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During an appearance on “Put Up Your Dukes”, the new podcast hosted by ex-EXODUS singer Rob Dukes, current EXODUS frontman Steve “Zetro” Souza was asked to name the worst show he ever played in his life. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I remember we were on the ‘Headbangers Ball’ tour [with ANTHRAX and HELLOWEEN in 1989] and we were in New Orleans. And I love Slurpees — not as much anymore ’cause of my transformation lately, but I love Slurpees. And we got to the French Quarter, and Hurricanes are like Slurpees with fucking alcohol in them. So I was drinking ’em, and I didn’t really taste the booze and they are high-alcohol-contented drinks. And I drank, like, five of them. And on those tours, we were on stage at, like, 7:30 or something, eight o’clock. It was an arena tour, so it stated early. HELLOWEEN went on, then us. So we were [scheduled to go on at] 7:30. And I went on stage, and I had to be the worst ’cause I was so fucking shitfaced; I couldn’t even remember the words and I was spinning. And it was just awful. Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist] was none too happy with me.”

He continued: “I’d never been the French Quarter before, so our manager was there with us, Toni [Isabella], and she’s all, ‘Oh, let’s take a cab and go.’ And I’m walking around. I’m, like, ‘Wait a minute. They’ve got drink places right on the street?’ I’m all, ‘Fuck me.’ I’m all, ‘What do you got that kind of tastes like a Slurpee?’ They’re all, ‘I have a Hurricane.’ I’m, like, ‘Okay. Cool.’ I’m all, ‘It does taste like a Slurpee.’ I [had] five of those — five of them. And now if I drank a half of one, I’d be throwing up, let alone five of them. But I was 26 at that time, and we did do party back in those days, so it’s not saying my body wasn’t like an athlete, physically ready for it. But that was probably the worst time on stage. Although I’ll say — and not to be arrogant — I try not to ever have bad shows, regardless of how much I need to prepare myself for it.”

EXODUS released its new album, “Persona Non Grata”, on November 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap. For the third time in the band’s history, they returned to Swedish artist Pär Olofsson to create the album artwork.

“Persona Non Grata” is the follow-up to 2014’s “Blood In Blood Out”, which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers’ first release since the departure of Dukes, and the return of Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

EXODUS TESTAMENT and DEATH ANGEL played the sole 2021 date of “The Bay Strikes Back Tour” last November 27 at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California. The gig took place less than two months after the three bands shared the stage at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento.

“The Bay Strikes Back Tour” was originally scheduled to kick off on October 6, 2021 at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California and make stops in Austin, New York, and Detroit before concluding in Oakland. The tour has since been rescheduled to take place in April and May 2022.

Hear Brazilian speed metal merchant Diabolical Evil make their vinyl debut for new U.K.-based label Vicious Witch Records.
The post EP Premiere: Diabolical Evil – “Cursed by Blood” / “Valley of the Damned” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Check out the deathly grindcore on new trio Shock Withdrawal’s Arthur Rizk-mastered six-song EP.
The post Full EP Stream: Shock Withdrawal – ‘Shock Withdrawal’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

In a new interview with the “Drum Candy” podcast, KORN drummer Ray Luzier explained his decision to relocate his family to Franklin, Tennessee nearly a decade ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I moved [to the Nashville area] — June, it’ll be eight years here, which is nuts, ’cause I’m still in a band based in Bakersfield, California. I always joke with people, ‘I have a two-thousand-mile commute to work.’

“When Head [KORN guitarist Brian Welch] rejoined the band in 2013, I said to him first thing, ’cause he lived out here [in Nashville], and I said, ‘When are you gonna move back to Cali?’ And he said, ‘I’ll never live in L.A.’ And I said, ‘How are you gonna be in the band?’ And he was, like, ‘There’s airports and Internet, isn’t there?’ And right at the time, [my wife and I] had just had our first kid; it was almost three years into it. And I was thinking to myself, ‘Man…’ ‘Cause my wife never really got L.A. And I was, like, ‘Man, I wonder if we can get out of here,’ if it was feasible enough. So I got permission from the band.”

Luzier, who was raised just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before moving to Los Angeles in 1988 to pursue a career in music, added: “Jon [KORN singer Jonathan Davis] is really adamant about stuff on the cuff, like, ‘Ray, come up here. Drive up to [Bakersfield]. I’ve got this idea. Play drums on it and drive back down.’ It was a two-hour commute for me when I lived in L.A. This only happened a few times where I’ve had to jump on a plane the next day and go out there. But for the most part, [Head] is right. We meet at the airport. If we do a European tour, we meet at the airport. If we do a record, we all meet in Bakersfield. I have a four-hour flight. That’s nothing to me; I live on airplanes.”

Luzier married his longtime girlfriend, model Aspen Brandy Lea, in June 2016. The nuptials took place at the Keys Creek Lavender Farm in Valley Center, California in a “totally private” ceremony attended only by the couple’s two sons, now-11-year-old Hudson Ray and six-year-old Beck Jagger.

Luzier and his wife started dating in 2009 after she interviewed him while on assignment for Rivalry Nights. It was one of his first interviews as a member of KORN, having spent the initial two years of his tenure with the group as a session drummer.

Ray lived in Los Angeles for 16 years before moving to Nashville.

KORN’s latest album, “Requiem”, was released on February 4 via Loma Vista Recordings. The LP was produced by Chris Collier and KORN.

“Requiem” entered Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums chart at No. 1. The band sold 23,000 equivalent album units in the February 4-10 tracking week, according to Billboard. Of that sum, 20,000 units are from album sales. “Requiem” also landed at No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts. On the all-format Billboard 200, it arrived at No. 14.

KORN kicked off a short run of shows with SYSTEM OF A DOWN on January 31 in Phoenix, followed by dates in San Diego (February 1) and Los Angeles (February 4 and February 5). KORN’s headlining tour with CHEVELLE and CODE ORANGE will launch March 4.