Swedish metallers AVATAR have shared another new song, “Cruel And Unusual”. Check it out below.

“It feels self-evident,” the band states about the track. “Violent thoughts channeled through violent riffs, demented thoughts driven by a sick groove. It’s simply a very sexy song.”

Earlier this fall, AVATAR, who are known to smash the boundaries between band, theater troupe, and cinematic masterminds with a series of celebrated albums and videos, and the immersive world of Avatar Country, a fantastical land where metal rules supreme, released four new songs. AVATAR also previously announced they signed to Thirty Tigers and have launched their own Black Waltz Records imprint.

In October, AVATAR postponed the last five shows on its “Going Hunting” U.S. tour after vocalist Johannes Eckerström tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Those concerts will now take place in late January and early February.

Last year, AVATAR frontman Johannes Eckerström spoke to Consequence about the band’s eighth studio album, “Hunter Gatherer”, and how the group’s music is changing with age. “When you are dealing with anger and darkness in your 30s and want to be honest with it, and whatever angst that you carry with you as an adult compared to a teenager is a different way of dealing with it and articulating it, which makes this album very serious, and in that aspect, every album is an attempt to be as frank and honest as we can be,” he said. “It’s just that with every album, another layer of the onion is peeled off, so this is another deep level of honestly, as far as I’m concerned. One of the coolest things with doing this and working certain songs on each album is that each song has something in them where I’m, like, I wouldn’t have been comfortable to say it like that when I was this age or that age. We have eight layers and albums done, so two more, and we will somehow be complete human beings, I guess.”

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Drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz (CANNIBAL CORPSE), guitarist Taylor Nordberg (INHUMAN CONDITION, THE ABSENCE, FORE), bassist Vernon Blake (ANARCHUS) and vocalist Brian Stephenson (FORE, OLD JAMES) have joined forces in a new rock and roll band called UMBILICUS.

Mazurkiewicz says: “UMBILICUS was formed in the summer of 2020 and driven by our love of rock and roll from the late ’60s, ’70s and early ’80s.

“I’ve been listening to well-known bands like GRAND FUNK [RAILROAD], BAD COMPANY and STEPPENWOLF and not-so-well-known bands like SIR LORD BALTIMORE and LUCIFER’S FRIEND for the last 20 years or so now. The more I listened to these bands, the more I wanted to play music like this. It is just so much fun to sit back and groove out and play by complete feel without beating my body down. To just play some pure hard rock!

“We composed 10 very cool songs throughout 2020 but the one piece of the puzzle was missing: an awesome voice to tie it all together. Enter Brian Stephenson! An amazing vocalist and lyricist that completed the lineup!

“I am so proud of what we have written and I can’t wait for the world to hear what we have to offer!”

UMBILICUS is putting the finishing touches on its as-yet-untitled debut album for a 2022 release. More details regarding track listing, artwork, and release date will be announced soon. A teaser video is available below which features a short demo mix of a new song.

UMBILICUS is:

Brian Stephenson – vocals
Paul Mazurkiewicz – drums
Vernon Blake – bass
Taylor Nordberg – guitar

Band photo by Deidra Kling

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German thrash metal veterans KREATOR will release their new album in the summer of 2022. The LP’s first single will arrive “soon,” according to KREATOR frontman Mille Petrozza. The follow-up to 2017’s “Gods Of Violence” was recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Germany. Helming the sessions was Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, CODE ORANGE, POWER TRIP and SOULFLY, among others.

Earlier today (December 31), Petrozza took to his Instagram to write: “Ok 2021, you are almost history.

“It was good to play a couple of shows and record a new album. Overall, it was a killer year and I will hopefully see a lot of you in 2022.

“Album coming in the summer, new single SOON!

“Stay sane and safe and eat your vegetables. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

“#kreator #hate #thrash #über #metal #2022 #alles #hüa”.

Earlier this year, Mille revealed to the official podcast of Italy’s Metalitalia.com that the band would wait until the coronavirus pandemic has subsided before releasing an album.

“Last [year], in August, we felt that we were done [writing], and we were very enthusiastic about, like, ‘Okay, this is almost an album. We have 12 songs. And we take the 10 best, or whatever we come up with.’ And we already planned on going into the studio in February,” he said. “Now it’s February, and the world is still kind of fucked with the COVID. So we have to wait and be patient… I think going on a tour, the artwork, everything has to connect. So we’ll wait until that’s possible again, and then we’ll put out the album.”

On the topic of the musical direction of the follow-up to 2017’s “Gods Of Violence” album, Mille said: “It’s definitely different. It’s hard for me to describe, but I think it’s definitely more thrash again. It has a lot of melody, and it has a lot of traditional parts, and it has a lot of ingredients of the last four or five albums. But it also has some very old-school moments. I think it’s definitely the next step.”

KREATOR’s next album will mark the band’s first with bassist Frédéric Leclercq, who joined the group in 2019.

In September 2020, KREATOR guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö described the sessions for the band’s new album to Italy’s Poisoned Rock as “a lot of fun,” adding that the “mood” in the band “is great. And the general vibe and the atmosphere is very good,” he said. “[These are] creative times for KREATOR at the moment.”

In March 2020, KREATOR surprise-released a new single, “666 – World Divided”. The song was produced by Andy Sneap and Markus Ganter and was recorded at Hansa Tonstudios.

The music video for “666 – World Divided” was created under the direction of Jörn Heitmann, who was responsible for the music videos for “Radio” and “Ausländer” by RAMMSTEIN.

KREATOR played its first show with Leclercq in October 2019 in Santiago, Chile.

Before joining KREATOR, Leclercq rose to fame with U.K.-based extreme power metallers DRAGONFORCE for whom he handled bass duties from 2005 until August 2019.

KREATOR’s previously announced “State Of Unrest” European tour with LAMB OF GOD has been rescheduled for November/December 2022 in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

KREATOR released a new live set, “London Apocalypticon – Live At The Roundhouse”, in February 2020 via Nuclear Blast. The effort was professionally filmed and recorded on December 16, 2018 at the Roundhouse in London, England.

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The first two shows of David Lee Roth’s previously announced Las Vegas residency have been canceled. According to Metal Sludge, one of the musicians in Roth’s backing band contracted COVID-19, forcing the concerts to be called off.

Roth’s camp has 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 is still scheduled to perform at Mandalay Bay’s House Of Blues on January 5, 7 and 8, January 14-15 and January 21-22.

When Roth’s residency was extended earlier this month, he said in an audio message: “David Lee here. I had no idea how many people wanted to see me go. Okay, that sounded wrong. [Laughs] All right. Don’t turn it off. David Lee here, for the second time. I had no idea how many of you wanted to pay to see me go. [Laughs] So I’m putting more tickets on sale, instead of doing the wrong thing and pissing more people off. I have industry professionals now ringing in, telling me, ‘Dave, at your age, you should be in the middle of your third retirement. Did you watch ‘Rocky’ movies? He’s on his seventh. Same guy, ‘Rambo’ — fifth. He’s about 14 retirements ahead of you.’ Just when I get out, they drag me back in.

“Look, I’m vulnerable. I feel sensitive. If I sound that way to you, I’m in the middle of my first retirement. And I’m gonna extend my world goodbye tour of Las Vegas at the House Of Blues for two more weekends — like any good fucking barbecue. Just like you would, if you could.”

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.

pic.twitter.com/2sLwn81nH0
— David Lee Roth (@DavidLeeRoth) December 6, 2021

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During a recent appearance on the “Tour Talk” video podcast, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello spoke about what it has been like for him and his bandmates to play live shows during the pandemic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “The way I look at things, at any given time, the rug can be pulled from underneath you — honestly. And [that’s the case for] any band, anywhere we are, in this circumstance where we’re at right now. It’s unfortunate. But the only thing I know how to do is just do it and take all the precautions, be smart about things. Look, I come to my room. I don’t hang out and party. I wear a mask. It’s my personal thing. I don’t do anything. I mean, for all of us, for that matter. Last night we all went to dinner. We sat together. We all had that vibe, and then we went back to the rooms. And that’s the only way to survive, I think, right now from this COVID thing and just try to stay away from it if you can, is to take care of yourself.

“The bottom line is, dude, I don’t give a shit about anything else; I wanna go home to my family healthy and not spread it,” he continued. “I’ve been double vaccinated. Fine. But still, this delta variant and who knows what else is coming? But at this point, we all have to make a living and we all have to move on. But you have to be really careful. And I’m not used to it. I’m not used to this. We’re used to doing long tours. We’re doing weekend-warrior stuff at this point. Like with the festivals, you fly in the night before, play the festival [and then] fly out. Like today, I’m flying out back home. But then when I get home, I’m gonna take a test again, ’cause I have a family.

“You have to be smart about this stuff,” Bello added. “It’s a pain in the ass, is what it is. It’s dangerous, it’s a pain in the ass, and I can’t wait till the day where you and I can be in the same room and not have a mask on and not have to worry about washing the bottle of water I just got [and] wiping it down. It is what it is for now. And I guess this is it, man, and you just deal with it. It’s a big inconvenience, the way I look at it, but you have to stay healthy and you have to stay cautious. And that’s the way I’m touring for now. I can speak only for myself. I don’t know how other people are doing it. I try to be careful. But who knows?”

Asked if the COVID-19 restrictions have also affected the way the ANTHRAX members interact with other people backstage, Bello said: “Yesterday backstage at Louder Than Life [festival in Kentucky], I saw my friends in KORN — the band KORN — just to say hello. I would love to hang. And everybody’s doing the elbow bumps and stuff, everybody’s got their masks and all the good stuff, but you wanna talk more. You just feel like, ‘All right. I don’t wanna take too much time because I don’t wanna get anybody sick or vice versa or anything like that.’ You feel like, ‘Let’s be careful.’ It’s all out of respect. You just feel like, ‘Hey, man, how are you? Miss you.’ All that good stuff. ‘Hopefully this stuff is over soon so we can hang and actually hang.’ And I wanna see bands — I wanna go on the side of the stage and see bands, but I also don’t wanna be an inconvenience for them either. ‘Cause I understand — the more people, the more dangerous it is all around. And I get it.

“The way I settle it in my mind, dude, [is] I say, ‘This is just for now,'” he explained. “And that’s what I’ve come to in my head. It’s making me feel better about things. I said, ‘Look, this is just for now. And things will get better,’ optimistically. I think that’s the only way to look at it because otherwise you’re gonna drive yourself fucking crazy — honestly.”

Frank’s memoir, “Fathers, Brothers, And Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, And Anthrax”, was released on November 2 via Rare Bird. The foreword was written by KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons.

ANTHRAX is working on material for the follow-up to 2016’s “For All Kings” album, tentatively due in 2022.

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Michael Sweet of openly Christian hard rockers STRYPER has completed the songwriting process for the band’s upcoming album. The follow-up to last year’s “Even The Devil Believes” will once again be recorded at SpiritHouse Recording Studios in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Earlier today, the 58-year-old guitarist/vocalist posted the following update on his social media: “I’m happy to say that all the songs (music) for the new STRYPER album are complete. I started work on everything 2 weeks after my eye surgery (once I could lift my head) so it’s taken a little longer than usual (3 weeks) and also due to the holidays. Of course we will fine tune them once we get together for rehearsal. Usually we rehearse at my house and then we head to Spirithouse to record. This time around we’ll be rehearsing at Spirithouse and we’ll be working though a few songs at a time and then tracking them once the band learns them. Very different yet most likely very effective.

“What do the songs sound like? Killer!” he continued. “Lots of riffs, grooves, up tempo and mid tempo and everything has a great feel to it. I’ve only sent music to the guys so they haven’t heard any melodies yet but the melodies are strong and powerful.

“It’s always a little strange talking about your own music but I can say that I’m really excited about the direction of this album! I know you will be too. We’ve tuned down to D so the tuning makes it all sound a little fatter and heavier. There are a few songs with the low E string dropped down another step (C) so those songs have a bit more meat and potato’s as well;-) There are a few ballads but they’re not your typical ‘piano’ or ‘acoustic’ ballads. They’re heavy as well and definitely guitar driven.

“Even though there have been obstacles along the way, this album really has shaped up to be an amazing piece of work,” Sweet added. “We’re a long way out but man, I can’t wait for all of you to hear this!! It may very well be our best yet”.

Last March, STRYPER and Frontiers Music Srl announced that they have extended their working relationship for the release of more new studio albums together.

STRYPER and Frontiers originally joined forces in 2013 for the release of “Second Coming”, an album comprised of new recordings of 14 songs from the band’s early years, as well as two brand new songs. What followed has been a string of critically and commercially successful studio albums, including “No More Hell To Pay” (2013), “Fallen” (2015), “God Damn Evil” (2018) and “Even The Devil Believes” (2020). Additionally, a live album and long-form video, “Live At The Whisky” (2014) was made available. Every one of the albums released on Frontiers in the past eight years has successfully charted on the Billboard 200 chart and topped the Hot 100, Rock, Hard Rock, Current and Christian Music album charts.

STRYPER is one of the most well-known metal bands to emerge from the fertile ’80s metal renaissance over three decades ago. The band first landed on the global scene in 1984 and and is responsible for such classic ’80s metal albums as “Soldiers Under Command”, “To Hell With The Devil” and “In God We Trust” and hit singles/videos such as “Calling On You”, “Free” and “Honestly”. To date, the band has sold upwards of eight million records worldwide and is a Dove Award winner and Grammy nominee. STRYPER was also the first band to have two songs in MTV’s “Top 10 Video Countdown” simultaneously.

After being on a hiatus for much of the ’90s, STRYPER returned stronger than ever in the early 21st century. Musically, the band has progressed and grown their fan base steadily and continuously, being one of the few “classic” metal bands of the ’80s that managed to keep themselves front and center thanks to the consistency of their musical output.

Michael is joined in STRYPER by his brother Robert Sweet (drums), Oz Fox (guitars) and Perry Richardson (bass).

I’m happy to say that all the songs (music) for the new Stryper album are complete. I started work on everything 2 weeks…

Posted by Michael Sweet on Thursday, December 30, 2021

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CRO-MAGS frontman Harley Flanagan has defended his decision to get the COVID-19 vaccine, saying it’s about being “responsible” and doing whatever he has to do “to exist in the world.”

Earlier today, Flanagan, who has apparently spent the last few days visiting friends and family in Denmark, shared the following message via Instagram: “To all those who are against vaccinations. I too believe in freedom of choice but I also believe in looking out for each other. And if I have to get vaccinated to travel and to play concerts and do what I like to do then that’s what I’m gonna do. It’s not about ‘boot licking’ like some of these assholes want to say, it’s about doing what I have to do to exist in the world and do what I like to do and be responsible.

“I have traveled many times this year I have all my vaccinations my booster and I have not gotten sick. The people I know Who have gotten sick with the shots lived through it. So I choose to listen to my doctor who went to medical school as opposed to listening to conspiracy theorist’s online.

“Whatever you choose to do or whatever you believe I hope you all have a healthy safe and happy new year and I hope to see you out on tour in 2022

“We will get through this!”

Harley’s comments come less than two weeks after his former bandmate, ex-CRO-MAGS frontman John Joseph, said that he beat COVID-19 by “investing” in his immune system. The 59-year-old, who is also an author, Ironman triathlete and proponent of a vegan, clean-living lifestyle, shared the news of his diagnosis in an Instagram video on December 20. He said at the time that he still wouldn’t get the vaccine, claiming that “the unvaccinated ain’t the problem. If you got three fucking shots in and you’re still getting coronavirus, you need to ask yourself what the fuck is going on,” he said. “You’re entrusting your health with the ones who are profiting off of your illness,” Joseph added. “Think about that for a fuckin’ second. Think about the disconnect that it takes for you to entrust your health to these motherfuckers. All of them — Pfizer, J&J [Johnson & Johnson], Moderna, fuckin’ AstraZeneca — fuckin’ corrupt companies. Do some fuckin’ research. Before they were all safe and effective; now the J&J, yeah, it causes blood clots. Wake up, people. You’re being fuckin’ played, and that’s the reality of the situation.”

Back in March 2020, at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Joseph said that no one was addressing “the real issue” — that eating animals is bad for human health.

The new coronavirus is believed to have originated from one of Wuhan, China’s many “wet markets” — so called because animals are often slaughtered directly in front of customers. These markets put people and live and dead animals — dogs, chickens, pigs, snakes, civets, and more — in constant close contact.

In the U.S., more than 62% of the population are currently fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, while more than 73% have received at least one shot, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

More than 822,000 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.

In 2019, Joseph and drummer Mackie Jayson reached a settlement with Flanagan regarding ownership of the CRO-MAGS name. Flanagan is now performing under the name CRO-MAGS while Joseph and Jayson are performing as CRO-MAGS “JM”.

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DIRTY HONEY, one of rock’s hottest new bands, will help kick off the 2022 National Hockey League (NHL) Winter Classic on New Year’s Day as part of TNT’s event coverage. Filmed on one of Minnesota’s iconic frozen lakes and directed by Turner Sports’ Tyler Lassiter and Craig Murray, the band — Marc LaBelle (vocals), John Notto (guitar), Justin Smolian (bass) and Corey Coverstone (drums) — will wrap up the pre-game coverage with its interpretation of hometown hero and rock icon Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy”.

“I found out about DIRTY HONEY through former NHL player Scottie Upshall and have been a fan of the band ever since,” said Lassiter. “I had read that Marc LaBelle was a big hockey guy, and as soon as we landed the NHL deal on TNT earlier this year, my first thought was that we would do something with these guys at some point. When we came up with this concept, all the stars seemed to align. We needed a band who could faithfully pull off a legit Prince cover as well as one passionate enough to agree to shoot on a frozen lake in northern Minnesota in mid-December. The boys crushed it.”

DIRTY HONEY’s “Let’s Go Crazy” full-length version was recorded in Los Angeles at NRG Studios and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, and will be available on all DSPs (Dirt Records) to coincide with the pre-game festivities this Saturday, January 1.

The NHL Winter Classic will match up two of the best teams in the Western Conference when the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues face off at Minneapolis’ outdoor Target Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins. The NHL pre-game begins at 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. PT.

Following DIRTY HONEY’s NHL Winter Classic debut, the band will hit the road on January 18 for the “Young Guns” tour, a 31-city, co-headline North American trek with MAMMOTH WVH.

In October 2019, DIRTY HONEY proved with its sexy, bluesy debut single “When I’m Gone” that you don’t need a record deal to go all the way to No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream and Hard Rock Charts — the only unsigned artist ever to achieve this. The track was the first song from the band’s self-titled debut EP, produced by Nick DiDia (PEARL JAM, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), recorded in Byron Bay, Australia, and released in March 2019.

DIRTY HONEY’s second single/video, the loaded-with-swagger “Rollin 7s”, went to No. 3 at Rock Radio (still heading up the charts when COVID changed everything), and its music video has racked up north of seven-million YouTube plays. Between the fall of 2018 and early 2020, DIRTY HONEY opened for THE WHO, GUNS N’ ROSES and SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS, was tagged as a “do not miss” band at the more than a dozen major North American summer festivals they played, performed for SRO crowds at every show on its first-ever U.S. headline tour, and Rolling Stone featured them as “An Artist You Need To Know.” DIRTY HONEY’s self-titled debut album hit the streets on April 23, 2021, and made its bow on the Hard Rock Albums chart at No. 2. Following the album’s debut, the band headed out on a nine-week tour as main support for THE BLACK CROWES’ “Shake Your Money Maker” U.S tour. DIRTY HONEY received glowing reviews and standing ovations at the majority of the tour’s shows — not bad for a still-breaking opening act.

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POISON frontman Bret Michaels, who resides in Southern California, has shared video of the flooding in and around Los Angeles this morning.

In one of the clips, which can be seen below, Bret can be heard saying: “Yesterday we had a little rain and barely a dry creek bed with a trickle. Now it is a mass flood. Half these people can’t even get across or through their driveways. I’m gonna go see if I can help ’em out. Everyone, if you’re in L.A. county, stay safe.”

Heavy rain in the Los Angeles area has prompted mudslides, debris flows and flooding, with downpours expected to taper off in the afternoon. Conditions will dry out for the weekend.

A winter storm warning took effect at 1 a.m. Wednesday and will remain in place until 4 a.m. Friday in the Los Angeles County mountains, excluding the Santa Monica range.

A weekly report released Thursday shows exceptional drought was nearly erased after 23 percent of the state was under the most severe category one week ago. Nearly 33 percent of the state is in extreme drought, down from 79 percent last week.

Michaels is a passionate humanitarian and philanthropist. His Life Rocks Foundation supports organizations such as the ADA National Network for Americans with disabilities; JDRF, the world’s largest nonprofit funder of type 1 diabetes research; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, veteran and pet causes and many more. Michaels most recently partnered with Arizona’s HonorHealth Foundation to create an auction benefiting front-line healthcare workers and built a hospitality room at St. Joseph Barrows hospital for patients and their families during recovery where Michaels underwent surgery for a life-threatening brain hemorrhage and heart operation. Bret’s oldest daughter, Raine Elizabeth, is a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and university student and his youngest daughter, Jorja Bleu, has recently photographed with world-renowned photographer Jim Jordan and helped to co-write Bret’s current single “Unbroken”, which is dedicated to facing all adversity.

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