Billy Howerdel (A PERFECT CIRCLE, ASHES DIVIDE) has offered a preview of his upcoming debut album with the release of “Poison Flowers” via Alchemy Recordings/BMG.

“‘Poison Flowers’ began with the bass guitar part and all of the pieces flowed from there. It’s a rare feeling when the process of writing blocks out all distractions,” explains Howerdel of the track, which finds the acclaimed songwriter handling vocals and all instrumentation apart from Josh Freese on drums. “The upcoming songs reflect back to my earliest influences and ‘Poison Flowers’ leads well into the rest of the album.”

In another first for the multi-platinum selling musician, Howerdel performed as a solo artist last week, appearing at #Happens Las Vegas, a music-fueled conference that brings together artists, radio programmers, label executives and streaming experts. Joining Howerdel for the inaugural outing were familiar faces: Josh Freese (A PERFECT CIRCLE, DEVO, THE OFFSPRING), Danny Lohner (NINE INCH NAILS), Kaela Sinclair (M83) and Kevin Maher (FAKE SHARK).

Revolver included the forthcoming release in their most-anticipated records of 2022, saying fans should look for “expansive, ethereal rock” music. While Howerdel has been mum on details, having written one of the highest-selling debut albums for a rock band (“Mers De Noms”) and numerous radio-friendly singles, the Los Angeles-based guitar player has explained that the collection began taking shape during his most recent A PERFECT CIRCLE tour, serving as a letter in musical form.

Howerdel has perhaps one of rock music’s most well-rounded and interesting resumes. Growing up in West Milford, New Jersey, he spent hours listening to WLIR emanating out of Long Island, New York. Lying in bed, he would scribble down playlists and then scout out the records he loved in stores, among them THE CURE, ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN, DEAD KENNEDYS and Elvis Costello. However, it was the experience of seeing PINK FLOYD at Giants Stadium that triggered his lust for finding a way to work in the music industry. Howerdel initially racked up experience in stage lighting, working for almost any band or theater production that would ask, while at the same time devoting the rest of his free time to practicing guitar. A few years of work led to a chance meeting with FISHBONE, a move west and quickly becoming a sought-after road and studio tech, working with David Bowie, GUNS N’ ROSES, NINE INCH NAILS, and — oh, yeah — being roommates with TOOL’s Maynard James Keenan. It was that friendship that birthed the multi-platinum alternative rock supergroup A PERFECT CIRCLE.

Photo courtesy of Billy Howerdel

Ukrainian progressive metallers JINJER have released new merchandise designs to help raise funds to support their country which is under an invasion by Russia.

JINJER bassist Eugene Abdukhanov said in a statement: “Thank you all for your concerned messages and prayers sent to us over the last week. We may not answer but we are reading them and they mean the world to us.

“As you know, there is war raging through the streets and cities of Ukraine right now. Many people have little or no food or water and are very afraid of what tomorrow may bring.

“Together with Napalm Records, we’re releasing two new t-shirt designs to raise funds to be donated to various charities throughout Ukraine to help with medical and food supplies, water and so on.

“If you cannot donate, then please share this or any news related to what’s really happening here. Each sale may save somebody’s life in Ukraine.

“Thank you.”

100% of proceeds earned from these t-shirts will be distributed directly to charity organizations of JINJER’s choosing.

You can get both t-shirts here.

Due to the ongoing war in the Ukraine, JINJER has been forced to cancel all previously announced North American tour dates, including its own headline dates, side shows with IN THIS MOMENT and participation in the “Knotfest Roadshow” tour supporting SLIPKNOT.

Earlier this week, Abdukhanov told BBC News that he has abandoned his day job to concentrate on the immediate humanitarian crisis. He is currently establishing a charity “to help the military, to help the civilians” and will soon join his friends in running a shelter providing “food supplies, water [and] protection” for people displaced by the conflict.

As for how the JINJER fans have reacted to the Ukraine invasion, Eugene said: “I received some texts from our Russian fans, apologizing and saying they’re definitely against this. I didn’t receive any angry texts from the Russian side, trying to justify this. Even though some people have this militaristic position, they’re ashamed enough not to mention this to me.”

Abdukhanov’s bandmate, JINJER frontwoman Tatiana Shmayluk, is currently staying in Southern California with her boyfriend, Alex Lopez of deathcore troupe SUICIDE SILENCE.

On February 24, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine. Putin made the announcement during a televised early morning speech, peddling accusations of Nazi elements within Ukraine to justify the attack on his western neighbor, a move that experts slammed as slanderous and false. (Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish and lost three family members in the Holocaust.)

The Russian leader called for Ukraine’s “demilitarization and denazification” and warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen.”

Putin’s military aggression — which has been described by U.S. president Joe Biden as an “unprovoked and unjustified attack” on Ukraine — has resulted at least 136 civilian deaths so far, including 13 children, a United Nations agency said on Tuesday.

Ukraine’s health ministry previously said 352 civilians had been killed during the Russian attack as of Monday. The figure included 14 children, it said.

Late last month Abdukhanov released a video message in which he condemned Russia’s invasion of his country, saying “this war cannot be justified by anything.”

Symphonic death metal architects SEPTICFLESH will release their eleventh studio album, “Modern Primitive”, on May 20 via Nuclear Blast. The conceptual music video for the LP’s first single, “Hierophant”, can be seen below.

“Hierophant” tells the first part of story written by guitarist and clean vocalist Sotiris Anunnaki V titled “Salvation”. It depicts the experience of a high priest, acting as a human conduit between Heaven and Earth. Having never heard a single word from the mouth of God, he grows tired of preaching the preordained words of the clergy. He turns to performing primitive and powerful rituals that have been long forbidden, as he seeks the guidance of a chaotic elemental consciousness. The second part of the tale will be revealed with the track “Self-Eater”.

Vocalist and bassist Seth Siro Anton comments: “‘Hierophant’ is the result of an experiment with ideas that have been haunting our minds for quite a long time. Eventually they matured, leading us to create one of our darkest compositions ever. It is a rhythmical song with profane heavy riffing, layered with melodies that bring to mind chants from mystical ancient civilizations like the Egyptians.”

Guitarist and orchestrator Christos Antoniou states: “We found it appropriate to add an imposing ritualistic element to the song. So, from the first second until the end, the orchestration is focused 100% on its grim task, to create an awe-inspiring atmosphere and put the listener at the center of this forbidden ceremony.”

“Modern Primitive” track listing:

01. The Collector
02. Hierophant
03. Self-Eater
04. Neuromancer
05. Coming Storm
06. A Desert Throne
07. Modern Primitives
08. Psychohistory
09. A Dreadful Muse

SEPTICFLESH is:

Seth Siro Anton – Vocals, Bass
Christos Antoniou – Guitar, Orchestra
Sotiris Anunnaki V – Clean Vocals, Guitar, 12 String Guitar
Psychon – Guitar
Kerim “Krimh” Lechner – Drums

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons says that Kanye West needs to “move on” and leave his estranged wife Kim Kardashian alone to pursue her new relationship with Pete Davidson.

Earlier this month, West made headlines when he released a music video for his song “Eazy”, which included scenes of him kidnapping and beheading Kim’s new man. The video’s lyrics read, “God saved me from that crash, just so I could beat Pete Davidson’s ass.”

Simmons weighed in on the Kim-Kanye drama on Thursday (March 3) when he was approached by a TMZ cameraman at Kings Road Cafe in Los Angeles. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “For the record, [Kanye’s] a talented guy. There’s no question about it. He’s out of his mind… This is your wife, the mother of your children. It’s not childish. There’s something clinically wrong with him, as he’s admitted.”

Asked if he thinks Kim and Pete should file a restraining order against Kanye, Gene said: “You don’t need to do that. Pete’s a cool guy [who] takes the high road. Just ignore it. At a certain point, if everybody misbehaves, they get bitchslapped…

“It’s, like, guy, you’ve got a roof over your head, you’ve got food in your tummy. You can do whatever you want. Get a hobby. That’s better. Leave him alone. Move on. Love your kids. Love the mother of your kids and let her make her own decision. She’s a grown-ass woman now and she doesn’t need your permission.”

Simmons also addressed the fact that Kanye has been hanging out with a new woman who looks a lot like Kardashian: model Chaney Jones.

“Being like that publicly, getting a Kim lookalike, it’s childish,” Gene said. “And it’s not fair to this girl who happens to resemble Kim. Good for you. You can resemble anybody or anything, but don’t be a hand puppet to somebody who’s playing some kind of game.

“He needs to back off,” Simmons added. “He’s not a bad guy. But this is not even childish. There’s something — he admitted there’s something clinically wrong.”

Kanye, who is now legally known by his nickname, Ye, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after being hospitalized for a psychiatric emergency in 2016.

West and Jones were spotted in public a few weeks ago, with many pointing to how similar Jones and Kardashian look. However, a source close to both parties told TMZ that they are not official, although West was reportedly “undeniably drawn” to Jones because of her appearance.

Prior to hooking up with Jones, West had a brief relationship with “Uncut Gems” actress Julia Fox. The two reportedly broke up in the middle of February, with Fox taking to social media to explain how she still has love for him, but was never in love with him.

Kim and Kanye split early last year after seven years of marriage. The two share four children, North, 8, Saint, 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 4.

THE TROOPS OF DOOM, the new Brazilian band featuring former SEPULTURA guitarist Jairo “Tormentor” Guedz, will release its debut album, titled “Antichrist Reborn”, as a CD digipack and cassette on April 15 via Alma Mater Records, the Portuguese powerhouse label run by MOONSPELL’s Fernando Ribeiro. It will be digitally made available by Blood Blast distribution. The official music video for the LP’s first single, “Altar Of Delusion”Jairo: “‘Altar Of Delusion’ is not a track chosen by chance to be our first single to present the new album ‘Antichrist Reborn’ to the world. This song brings the roots of what perfectly translates who we are, our way of creating, musical inspirations and the core sound of THE TROOPS OF DOOM. Of course the whole album has a giant value to us, every song, every detail, but we really thought that ‘Altar Of Delusion’ was the best track to reach out our fans’ ears! I hope you all enjoy every second of this single, listen to it loud and bang your heads! Get ready for much more on April 15, Holy Friday, for the album release!”

THE TROOPS OF DOOM also includes acclaimed graphic artist Marcelo Vasco on guitar, Alex Kafer (ex-NECROMANCER, EXPLICIT HATE, ENTERRO) on vocals/bass and Alexandre Oliveira (SOUTHERN BLACKLIST) on drums. The band’s goal is to revisit the essence of 1980s-style death metal, exploring a more primitive sound that takes listeners back to that era, while remaining fresh and genuine.

Following their critically acclaimed EPs “The Rise Of Heresy” (2020) and “The Absence Of Light” (2021), which have been lauded by both the international music press and fans alike, THE TROOPS OF DOOM is finally gearing up for the release of “Antichrist Reborn”.

Says Guedz: “We are very happy that we are finally about to release our debut full-length album. We already have it composed basically since 2020 but due to the pandemic, we ended up deciding to postpone its release. Now with most people vaccinated and restrictions easing, we expect 2022 to be a good year for the return of shows and touring. Fingers crossed! We’re confident about it and can’t wait to hit the road. The suggestive title of the album ‘Antichrist Reborn’ has a strong connection with the song ‘Antichrist’, from my time at SEPULTURA back in the days, and of course, because our sound, that’s a rescue of that death metal aura from the ’80s.”

Ribeiro states: “I have been a fan of Brazilian extreme music, namely death metal since the late ’80s. It shaped me as a musician and as a metalhead as much or maybe even more than the classic extreme metal bands from Europe and the U.S. ‘Antichrist Reborn’ holds the key to open the gates and unleash those demons upon us in 2022! It’s just the brilliant missing link between that past and the glorious TROOPS OF DOOM future. My head is in the clouds and I am totally psyched to have this top of the chain band in my label. You won’t believe how hellishly strong is this record. TROOPS OF DOOM will claim the title of best death metal album of the year!”

“Antichrist Reborn” was mixed by Swedish producer Peter Tägtgren at the iconic The Abyss Studio and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren at Blacklounge Studio, Sweden. Featuring very special guest musicians such as João Gordo (RATOS DE PORÃO) and Alex Camargo and Moyses Kolesne (KRISIUN), THE TROOPS OF DOOM unleash true old-school death metal in its purest form; dirty, primitive, and brutally powerful as it should be. The cover art was painted by Sergio “AlJarrinha” Oliveira, the artist behind SEPULTURA’s “Bestial Devastation” original artwork.

“Antichrist Reborn” track listing:

01. Dethroned Messiah
02. Far From Your God
03. Altar Of Delusion
04. Grief
05. Pray Into The Abyss
06. The Rebellion
07. Deserters From Paradise
08. Apocalypse MMXXII
09. A Queda
10. Preacher’s Paradox
11. Necromancer (bonus track)
12. The Usurper (exclusive CD bonus track)

THE TROOPS OF DOOM is:

Jairo “Tormentor” Guedz – Guitar
Alex Kafer – Bass, Vocals
Marcelo Vasco – Guitar
Alexandre Oliveira – Drums

SEPULTURA was formed in 1984 in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of Minas Gerais. Jairo joined the group the following year and played on the band’s first two releases, 1985’s “Bestial Devastation” EP and their 1986 full-length debut, “Morbid Visions”. He also participated in the early songwriting sessions for 1987’s “Schizophrenia”.

In early 1987, Jairo quit SEPULTURA after losing interest in playing death metal and was replaced by São Paulo-based guitarist Andreas Kisser.

THE DEAD DAISIES have released “Bustle And Flow (Live From Daisyland)” which was recorded at the legendary Rock City music venue in Nottingham, England last year. It is the second release from THE DEAD DAISIES’ “Live From Daisyland” series.

“Bustle And Flow (Live From Daisyland)” is injected with both the power and soul of Glenn Hughes’s commanding vocals, attacking riffs, twin guitars and a heavy-hitting pulse of bass and drums catapult this live version of the band’s chart topping single to streaming media services.

Said THE DEAD DAISIES guitarist Doug Aldrich: “Always great to play this song live. We had a blast on the U.K. tour last year and this song totally rocked the crowd. Nothing like an energetic audience to inspire us to deliver a full-on dose of rock.”

The music video features footage from the 26-date “Like No Other” tour across the United States, England, and Wales and is a tribute to THE DAISIES’ truly amazing fanbase. The video mixes epic live footage from the tour as well as some rare behind-the-scenes moments. The original album track video was created using unreal engine, and saw the introduction of the band’s mascot Daisy and her freaky, dark traveling carnival surrounded by ravens.

In January, THE DEAD DAISIES announced the return of drummer extraordinaire Brian Tichy to the musical collective of Hughes, Aldrich and David Lowy.

Brian first joined THE DEAD DAISIES in 2013 during the U.S. “Uproar” tour and has regularly played with the band ever since, including highlights in Cuba, in Poland with an immense orchestra at the Woodstock Festival (Poland) and performed on the “Revolución” and “Make Some Noise” albums. He is also known for playing with WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER and OZZY OSBOURNE, among others.

THE DEAD DAISIES’ latest album, “Holy Ground”, was released in January 2021. Recorded at La Fabrique Studios in the south of France with producer Ben Grosse, the LP is the band’s first to feature Hughes, who joined the group in 2019 as its new bassist and vocalist, replacing John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE) and Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY).

Drummer Deen Castronovo (JOURNEY) announced his exit from THE DEAD DAISIES in January 2021, two days after the band’s publicist revealed that Tommy Clufetos (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK SABBATH) would rejoin THE DEAD DAISIES when they hit the road in support of “Holy Ground”. Clufetos previously toured with THE DEAD DAISIES in 2015.