The greatest ideas can often come from the simple act of dicking about. BLOODYWOOD began life as a fervently internet-based phenomenon — the New Delhi band launched themselves via metal covers of popular Bollywood hits. After a re-recorded version of LINKIN PARK’s “Heavy” caught the attention of international metal media, BLOODYWOOD started to ride a wave of interest and intrigue, releasing their debut album “Anti-Pop Vol.1” in 2017. Five years on, “Rakshak” offers a very different proposition. The covers are gone, replaced with ten self-penned anthems, all still predicated on the same wild and irresistible hybrid of crushing post-’90s metal and euphoric samples from Bollywood soundtracks and Indian classical music. The great news is that even with the novelty value of their early works erased, BLOODYWOOD still make a wholly unique racket, with the gently otherworldly allure of those samples providing a consistent red line through a surprisingly diverse set of songs.

The key to appreciating “Rakshak” lies in understanding exactly how demented this band’s live shows are guaranteed to be, particularly when they hit the European and US festival circuits. Whether you like the lurching grooves of nu-metal or not, BLOODYWOOD’s formula is both brutally heavy and, thanks to the band’s endless ingenuity, relentlessly entertaining. Mad-eyed and explosive, opener “Gaddaar” says it all: five minutes of raucous, party metal riffing, esoteric percussion and bullish, bellowed refrains, it sounds like the happiest riot of all time. The impact its dynamics, breakdowns and moments of psychotic euphoria will have on festival crowds is unquestionable. Likewise, “Aaj” is all post-KORN stomp and skull-rattling EDM rhythms, with spiraling flutes providing a mist of mysticism and unapologetic pop hooks bursting from all angles. Another righteous party starter, “BSDK.exe” sees BLOODYWOOD blending grim, death metal churn with skittering trap beats and thuggish, deathcore slams, while “Dana Dan” blurs boundaries between old-school rap-rock and the cutting edge of 21st century tech-metal. Again, many people are going to incur minor injuries when this song is played live.

Less convincing are the moments when BLOODYWOOD allow their love of the nu-metal era to get the better of their artistic judgment. Devout LINKIN PARK fans will doubtless enjoy the sappy emoting of “Zanjeero Se” as much as everything else here, but for all its metalcore perkiness, it’s fairly thin gruel compared to the rambunctious clangor of “Machi Bhasad” and “Endurant”. Similarly, the more traditionally melodic “Jee Veerey” lacks its counterparts’ grit and gusto. The day is noisily saved by the closing “Chakh Lee” however. Much like “Gaddaar”, the essence of BLOODYWOOD’s cheerfully revolutionary approach to modern metal is on full display and at full pelt with those infectious Bollywood embellishments proudly to the fore. In those moments, if not all of “Rakshak”, BLOODYWOOD sound like one of the greatest ideas ever.

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Following their formation in 2017, Canadian quartet SPIRITBOX has continually possessed the charts with its dynamic blend of metal and block-leveling live shows. The group will now channel the story behind its 2021 debut, “Eternal Blue” (topping at No. 13 in the Billboard 200), in a new graphic novel co-created alongside veteran comic scribe Jim Krueger (“Earth X”, “Justice”) and artist Amilcar Pinna (“Poppy’s Inferno”, “Generation X”). The graphic novel unspools the eerie tale of Eva, a brilliant painter on the verge of unbelievable acclaim and success. But her inability to reconcile her public perception with her true self allows a Spiritbox — a device used to communicate with the dead — to transport her to an ethereal world. Here, she finds herself trapped in a realm where false shadows become real and dangerous.

“I am in love with this story and artwork. I cannot wait for you to discover Eva and the world that she has been thrust into,” explains SPIRITBOX vocalist Courtney LaPlante. “It truly is an extension of my feelings and the state of mind I held while writing our album, ‘Eternal Blue’, and the lyrics that resonate with me still. Although we are very different, I can’t help but let a lot of myself seep into Eva’s personality and experiences. I care about her so much. Jim and Amilcar are brilliant and we are so happy to share this with you after keeping it to ourselves for so long.”

Ushering the cursed device from the pages of “Eternal Blue: A Spiritbox Graphic Novel” to reality, deluxe versions of the book will include a fully functional Spiritbox replica. This machine cycles through the radio frequency spectrum, creating a din of white noise that lost souls harness to communicate from beyond the veil. This limited-edition Spiritbox is a precise replica of the mysterious artifact that allows Eva to escape from the shadow world. When activated, the box gives off a blue glow as it emits the noises of the spirit world. From the top of the box, an image of Eva is projected onto the ceiling.

For the last four-plus years, SPIRITBOX has sent tremors through the metal establishment; singles “Holy Roller” and “Secret Garden” respectively charted on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs at 25 and within Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart Top 40. Following its release, the record peaked at 13 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and topped both Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Hard Rock Album charts. To date, SPIRITBOX has received more than 100 million digital music streams and has graced the covers of Revolver, Kerrang!, Rock Sound, Pollstar and had the number one song on SiriusXM Liquid Metal for two consecutive years — the first artist in the history of the program to achieve this.

“SPIRITBOX has such a precise concept of their aesthetic, and how it ties into their music, that it makes the process of collaboration and creative exploration a joy,” editor Rantz Hoseley explains. “The result is an ambitious and haunting journey that pulls you down through the ‘Eternal Blue’ darkness into a surreal realm of deeply personal exploration. For me, this is one of those books where it’s thrilling to get to read the story before everyone else, and I cannot wait for everyone to be able to experience Eva’s journey.”

“When I took on this job, I had no idea what it was going to become. I loved the poetry and metaphoric mysteries of SPIRITBOX (the band),” writer Jim Krueger says. “I loved their music and the chance to finally work with Z2. But again, I was unprepared for the magic that happened creatively with this one. Or the places I was going to be allowed to go. And the art, the art. I cannot wait for people to see this. But grab quick, I might be buying all the copies.”

“I couldn’t wish for a better script to draw! Jim’s writing on ‘Spiritbox’ is weird, nightmarish, and surrealist! All things that I love to draw!” artist Amilcar Pinna elaborates.

Z2 and SPIRITBOX present “Eternal Blue: A Spiritbox Graphic Novel” by writer Jim Krueger, artist Amilcar Pinna, and colorist Treonna Farrell in both softcover and hardcover formats, with covers courtesy Justin Cherry available in comic shops, as well as deluxe, super deluxe and platinum editions packaged with a Spiritbox device, exclusive vinyl variant LP of “Eternal Blue”, gallery-ready prints by Jason Levesque, and more available exclusively through Z2’s webstore.

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SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker has addressed some of the issues that led to the departure of the group’s longtime drummer James Kottak more than five years ago.

In September 2016, Kottak was dismissed from the legendary German hard rock band during his well-publicized battle with alcoholism and was replaced by former MOTÖRHEAD member Mikkey Dee.

Asked in a new interview with Javier Hualde of Spain’s classic rock radio station RockFM how he would compare the drumming styles of Kottak and Dee, Schenker said: “Every musician has his own style. James was great, and is still a great drummer — no question about this — but we had a little problem… well, he had a problem, and we tried to help him through the problem. In this case, we noticed that he need[ed] more time than we could give him because we were on tour. So in this case, Matthias [Jabs, guitar] had the idea to call Mikkey Dee, because he was available because of [MOTÖRHEAD frontman] Lemmy’s death. So, yeah, it was a great thing to see light in the distance because we were a little bit depressed because we [were] helping James so much, but he couldn’t deliver the spirit we gave him. And so we split.”

Rudolf continued: “We rehearsed with Mikkey Dee and we noticed immediately there’s a new kind of kick-ass [energy]. Everybody has his own style, and Mikkey Dee is really a very — especially for me as a rhythm guitar player — he is a very influencing person. That means when I play my riffs, he knows how to make them more wild and more powerful. And that’s very good — it’s a synergy effect which even is added by Paweł [Mąciwoda, bass] because they are really a great rhythm team, Pawel and Mikkey Dee, and me as a rhythm guitar player, we can build a great basis for Matthias and Klaus [Meine, vocals].”

In a 2020 interview with the SCORPIONS official fan club Crazyscorps, Kottak discussed the circumstances that led to his departure, saying: “I always liked a drink here and there. And then I always also take a pain medication called Aleve. It’s what all the baseball players take, all the footballers, and it works like a charm. You take those of those and you don’t feel anything. But on top of that, I’m a rock drummer in a rock band, and you’ve got the green light to drink.

“From 2008 to 2011, I didn’t drink,” he explained. “I just woke up one day and said, ‘I just don’t wanna drink anymore.’ I didn’t go to rehab; I didn’t do any of that stuff. I just didn’t wanna drink anymore.

“If you have any knowledge of A.A. [Alcoholics Anonymous] or any type of program or rehab, it only lasts so long and then you have what we call in recovery a relapse. I would go through these phases of a year or maybe two years of no drinking, and then you gradually…

“SCORPIONS, we play our show, we go back to the hotel, [and] 45 minutes later, we’re all downstairs having dinner,” he continued. “And everything’s just the right price — free. All these flights back and forth from Europe, from L.A. — I was just flying constantly. Which I’m not complaining about, but it’s always business or first class, and once again, all the booze is at the right price. I’m going, ‘I’ve got the next two days off. I might as well have a drink.’ And that’s what triggered me to start drinking again sometimes.

“It’s a typical alcoholic way of thinking: ‘Well, I may as well have a drink. Why not?’ And that’s typical alcoholic disease thinking. ‘Cause it is a disease.”

Kottak, who joined the SCORPIONS in 1996, recalled one particular turning point when he spent three months at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads drug and alcohol treatment center on the island of Antigua.

“I’ve been to hundreds — I won’t say thousands — I’ve been to hundreds of A.A. meetings,” he said. “I spent 92 days in rehab down at Eric Clapton’s rehab place. I was only supposed to stay there 30 days. They offered me, they said, ‘Hey, if you wanna stay another couple of weeks, it’s okay.’ And I’m, like, ‘What? Well, do I have to pay?’ ‘Cause it’s expensive — it’s, like, 30 grand a month. They go, ‘No. You can just stay if you want.’ So I stayed another two weeks, then another two weeks. And long story short, I was there 92 days, which it changed my entire life and my whole way of thinking.”

James went on to say that he is “still very good friends” with members of the SCORPIONS. “Me and Matthias e-mail, and me and Klaus e-mail regular, like, maybe once every few weeks. And I just say, ‘Hey, man, how are you?’ And Klaus will write back, ‘Hey, everything is great here. What’s going on with you?’ It’s that kind of a thing.

“I saw them [in 2019] down in Orange County, which, from here, it sounds close, but it was like a two-hour drive. I went and visited with the guys, and I said hello to the crew, and I went backstage, and I went and visited with Klaus privately.

“They’re my friends, man,” Kottak added. “Just ’cause you’re not in a band [together] anymore doesn’t mean you can’t be friends. And these guys are my friends.”

Asked if he had any regrets about the way his time with SCORPIONS came to an end, Kottak said: “Of course, there’s always a regret with any change. But 21 years in rock and roll might as well be 150 years.”

Three and a half years ago, Jabs said that he and his bandmates “had to make” the decision to fire Kottak, explaining that they gave the drummer “all the chances” to get better. “We reached the point — or he reached the point — where it was just not worth it,” Jabs said.

Kottak has spent much of the last four years touring with a revamped version of KINGDOM COME, also featuring guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier, and bassist Johnny B. Frank, along with singer Keith St. John (formerly of MONTROSE and LYNCH MOB). Original frontman Lenny Wolf declined to participate in the reunion.

SCORPIONS’ 19th studio album, “Rock Believer”, will be released on February 25.

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You could WIN a Karma MTN-10 in today’s I Love Pedals Giveaway! Ends Feb. 18, 2022. Karma MTN-10Our clone of the Ibanez Mostortion MT-10 – the one the pros are using! Using the same IC as the original, we improve it with better and more reliable parts and construction, as well as true-bypass switching. The 3-band EQ helps make this one of the most flexible overdrive pedals out there!I Love Pedals Day #17: Karma Guitar Amps

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Gibson TV, the iconic, American guitar maker’s award-winning, worldwide online network, features original series about music and culture from the world’s best storytellers. Gibson TV has premiered the latest episode of the show titled “Icons” — a longform interview series featuring some of the most iconic artists, producers, and music business pioneers in the world.

In the new episode of “Icons” out today, Gibson TV sits down with legendary Alice Cooper manager Shep Gordon.

There are those who tell stories and those who are storytellers; Gordon is neither. Shep is the storyteller. Lovingly known as “Supermensch,” he is one of the most influential and respected personalities in show business. In the newest chapter of “Icons”, Shep shares some of his legendary behind-the-scenes stories from his life as a manager.

Over the years, he has been responsible for managing the careers of Cooper, Anne Murray, Teddy Pendergrass, Rick James and others. He’s also credited as inventing the craze of the celebrity chef, which sparked the fame of chefs like Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck and revolutionized the food industry, turning the culinary arts into the multi-billion dollar industry it is today.

Shep is revered for his kindness, charisma and fondness for a good time. Having lived a life as full and as exciting as he has, it isn’t surprising he has so many outrageous anecdotes from his time as a talent manager, film agent, and producer for some of music and Hollywood’s biggest names.

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