According to Variety, the lawsuit filed against the surviving members of NIRVANA as well as the estate of Kurt Cobain by the man who claims he was the baby featured on the cover of the band’s “Nevermind” album, has been dismissed.

Last August, Spencer Elden filed the lawsuit, alleging the photo of the baby reaching for a dollar in a swimming pool violated federal child pornography statutes and arguing child sexual exploitation. He also claimed the image on the cover was taken and used without his consent.

On Monday (January 3), Judge Fernando M. Olguin, who was presiding over the case at the U.S. District Court in Central California, dismissed the case after Elden missed his December 30 deadline to file an opposition to the defendants’ motion to dismiss. The dismissal was made “with leave to amend,” meaning Elden will have one more chance to issue a second amended complaint with a new deadline of January 13. If he doesn’t, the suit will be dismissed without prejudice (which means another suit could be filed in the future). If Elden does refile by January 13, the defendants’ lawyers will have a further two weeks to file a reply to the new suit.

“Plaintiff is cautioned that failure to timely file a Second Amended Complaint shall result in this action being dismissed without prejudice for failure to prosecute and/or failure to comply with a court order,” the ruling stated.

In last month’s motion to dismiss, NIRVANA, as well as Kurt Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, had asked the court to throw out the lawsuit, saying Elden’s claim that the photograph on the “Nevermind” cover is child pornography is “not serious” and insisting that his claim is “barred by the applicable statute of limitations.” Federal child pornography law has a 10-year statute of limitations, beginning when a victim “reasonably discovers” the violation itself or the harm caused by it.

“Elden has spent three decades profiting from his celebrity as the self-anointed ‘Nirvana Baby’,” read the motion which was filed on December 22. “He has reenacted the photograph in exchange for a fee, many times; he has had the album title ‘Nevermind’ tattooed across his chest; he has appeared on a talk show wearing a self-parodying, nude-colored onesie; he has autographed copies of the album cover for sale on eBay; and he has used the connection to try to pick up women.

The motion added: “Elden’s claim that the photograph on the ‘Nevermind’ album cover is ‘child pornography’ is, on its face, not serious. A brief examination of the photograph, or Elden’s own conduct (not to mention the photograph’s presence in the homes of millions of Americans who, on Elden’s theory, are guilty of felony possession of child pornography) makes that clear.

“The ‘Nevermind’ cover photograph was taken in 1991. It was world-famous by no later than 1992. Long before 2011, as Elden has pled, Elden knew about the photograph, and knew that he (and not someone else) was the baby in the photograph. He has been fully aware of the facts of both the supposed ‘violation’ and ‘injury’ for decades.”

The motion went on to say: “In addition to his child pornography claim, Elden has alleged that the creation of the photograph for the album cover art entailed the sex trafficking of Elden when he was a baby. Setting aside that this premise is absurd, the statute Elden invokes to cover conduct in 1991, became effective on December 19, 2003 and has no retroactive application to conduct by a defendant that pre-dates its effective date.”

Late last year, Elden amended his lawsuit against NIRVANA to include the allegation that the photographer hired to take the photo, Kirk Weddle, also shot images of Elden styled to look like Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. The new filing also drops former NIRVANA drummer Chad Channing as a defendant in the case.

According to Rolling Stone, Elden’s updated complaint cited personal journal entries from late NIRVANA frontman Kurt Cobain, which were published by Riverhead Books in 2002, in an apparent attempt to prove the claim that the photographer intended the cover image to be sexual in nature.

“Undated journals written by Cobain sketch the album cover in a sexual manner, with semen all over it,” the document stated. “In several instances, the journals describe Cobain’s twisted vision for the ‘Nevermind’ album cover, along with his emotional struggles: ‘I like to make incisions into the belly of infants then fuck the incision until the child dies.'”

The documents also repeated the claim that Weddle intended to “trigger a visceral sexual response from the viewer” by activating “Spencer’s ‘gag reflex’ before throwing him underwater in poses highlighting and emphasizing Spencer’s exposed genitals.” The documents add: “Weddle soon after produced photographs of Spencer dressed up and depicted as Hugh Hefner.”

When Elden first filed his lawsuit against the surviving members of NIRVANA as well as the estate of Kurt Cobain in August, he alleged the photo of the baby reaching for a dollar in a swimming pool violated federal child pornography statutes and argued child sexual exploitation.

A month after filing his lawsuit, Elden, who is now 30, requested his genitalia be removed from “all future album covers” on the 30th anniversary of the project.

“Today, like each year on this date, our client Spencer Elden has had to brace himself for renewed unwanted attention from the media and fans alike throughout the world,” his attorneys told USA Today. “This is a choice that he has never had.”

The attorneys said that they planned on continuing the legal proceedings in order to “bring long-awaited privacy and dignity back to our client.”

“We implore the NIRVANA defendants to right the wrongs of their past, by acknowledging the harm they have perpetrated and redacting the image of Mr. Elden’s genitalia from further reproductions of ‘Nevermind’ because behind every cover is a person pleading for their privacy back,” they added.

A deluxe 30th-anniversary reissue of “Nevermind”, featuring its original cover artwork, was made available on November 12.

In Elden’s complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court, he claimed that his “identity and legal name are forever tied to the commercial sexual exploitation he experienced as a minor which has been distributed and sold worldwide from the time he was a baby to the present day.”

According to the suit, the defendants “knowingly produced, possessed, and advertised commercial child pornography depicting Spencer, and they knowingly received value in exchange for doing so. … Despite this knowledge, defendants failed to take reasonable steps to protect Spencer and prevent his widespread sexual exploitation and image trafficking.”

Elden claimed that his parents never signed a release authorizing the use of the photos, which were taken in a Pasadena aquatic center in 1990. He alleged that the band promised to cover his genitals with a sticker, which was never incorporated into the album art.

The suit further alleged the defendants “used child pornography depicting Spencer as an essential element of a record promotion scheme commonly utilized in the music industry to get attention, wherein album covers posed children in a sexually provocative manner to gain notoriety, drive sales, and garner media attention, and critical reviews.”

Elden sought damages of either $150,000 from each of the defendants or unspecified damages to be determined at trial, attorney fees, an injunction to prohibit all parties “from continuing to engage in the unlawful acts and practices described herein,” and a trial by jury.

“The permanent harm he has proximately suffered includes but is not limited to extreme and permanent emotional distress with physical manifestations, interference with his normal development and educational progress, lifelong loss of income earning capacity, loss of past and future wages, past and future expenses for medical and psychological treatment, loss of enjoyment of life, and other losses to be described and proven at trial of this matter,” the lawsuit stated.

Elden’s parents were reportedly paid only $200 for the photos, and the shoot lasted around 15 seconds.

In a 2016 interview with Time magazine, Elden said: “It’s a trip. Everyone involved in the album has tons and tons of money. I feel like I’m the last little bit of grunge rock. I’m living in my mom’s house and driving a Honda Civic.

“It’s hard not to get upset when you hear how much money was involved,” Elden added. “I go to a baseball game and think about it: ‘Man, everybody at this baseball game has probably seen my little baby penis,’ I feel like I got part of my human rights revoked.”

“Nevermind” has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and was certified diamond by the RIAA for sales in excess of 10 million copies in the U.S. alone.

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David Lee Roth’s entire Las Vegas residency has been canceled. A representative for the House Of Blues at Mandalay Bay confirmed the news to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

When the first two shows of Roth’s residency were called off last week, his camp issued the following statement: “Due to unforeseen circumstances related to COVID and out of an abundance of caution for those working and attending the shows, the David Lee Roth performances schedule for Dec. 31, 2021 and Jan. 1, 2022 have been cancelled. Refunds will be automatically processed, and ticketholders will be notified directly.”

Roth’s performances on January 5, 7 and 8, January 14-15 and January 21-22 have now also been scrapped.

Nevada governor Steve Sisolak said on Monday (January 3) that the state recorded an “alarming” number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations this holiday season. In a statement, he encouraged all Nevadans who are unvaccinated to receive one of the available COVID-19 vaccines. He also implored Nevadans to wear face masks in indoor public settings, regardless of their vaccination status. Those who are sick should stay home and seek COVID-19 testing, he added.

In October, the legendary VAN HALEN singer announced that he was ending his career with his Vegas shows during the first weeks of January. “I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” Roth told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “These are my last shows.” He added: “I’m not going to explain the statement. The explanation is in a safe.”

Roth also reflected on the passing of his longtime bandmate, legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who died of cancer a year ago.

“I thought I might have been the first, frankly,” Roth said. “I might have thought the Marlboro Man would’ve got me. Hey, Ed, objects in the rear-view mirror are probably me. And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go on stage, I endanger that future.

“I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter,” he added.

“I know that when I am in the audience, whether you come out with a ukulele or a marching band, all I ask you give me everything you’ve got to give,” he said. “That’s what I did for the last 50 years. I’ve given you all I’ve got to give.

“It’s been an amazing, great run, no regrets, nothing to say about anybody. I’ll miss you all. Stay frosty.”

In March 2020, Roth postponed the final six shows of his Las Vegas residency due to the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the globe.

Roth’s latest Vegas residency kicked off on January 8, 2020 with a 15-song set that included 10 VAN HALEN classics and five songs from his solo career. Backing the now-66-year-old singer were lead guitarist Al Estrada from the VAN HALEN tribute band ERUPTION, rhythm guitarist Frankie Lindri, bassist Ryan Wheeler, keyboardist Danny Wagner and drummer Mike Mussleman.

Roth explained that he chose Vegas as the place to debut his new band because “this is where you come to celebrate and do the victory dance, whatever that means to you.”

In a February 2020 interview with StarTribune, Roth openly wondered whether his first tour since VAN HALEN completed its 2015 run of shows would be the last time he would perform.

“I’m calling it ‘The Last Tour’,” he said at the time, “and then underneath it in parentheses: ‘Unless It Isn’t’. … At my age, everything is a possible farewell tour.”

“It’s been a long great trip, a long great run,” he continued. “But this kind of music requires the kind of energy that people in their 20s bring. You know what NFL stands for: Not For Long. It’s similar in rock. I remember the days when we would stand around and say, ‘Let’s go have a cigarette.’ And that’s what we did: Four guys having one cigarette. I remember those days. They go by fast, so enjoy them while you’re in them.”

In February/March 2020, Roth performed as the opening act for the North American leg of KISS’s “End Of The Road” farewell tour.

Roth’s 2020 Vegas residency wasn’t the first time he had set up shop in Sin City. Back in 1995, Roth completed a Las Vegas engagement at Bally’s Hotel and Casino and another short run at MGM Grand.

We are seeing an alarming number of COVID-19 cases & hospitalizations reported after the holidays. We are working with health districts and other partners to provide resources to combat this surge.
Get vaccinated & if eligible, get a booster.https://t.co/ufUgXTpoJa pic.twitter.com/9GVRCuTfZ0

— Governor Sisolak (@GovSisolak) January 3, 2022

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EXODUS drummer Tom Hunting has opened up about his battle with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach.

The 56-year-old, who underwent a successful total gastrectomy in July 2021, discussed his ordeal during an appearance on “Put Up Your Dukes”, the new podcast hosted by ex-EXODUS singer Rob Dukes. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Through that, they also found mesothelioma on my abdomen, and I got surgery for that too. And that’s kind of what they’re keeping an eye on now. And I’m getting immunotherapy.

“Chemo is like a nuclear bomb — they put it in you, and it goes in there and kills everything: cancerous cells, healthy cells; it all just gets obliterated,” he explained. “And it’s hard — it’s hard on your body; it’s hard on your everything.

“So that’s where I’m at in the journey right now. I’m getting immunotherapy. Like I said, chemo is like a nuclear bomb that kills everything, and immunotherapy is more like… it trains your immune system to go in and kill any rogue activity on a cellular level. It’s a lot like some of the HIV medicines they have nowadays, and it’s a lot like the COVID vaccine. It tells your immune system to go out and kill this. If it’s rogue and it’s in your body, it trains your immune system to go kill it.”

Hunting went on to say that he is “down with the science,” adding that “it’s taken me this far. And I get to live.”

Tom told Rob that he wants to use his experience as a cancer survivor to interact with others who may be going through a similar situation.

“I’m not qualified now, but I think in a couple of more months, they deem me qualified to talk to other people about this disease, and I’m gonna do it,” he said. “‘Cause I want people to know about it and I want people to get checked. Just going public with it — I don’t do social media, but what I read on the EXODUS [sites] was, like, ‘Hey, I’m having gut problems too,’ and, ‘I’m gonna go get checked out now.’ I hope people get the answers they’re looking for.”

“I’m not saying those drugs that they give you for your gut are bad. They get you by. But if you’re having what you think is a gut problem, tell ’em you wanna get scoped. ‘Cause some of those scans and some of those tests, they won’t pick up what’s going on inside there.

“Since I’m on this journey, dude, they’re fucking scanning me constantly,” Tom added. “‘Cause they wanna see how I’m reacting to what they’re doing too. So it’s all part of the science and the evolution of the science. If they can help me live — and I love my life — and I can help them develop the science to help the next batch of people who you know are gonna get this shit, that’s a win-win.”

Hunting rejoined his EXODUS bandmates on stage in early October at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

EXODUS tapped John Tempesta to play drums for the band at Psycho Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada in August and at Full Terror Assault in Cave In Rock, Illinois in September while Hunting was recovering from surgery. Tempesta was a member of EXODUS from 1989 until 1993 and played on the band’s albums “Impact Is Imminent” (1990) and “Force Of Habit” (1992).

A GoFundMe campaign to help Hunting with medical expenses had previously raised more than $114,000 — including $5,000 from Tom’s former EXODUS bandmate, current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett, and $1,500 from FOZZY singer and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho.

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

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

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In which Sculptured, ex-Agalloch guitarist Don Anderson and Decibel’s Forrest Pitts discuss the tonal impact of Anton Webern’s Opus 21 symphony.
The post Fallow Heart: Truth in Dissonance: Don Anderson (Sculptured, ex-Agalloch) On the Objectives of Art appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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According to Billboard, the 64th annual Grammy Awards, which was originally set to take place January 31 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, will likely be postponed to a later date due to the omicron variant.

A Recording Academy spokesman told the music industry magazine that no decision has been made and urged caution against speculation set off by an unnamed source.

Last year, the 63rd annual Grammy Awards was also postponed due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. The show eventually happened on March 14, 2021 at the Los Angeles Convention Center (moved from Staples Center, the former name of Crypto.com Arena).

This year’s Grammy nominations were announced on November 23, 2021. The nominations were announced during a livestream from the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, which featured Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and Board Of Trustees chair Tammy Hurt, as well as some special guests.

Up for the the “Best Metal Performance” award at the 64th annual Grammy Awards are DEFTONES, DREAM THEATER, GOJIRA, MASTODON and ROB ZOMBIE.

The eligibility period for the 64th annual Grammy Awards was September 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021.

The 2022 ceremony will be the first since The Recording Academy announced that it has made significant changes to its awards process to ensure that the Grammy Awards rules and guidelines are transparent and equitable. The show no longer uses anonymous review committees to determine its nominees. Now, all nominees are based solely on thousands of votes from the Academy’s voting members. They also changed the number of categories in which Academy members can vote and added two new awards.

In January 2020, former Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan filed a discrimination charge against the Recording Academy of Arts & Sciences, alleging she was being retaliated against for reporting misconduct within the Academy. In the 46-page complaint, Dugan further alleged that “the Grammy voting process is ripe with corruption,” detailing secret committees the group used to “push forward artists with whom it has relationships.” She said that as many as 30 artists who were not selected by the 12,000 voting members were added to the possible nomination list.

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The official trailer for the long-awaited documentary about former HANOI ROCKS singer Michael Monroe is available below.

Directed by Saku Perinnön, the one-hour-and-17-minute documentary details the rise and fall of HANOI ROCKS and the band’s return in the early 2000s. Former members Sami Yaffa and Nasty Suicide share their recollections from the band’s past while Andy McCoy is featured in archival interviews and footage. Also interviewed for the film were Slash and Duff McKagan from GUNS N’ ROSES, Chris Shiflett from FOO FIGHTERS, as well as Michael’s mother.

Last spring, Monroe, who was born as Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm in 1962 in Finland, spoke about the documentary during an appearance on a video podcast hosted by Todd Kerns, the bassist of SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “[It’s gonna be] the whole story of my life, pretty much, based around the 10 years [I spent] in New York. But it starts with the beginning of HANOI, and [it’s] really a documentary of my life and me. So that’s in the works. But it’s the kind of thing you only make once in your life, so I wanna make sure it’s [done properly].

“People always say, ‘What about making a movie with actors?’ It’s always kind of corny when people act as somebody,” he continued. “But after the documentary is made, then I don’t care anymore. But I wanna make it as great as possible. ‘Cause it’s a fascinating story, even if I say so myself.

“We already interviewed Slash and Duff [McKagan from GUNS N’ ROSES] and Chris Shiflett [FOO FIGHTERS] for the original version, but we’re gonna now start over and make it a documentary movie that’s not only about all my accomplishments. Of course, it’s great to have all these cool, great names say things about me that describe my character. But, really, make it a fascinating story, so people who do not give a shit about me or even rock and roll will be interested in watching.”

Even though HANOI ROCKS was formed in Finland, their trashy, hedonistic, decadent hard rock/pop-metal boogie influenced many Los Angeles acts, including GUNS N’ ROSES and MÖTLEY CRÜE.

HANOI ROCKS originally broke on to the hard rock scene in the first half of the 1980s, becoming one of the first Finnish bands to make an international impact. HANOI ROCKS’s career was subsequently derailed after the 1984 death of drummer Nicholas “Razzle” Dingley, who was killed in a car accident caused by MÖTLEY CRÜE’s Vince Neil. Internal tensions and the commercial disappointment that was 1985’s “Rock & Roll Divorce” led to Monroe leaving the band that year, thus putting an early end to HANOI ROCKS.

Monroe’s latest solo album, “One Man Gang”, was released in 2019 via Silver Lining Music.

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Vile Ritual blend subterranean blackened death metal with dark psychedelia on “Tongues of the Examinate.”
The post Track Premiere: Vile Ritual – ‘Tongues of the Exanimate’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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Kelly Garni, original bassist and founding member of QUIET RIOT, joined the current version of the band on stage this past Friday (December 31) at Fremont Country Club in Las Vegas, Nevada to perform the classic song “Slick Black Cadillac”. Video of his appearance can be seen below.

Two days prior to the gig, Garni took to his personal Facebook page to write: “Here’s what I’m doing NYE. For the first time in 43 years, I will be doing a song with QUIET RIOT! I am very excited about it and hope to see many of my Vegas friends! And, you can’t beat $30 to do anything in Vegas on NYE! Come on down and help me bring in the new year! Be advised: if you comment with any of that shit about ‘this isn’t really QR,’ you will be GONE as soon as I see it. Besides, Rudy’s back. Ain’t that enough?”

A day after the show, he returned to his Facebook to share the above-mentioned video and he wrote in an accompanying message: “Last night was unbelievable! A big thanks to my QUIET RIOT family for having me and making me feel so welcome!”

Garni is best known for playing with Randy Rhoads and Kevin DuBrow in QUIET RIOT and playing on the two Japanese releases “Quiet Riot” (1977) and “Quiet Riot II” (1978).

Three years ago, Garni told The Metal Voice that he was fired from QUIET RIOT in 1978 after he shot a gun through the ceiling during a “big drunken plan” to kill DuBrow.

“People say I tried to kill Randy Rhoads with a gun,” he said. “People call me out on that one all the time and I almost got into a fist fight with Ozzy [Osbourne] about it. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

He continued: “When it comes to Randy, everyone thinks he was so angelic. Well, we used to go out and shoot guns all the time. One time the S.W.A.T. team was called at my house because we were firing guns off in my backyard. What happened was I had robbed a bar the night before and stolen all their liquor and I was very drunk. That’s why Randy was at my house, because we were drinking and we were drinking for about six hours straight.”

Garni went on to say: “Randy and I had an argument over whether we should kick out Kevin DuBrow from QUIET RIOT. People say that during that fight I tried to shoot Randy Rhoads and that is not true. I fired a bullet through the ceiling. The bullet went nowhere near Randy Rhoads and in no way would I ever try to kill my best friend. And yes, a pretty good fist fight happened — a rather violent one. Randy left my house bleeding pretty badly and so did I. But that is what friends and brothers do is they roll around the ground, beat each other up and that’s all it was.”

The fight resulted in Garni’s dismissal from the band. “I was kicked out of QUIET RIOT because of this,” he said. “I have no problems saying that. Once I started to pull a gun out, the management said, ‘He is out of control,’ which I agree to that decision that they made and have no issues with. I deserved to get fired from QUIET RIOT — totally deserved it.”

Garni released his autobiography, “Angels With Dirty Faces”, in 2012. A press release at the time described the book as “a very heartfelt and earnest look” at Kelly’s life and music and said it offered an “all-access pass” into every corner of his world, including his lifelong friendship with Rhoads.

QUIET RIOT’s current lineup includes bassist Rudy Sarzo who rejoined the band in 2021 after an 18-year absence.

Rudy was one of the members of QUIET RIOT’s “Metal Health” lineup. He played bass on the classic LP, which sold over ten million copies and spawned the hits “Cum On Feel The Noize” and “Metal Health” and on the follow-up record “Condition Critical”.

Last night was unbelievable! A big thanks to my Quiet Riot family for having me and making me feel so welcome!

Posted by Kelly Garni on Saturday, January 1, 2022

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SHADOWS FALL, the Massachusetts metal band which was at the forefront of the New Wave of American Metal scene that dominated the ’00s, reunited to play a one-off show on December 18, 2021 at The Palladium in Worcester in their native Massachusetts. Also appearing on the bill were UNEARTH, DARKEST HOUR, WITHIN THE RUINS, SWORN ENEMY and CARNIVORA.

In a new interview with the Podioslave Podcast, conducted just days after the reunion gig, SHADOWS FALL singer Brian Fair stated about the comeback performance (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It was insane, man. It couldn’t have gone any better than we could have hoped for. It was a long time coming. We sort of fizzled out as far as we never had a last big show to kind of head off into the sunset. We still all loved making music together, we all still loved playing shows, but life was just getting in the way. I was about to have my second kid; Paul [Romanko, bass] had already had a kid. It was just getting tough, so we sort of fizzled out. So, over the last few years, we would kind of, every now and then, just float the idea of, like, ‘Yeah, we should probably play a show.’ But then at five years, we were, like, ‘All right. It’s been long enough. We really wanna do this.’ And we had a date, and we were all systems go, and then COVID happened. Literally, we were gonna announce probably three weeks before the world shut down. Thankfully, we didn’t, so we could kind of just, like, ‘All right…’ It’s not like we had to announce it and then retract. And it gave us some more time to really think about what we wanted to do.

“The key was for us we weren’t trying to do like a quick throw-and-go, make-some-money-and-just-disappear thing,” he explained. “We were, like, ‘We want a sick bill that makes sense.’ So once we got SWORN ENEMY, DARKEST HOUR and UNEARTH to sign on, we were, like, ‘All right. That’s where we wanna start. We want bands that make sense that are our crew.’ And then we also wanted to get some local, kind of younger bands. Matt [Bachand, rhythm guitar] had been working with CARNIVORA forever. And we knew the WITHIN THE RUINS guys. And we were, like, ‘All right, we’ve got our bill.’ We knew it was gonna be at The Palladium before. That was like our backyard; that was like our hometown spot. We played so many metal fests and opened so many great shows [at that venue].”

Fair added: “And then we were, like, ‘We also want to be razor-sharp prepared.’ We were not known for rehearsing very diligently back in the day. We were kind of a lazy band when it came to practicing. We’d always get halfway through the set and be, like, ‘We know ‘Destroyer Of Senses’. We don’t need to play it again.’ And then you realize, ‘We probably should have dusted it off.’ So we really all focused and practiced like crazy, on our own and then together. And, man, that was probably as good as we’ve ever sounded. We were super ready. The crowd was incredible. We brought in an awesome crew and great production. We brought in the lights; we did the whole deal. We were, like, ‘We’re not nickel-and-diming this shit. It’s gonna be a fucking party.’ And it was, man. It was awesome. My family was out. I had the kids up on stage with me at one point. And Paul’s kid came out. They got to see their dads being cool at least once, and not just on YouTube. The vibe was very celebratory. [There] was a crazy pit and people were going nuts, but it wasn’t an angry vibe in there at all. It was very welcoming and very humbling as well.”

Asked if there is any chance of SHADOWS FALL working on new music, Fair said: “We’ve talked about writing stuff, and there’s a very definitive SHADOWS FALL approach to writing. So if Matt or Jon [Donais, lead guitar] or Paul had ideas that really made sense, I’d see us pursuing ’em. But nothing right now. All we wanted to do is get through this show — we wanted to get through it, see if we could pull it off, see how it went. And now we’re, like, ‘Okay, now we can think about if we wanna do something else.’ But nothing planned right now. I know Jon and Matt are riff machines — I’m sure they’ve got stuff — but they do also have other projects they’re working on too… But right now we’re just kind of recovering a little bit, trying to make sure I get my neck back in shape.”

SHADOWS FALL released a statement in August 2014 in which the bandmembers explained that financial difficulties made it virtually impossible for the group to continue as a full-time concern.

In August 2015, SHADOWS FALL played a few reunion shows on the U.S. East Coast, one year after completing what was being billed at the time as the band’s “final” European tour.

SHADOWS FALL’s latest album, “Fire From The Sky”, released in May 2012 via Razor & Tie. The CD sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Donais and Bachand recently launched a new project called LIVING WRECKAGE, in which they are joined by guitarist Matt LeBreton (DOWNPOUR), drummer Jon Morency (LET US PREY) and vocalist Jeff Gard DEATH RAY VISION.

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