Former FEAR FACTORY singer Burton C. Bell and his ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS bandmate Jayce Lewis took part in a Facebook Live chat yesterday (Friday, January 14) on the official ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS page. You can now watch the question-and-answer session below.

When asked if he identifies more with melodic or aggressive vocals, Bell said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “For me, it’s all about… It’s not a preference. It’s all about vocalizing for feeling and vocalizing a moment and capturing those harmonies that I hear in the music and trying to emulate them with my voice. Believe it or not, I can hear harmonies in chunky riffs — I can hear harmonies and I hear melodies in my head. Now, for me, when I do the heavy voice, I’m not screaming; I’m vocalizing. Like a pastor or a preacher, he orates loudly and distinctly to his followers that he’s trying to convey a message passionately, and that’s what I’m doing. I’m not screaming — I am orating the message out passionately and as succinctly as possible. And depending on where I am in the song or what the harmony’s doing, what the melody is calling to me, that’s what I’ll do. I love singing — I love harmonies, I love singing, I love the heavy vocal. To me, it’s all harmonics, and it just depends on what the song calls for. And I’ll be doing both as long as I can.”

Speaking about his singing technique when it comes to switching between styles, Bell said: “When I started off, I never had any type of vocal lesson or [training] at all. I was doing what I felt; I was doing what I wanted to get out of myself, to release. And the only instruction I had in the very beginning was learning how to breathe. So lung power, diaphragm power was the key. And I didn’t really think about having to switch over; it was just like that. [Snaps fingers] I did it without thinking. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just one of those things. It’s like turning off and on a switch.”

In September 2020, Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he “cannot align” himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.

Bell’s exit from FEAR FACTORY came more than two weeks after guitarist Dino Cazares launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist him with the production costs associated with the release of FEAR FACTORY’s long-awaited new LP, “Aggression Continuum”.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. “It’s been on my mind for a while,” he said. “These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.

“With FEAR FACTORY, it’s just constantly been, like, ‘What?!’ You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I’ve done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I’ll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward.”

Pressed about whether there is any chance of a reconciliation with FEAR FACTORY down the line, Burton said: “I’m done. I haven’t spoken to Dino in three years. I haven’t spoken to Raymond [Herrera, drums] and Christian [Olde Wolbers, bass] in longer than that, and I have no intention to. I’m just moving forward with my life.”

FEAR FACTORY’s fundraising campaign marked the first public activity from the band since it completed a 2016 U.S. headlining tour on which it performed its classic second album, “Demanufacture”, in its entirety.

“Aggression Continuum” was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Bell’s ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS project released its second full-length album, “Apocrypha”, in October 2020 via Dissonance Productions.

AOTW LIVE STREAM

Posted by Ascension of The Watchers on Friday, January 14, 2022

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During an appearance on this past Wednesday’s (January 12) episode of SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, W.A.S.P. leader Blackie Lawless revealed that he “one of the first people [who] contracted” COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. He recalled (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It was kind of a bizarre thing because… [METALLICA’s] James Hetfield was having a showing at the Petersen [Automotive] Museum here in L.A. for his cars [in January 2020]. And I hadn’t been anywhere in quite some time. So I thought, ‘Okay, I’m a car guy.’ So we went down to see the cars. What we weren’t anticipating when we got there is that — we found out later — it was the single largest event in the history of the Petersen Museum; there was, like, a thousand of people there and a lot of fans. So as soon we walked in the door, it turned into a little bit of an in-store appearance — and so, people wanting photos and just to say hello and things like that. Well, when you’re taking photos and all that, everybody gets up close and everybody’s breathing on everybody else.”

He continued: “So we go to the show, everything’s fine. About a week later, I started feeling kind of tough. A couple of days into it, I thought, ‘Well, I’ve got the flu.’ Well, about four days in, which normally you would start feeling better, I wasn’t. So I thought, ‘Well, tomorrow I’ll feel better.’ The next day I got up, I was worse. And I thought, ‘Well, this is a bad one. I’ll be better tomorrow.’ The next day I was even worse than that. This goes on for about seven or eight days. And I’m getting at the end of my rope and I’m thinking, ‘What the hell is this?’ Then I lose my taste and smell and all that; that went on for two more weeks after that. But we don’t know what this is because there’s no name for it yet. It was the end of January in 2020. So then I started getting better, but it goes on for weeks and weeks. And so we didn’t know what it was. Then we started hearing this rumbling that there’s something out there with this funny name on it. So, about three months in… It took the better part of three months to really shake it.”

In the U.S., more than 62% of the population are currently fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, while more than 74% have received at least one shot, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

More than 849,000 people have died from the coronavirus in the U.S.

According to the CDC, unvaccinated people are 10 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 compared to those who are vaccinated and had a booster shot. Unvaccinated people are also 20 times more likely to die from the virus.

According to the nonpartisan, nonprofit web site Fact Check, while vaccines reduce the probability of getting infected, they are not 100% effective, so there is a chance that an unvaccinated person could infect a vaccinated person — particularly the vulnerable, such as elderly and immunocompromised individuals. And, despite vaccination providing excellent protection against severe disease, a small proportion of vaccinated people still require ICU care.

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BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi has announced the passing of his longtime manager Ernest Chapman.

Earlier today, Iommi took to his social media to write: “I’m sorry to hear that my long-term manager, and Ralph Baker’s business partner, Ernest Chapman passed away this morning. A very successful lawyer as well as a manager, he was a rock for me in a difficult time in my career. Despite being from completely different backgrounds we really bonded. He will be sadly missed and my condolences to his wife Christie and the family.”

In his 2011 autobiography “Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven & Hell with Black Sabbath”, Iommi wrote about how he first came to be involved with Chapman back in the late 1980s. He said: “In November and December 1987, the ‘Eternal Idol’ tour went through Europe… It was around this time that I started having problems with the taxman, and it was then that I got in touch with Phil Banfield, basically looking for help. As well as having his own agency, Phil continued to manage Ian Gillan and he told me about Ernest Chapman, who was Jeff Beck’s manager. I met up with him and the first thing Ernest said was: ‘You don’’t do drugs, do you?’ I said: ‘No, no!’ ‘I don’t want anything to do with anybody doing drugs.’ ‘Oh. No, I don’t do them.’ Lying through my teeth. A really good start to the relationship.

“I was amazed at how straight he was,” he continued. “We started talking about stuff and I said: ‘What about commissions?’ We had nothing signed and he just said: ‘Don’t worry about anything like that. When we’ve sorted it out, I’ll take a percentage. What do you need now?’ There was nothing in it for him except grief, but I think he liked a bit of a challenge. Ernest and Phil Banfield worked a lot of things out, and then Ernest said: ‘Ralph works with me at the office and he does a lot of my stuff as well.’ I met Ralph Baker and then Phil gradually moved out. And Ralph and Ernest have been my managers ever since.”

In February 2017, SABBATH finished “The End” tour in Birmingham, closing out the quartet’s groundbreaking 49-year career.

“The End” was SABBATH’s last tour because Iommi — who was diagnosed with lymphoma in late 2011 — can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

Iommi revealed his cancer diagnosis in early 2012, shortly after SABBATH announced a reunion tour and album. He underwent treatment throughout the recording of the disc, titled “13”, and the subsequent tour to promote it.

I’m sorry to hear that my long-term manager, and Ralph’s business partner, Ernest Chapman passed away this morning. A…

Posted by Tony Iommi on Saturday, January 15, 2022

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British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have reversed their recent decision to perform as a four-piece on their upcoming tour.

Last Monday (January 10), JUDAS PRIEST announced that it would perform as a quartet when it returns to the road in early March. A few hours later, the band’s touring guitarist Andy Sneap, who co-produced the group’s 2018 album “Firepower”, released a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET in which he said that he was “incredibly disappointed” by PRIEST’s decision to carry on as a four-piece and thanked the Rob Halford-fronted outfit for the “mind-blowing” opportunity to share the stage with one of his favorite bands. Meanwhile, PRIEST fans were understandably upset about the band’s decision to forgo its classic twin-guitar attack sound and made their feelings known on social media. Some even called for the return of guitarist K.K. Downing, who joined PRIEST in 1970 and remained in the group until 2011.

Earlier today (Saturday, January 15), JUDAS PRIEST released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: “Hello metal maniacs…given all that has recently evolved and transpired we have decided unanimously as a band to continue our live shows unchanged with Rob, Ian [Hill, bass], Richie [Faulkner, guitar], Scott [Travis, drums], Andy and Glenn [Tipton, guitar] joining us whenever he’s able…so see you all soon as we forge ahead celebrating 50 massive heavy metal years of JUDAS PRIEST together!”

Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT, began touring with PRIEST four years ago after longtime guitarist Tipton — who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease eight years ago after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier — announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of “Firepower”.

Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Downing parted ways with the band more than a decade ago and was replaced by Faulkner.

Two and a half years ago, Sneap said that he would continue to play guitar for JUDAS PRIEST “as long as they want me to.” During an appearance on the “Talking Bollocks” podcast, Sneap stated: “It’d be great if Glenn was up there doing it. That’s the thing that really… it’s always in the back of my mind; it really is. But it’s just nice that he asked me to do it. As long as they want me to help out, I’ll help ’em out. That’s kind of the way I’m looking at it, really.”

Last June, Halford told Metal Pilgrim that Sneap would likely continue being the second guitarist for PRIEST in a live situation. “Andy is still standing in that spot for Glenn with Glenn’s blessing,” he said. “It’s pretty much a given [that Andy will be going out on tour with us again]. And my gratitude to Andy. It couldn’t have happened in a better way, if you wanna try and make something good out of it. It was a really important day when Glenn said, ‘I think it’s probably best if I step to the side and maybe we should let Andy come in.’ That was just a really beautiful act of selflessness. That’s Glenn treasuring PRIEST and PRIEST’s reputation, particularly in live concert more than anything else. So bless Glenn for that. And as a result, Andy stepped in and did amazing work on the ‘Firepower’ tour, and we’re looking forward to doing the same thing with him on this 50th-anniversary [tour]. And don’t discount the fact that Glenn can show up. He plays the guitar differently, but there’s no reason why Glenn can’t show up and do some work. I mean, I’ve said to Glenn, ‘Just walk out on stage and do that to everybody [flashes devil horns], and the people will just go fucking crazy, ’cause you are loved so much.’ But I’ve got a feeling that Glenn’s gonna be making the occasional appearance on this 50th-anniversary [tour].”

In 2019, Hill said that it was up to Sneap to decide if he wanted to carry on playing guitar for JUDAS PRIEST after the completion of the “Firepower” tour. “It is something to be discussed, really,” he told “Talking Metal”. “I mean, Andy is now, these days, first and foremost a producer. Whether he wants to go back and do that full time or not, it’ll be a mutual decision when the time comes. Andy will be more than welcome to stay. He’s done a tremendous job over the last year or so, really. He’s done a great job stepping in for Glenn. It would have been very difficult if he hadn’t been there, on such short notice, because we didn’t realize that Glenn couldn’t handle the intensity of touring anymore until… We were only about three weeks away from starting the tour [laughs], and Andy stepped in and did a great job. He pulled a real rabbit out of the hat in learning a complete setlist of songs in such a short period of time. He pulled it off anyway. And as time’s gone on, obviously, his stage presence, he got more comfortable with that, and he’s performing great now. So when the time comes… We’ll give it to the end of this run and then see what everybody wants to do. As I say, he’ll be more than welcome to carry on with us if that’s his plan.”

Last November, JUDAS PRIEST announced the rescheduled “50 Heavy Metal Years” North American tour dates for March-April 2022. Support on the trek will come from QUEENSRŸCHE.

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Former FOZZY drummer Frank Fontsere has opened up about his decision to leave the band, saying he “was really unhappy” on the group’s most recent tour.

The 54-year-old musician’s exit from FOZZY was officially announced on January 3. The band simultaneously named his replacement, former THROUGH FIRE drummer Grant Brooks.

Frank discussed his departure from FOZZY in a new interview with the “Cheap Heat Productions” podcast. Speaking about the band’s recent run of U.K. shows, which concluded with a December 12 performance in London, he said: “I was really unhappy on this last tour. I’d been doing this for so long. 20 years, basically, being the drummer in FOZZY and just trying to pursue making a living as a working drummer for so long, it just seemed like I was on a hamster wheel, that nothing was ever gonna really change. I was gonna have some significant experiences and do things that other people only dreamed of, but there was a ceiling — I was starting to feel like I was bumping up against a ceiling. Because I didn’t really have any creative input in the band, and that was… I mean, I’m not a songwriter.”

Referencing his pre-FOZZY band STUCK MOJO, which also featured FOZZY guitarist Rich Ward, Frank said: “A long time ago, with STUCK MOJO, there was a lot more… We all rehearsed in a rehearsal room together every day, and even though Rich was the principal songwriter, the way he wrote the songs was much more… With a little drum machine, one of those very old drum machines, we had to tap everything out, so he could only come up with the most basic kind of drum beats and he mostly wrote the riffs and so a lot of the drumming was more what I would come up with. And these days, with all the programming capability there is, the songs, when they’re demoed, the drums are pretty much written. And we have to do everything so fast that I just didn’t really have any input.”

He continued: “That’s not laying any blame on anybody; it’s just the way it is. But I, more and more, just started to feel like I don’t have any creative input; I’m just doing a job. And it’s a great job — don’t get me wrong — but it’s a job that takes me away from home. And it’s so sporadic, I was having to kind of shift from being one kind of person to being another kind of person — being just a regular guy who has a home life to the guy who’s the touring drummer. And it just got harder and harder to do that. I started to think I just wanna be me; I just wanna be at home. I just felt like I’ve gotta step away from this, at least for a while. If I don’t leave this part of my life behind, and leave the door open for doing other things drumming-wise, I just have to get out and creatively pursue other things — and even not pursue other things. Because whenever I was trying to generate income, like everybody has to, just to keep the lights on and keep food on the table, I always had to think, ‘Well, I have to leave room for FOZZY. I have to make sure it’s got the flexibility to be able to tour’ whenever they were touring. And that just started to wear me down.

“I’ve really been enjoying life lately just thinking whatever I make plans for, I’m planning for me and I’m not having to leave a gap in there in order to do something else,” he explained. “And I just feel more in control. And I feel the creative juices flowing. And the path forward is whatever I wanna make it, and I really love that feeling.”

Fontsere was a founding member of FOZZY, having formed the group in 1999 with singer Chris Jericho and Ward.

When FOZZY announced Fontsere’s departure, the band said that he was “stepping down to focus on his family and other projects.”

In a separate statement on his personal Facebook page, Brooks said that he was “super excited” about his new gig. He wrote: “So thankful for this amazing opportunity! Huge shoutout to Rich Ward, aka The Duke and Chris Jericho for reaching out to me and offering me the gig.

“My first shows will be on the Jericho Cruise setting sail from Miami, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas on March 14-18!”

FOZZY will release its new album, “Boombox”, on April 15. The LP, which includes the top 10 singles “Nowhere To Run” and “Sane”, was once again produced by Johnny Andrews.

FOZZY’s “Save The World” 2022 U.S. tour, featuring special guests GFM, KRASHKARMA and THE NOCTURNAL AFFAIR, starts on March 31 in Detroit, Michigan and wraps on May 16 in Sauget, Illinois. Additionally, to celebrate the arrival of “Boombox”, FOZZY will play an album-release party on April 11 at Irving Plaza in New York City, where fans will be able to purchase and listen to the full album exclusively in advance of the release.

FOZZY debuted a brand new song, “Purifier”, during its September 2021 concert in Flint, Michigan and has been performing it live ever since. Back in July, FOZZY played another new song, “The Vulture Club”, during its concert in Iowa City, Iowa. The band also performed its latest single, “Sane”, live for the first time.

In May, FOZZY dropped a video for its first new song in two years, the aforementioned “Sane”, which hit one million views in its first two weeks. This first-of-its-kind video was filmed on the longest wooden roller coaster on the planet today.

In the summer of 2020, Chris revealed that FOZZY’s next LP would contain 12 songs, including one cover.

Ward and Andrews once again did “the lion’s share” of the songwriting for the new LP, which was recorded primarily in Atlanta, Georgia.

In addition to producing “Judas”, Andrews previously co-wrote FOZZY’s “Lights Go Out” track back in 2014. He has also written songs with the likes of ALL THAT REMAINS, THREE DAYS GRACE and HALESTORM.

In November 2020, FOZZY appeared in its first global live streaming event from Madison Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

FOZZY is Chris Jericho (vocals), Rich Ward (guitars, vocals), Grant Brooks (drums), Billy Grey (guitars) and P.J. Farley (bass).

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MEGADETH’s Dave Mustaine has paid tribute to vocalist/bassist Burke Shelley of legendary Welsh rockers BUDGIE who died on January 10 at the age of 71.

Earlier today (Saturday, January 15), the 60-year-old Mustaine took to his Twitter to write: “I heard Burke Shelley passed away. I am saddened at our loss of a really great musician. I wish I knew him. I’d say, ‘Thank you for your life, your inspiration, and your music.'”

Mustaine has mentioned his love of BUDGIE on a number of occasions in the past, including in an interview with Kerrang! when he recalled how he landed a gig as METALLICA’s guitarist in 1981. “I called up Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] after seeing the ad in The Recycler and told him I listened to MOTÖRHEAD. I also said I liked BUDGIE and [in a mock Danish accent] he answered, ‘You loike fockin’ BODGIE, man?’ He sounded excited about that. So I met him at his house in Newport Beach, and it was a lot of fun. I was in the garage where everything was set up. I was warming up and the guys were in the other room listening. Eventually I got tired of waiting for them, so I went in and asked if they were ready to audition me. They told me, ‘No, you’ve got the job.’ So I was like, ‘Awesome! Okay, let’s go.'”

METALLICA was one of several high-profile groups which covered BUDGIE classics over the years: “Crash Course In Brain Surgery” appeared on 1987’s “Garage Days Re-Revisited”, and “Breadfan” was the B-side to the “Harvester Of Sorrow” single in 1988.

Ulrich also paid tribute to Shelley, writing on his Instagram: “Thank you Burke for everything you did for heavy music and much next level appreciation for co-writing and creating two songs that METALLICA were honored to record over the years, ‘Breadfan’ and ‘Crash Course In Brain Surgery’.”

Two years ago, Shelley said that he was suffering from aortic aneurysm — a dangerous and abnormal swelling of the main artery that supplies blood to the body. He was also batting Stickler syndrome, a genetic disorder that can cause serious vision, hearing and joint problems. At the time, he told Wales Online that he turned down surgery because of the risk that it would cause irreparable spinal damage.

“I want to live what life I have left and not be crippled,” he said. “I’ve got faith in God and have no worries about where I’m going. So I’ll just go when He decides to take me and, in the meantime, I’ll carry on doing what I want to do. Simple as that.”

Shelley said the surgery he had in 2010 for aortic aneurysm resulted in damage to his diaphragm, leaving him unable to sing properly.

Often thought of as a cross between BLACK SABBATH and RUSH, the underappreciated outfit has influenced countless acts, despite enduring countless line-up shifts throughout their history.

The group originally formed in 1967 in Cardiff, Wales, comprised of Shelley (vocals, bass), Tony Bourge (guitar) and Ray Phillips (drums), and by the early 1970s they’d inked a deal with MCA Records.

This early lineup remains BUDGIE’s most definitive, due to the fact that it spawned three of the group’s finest albums — 1971’s self-titled debut, 1972’s “Squawk” and 1973’s “Never Turn Your Back On A Friend” — while the group’s quirky song titles became somewhat of a trademark for the trio (such ditties as “Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman”, “Hot As A Docker’s Armpit”, “In The Grip Of A Tyrefitter’s Hand” and “You’re The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk”).

Despite building a sizeable following in their homeland (while never breaking out of cult status stateside), Phillips left the group prior to their fourth album, 1974’s “In For the Kill!”, replaced by newcomer Pete Boot, which would in turn set off a flurry of steady lineup changes over the years for the group (the only constant BUDGIE member from the beginning was Shelley). Further releases were issued throughout the ’70s, including 1975’s “Bandolier”.

Shelley and company would remain together for a few more years before splitting up quietly by the mid-’80s. But almost as soon as they disbanded, groups began covering BUDGIE classics, including IRON MAIDEN (“I Can’t See My Feelings”), while back in its early club days VAN HALEN was known to cover the title track from “In For The Kill!”

I heard Burke Shelley passed away. I am saddened at our loss of a really great musician. I wish I knew him. I’d say, “Thank you for your life, your inspiration, and your music. pic.twitter.com/C2tYGb7JX8
— Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) January 15, 2022

I’m a big Budgie fan https://t.co/d93kNiBbxa
— Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) December 30, 2016

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MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil played his first concert of 2022 last night (Friday, January 14) at Hollywood Casino in Columbus, Ohio. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

The Columbus show marked Neil’s second live appearance since he reportedly broke his ribs while performing with his solo band at the Monsters On The Mountain festival at LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee on October 15. Fan-filmed video of that gig showed the 60-year-old rocker walking to the front of the stage with his guitar strapped around him. He encouraged the crowd to clap along while playing the 1989 MÖTLEY CRÜE hit “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)” when he suddenly fell and dropped out of the camera’s view almost instantly. TMZ later reported that there was a small gap between the speaker and the stage that Neil didn’t notice. His roadie and a security guy helped him get to his feet, and Vince “limped away.”

Last May, Neil made headlines when he struggled to complete his solo concert at the Boone Iowa River Valley Festival in Boone. Based on fan-filmed video footage of the gig posted on YouTube, the rocker, who hadn’t performed in more than a year and a half due to the COVID-19 pandemic, began losing his voice several songs into his set, which consisted exclusively of CRÜE classics and cover songs previously recorded by the band.

MÖTLEY CRÜE’s “The Stadium Tour” with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In December 2019, CRÜE manager Allen Kovac told Fox Business that “some of” the bandmembers had enlisted outside help to get in shape for the trek. Kovac was referring to criticism of Neil for his supposed diminished singing ability and weight gain, as well as the health status of guitarist Mick Mars, who has been dealing with a chronic form of arthritis that led him to undergo a hip replacement.

Kovac explained: “Some of them are working with a trainer, some of them are working with a nutritionist to make themselves the best they can be. The greatest insecurity for an artist is: Is anyone going to care about my music? Is anyone going to buy a ticket? We were in November [2019] when the discussions were happening, and these guys were already into regimens of how they get ready for a tour.”

Speaking specifically about Neil, Kovac added: “Let’s see what Vince sings like and looks like when the tour goes out.”

CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx also said that Vince was “killing it” while working with “trainers” and “nutritionists” in preparation for “The Stadium Tour”.

Vince Neil, Wild Side, Hollywood Casino, Columbus, OH

Posted by Dean Hollis on Friday, January 14, 2022

Vince Neil “Wild Side” at Hollywood Casino Columbus Ohio

Posted by Kevin Graves on Friday, January 14, 2022

Vince Neil, Smokin in the boys room. Hollywood Casino Columbus, Ohio

Posted by Kevin Graves on Friday, January 14, 2022

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“Like millions of others around the globe, we’re ready to rock again,” says LOVERBOY guitarist/co-founding member Paul Dean about their return to recording and the concert stage in 2022.

The band’s new single, “Release”, due in mid-January on all digital streaming platforms, is a full-throttle rocker Paul had been working on, at first intended for an unnamed metal band which approached him as a songwriter/producer to work with them. But when that didn’t pan out, Dean decided to reach out to the other members of LOVERBOY to gauge their interest in recording it as their next single, which became “Release”.

“It started out as a frustrated call to action, after months of lockdown, and morphed into a metal anthem about the loyalty and commitment of that audience,” said Dean, with lyrics inspired by Sam Dunn’s 2005 documentary “Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey”. They could well apply to LOVERBOY itself, going strong more than four decades after forming in Calgary in 1979.

“The communal aspect of heavy rock is almost like a religion,” says Paul. “I’ve always been a big metal fan. My son and I have seen many of those bands in concert.”

Paul started with no music, just the phrase “I need a release,” and eventually finished writing it, before soliciting the other members of LOVERBOY, starting with lead singer Mike Reno, who contributed vocals and some evocative lyrics like “It’s a frontal attack/It’s a matter of fact.” And when he continues, “Thinkin’ bout me and you/Couldn’t stop if we wanted to/It’s a bond that can’t be broken/Never broken,” Reno could be talking about the long-term relationships within the band or with their own steadfast fans. Paul recorded Mike’s vocals in a single afternoon at Reno’s Vancouver home studio. “Mike always provides that great energy,” says Paul.

Doug Johnson then added his trademarked keyboard riffs. “He’s such an amazing player and an essential part of the band,” acknowledged Dean. Then drummer Matt Frenette and bassist Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve, who joined the band in 2001 when original member Scott Smith drowned in a boating accident, provided the always-solid foundation, making “Release” a potent LOVERBOY anthem in the style of “Working For The Weekend”, “Hot Girls In Love”, “Lovin’ Every Minute Of It” and “Turn Me Loose”.

Working remotely, Frenette sent Dean seven different possible drum “takes” for the track. “That was amazing,” said Paul. “It totally blew me away. And Matt was very helpful in putting the video together as well, he had some great ideas.”

Dean adds, “Looks like we’re finally going to get that ‘Release’ this January, when we play together live for the first time in nearly two years!”

LOVERBOY’s upcoming tour dates include January 23 with Rick Springfield at the Ilani Cowlitz Ballroom in Ridgefield, Washington and headlining shows March 3 and March 4 in Windsor and Sarnia, Ontario. LOVERBOY will then join fellow rockers STYX and REO SPEEDWAGON for the Live Nation-promoted “Live & UnZoomed” tour that kicks off May 31 in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the Van Andel Arena.

LOVERBOY has four multi-platinum albums, including the four-million-selling “Get Lucky”, and a trio of double-platinum releases in their self-titled 1980 debut, 1983’s “Keep It Up” and 1985’s “Lovin’ Every Minute Of It”. Their string of hits includes, in addition to the arena-rock anthem “Working For The Weekend”, such staples as “Lovin’ Every Minute Of It”, “This Could Be The Night”, “Hot Girls In Love”, “Heaven In Your Eyes”, “Turn Me Loose”, “When It’s Over”, “Heaven In Your Eyes” and “Queen Of The Broken Hearts”.

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A video of Dave Santia, a premier performance speed painter from the Detroit area, painting an amazing portrait of late MEGADETH drummer Nick Menza in less than six minutes can be seen below.

With a combination of rock and roll and attack of speed and color, Santia creates his speed paintings right before your very eyes in just a matter of minutes.

Santia has painted some outstanding portraits of Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Slash, John Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Ozzy Osbourne, Prince, Elton John, Billy Joel and David Bowie, just to name a few.

One day, while Santia was sitting at home wondering how he could combine his two loves of art and music, he found himself surfing on YouTube when he came across a video of speed painter Denny Dent. Santia watched that video, and thought to himself, “I think I can do that.” So he practiced and worked at it and soon unveiled what he calls his “Art And Soul”.

Originally planning on using his speed painting ability to get people’s attention and to get them interested in his oil paintings that can take up to 40 hours, Dave soon found himself invited to perform his speed paintings at various charitable fundraisers and occasional corporate events.

Late in the evening on May 21, 2016, Nick collapsed after suffering a heart attack during a concert with Chris Poland and Robertino “Pag” Pagliari in their band OHM: at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Menza died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Nick rightfully earned his place as one of heavy metal’s fiercest drummers during MEGADETH’s 10-year commercial peak. The highlight of his career, Nick said, was playing Rock In Rio before more than 100,000 people. The lowest point was being fired by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine while he was still in a hospital bed after surgery to remove what doctors feared was a cancerous growth.

An official Menza documentary film “This Was My Life – The Story of Nick Menza”, is currently in the works. It is described in a press release as “an unflinching exploration into the life of one of the most successful thrash-metal drummers of all time, authorized by the Menza family. From his childhood all the way through to the end of his life including a true blow-by-blow account of the repeated failed attempts of the classic ‘Rust In Peace’ lineup.”

“This Was My Life” will feature rare and never-before-seen photos and video footage from Nick’s archived VHS tape collection, personally filmed by Menza himself from 1988 through 1991. Included will be exclusive content showcasing Nick working at the studio, personal home movies, casual time and party time with his fellow bandmembers, as well as other well-known artists of the era that Nick toured with.

Menza’s official autobiography, “Megalife: The Autobiography Of Nick Menza” by J. Marshall Craig, was released in December 2018 via Post Hill Press.

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