KORN guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer has addressed rock’s diminishing commercial profile and ever-decreasing album sales, saying “it comes in waves.”

For the past several years, hip-hop has surpassed rock as the most popular genre in the U.S., consistently coming out on top as the largest genre in terms of total consumption, which includes album sales and album-equivalent streaming figures.

Munky, who is promoting the new album from KORN, “Requiem”, spoke about rock’s declining popularity in a new interview with Australia’s Wall Of Sound. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Personally, I feel like it doesn’t matter because if it’s good and it’s coming from a real place, they come a-knocking. [Laughs]

“Pop music has evolved into something so synthetic, it’ll get to the point where it’s so not real, if people crave real instruments and someone that’s actually singing live, that whole thing will come around again because there’ll be a need for it,” he added. “And it comes in waves. And it’s okay, ’cause we’re not in it for the fame; we’re in it for the fans.”

“Requiem” was released on February 4 via Loma Vista Recordings. The band celebrated the LP’s arrival with a special record-release event on Thursday, February 3 at the Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, California. “Requiem Mass” saw the Southern California heavy music pioneers perform an intimate set in front of a 300 attendees.

KORN kicked off a short run of shows with SYSTEM OF A DOWN Monday night (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.

In a new interview with Darren Paltrowitz, host of the “Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz”, EVANESCENCE drummer Will Hunt reflected on the experience of filling in for Tommy Lee at several MÖTLEY CRÜE shows a decade and a half ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I knew certain songs that I had played or that I grew up practicing in my room. But then they were playing a two-and-a-half-hour set ’cause that was kind of the first reunion. And there were some deep tracks and deep cuts on there that I hadn’t really explored or ever played; like ‘Louder Than Hell’ was one of ’em. I love that song, but I never pulled it apart. I’d never played ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ or ‘Wild Side’, both of which had really unique arrangements. And I had less than 24 hours to finetune all of this, with cues and stuff like that, so there was an immense amount of pressure to pull it off. But I made cheat sheet notes — I had ’em up there — and then [Tommy] was able to speak to me in my in-ear monitor, so it was, like, ‘Hey, okay, we’re getting ready to change,’ and kind of count me in to it. So the first couple of nights I had him telling me what was up, which made it — I don’t wanna say ‘easy,’ but made it pretty easy.”

Regarding the fact that he was allowed to use “cheat sheets” during his performances with MÖTLEY CRÜE, Will said: “I don’t know too many people that could fly into something like that. I had to learn 24 songs, some of which I had familiarity with, but by and large, I hadn’t played a MÖTLEY CRÜE song in years. It was, like, okay, do you want this to be good or do you want [it] to be average? Because I prefer to be good. I mean, I’ll hide the notes — it’s not like there’s a sheet hanging up right in from of me. I’ll hide ’em. But I think it’s necessary in that kind of a thing. I don’t know anybody that could pull that off.”

Hunt initially filled in for Lee on several MÖTLEY CRÜE North American tour dates in April 2006. Hunt, who had previously backed Tommy in his solo band, took over the drumming duties after a member of the Canadian MÖTLEY CRÜE tribute band BRÖKEN TÖYZ stepped in at the last minute to cover for Lee at the band’s April 5, 2006 concert at the Enmax Center in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.

In June 2007, Lee was forced to sit out CRÜE’s concert at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, England after suffering an injury to his left arm. Stepping in for him at the last minute once again was Hunt, who was on a short break from EVANESCENCE’s European touring activities following the group’s appearance at the Download festival.

Over the holidays, our family got together and talked about normal things—like shopping, movies, and guitars! My father-in-law plays acoustic guitar, and since we live so close to the Martin guitar factory, he has quite an impressive collection. We got to talking about tonewoods and how each of his Martins has a different feel and “vibration” of sorts. One can really dig deep into various guitar tonewoods and how they impact sound. (I once visited a factory in Japan that played classical music in the curing room because they believed that the music would have a certain tonal impact.) But whenever I’m presented with someone who is obsessed with wood quality, I think about the pine, Formica, and fiberglass electrics made by Danelectro and Valco as examples of guitar building that totally ignored the traditional process. So, this month I’m going to tell you the story of a guitar model that’s a great example of how certain guitar makers threw tonewood theories right out the window.In 1961, the Valco Company began to revamp their factory in Chicago and invested in a new fiberglass technology for building guitars. The company highlighted how fiberglass guitars would be more durable and resistant to changes in climate. Additionally, it would be much cheaper compared to using wood. By 1962, a large portion of the factory was dedicated to building 6-strings using fiberglass, and there were about 10 different models dubbed Res-O-Glas guitars.Valco made different Res-O-Glas guitar models using the brands National, Supro, and Airline. The Airline-branded guitars were sold through Montgomery Ward department store catalogs, and the most expensive model was the Airline Professional Vibrato. This 3-pickup guitar was an interesting departure from the traditional Airline offerings. It featured an angular, oddly shaped body identical to the red Airline guitar that would later be made popular by Jack White. The Professional only came in white, featured a genuine Bigsby vibrato, and sold for a whopping price tag of $249!Whenever I’m presented with someone who is obsessed with wood quality, I think about the pine, Formica, and fiberglass electric guitars made by Danelectro and Valco as examples of guitar building that totally ignored the traditional process.The guitar featured fine Kluson tuners, a bound neck with celluloid inlays, nickel-silver frets, and the always exquisite-sounding single-coil Valco pickups (that look like humbuckers) that were made in-house and have a great, aggressive tone, even with fiberglass. The controls for this model include a row of knobs above each pickup for bass and treble. The idea was that you could have each pickup preset to your tastes. There was also a master volume control and a 3-way blade pickup selector switch.This excellent guitar initially appeared in the 1965 catalog, but was gone by 1967, which makes it an extremely rare and desirable instrument. It’s a shame more people haven’t had the chance to play this model, because it offers such a unique experience. The guitar is super light but still well-balanced. The tonal sin of many Valco guitars is that the electronics were often over-done and blanketed in all sorts of capacitors, and this Airline Professional is no exception. The upper row of knobs is also right in the way of your strumming motion, so that’s a bit of a problem. But even with these quirks, the guitar sounds amazing. And all Res-O-Glas instruments are alive and full of vibration!

Former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim “Ripper” Owens says that he has contracted coronavirus twice — once before he got the COVID-19 vaccine and once after.

The 54-year-old Akron, Ohio-based musician revealed his latest battle with COVID-19 while responding to a tweet from American stand-up comedian Paula Poundstone. After Poundstone wrote, “I’m really enjoying not having COVID. I’m vaxxed, boosted, I try to keep my distance from people, and a wear a KN95 mask. It’s quite pleasant, really.”, Owens chimed in: “Thats awesome, I got covid before I was vaccinated and I got covid after I was vaccinated. Luckily only lost my taste and smell.”

Last September, Owens confirmed to Canada’s The Metal Voice that he was vaccinated and “was all for wearing masks. But to go back to work, I have to figure out a way to do it.

“I think one issue now is there’s a lot of shows — I mean, there are so many damn shows that are happening that people have to pick and choose what they go to,” he continued.

“If, like me, you’re vaccinated, but you’re all concerned about people who aren’t vaccinated, then you shouldn’t go out anyways; you should stay home. Because I probably know seven people that are vaccinated that have had it and two of them ended up in the hospital.

“I feel pretty safe — I got it, and I’m ready to rock; that’s my whole thing.

“I think people, they’re not going out quite as much, but if they try to careful — that’s what I always say: just try to be careful,” he added. “You can live your life; just be careful and do it. It’s like if you go to a show and you drink, call an Uber and don’t drive home. It’s about the same thing.

“I think people are worried. Some people still don’t wanna go out. And you can’t disagree with them — if they don’t wanna go out, they don’t wanna go out. This is a scary world. But I think the big thing with concerts, there’s a lot of concerts going on [right now] — I mean, a lot.”

Earlier in Septemer, Owens said that he “got vaccinated” and he wears a mask when he has to, “just because I wanna go back to work — I wanna tour. I got COVID [in 2020]. I had more effects from Mexican food than I did from getting COVID, but I got COVID. I believe it’s there. It doesn’t hurt me to wear a mask in a supermarket. Right now we just wanna get some kind of normalcy.”

Owens went on to say that “people should get vaccinated. I think especially if you’re older or you’re unhealthy or you have underlying conditions, you should get vaccinated. I want the world to go back to normal. I wanna tour. I wanna be able to go to the store now and find something on the shelf. I mean, the shelves are empty. I go to my grocery store, and they’re fucking empty, man.”

Owens is currently in a new band called KK’S PRIEST with ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing, along with guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE), bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK’S PRIEST’s debut album, “Sermons Of The Sinner”, was released in October via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Thats awesome, I got covid before I was vaccinated and I got covid after I was vaccinated. Luckily only lost my taste and smell.
— Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens ?? (@TimRipperOwens) February 6, 2022

Countless, revered extreme music acts release their best efforts at the onset of their existence, oftentimes just three albums deep. NAPALM DEATH, however, is aging like a fine wine. The grindcore progenitors released one of their best releases 16 albums into the act’s career with 2020’s “Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism”. The Birmingham bruisers are now poised to release a follow-up mini-album, “Resentment is Always Seismic — a Final Throw of Throes”, and it’s clear that the seasoned veterans are on top of their game and as exciting as ever.

“Resentment Is Always Seismic…” is essentially a partner recording to “Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism”. The SLAB! Cover, a stand out, was a bold choice, and NAPALM does justice to the industrial/electronic rock band’s late eighties song. The selection shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. The source track’s rumbly bass-heavy and ambient nature go hand in hand with NAPALM DEATH’s longstanding inclination for left-field, mind-bending music, and the unit has experimented with such specific sounds since “Fear, Emptiness, Despair” and “Diatribes”.

The rest of the mini album includes five original songs and a cover of BAD BRAINS’ “Don’t Need It”. Additionally, “Resentment is Always Seismic (Dark Sky Burial Dirge)” is NAPALM DEATH’s take on DARK SKY BURIAL, at least in terms of spirit. (DARK SKY BURIAL is the newer, electronic solo project of NAPALM DEATH’s ubiquitous and uber-productive bassist Shane Embury.) Just like the “Throes…” long player proved, “Resentment is Always Seismic…” takes their passion for some of the varied styles they’ve explored for decades to the next level. “Resentment Always Simmers”, for instance, launches their ambient qualities to soaring heights with a profound sense of drama and melancholy.

The band dots the entire spectrum of tempo variety on the release, sometimes within the same song, and the diversity provides the kind of contrast and dynamics that keep things interesting throughout. “Slaver Through a Repeat Performance” is a masterful synthesis of their transcendental and melancholy drenched guitar melodies with their psychotic blasting passages. Indeed, NAPALM DEATH has not abandoned the furious and merciless grindcore that rests as the bedrock of the act’s essence and identity. “By Proxy” is an absolutely acerbic slice of the ensemble’s unhinged grind highlighting the collective’s foundational hardcore element.

The legendary English group has always gone out on a limb. The adventurous, brave moves have most certainly paid off over time. NAPALM DEATH has never sounded so fierce and confident in its ability to flex its musical muscles across an incredibly broad cross-section of styles. If “Resentment is Always Seismic — a final throw of Throes” is any indication of what’s ahead, NAPALM DEATH has a lot more to offer down the road, and the grindcore icons are still capable of expanding the boundaries of extremity.



Ahead of the release of SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS’ new album, titled “4”, Slash was asked by Lou Brutus of HardDrive Radio if he still gets excited in the same way as he used in the lead-up to a new record. The guitarist responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Oh, yeah. I’m a headcase. I probably love this more and have more passion for it even now than I did when I started. It’s something that just is sort of my lifeblood. And a lot of it has to do with the fact that I just love playing, and any kind of vehicle that helps me to be able to achieve that, to be able to play all the time… And the thing about touring is that, for me, is really the best place for me to learn how to play guitar. I can do it at home, but I really thrive on that energy of flying by the seat of your pants in front of an audience and that energy and just spontaneously making up stuff and whatnot. So that’s really one of the reasons why I love touring so much.”

Due on February 11 via Gibson Records in partnership with BMG, “4” is Slash’s fifth solo album and fourth overall with his band featuring Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass, vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar, vocals).

In October, SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS released the official music video for the LP’s first single, “The River Is Rising”, shot on location in downtown Los Angeles with Gibson TV director Todd Harapiak.

For “4”, Slash and the band traveled across the country together to Nashville, Tennessee and recorded the new album at the historic RCA Studio A with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile). Cobb shared the band’s desire to lay down the tracks live, in the studio including guitar solos and vocals — a first for the group.

The new album “4” has the added history-making distinction of being the first-ever album to be released on the new Gibson Records label, which is headquartered in the iconic American instrument brand Gibson’s hometown of Music City, Nashville. In light of the 30-year partnership between Gibson and the Grammy Award-winning Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Slash, it makes sense the new SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS’ album “4” will be released via Gibson Records.

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS will kick off a North American headlining tour on February 8, in Portland, Oregon and hit 28 major cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, Nashville, Dallas, Austin, Houston, and more, before wrapping up March 26 in Orlando, Florida.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach, whose band kicked off headlining tour with AUGUST BURNS RED on January 28 at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has recorded a new installment of his YouTube tour blog in which he reflected on the first few shows of the trek. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It’s interesting touring this way, when you’re unable to be sociable, interact with fans and friends and have guests — those little things that, I think, before this pandemic hit we just took for granted and at times didn’t even want them. There are moments when you’re on tour, you’re just happy to just be quiet and be alone. And I still love that and I cherish it for sure, but now that that element has been taken away, if you will, albeit hopefully temporarily, it makes this a little harder.

“I’m grateful — I truly am — and as I reflect on what’s transpired so far, which is these few shows, it just kind of hits me like a ton of bricks, what we’re doing out here, sharing a space with people, hopefully entertaining them and hopefully giving them some rest from the everyday grind, from everything that we’ve been facing these past few years, to be able to gather into a space together and enjoy themselves.

“There was a moment last night at the club,” Leach added. “We had these little balconies outside of our dressing where we could watch the show. And I caught a moment, when AUGUST BURNS RED was playing. I was above the crowd watching people pit and dance. There were some people just bouncing up and down, smiling, singing along. You could see their joy. It almost reminded me of kids in a playground, when you see them running around just having fun, not really caring what anyone thought, not trying to look cool. And it kind of hit me, man. I was, like, ‘Wow. This is important, what we’re doing.’ Albeit risky in some people’s eyes, ’cause there’s always that chance that somebody gets sick. And it would not be good for this tour, which is why we’re taking such precautions. And I know not everybody is happy with that in our fanbase. I get it — I do. It’s a bummer. But it’s, unfortunately, the times we’re living in right now. Pulling off a tour without having to cancel or have anyone get sick or tests or any of that stuff, it’s really… I guess it’s difficult, but I hate to say I’m sort of getting used to it — just staying away from people and being very healthy and being not very sociable. But I do look forward to when this goes away, ’cause one day it’s gotta go away — it has to. We have to reclaim our lives and move forward. But time will tell.”

Last fall, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE completed a U.S. tour with SLIPKNOT, FEVER 333 and CODE ORANGE as part of the “Knotfest Roadshow”. The band also appeared at several key festivals.

In September, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE performed without longtime bassist Mike D’Antonio at the Inkcarceration festival in Mansfield, Ohio after he tested positive for COVID-19. Filling in for him was the band’s production manager Josh Mihlek.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE’s latest album, “Atonement”, was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records in the U.S. and Sony Music Entertainment in the rest of the world. The disc features guest appearances by the band’s former lead singer Howard Jones and TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. It marks the band’s third full-length release since the return of Leach, who rejoined the group in 2012.

In July 2021, Leach and guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz released the second album from their TIMES OF GRACE project, “Songs Of Loss And Separation”, via the band’s own imprint label, Wicked Good Records, distributed by ADA Worldwide.

Former QUEENSRŸCHE frontman Geoff Tate spoke to the 100 FM The Pike radio station about how he keeps his voice strong and stays in shape for his rigorous touring pace of the last few years. “It’s tough,” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “It really is — trying to achieve some sort of balance, lifestyle that kind of tends towards excess. [Laughs] All the traveling and the different hours of the day or night that you’re awake, time zone changes, living in airports and trains and actually eating in different places to go around the world. Your diet changes all the time, so, yeah, it’s really difficult to sort of gauge all that. I just kind of try to keep it down to something simple, which is portion control. [Laughs] And I have a big appetite — I love food and I love dining and all the different kind of restaurants you can go to throughout the world; I love that. And then wine — I’m a wine fan so I always have to have wine with every meal. So that takes its toll too. So, yeah, it’s just moderation — trying to keep all that in check. It’s a full-time job. [Laughs]”

Tate went on to say that the stereotypical “rock and roll lifestyle” has never been an issue for him. “I’ve never been a real drug user or that kind of thing, so it’s never really been a problem for me,” he explained. “Other people have struggled with it. For me, it’s mostly about food and wine. [Laughs] I love to drink. [Laughs]

“When you go out and eat at a restaurant, they’re not designing their food to be healthy for you; they’re designing it to taste good so you’ll wanna eat more,” he added. “So they put all the bad stuff in there that they should keep in check. But that’s not what restaurants are about. And personally, I travel two hundred-plus days a year, and that’s where I’m eating — at restaurants — all the time.”

Tate’s current tour is celebrating the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE’s “Empire” and “Rage For Order” albums.

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Original QUEENSRŸCHE members Michael Wilton (guitar), Scott Rockenfield (drums) and Eddie Jackson (bass) responded with a countersuit. The settlement included an agreement that Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson would continue as QUEENSRŸCHE, while Tate would have the sole right to perform the albums “Operation: Mindcrime” and “Operation: Mindcrime II” in their entirety live.

Tate was replaced in QUEENSRŸCHE by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.

Geoff recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of “Operation: Mindcrime” on European and U.S. tours.

In a new interview with Pierre Gutiérrez of Rock Talks, former MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland reflected on the lawsuit he reportedly filed against Dave Mustaine over the 2004 reissue of the band’s “Rust In Peace” album, which contained demos on which Chris performed.

“I know there was some flak after when [Dave] released the demo solos or whatever,” Poland said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “And I couldn’t get hold of Dave. I called his manager 10 times and finally, on the eleventh time, I left a message. I said, ‘If you don’t call me back, you’re gonna be hearing from [my attorney].’ And so he calls me back. And then he insults me and tells me, ‘Well, Chris, all you did was a couple of solos and Dave and us thought that you would just do it for the fans.’ And I’m, like, ‘Hey, I did it for the fans, but everybody else is getting paid. I’d like to get paid for it.’ So then [it got] totally blown out of proportion. I got belittled by everybody, and it’s, like, ‘C’mon. Really?'” He added: “People love drama, I guess. I don’t know.”

Chris went on to say that he hasn’t had any contact with Mustaine in nearly two decades. “I haven’t spoken with Dave since… I can’t remember when. I guess back when I made ‘The System [Has Failed]’,” he said. “[After the dispute over the 2004 ‘Rust In Peace’ reissue], he was, like, ‘That’s it. [Chris has] ruined our friendship.’ And I’m, like, ‘C’mon. Really?’ But… whatever.”

Poland was a member of MEGADETH from 1984 to 1987, during which time he performed on the band’s classic albums “Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!” and “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?” He is also a featured soloist on the group’s 2004 album, “The System Has Failed”.

In a September 2020 interview with Darren Paltrowitz (host of the “Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz” podcast), Mustaine singled out Poland, saying: “Chris Poland, as much as I don’t really like the guy, he was a great guitar player, and I wanted to give him a shot when we did the 2004 reissues for ‘Peace Sells’ and ‘Rust In Peace’, and I wanted to put that song out on the ‘Rust In Peace’ reissue. He got involved in a nuisance lawsuit, I think it was, and we just ended our friendship. And I thought, ‘God, that was such a waste.’

“There was a little teeny mountain that was right out by where we live, and I said I could have just as soon bought that piece of dirt there than sell Chris’s friendship, and I’m so bummed that this happened,” Mustaine added. “‘Cause I thought it would have been terrific to have him on the record. [When] people say, ‘Hey, this sounds like Marty Friedman.’ No, Marty Friedman sounded like this, because Chris played it first.”

Back in 2004, Poland and/or his management and attorney filed a lawsuit against Mustaine regarding the use of the three “Rust In Peace” demos on the album’s reissue without Chris’s permission. According to MEGADETH’s webmaster, Mustaine included the demos because he thought Chris would be “thankful for the promotion, the tipping of the hat, and showing the fans how Marty [Friedman, MEGADETH’s guitarist during some of the post-Poland years] had actually been influenced by some of Chris’s solo selections for those songs.” Chris also allegedly tried to sue Dave for defamation of character because Dave called him a “thief,” but Chris’s attorney “dropped that after he found out that Chris had actually taken the band’s gear and sold it for drugs,” according to MEGADETH’s webmaster. “Remember, there is a confession in the VH1 ‘Behind the Music’ on MEGADETH,” the webmaster said. Chris eventually settled for $9,500 and thereby ended a professional relationship with Dave and MEGADETH.

Poland previously discussed the legal issues surrounding the 2004 reissue of “Rust In Peace” in a 2018 interview with the As The Story Grows podcast. He said: “When I did ‘The System Has Failed’, [Dave] was working on adding the demos to a re-release of ‘Rust In Peace’. And I wasn’t going to get paid, but I didn’t realize that until it came out. I was like, ‘Wait a minute — I’m not getting paid for this.’ And I tried to call Dave at least a dozen times, and I never heard back from him. Then I called Dave’s manager a dozen times, and he wouldn’t get back to me. The last time I called him, I said, ‘Hey, man. If you don’t call me back, I’m going to call [my lawyer], and we’re going to have to get into it.’ [The manager] calls me back and totally insults me, saying, ‘You played a couple solos. So what?’ And I’m like, ‘What do you mean, ‘So what?” ‘Well, Dave thought that you would do it for the fans.’ I said, ‘Okay. Is everybody else that played on that demo doing it for the fans? Are they getting paid?’ He said, ‘Chris, that’s not the point.’ I said, ‘Listen, man, we have to do something here. I’m not just going to walk away. I love the fans, but I’m just not going to do it. If everybody else is getting a performance royalty for this, I want one.’ I want everybody to know that it wasn’t a nuisance suit, it wasn’t anything like that. I made every attempt to work it out, and they just ignored me.”

For the past couple of decades, Poland’s main musical focus has been the fusion band OHM:, which has released several full-length studio albums to date.