JUDAS PRIEST is trailing Eminem, DURAN DURAN, Pat Benatar, Dolly Parton, EURYTHMICS in the fan vote for this year’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction class.

More than three million votes have already been cast since voting began. Now through April 29, fans can vote every day through the Hall Of Fame’s web site. The top five artists, as selected by the public, will comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other ballots to select the 2022 inductees.

As of earlier today, DURAN DURAN received 514,812 votes; Eminem 487,132; Pat Benatar 303,592; Dolly Parton 239,442; EURYTHMICS 210,823; and JUDAS PRIEST 180,977.

To be eligible for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to have been released in 1996 or earlier.

Inductees will be announced in May 2022. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2022 induction ceremony will take place this fall. The date, venue, and on-sale information will be announced later.

According to the Hall Of Fame, the JUDAS PRIEST members that would get inducted would include current members Rob Halford (vocals), Ian Hill (bass), Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums), along with former members K.K. Downing (guitar), Les Binks (drums) and late drummer Dave Holland.

JUDAS PRIEST was previously on the ballot for Rock Hall induction in 2020, but failed to receive enough votes to make that year’s class.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was also on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

Back in October 2020, Halford said that the heavy metal genre “hasn’t been respected enough” by the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Asked in an interview with Word In Your Ear if he was “bothered” by the fact that PRIEST hasn’t been inducted into the Rock Hall yet, Halford said: “Well, let’s put it this way. You have all of these institutions here in America — you’ve got the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for music; you’ve got the Basketball Hall Of Fame; you’ve got the Baseball Hall Of Fame; Football — you’ve got all of these places where, I think essentially, it’s just a really nice, cool recognition of what you’ve done, the work that you’ve done and the things that you’ve achieved, the place that you’ve been put at, and so on and so forth.

“So, am I bothered if we ever get in? Not really. But I think we do deserve to be in there. Because I look at the list of people that are in there, and I feel that we have a place. And it would not only be for JUDAS PRIEST — it would be for British music, particularly British heavy metal music, and that’s a beautiful achievement. [BLACK] SABBATH are in there, which is great. But I’ve always said that as far as what the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame represents, the genre of heavy metal music hasn’t really been looked after enough and respected enough.

“So, I’d like to feel that eventually we will get in.”

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N’ ROSES in that group’s first year of eligibility.

The Rock Hall didn’t induct BLACK SABBATH until 2006, and METALLICA followed three years later.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other “criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock ‘n’ roll,” which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn’t get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn’t get inducted until 2016.

After the 2020 Rock Hall inductees were announced in January of that year, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner said that it made no sense that DEPECHE MODE, Whitney Houston, NINE INCH NAILS and Biggie Smalls were going into the Rock Hall before PRIEST. “Hence why the Rock Hall holds no credibility for me and never has,” he tweeted.

Over three million (!!!!) fan votes since we announced the Nominees exactly one month ago. @duranduran has taken over the lead, with @Eminem a close second. @benatargiraldo, @DollyParton and the Eurythmics round out the top five. https://t.co/keewGnGnnD pic.twitter.com/eO5Cck3Od8
— Rock Hall (@rockhall) March 3, 2022

Read more »

The metallic project BAD PENNY, which features former QUEEN bassist Danny Miranda, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT drummer Jules Radino, guitarist/songwriter Mike Holtzman and a lineup of iconic vocalists, including JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford, QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre, and former JOURNEY lead vocalist Steve Augeri, announced today that TWISTED SISTER’s Dee Snider will front the group on their forthcoming single “Army Of One”.

“Dee is one of the most powerful and recognizable voices in rock history,” said Holtzman. “And he’s not shy about expressing his opinions. ‘Army Of One’ is a real face-melter and an anthem against dictatorship and injustice.”

Tony Bruno (RIHANNA, DANGER DANGER) produced the track and lent a shredding guitar lead.

BAD PENNY has released a string of critically acclaimed metal and hard rock songs, including “Push Comes To Shove” (featuring Rob Halford and Militia Vox), which the U.K.’s Rockfiend magazine called a “masterpiece.” A full album is expected in July 2022.

“Army Of One” (featuring Dee Snider) will be available for pre-order on iTunes on March 14. The single will be available everywhere in April.

After scoring radio hits with their debut singles, the bluesy rocker “Voices In My Head” (sung by La Torre) and the power ballad “Lose Myself” (sung by Augeri), BAD PENNY took a turn towards classic metal with “The Mirror Lies”, again featuring La Torre on vocals. “Push Comes To Shove” delved further into dark and heavy territory.

Read more »

IRON MAIDEN has canceled its previously announced shows in Russia and Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week.

Earlier today, the British heavy metal legends released the following statement via social media: “We are very sorry to announce that due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine, the promoters have cancelled the two IRON MAIDEN shows scheduled for May 29th in Kyiv and June 1st in Moscow on the 2022 Legacy Of The Beast World Tour.

“Ticket-holders for both shows will be informed by the respective promoters on refunds at the appropriate time.

“Our priority is, and will always be, the safety of our fans.”

A number of other music artists have chosen to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by canceling their concerts in the country.

Earlier this week, concert giant Live Nation Entertainment announced that it would cease all business activity with Russia.

“Live Nation joins the world in strongly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” read a statement from the company. “We will not promote shows in Russia, and we will not do business with Russia. We’re in the process of reviewing our vendors so we can cease work with any and all Russian-based suppliers.”

GREEN DAY canceled its concert at Moscow’s 45,000-seater Spartak Stadium scheduled for May 29, explaining in a statement: “With heavy hearts, in light of current events we feel it is necessary to cancel our upcoming show in Moscow at Spartak Stadium. We are aware that this moment is not about stadium rock shows, it’s so much bigger than that. But we also know that rock and roll is forever and we feel confident there will be a time and a place for us to return in the future. Refunds available at the point of purchase. Stay safe.”

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.

Ticket-holders for both shows will be informed by the respective promoters on refunds at the appropriate time.
Our priority is, and will always be, the safety of our fans.

— Iron Maiden (@IronMaiden) March 3, 2022

Read more »

There are few rock guitarists on this planet who have had such a lasting influence on so many renowned musicians as Michael Schenker. With his outstandingly fluid style, inexhaustible wealth of ideas and instinctive feel for hooks and melodies, Michael Schenker is a living legend who, despite his longstanding and distinguished history, still impresses with his unflagging energy and drive. The blond stringsman from Sarstedt, Germany began his international career in the early 1970s with the SCORPIONS, achieved worldwide fame after joining British rock group UFO and then seamlessly continued his exceptional global success story under his own name, as well as with acts such as MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP (MSG for short), TEMPLE OF ROCK and MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST. Schenker and his career, which has spanned more than fifty years, are absolute exceptions in the otherwise short-lived music industry.

Now his latest MSG album is about to be unleashed, scheduled for release on Atomic Fire Records on May 27 under the programmatic moniker of “Universal”. His latest offering will feature all the strengths of this exceptional musician: first-rate songs with anthemic melodies, catchy guitar riffs and inspiring solos. As we have come to expect from him, Schenker has once again enlisted a number of prestigious fellow musicians for the recording of his new studio production, among them, as main vocalist Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW, VANDENBERG), who will also be MSG’s frontman on their upcoming tour, Michael Kiske (HELLOWEEN) and Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR), keyboard player Steve Mann (LIONHEART), drummers Simon Phillips (TOTO, THE WHO), Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER), Bobby Rondinelli (RAINBOW) and Bodo Schopf (ELOY), as well as legendary bassists Bob Daisley (BLACK SABBATH), Barry Sparks (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, DOKKEN) and Barend Courbois (BLIND GUARDIAN, ZAKK WYLDE), with Tony Carey as a very special guest.

Like its predecessor “Immortal” (2021) and the MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST albums “Resurrection” (2018) and “Revelation” (2019), “Universal” was produced by Michael Schenker and Michael Voss (LESSMANN/VOSS, MAD MAX) at Voss’s Kidroom Studio, which has become something of a creative home away from home for Schenker.

“Michael Voss is happy to wait until I have worked out an idea and takes the time to really get to know the song, simultaneously developing ideas for the vocals,” Schenker describes the fruitful collaboration which has one cog intermesh with the other. “Then we work out the drums, bass and some keyboard parts together. He always has plenty of great ideas up his sleeve.”

Compositional highlights abound on “Universal”, from the haunting opener “Emergency” and the subsequent “Under Attack” with its casually driving groove to “The Universe”, featuring an atmospheric duet by Ronnie Romero and Gary Barden, “Wrecking Ball”, performed as brilliantly as ever by Ralf Scheepers, and “London Calling” with its homage to the British capital’s musical spirit.

The rock anthem “A King Has Gone” and its intro “Calling Baal” both have a special significance: The track, sung by HELLOWEEN frontman Michael Kiske, is a tribute to the immortal Ronnie James Dio, in particular to his performance on the 1976 hard rock classic “Rainbow Rising”. For this reason, Schenker has brought together an original RAINBOW rhythm section consisting of Bobby Rondinelli and Bob Daisley, additionally enlisting keyboardist Tony Carey, who also played on “Rainbow Rising”, for a terrific Moog synth intro — a direct reference to the iconic intro of the 1976 album opener “Tarot Woman”. The impressive result “Calling Baal”/”A King Has Gone” is already considered to be one of the most important and successful songs in Schenker’s career to date, both musically and lyrically.

In line with all these highlights, the spectacular album cover designed by Zsofia Dankova (POWERWOLF, among others) features Schenker in a futuristic spaceship, floating high up in orbit. The artwork is based on the guitarist’s own visions.

“I had the original idea for the album cover a few years ago, but only now does it seem to fit perfectly,” he says. “So I sent some older sketches to my label Atomic Fire Records, and based on this the final artwork and album title were created.”

Photo credit: Tina Korhonen

Read more »

In which we reconsider industrial post-punk heroes Killing Joke’s 1988 misfire that got them dropped from a major label.
The post Justify Your Shitty Taste: Killing Joke’s “Outside the Gate” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Read more »

SLIPKNOT has postponed its previously announced shows in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week.

Earlier today, the band released the following statement via social media: “Unfortunately we will be postponing our Kyiv, Moscow, and Minsk performances. New dates will be forthcoming.

“We had looked forward to reuniting with our fans in these incredible cities, coming back together after global lockdown. But we take this step in support of our community and in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, for whom the struggle continues, in a new and more terrible form. We also acknowledge that our Russian and Belarusian fans are overwhelmingly united with the Ukrainians in their fight for peace.

“The safety and well-being of our global families is, and always will be, our top priority.”

A number of other music artists have chosen to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by canceling their concerts in the country.

Last Thursday (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.

pic.twitter.com/DyDD7lEdwR
— Slipknot (@slipknot) March 2, 2022

Read more »