JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford has shared a photo containing two of his most prized pieces of rock memorabilia: a bullet containing late MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister’s ashes and Ronnie James Dio’s ring he received as a gift from the legendary heavy metal vocalist’s widow and manager, Wendy Dio.

Halford posted the picture on his Instagram and he wrote in an accompanying caption: “‘Ronnie & Lemmy’ #heavymetal #ink #motivation #legend #icon #inspiration #strong #power #style #love #family #friends #fans #one #world #peace #respect #all @_ronniejamesdio @officialmotorhead”.

It was last November that Halford first confirmed that he was one of several people who received a bullet from Lemmy as a personal gift. He told to the “SpeedFreaks” radio show: “When Lemmy passed away, I had this beautiful opportunity to speak at his memorial. We had a great get-together; all of us musicians from all over the world, we met in Hollywood and we talked about Lemmy and his great life and the things that he’s left us. And then, not too far back, I get something in the mail from the Lemmy people; Lemmy’s office, his manager and everybody still work tirelessly to keep his name with us, as he always will be. They sent me — it’s a bullet [laughs], it’s a bullet with some of Lemmy’s ashes inside of it.”

He continued: “This is nuts. This is the kind of thing that Lemmy would have loved to have done. However you choose to interpret what I’ve just said, that’s entirely up to you. But to be thought of, to be brought into this small circle of friends where you actually own a little bit of Lemmy’s ashes and you wear it around your neck on a pendant and he’s close to your heart in the truest sense in terms of his mortal remains, that’s just mind-blowingly powerful. To use an object like that to carry his remains is just so Lemmy — it’s provocative, it makes you think, it makes you talk. But as far as having a beautiful part of Lemmy physically with me right now in my house, that’s just magical.”

UGLY KID JOE’s Whitfield Crane, German singer Doro Pesch and former MTV VJ Riki Rachtman are among other people that received the bullets.

Lemmy died in December 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy’s ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

When Wendy first revealed that she gave Rob with one of her husband’s rings four years ago, she tweeted: “This was a ring I bought Ronnie when he first joined BLACK SABBATH, it has a cross on it. Rob was such a good friend of Ronnie’s I thought he should have it.”

In October 2020, Halford picked Ronnie James Dio as his “Rock God” in an interview with BBC’s “The Rock Show With Johnnie Walker”, stating about his choice: “Every singer will have a story about a fellow singer who was an inspiration to them. One of my main inspirations and someone that still is, to this very day, an inspiration in my life in metal, as a metal singer, is Ronnie James Dio.

“I can’t remember exactly when I heard Ronnie’s voice, but I do know that the first time I did hear it, it was just like an electric shock, a bolt of lightning, because this voice had so much power and so much character and so much energy and so much of everything that makes a great singer,” he continued. “So from that moment on, I was a huge Ronnie James Dio fan. And I followed his career from pretty much when he first came to [be known] throughout the world of rock and roll. The great things that he did with ELF, and then, of course, with RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH [and] HEAVEN & HELL. What a great legacy Ronnie’s left. It’s all about the voice. Even now, I always blast some Ronnie before I go out on the stage, because he psyches me up — he gives me the essence of what a great singing performance should do. I just love listening to the man. Not only his voice, of course, but also his great work in helping other people.

“If ever a man was a rock god, for me, it will always be Ronnie James Dio.”

Ronnie James Dio passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

A free public memorial service was held on May 30, 2010 at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, attended by more than 1,500 fans, friends and fellow musicians.

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This was a ring I bought Ronnie when he first joined Black Sabbath, it has a cross on it. Rob was such a good friend of Ronnie’s I thought he should have it.
We had a great time at the show.

– Wendy Dio

Photo by Rene Ruston pic.twitter.com/1JMjzWKfJK

— Official Dio (@OfficialRJDio) April 23, 2018

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British heavy metal icons SAXON have remained venerable vaunted veterans through four decades in large part due to their charismatic live presence. The band’s post-2000 studio output has remained consistent, with new albums being reliably released every few years. The majority of those records have been made up of comfort-food metal anthems re-establishing the group as having a few tricks left up their sleeve. And while they are enjoyable when listening, they ultimately end up with maybe one or two songs entering the live setlist.

The band’s 23rd studio album, “Carpe Diem”, seems destined to join that lengthy list of records that provide a few moments of heavy metal triumph, showing off what propelled SAXON to their legendary status but never fully rising to the level of a truly great record. The tried-and-true aspects of the group’s blueprint still result in plenty of shining moments, nonetheless. Biff Byford’s vocal pipes are still full of power on the band’s first record since his heart attack in September 2019. His triumphant shouts and cries propel the album to an assertively energetic start with “Carpe Diem (Seize The Day)” and keep that energy high on the faster-paced metallic rock of tracks such as “Remember The Fallen” and “All For One”. Byford’s ability to craft a chorus that demands a live audience to shout along with him also remains intact, most notably on “Age Of Steam” and “Living On The Limit”, the latter of which also sees the band coming closest to invoking the ferocity of early-era SAXON tracks such as “20,000 Feet”.

Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt’s guitar work also does plenty of heavy lifting on “Carpe Diem”. Even during some of the lesser moments on modern-era SAXON records, the duo generates world-class guitar work with frequent solos that are busy while never feeling forced and excessive. Quinn and Scarratt always seem to have a compelling riff ready to keep a song moving. The duo shows the ability to shred melodically like Joe Satriani on “Remember The Fallen” and throw down bluesier solos on “Black Is The Night”, all while maintaining a powerful level of heaviness and dropping rhythm passages that encourage maximum headbanging.

That said, Byford’s continued vocal prowess and the guitar duo’s superb abilities are not enough to overcome the overall weakness of the band’s attempts to slow things down at two points throughout the record. “The Pilgrimage” is a very tepid and overlong power ballad grinding the momentum built by the first two tracks to a screeching halt. The track may have worked better as an album-closing epic and the group wastes no time with the subsequent “Dambusters” to pick the energy back up. One can’t help but wonder if excising that and the equally dull mid-tempo slog of “Lady In Gray” to release a tightly packed album of rippers would have better presented the strengths of what SAXON brings to the table in 2022.

Thankfully though, aside from those two missteps, “Carpe Diem” overall serves as a testament that SAXON still has plenty of bullets left in their guns and showcases a band entering their fifth decade of existence with fire still burning.

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KORN will celebrate the arrival of its new album, “Requiem”, with a special record-release event this coming Thursday, February 3 at the Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, California. “Requiem Mass” will see the Southern California heavy music pioneers perform an intimate set in front of a 300 attendees.

Tickets to attend the gig in person will be made available at Amoeba Music’s Hollywood location tomorrow (Tuesday, February 1) at 11 a.m. PDT on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees are required to wear black funeral attire and will have to provide proof of vaccination. KORN-branded masks for all attendees will be handed out at the event. Attendees are encouraged to bring an item of remembrance to honor a loved one who has passed. Fans will be able to leave those items in the casket as part of the ceremonial procession.

“Requiem Mass” will be livestreamed via KORN’s YouTube channel and will re-air on Sunday, February 6 at 10 a.m. PT.

KORN will kick off a short of shows with SYSTEM OF A DOWN tonight (Monday, 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.

“Requiem” will be released on February 4, 2022 via Loma Vista Recordings. Due to the effects of COVID-19 and the inability to play live shows for the first time in KORN’s illustrious career, the LP was conceived out of very different circumstances than the majority of the band’s catalogue. It is an album born of time and the ability to create without pressure. Energized by a new creative process free of time constraints, KORN was able to do things with “Requiem” that the past two decades haven’t always afforded them, such as taking additional time to experiment together or diligently recording to analog tape — processes which unearthed newfound sonic dimension and texture in their music.

“Requiem” was produced by Chris Collier and KORN.

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Guitar-shredding virtuoso George Lynch recently reteamed with his former DOKKEN bandmate Jeff Pilson for a set of new studio recordings that turn pop music classics into powerful metal anthems. The follow-up to 2020’s “Heavy Hitters”, tentatively titled “Heavy Hitters 2”, will be released later in the year via Deadline Music, a subsidiary of Cleopatra Records, Inc.

In a new interview with SW Wall Interviews, Pilson stated about how the idea for the first “Heavy Hitters” LP came about (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “George had done a record and he was re-releasing it through another label, which was Cleopatra Records. And the label wanted to add a bonus song to it, and they wanted him to cover this pop song. So he said ‘yes.’ And then he called me and said, ‘Hey, do you wanna do this with me?’ I said, ‘Sure.’ So we did it. It came out great. We got this guy Wil Martin to sing on the song. It was the song ‘Somebody To Love’ by Lewis Capaldi. We did that song. It came out great. We kind of rocked it out a little bit, but it was kind of an interesting formula. So the label loved that. And then, as a result, they said, ‘How would you like to do a whole record of that?’ So we did. So that one came out great.”

Regarding how “Heavy Hitters 2” will be different from its predecessor, Pilson said: “It’s gonna be a little more of a raw ’70s rock band doing these hit songs. We kind of have an interesting take on that. We’re going for a little more of an organic thing this time with the band. And then we’ve got a guy by the name of Bernard Fowler doing the singing, who’s absolutely wonderful — great, great singer. He’s the background singer for THE ROLLING STONES — that little unknown band. A great guy, great singer. So I’m really looking forward to that.”

Asked how he and George pick what songs to cover, Jeff said: “We just made this huge list and then whittled it down, played around with ’em — which one feels right. What can we get out of this one? Can we do something interesting to this? And just kind of go by instinct.”

Lynch recently confirmed to Tone-Talk that “Heavy Hitters 2” will contain 11 songs, including a cover of Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” and “an original Christmas song.”

“Heavy Hitters” featured guest appearances by BULLETBOYS’ Marq Torien, FISHBONE’s Angelo Moore, EARSHOT’s Wil Martin and the aforementioned Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, OZZY OSBOURNE). The effort contained Lynch and Pilson’s renditions of Rufus and Chaka Khan’s “You Got The Love”, Carole King’s “I Feel The Earth”, DURAN DURAN’s “Ordinary World”, Madonna’s “Music”, ONEREPUBLIC and Timbaland’s “Apologize”, Martha Reeves and THE VANDELLAS’ “Nowhere To Run”, Prince’s “Kiss”, R.E.M.’s “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” and OASIS’s “Champagne Supernova”, among others.

A little over a year ago, George and Jeff’s former bandmate in DOKKEN Don Dokken criticized “Heavy Hitters” during an appearance on “The Classic Metal Show”. After co-host Chris Akin named some of the songs which were reimagined by Pilson and Lynch, Don said: “But those are not heavy hitters. No offense, they are good songs, but those are vanilla tunes. [Sings ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’] Did they rock ’em up or put some shredding guitar solos [in them]?

“They must be really bored,” Dokken continued. “But, you know, everybody’s got their mantra; everybody’s got their financial things, I guess. If a record company is willing to give you money to put out pablum, then put out the pablum. But I hope my standards as a songwriter are a little higher than that. If I’m gonna do a remake, I’m gonna do something that was super cool, like ‘Paint It Black’ by THE [ROLLING] STONES or ‘Revolution’ by THE BEATLES or something that’s awesome and do something like that. I’m not gonna do Carole King.”

A few weeks later, Pilson responded to Dokken’s comments during an interview with the “Rock ‘N’ Roll Icons With Bode James” podcast. He said: “First, let me give Don his due here. I’m sure he didn’t hear it, and honestly, I’m not really concerned if he does or doesn’t. But having not heard it, if I saw that list of tunes, I would say, yeah, there’s some vanilla tunes in there. So that critique of his is true. The whole idea was to take tunes like that and make them cool, which I believe we did.

“I don’t wanna go into Don’s mind right now,” he continued. “Yeah, I know him really well, and, yeah, I have an opinion of his modus operandi and what he’s thinking. Let’s put it this way: I wouldn’t expect Don to say something nice about somebody he views as competition. I don’t view him as competition. We’re all musicians trying to do our thing. So I’m not gonna second-guess Don or try and get into his mind, ’cause I still love the guy — I really do. But he’s always been like that; he will always critique things. That’s his thing. That’s fine. I wasn’t so flattering of some of his DOKKEN records that he’s done in the last [couple of decades].”

He added: “I still love Don, but I’m not doing this to please Don. [Laughs]”

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Dutch black metal iconoclasts Deathless Void fuse apocalypse cold and dread on their self-titled debut EP. Streaming in terror!
The post Full Album Premiere: Deathless Void ‘Deathless Void’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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THE CULT will embark on a U.S. tour this spring. The 13-date trek will kick off on April 21 in St. Petersburg, Florida and will conclude on May 11 in San Diego, California. Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 4.

Tour dates:

April 21 – St. Petersburg, FL – Duke Energy Center For The Arts (Mahaffey Theatre)
April 23 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
April 26 – Memphis, TN – Graceland Live- The Soundstage At Graceland
April 28 – Biloxi, MS – Hard Rock Hotel And Casino – Hard Rock Live
April 29 – Lake Charles, LA – Golden Nugget-Lake Charles-Grand Event Center
May 01 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theatre
May 03 – Dallas, TX – House Of Blues
May 04 – Tulsa, OK – Tulsa Theatre
May 06 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
May 07 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
May 08 – Las Vegas, NV – House Of Blues
May 10 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay
May 11 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay

Last April, THE CULT guitarist Billy Duffy spoke to Tone-Talk about the progress of the recording sessions for the band’s new album. The follow-up to 2016’s “Hidden City” is being helmed by producer Tom Dalgety, who has previously worked with GHOST and ROYAL BLOOD, among others.

“We’ve been digging away at that over the last year and a half,” Billy said. “We’re working with a great young English producer called Tom Dalgety. And, obviously, with the circumstances of the last year or so, it’s been a little challenging. But we’re making some progress.

“The philosophy in THE CULT camp, really, is about quality, not quantity,” Duffy explained. “We don’t just need to keep putting out records for the sake of it. Without being ridiculous, we wanna, within a certain realistic time frame, make sure that the records that we put out are as good as they can be. So sometimes that takes a bit longer. And that’s kind of where we’re at.”

He reiterated: “We’re well into the process of the new CULT album.”

Speaking about THE CULT’s songwriting approach this time around, Billy said: “One of the things about THE CULT, I think, that may be worth mentioning is it’s always been a collaborative creative effort between me and Ian [Astbury, vocals]. And as you can imagine, like any kind of situation, there’s pushing and pulling, and Ian wants to go a certain direction, and I might resist, or I might wanna go a certain direction. And that tension creates [THE CULT sound]. It’s not like Ian writes ‘Ian songs’ and Billy writes ‘Billy songs,’ and we record them as THE CULT. There are no ‘Ian songs’ or ‘Billy songs’ — there are Ian and Billy songs together. And over the time, there’s a bit of a creative — it’s not always tension; I don’t mean that in a bad way. That’s what makes it good. It’s that blend. We sort of respect each other to the extent that I think there’s a trust there, and I think that, after this many years together, and a few years apart, I think we trust each other and respect each other enough.

“I think it’s healthy to have creative tension,” he continued. “There’s nothing worse than walking into a room where nobody’s got any ideas. I’d rather have an argument about something creative than to have nothing, just the sound of crickets: ‘All right. What are we gonna do now?’

“We see things very differently,” Billy admitted. “In a lot of ways, we’re very alike. Our birthdays are one year and two days apart. So we’re both Taureans. Our birthdays are both coming up very soon. We’re very alike in a lot of ways and very different in a lot of ways.”

“Hidden City” was released in February 2016 via Cooking Vinyl. The follow-up to 2012’s “Choice Of Weapon” was written by Astbury and Duffy and was produced by Bob Rock, who has previously worked with METALLICA and MÖTLEY CRÜE.

In May 2020, it was announced that THE CULT had inked a deal with Black Hill Records.

The aforementioned “Sonic Temple” album catapulted THE CULT into superstar status and remains their most commercially successful release. It has sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone and was certified platinum in 1990. It made it to No. 10 on the Billboard charts, and several of the album’s songs remain rock-radio staples to this day.

NEW US DATES! Tickets go on sale 2/4/22 …http://thecult.us/official

Posted by The Cult on Monday, January 31, 2022

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Generally speaking, audio interfaces are tools we prefer not to think about too much. Even powerful interfaces like Universal Audio’s Apollo Twin are made as streamlined as possible, so you can focus on the tracking, editing, and mixing that goes on inside your DAW.To date, Universal Audio has largely steered clear of the lower-priced side of the interface spectrum, focusing instead on the more professional-grade end of the production equation and leaving the entry-level business to companies like Focusrite, PreSonus and others. UA’s Volt series of interfaces, which range from the $139 1-in/2-out Volt 1 to the $369 4-in/4-out Volt 476 mark a change in that strategyEntry level interfaces can be pretty similar, but UA’s Volt series are not just lookalike/soundalike equivalents of entry-level rivals. And three of the models in the Volt range, including the Volt 276, reviewed here, are distinguished by the inclusion of a UA 1176-inspired compressor emulation. The compressor on the Volt is not one of the superb 1176 emulations available as UAD plugins. Volt does not have the DSP processing chip required to run them (nor is there a direct path from Volt to upgrade to the company’s superb Apollo and Luna operating environments). But Volt’s onboard 1176-inspired comp is nonetheless an effective tone sweetener that, along with the onboard UA 610-inspired preamp, make the Volt an extra-appealing entry-level interface option.Fender Deluxe Telecaster and black-panel Fender Tremolux into UA Volt 276 and GarageBand.Pretty and PotentA significant part of the mid-century design ethos was making beautiful, functional things available to consumers on a budget. It would be hard to find a piece of audio hardware that better embodies that thinking than the Volt 276. The wood and metal enclosure looks handsome and timeless on a desk and avoids the anonymous-to-ugly tech-minimalist look that is the prevailing design vernacular for this product category.Controls are a streamlined affair: two TRS/XLR inputs, a phantom power button, buttons for each input to toggle between mic line and Hi-Z impedance, input gain knobs for each input, and monitor- and headphone-level knobs. UA also thoughtfully included MIDI-in and out jacks on the back. The important Volt-specific additions are the two buttons that activate the “vintage” preamp setting and the unit’s “76” compressor. The preamp is set and has no EQ capabilities, while the compressor lacks controls for altering attack, release, or gain, but has three presets for voice, guitar, and a fast attack setting. Their preset voices are very nice and very adaptive, all the same.Lending a Hand in Garage LandIn its most basic application, the Volt is built to translate your input signal cleanly and with a minimum of latency to your DAW. And if you leave the vintage preamp and 76 comp out of the equation, the Volt performs that function well. There is little-to-no discernible extra noise and the basic preamp in the Volt massages the input from an electric guitar effectively. But the vintage preamp and 76 comp can change the sound of your input signal significantly. And it’s interesting to hear how they alter a signal in situations where an entry-level user/guitarist is most likely to use them.One such application is recording an electric guitar to a simple DAW, like GarageBand or Ableton Live (the latter is included for free, along with Marshall and Ampeg amp emulation software). While DAW amp models have come a long way, they can still sound pretty thin, antiseptic, one-dimensional, and plagued by digital artifacts in spare mixes. But the 76 compressor and vintage pre both discernibly flatter GarageBand’s native guitar simulations, including some of the toughest to tame, like Fender tweed-inspired virtual amps.The vintage pre and 76 are especially effective and go a long way toward making DAW-native models a lot more convincing in a mix.The differences are often subtle, as you can hear in Clip 1. Switching on the vintage pre voice provides a very nice fattening agent—adding a darkish, warm, low-end coloration that’s not glaringly obvious, but makes models sound much more cohesive. The 76, meanwhile, makes treble notes more present, warmer, and rounder, which blunts the edge of many digital artifacts and adds a lot of the glued-together tonalities you hear from its more sophisticated cousins in the Apollo sphere. Together, though, the vintage pre and 76 are especially effective and go a long way toward making DAW-native models much more convincing in a mix. In fact, I would consider many of the sounds I created with this combination totally satisfactory for final mixes in certain song contexts and dense mixes.There are some limits to this formula. High-gain fuzz on the front end, for instance, can still induce digital harshness if you’re not careful with the input gain. And there are no compressor adjustments or EQ functionality in the vintage pre to alter the signal as you might with analog gear or a more flexible plug-in. That said, the Volt’s ability to add body and soften the harsh elements in these models without a pedal or plug-in—just a guitar line into the interface—is a lovely thing, particularly if you’re creating with a bare-bones rig in a compact space or on the road.Not surprisingly, the Volt shines more brightly when used with a miked electric guitar signal. As you hear in Clip 2, the effect of the vintage preamp setting is subtle—adding a touch more low- and low-mid resonance and a toasty glow compared to the segment using the Volt’s standard onboard preamp. But, here again, it’s the vintage preamp and 76 together that really shine. The Volt’s preamp and compressor may lack the flexibility, fidelity, and sculpting power of the UAD plug-ins and the original hardware that inspired them, but when used together they add a perceptible serving of the warm old-school effects you would hear from those more expensive solutions. And the inspiration and confidence those sounds can lend in the process of creation and tracking is no small thing.The VerdictWe don’t often review interfaces. But given how impressed we’ve been with UA’s Apollo and UAD plug-ins in our own recording projects—and the company’s tendency to consistently bring something new to the table—it was hard to resist investigating how the Volt’s tools could empower recording guitarists in the entry-level sphere.There’s no doubt that UA’s keen knack for design, both in the practical and purely aesthetic sense, pays big dividends. The Volt looks handsome, and the layout is smart and intuitive. In most basic, functional respects, it is every bit as good or better than rival interfaces. It’s super quiet and easy to set up. The big difference, apart from that very pretty deign, is the 76 compressor, but more crucially how the 76 and the vintage preamp voice work together. You may not want to use them on everything you track: The coloration can be strong when used in tandem. But for budget-constrained, entry-level users, the way it can spruce up a very basic guitar track without having to bog down a DAW and its host computer’s processor—as well as the pleasure and ease with which you can use them—make the 276 worth the extra money you’ll pay compared to the competition.

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SKID ROW’s Rachel Bolan is recovering after having his appendix removed.

The 55-year-old bassist was scheduled to play with his bandmates this past Saturday (January 29) at the Showroom at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona but had to pull out of the gig after being diagnosed with appendicitis and undergoing surgery. He was replaced at the show by Robbie Crane, who has had stints with Vince Neil’s band, RATT and LYNCH MOB, before joining BLACK STAR RIDERS as a full-time member.

Earlier today, Bolan shared an Instagram photo of him lying on a hospital bed, as well as a picture of his cat, and he included the following message: “Hey everyone. I’ve been getting a lot of DMs asking why I wasn’t playing at our recent show of the Live To Rock Tour in Scottsdale, AZ. Welp… last Monday evening I was rushed to the ER with appendicitis and had an appendectomy the next afternoon. Long story short, the surgeon (and a couple other doctors) said that I could under no circumstances play the show or fly. They were concerned about the 3 incisions as well as the possibility of blood clots on an airplane.

“Everyone at St. Thomas midtown were incredible. @ascensionsaintthomas is the goods. I was in good hands from start to finish. And thankfully @leila_1plus was with me the whole time.

“I feel incredible and I’m ready to get back at it.

“I honestly don’t know what hurt worse, the appendicitis or missing a show.

“Thanks to Robbie Crane for holding down the bottom end in my absence.

“As you can see Lovey hasn’t left my side since I’ve been home. #heal #heal #rockandroll”.

As previously reported, SKID ROW has replaced QUEENSRŸCHE as the support act on the rescheduled dates for SCORPIONS’ “Sin City Nights” Las Vegas residency. The run of shows, which was originally slated to take place in July 2020 and was later pushed back to May 2021, will now happen in March-April, 2022 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

SKID ROW is continuing work on its long-awaited new album for a tentative early 2022 release. The band is recording its new album in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with FOO FIGHTERS, STONE SOUR, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, RUSH and ALICE IN CHAINS, among many others.

SKID ROW’s new LP will mark its first release with South African-born, British-based vocalist ZP Theart (DRAGONFORCE, TANK, I AM I), who joined the band in 2016 following the departure of Tony Harnell (TNT, STARBREAKER).

Unlike 2014’s “Rise Of The Damnation Army – United World Rebellion: Chapter Two” and 2013’s “United World Rebellion: Chapter One”, SKID ROW’s forthcoming release will be a full-length record.

SKID ROW’s new LP will be released via earMUSIC, the recorded music label of German entertainment group Edel AG which boasts a roster of global artists including DEEP PURPLE, Alice Cooper, BABYMETAL, THUNDER, STATUS QUO and many more.

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Eddie Van Halen’s ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli discussed her new book, “Enough Already: Learning To Love The Way I Am Today”, in a recent interview with Brigitte Quinn on 1010 WINS. Bertinelli reflected on the special relationship she had with her late ex-husband, saying: “We kept our connection. There was a few years, right after I moved out, that he was a little angry at me, but we always made an effort to stay in touch, to stay connected. Especially as [our son] Wolfie grew up, we wanted to co-parent as well as we could together. And I’m very grateful that, near the end of his life, we were able to come to an understanding of how sorry we were, we were able to atone for all of the regrets we had for how we treated each other and to come back to the love we originally shared for one another.”

According to Valerie, both Ed and she were very different people from the way they were portrayed in pop culture. “We were really kind of homebodies,” she said. “Except for our jobs — mine on television and Ed’s in front of thousands and thousands of people playing — those were just things that we did; that wasn’t who we are. And we kind of lived a very quiet, sheltered life together. I mean, there were some crazy times — yes, because there was drugs and alcohol; I mean, the ’80s were crazy — but when you get down to it, Ed had the most generous heart. He was so kind. He just didn’t know how to be that way with himself because he was in so much pain and he dealt with his pain through drugs and alcohol. And I was too young to really be as compassionate as I could have been back then.”

Bertinelli split with Van Halen in 2002 after 21 years of marriage. They officially divorced in 2007. Eddie then went on to marry Janie Liszewski in 2009, while Valerie also remarried, tying the knot with Tom Vitale in 2011. Valerie told People magazine that both marriages were struggling before Eddie’s death. She eventually filed for separation from Vitale in November 2021.

In “Enough Already: Learning To Love The Way I Am Today”, Valerie writes about saying goodbye to Eddie when the legendary guitarist died from cancer. She and their son, Wolfgang, 30, were by his side in his final moments.

“I love you are the last words Ed says to Wolfie and me and they are the last words we say to him before he stops breathing,” Bertinelli writes.

Eddie died in October 2020 at the age of 65. The legendary VAN HALEN guitarist passed away at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California.

Eddie was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2000 and had tongue surgery. He later battled lung cancer and had been receiving radiation treatment in Germany. Things took a turn for the worse in early 2019 when Eddie got in a motorcycle accident. He was subsequently diagnosed with a brain tumor, and received gamma knife radiosurgery to treat the illness.

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