim, California.

Formed in 2005, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD has inched towards mainstream dominance under the radar. Preceding the current playlist-hopping genre-less boom, they defied stylistic boundaries from day one. Integrating rap, rock, and electronic, the seminal 2008 debut “Swan Songs” went platinum. 2011’s gold-selling “American Tragedy” bowed at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 with “Notes From The Underground” soaring to No. 2 in 2013. “Day Of The Dead” (2015) and “Five” (2017) brought the group’s total streams past 1 billion and “New Empire Vol 1” and “Vol 2” saw their combined streams across Spotify and YouTube hit a staggering two billion. Along the way, they’ve sold out tours on four continents and garnered acclaim courtesy of Rolling Stone, Billboard, Consequence, Alternative Press, Revolver and more.

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD is comprised of MCs Charlie Scene, J-Dog, Johnny 3 Tears, Funny Man and Danny.

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Long-running Swedish rap/metal combo CLAWFINGER has released the official music video for its new single, “Environmental Patients”. The track marks the first new music from CLAWFINGER in more than two years.

Prior to the arrival of “Environmental Patients”, CLAWFINGER released a single called “Tear You Down” in September 2019 and “Save Our Souls” in 2017. “Save Our Souls” was made available four years after CLAWFINGER announced it was calling it quits.

During the break from the studio, the members of CLAWFINGER were reportedly taking care of their families while performing sporadic reunion shows, mostly at European festivals. “CLAWFINGER no longer is our main job,” the band explained at the time. “We all have other jobs and families to love.”

CLAWFINGER’s last studio album, “Life Will Kill You”, was released in the U.S. in July 2008 via Locomotive Records. The CD, which entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 89 upon its European release in 2007, was recorded and produced at Sweden’s Fear And Loathing Studios, a facility that CLAWFINGER runs along with the members of MESHUGGAH.

CLAWFINGER’s debut album, 1993’s “Deaf Dumb Blind”, included the controversial single “N****r”, an anti-racism statement that caused quite a stir and was a massive success.

“Deaf Dumb Blind” sold over 600,000 copies worldwide and was critically acclaimed in Swedish press.

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KISS’s concert at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida, which was originally scheduled for October 8, 2021 and was then postponed to November 5, 2021 “due to ongoing weather issues,” will finally take place on September 21, 2022. All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new date. More information will be e-mailed to ticketholders directly.

The original West Palm Beach show was postponed when weather reportedly started to deteriorate around 7:30 p.m. on the day of the gig. Officials asked the crowds occupying the amphitheater’s hill to seek shelter in the covered area of the venue or even their cars as the tropical storm was about to get serious. Heavy rains and lightning continued for another two and half hours, and around 10:00 p.m., the four members of KISS came up on stage to announce the show postponement. Frontman Paul Stanley told the audience: “This is not what we expected. And it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the people who are showing up.”

Last October, Stanley said that the final concert of the “End Of The Road” tour will likely happen by early 2023.

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“End Of The Road” was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but has since been extended to at least the end of 2022. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band’s classic song “Detroit Rock City” on “America’s Got Talent”.

“I believe strongly by the beginning of 2023 we will be finished,” Stanley told Ultimate Classic Rock in an interview, adding that “it seems only natural [for the final show] to be in New York. That is where the band started, and that was really the background for the band getting together and writing these songs and played loft parties and played clubs starting with an audience of probably 10 people,” he said. “It seems we should go full circle.”

Stanley went on to say that unlike KISS’s 2000-2001 tour, which was also supposed to be its last, “End Of The Road” will truly be the last time KISS performs live. “It’s a different time than we had pondered [farewell tours] in the past,” Stanley explained. “The fact is that, physically, it’s incredibly demanding to do what we do. Look, we played [recently] in Austin, an outdoor show, 100 percent humidity. We’re running around for two-plus hours, not only with guitars, but I’ve got 30-plus pounds of gear on. There’s a point where you go, ‘You know what? This is more challenge than I want.’ And I only want to do it as long as I can do it smiling.

“There’s really no thought about changing our minds,” he continued. “It has nothing to do with personalities in the band or tensions or a difference of opinion or musicality. It’s purely practical. You can play beat the clock, but ultimately the clock wins.”

KISS’s current lineup consists of original members Stanley and bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, drummer Peter Criss and lead guitarist Ace Frehley, KISS’s first “farewell” tour in 2000 was the last to feature the group’s original lineup.

JUST ANNOUNCED! Our re-scheduled @ithinkfiamp –
West Palm Beach, FL show will take place on September 21, 2022. All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new date. Full #EndOftheRoadTour dates & info at https://t.co/0fjdtZYWWE. pic.twitter.com/s12VcKvbTh
— KISS (@kiss) March 4, 2022

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