Hear Seattle’s Dark Meditation invoke the spirits of black metal’s past with their gothic trad metal.
The post Video Premiere: Dark Meditation – “Haunt of Fear” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis has urged his fans in Nevada to vote for Republican gubernatorial candidate Joey Gilbert, an attorney and former professional boxer who in the last year has become one of the state’s most prominent voices calling into question the 2020 election result and decrying coronavirus vaccines.

Lewis, an outspoken conservative rocker who reinvented himself as a solo country artist in the last decade, voiced his views on Gilbert before performing his new single called “Am I The Only One” during his December 18 concert at Silver Legacy Casino in Reno, Nevada.

Aaron told the crowd (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “All I’ve gotta say is this: do your state a favor. Vote Joey Gilbert in for your next governor. Do it for your kids, for your grandparents, for yourself.” He then paused while some members of the audience started chanting “Joey! Joey! Joey!” He continued: “I’d like to hope that everybody in this room knows who I’m talking about,” before adding, “All I’m saying is if my driver’s license said ‘Nevada’ on it, I’d be voting for Joey. The next governor of Nevada.”

Gilbert, who campaigning throughout Nevada ahead of the Republican gubernatorial primary next June, has questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election and was outside the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 insurrection. He has also spent much of the past 18 months fighting in court over coronavirus restrictions and mandates, including representing a church in Las Vegas, which, along with another in rural Nevada, won an appeal challenging a statewide capacity cap on religious gatherings. Gilbert has also called COVID-19 vaccines the “Fauci ouchie” despite the fact that almost 90 percent of Nevadans 70 and older have received at least one dose.

Lewis, who is widely considered to be one of the most politically conservative musicians in rock, made headlines in September when he urged his fans to chant “Fuck Joe Biden” during a STAIND concert in Pennsylvania.

Aaron told the Anchorage Press in a January 2020 interview that he considered the first Donald Trump impeachment by the House Of Representatives as the clearest representation of what’s wrong with America these days.

Lewis was a staunch critic of President Barack Obama, telling a crowd at one of his solo concerts in 2016: “Barack Obama should have been impeached a long fucking time ago. Every fucking decision he makes is against the Constitution, it’s against what’s good for our fucking country, and he is truly the worst fucking president that we have ever had in the history of this fucking country.”

That same year, Lewis told Billboard that he would support Trump in the U.S. presidential race, even though he was “disappointed” by the real estate mogul “with the bickering and the name-calling.” Lewis added that he voted for Senator Ted Cruz, Trump’s closest competitor in the Republican nomination race, in the Massachusetts primary.

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Axl Rose (GUNS N’ ROSES), Tom Keifer (CINDERELLA), Matt Heafy (TRIVIUM) and Myles Kennedy (ALTER BRIDGE) are among the musicians who have paid tribute to vocal coach Ron Anderson who died on Sunday (December 19) at the age of 75. No cause of death has been revealed.

Anderson, one of the world’s most accomplished and in-demand vocal coaches, has helped many of the music’s biggest stars to achieve extraordinary range and exquisite control. Over the past 40 years, he has worked with major artists from across all genres. Pop royalty like Ariana Grande, Gwen Stefani to R&B legends such as Mary J. Blige and Alicia Keys were among his students. He also worked with rock and roll icons like Ozzy Osbourne and Rose.

Axl took to his Twitter on Monday (December 20) to share the following statement: “Very sad to learn of the passing of my friend and vocal coach Ron Anderson. I knew Ron for 35 years. He was always there when I needed him. To say Ron really knew his craft is a huge understatement.

“Thanks Ron for always having the right answer when it was needed most! You’re already missed!” he continued. “However good God’s choir might be, I know you’ll make it a hell of a lot better!!!”

Keifer also paid tribute to Anderson on Twitter, writing: “I’m saddened to hear that my vocal coach and friend Ron Anderson has passed. Sometimes life brings just the right person to you when you need it most. Ron literally re-taught me how to sing at a time I didn’t think I would ever be able to sing again. There are really no words that could possibly begin to thank him for how he changed my life. I know there are many other singers who feel the same way. He was an inspirational teacher and a wonderful human being. Condolences to his family and friends. RIP Ron Anderson”.

Heafy wrote on Instagram: “Rest In Peace to Ron Anderson – a man who saved my career and life.

“My heart and condolences go out to Pipe and Ron’s entire family – especially every artist he’s ever trained (and likely saved).

“In 2014, I blew my voice out and had to cancel the rest of a tour – sending crew and band home; fans without shows. I got a text from Matt from [AVENGED SEVENFOLD] saying ‘I heard what happened. How can I help?’ I asked Matt what he did when this happened to him – he connected me instantly with Ron.

“Ron is one of the most caring, sweet, genuine, talented, knowledgeable people I’ve had had the privilege of learning from. It was an honor when he asked if I’d help demo his amazing app, site, and method.

“Ron. You will be forever missed. Thank you for saving my career. You will be missed and forever loved.”

Kennedy wrote: “Ron Anderson was the musical equivalent of a Jedi Master. He had the ability to unlock a singer’s potential with his incredible wealth of knowledge about the human voice which ultimately allowed his students to express themselves through the power of music. I will be forever grateful for his mentoring and friendship over the last 25 years. A wonderful human and teacher who’s big voice and infinite wisdom had a profound effect on so many of us. Rest In Peace my friend.”

Anderson’s career began over 50 years ago as an opera singer. Ron was a baritone but soon transitioned to a demanding tenor role, and then he performed in some of the most renowned opera houses across Europe and North America. Ron initially studied under the world’s finest voice teachers, including Dr. Fritz Zweig, Raimund Herincx and Benvenuto Finelli.

Utilizing his intimate knowledge of the body and vocal cords, Ron began training top performers in the mid-1970s in cities including Los Angeles, Nashville, Miami, New York, London, and Moscow. Known for delivering astoundingly fast yet sustainable results, Anderson also established himself as a leading vocal producer, with countless artists calling on him for help in reaching peak performance during the recording process. With many Grammy Award-winning and platinum-selling albums under his belt, he had also become a go-to vocal coach for the film and TV industry, working with such A-list actors as Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Brad Pitt and Anne Hathaway in preparing for roles involving singing.

Anderson had also devoted a great deal of time to touring with artists, accompanying his students on the road to provide regular vocal tune-ups and hands-on instruction in properly protecting the voice.

pic.twitter.com/Mt7zKdzIUU
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) December 20, 2021

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— Tom Keifer (@TomKeiferMusic) December 21, 2021

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A post shared by Matthew kiichichaos Heafy (@matthewkheafy)

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A post shared by Myles Kennedy (@officialmyleskennedy)

Rest In Peace #RonAnderson ?????? https://t.co/0FtdgsXglI
— Rudy Sarzo (@rudysarzo) December 20, 2021

– RIP Ron Anderson -This guy completely changed my life. He taught me the difference. I learned so much from him. I continue to uncover things all the times from our lessons. It just keeps going. I’m so grateful. pic.twitter.com/CQUT0RUy5O
— Monte Pittman (@montepittman) December 20, 2021

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Terry Ilous says that GREAT WHITE did him a favor by firing him from the band.

Ilous, who previously played with ’80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after replacing touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012’s “Elation” and 2017’s “Full Circle”, before Terry was shown the door in July 2018 and replaced with Mitch Malloy.

Ilous discussed his exit from GREAT WHITE during a new appearance on “The Classic Metal Show” with host Chris Akin. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “To be honest with you, it was a good thing because I was able to move on. At first, when somebody dumps you like that, like an old girlfriend, you feel like an old pair of shows. You’re, like, ‘Really? What did I do? I didn’t do anything wrong.’ Which, honestly, I didn’t do anything wrong. I never fucked anybody’s wife. I never stole money or anything like it. I’m a songwriter, and I’m a strong personality. And I know what I don’t want in life. So, I guess, obviously, it bothered someone in that band and they decided to do what they did. But I had great years with them; I thank ’em so much for the opportunity. I thank the fans. And they did me a huge favor because I was able to move on. I was able to dig inside myself. I was kind of sad at first ’cause I lost money and I didn’t know what I did wrong. I said, ‘What did I do wrong?’ Which I never knew, because I never talked to anybody. I just received an e-mail; it’s what I received. They just sent me an e-mail [saying], ‘Have a nice day. You’re fired.’ Long story short.

“I’ve gotta be honest with you, they did me a huge favor, because I was able to dig inside of me and said, ‘Okay, Terry, you can do it. You’ve been through hell. You can do it again.’ So I did it,” he continued. “And I released this [LAND OF GYPSIES] album. I have lots of things coming up with XYZ, with JK [Northrup] and I’m doing a voiceover for a new film. I’m doing that, so that’s big money.

“You move on. It’s like having a girlfriend that dumps you. What are you gonna do? Just think about her every day? No. You’re gonna find another girlfriend that’s pretty, that’s nice and that treats you right.

“The important thing in life is to be treated right and to treat other people right,” Terry added. “If you feel like you’re lesser, if you feel like you’re never the number one, then why would you wanna stay with that person anyway?”

Last month, GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall confirmed that Ilous was fired from the band via e-mail. Kendall went on to say that Ilous initially found out online that he no longer had a job with GREAT WHITE. “It got released on the Internet before we could tell him,” Mark said. “It wasn’t our publicist’s fault. She released this information. So we hadn’t told him yet, and she didn’t know that. So he heard the information, and he’s going, ‘This is a hell of a way to tell [somebody he is out of the band].’ And we were just [made out to look like] the bad guys all the way around. And so what do we do now? Go, ‘Meet us somewhere, and we’ll talk about it.’ It was, like, ‘He already knows.’ So that was a tough situation. We’re not bad people. We don’t wanna hurt anyone.”

Mark also defended GREAT WHITE’s decision to part ways with Terry and hire Mitch, saying: “We had to look out for our music and make sure it’s delivered the best it can be. We felt like with Mitch we could do it a little bit better. It’s not that Terry is not awesome; nothing against him.”

This past April, Ilous told Waste Some Time With Jason Green that he always made it a point to tell people that his primary focus was GREAT WHITE and not his solo career. “I was doing a lot of interviews, and I always said one thing, I said, ‘I am the lead singer of GREAT WHITE. My priority is GREAT WHITE,'” he said. “I always made sure to say that, ’cause sometimes people can misinterpret what you wanna say. So I said, ‘No. I am the lead singer of the band GREAT WHITE. My priority is GREAT WHITE. I’ll be touring with GREAT WHITE. And if the band is not touring, then I will be doing that on my own. And that’s it.’ And that is the truth. But apparently someone got upset. I was touring, and eventually one day, I received an e-mail saying, ‘Thank for for a great service. You’re a great singer. Have a good life.’ And that was it.”

Terry said that he “had no idea at all” that he was going to be replaced. “Last time [I played with GREAT WHITE], we did a string of sold-out shows,” he recalled. “In fact, one of the last shows we did was actually on a Thursday in Wisconsin. We did a summer fest, and there were 10 thousand people [there]. The crowd went crazy — 10 thousand people going nuts. And that day I sang so well. You know, sometimes you sing better than other days — that’s the way it is as a singer — but that day I was really good. Not to be pretentious, but I was happy. I was, like, ‘Ah, man. Great performance.’ Friday and Saturday, we did two other shows — one in Las Vegas. We did a show with SLAUGHTER, and everybody gave me a big hug. ‘Hey, brother, see you next week.’ That’s the last time I talked to anyone in the band. On Monday morning, I get an e-mail… The leader of the band, Mark, sent me the e-mail, but it [was] on behalf of everybody in the band. ‘We think that you should be replaced by somebody else. And we wish you the best.’ The e-mail was polite. ‘Good luck to you. You will have no problem finding another band. Please don’t say bad things about us. We will never say bad things about you.’ And that was it.”

Regarding his initial reaction to the e-mail, Ilous said: “I was surprised — I was a little surprised — because I said, wait a minute, I did three albums. I helped rebuild the brand. I gave my best for nine years. When I joined the band, I was not getting paid very well, and I said, ‘I’m gonna do it anyway, because I wanna prove to myself, and I wanna prove to those guys I can do it.’ So I did what I could do. I would have loved to get a phone call, at least, or maybe a meeting with the band, and said, ‘Hey, it’s not working out. Can you work on this? And maybe we’ll give you another chance.’ ‘Okay.’ I think it’s fair — when you’re a dedicated worker, and you do all that stuff, I think it’s fair. You need a second chance. But second chance for what? I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not like I had sex with any one of their wives. I’m not that type of person.”

Terry went on to say that there were some personal differences within GREAT WHITE, but not enough to create a major issue when he and his then-bandmates were living in close proximity to one another on the road.

“For me, I was always in GREAT WHITE,” he said. “I would say to myself, ‘GREAT WHITE is GREAT WHITE. I love the band. I love the music, and I’m happy to be in the band.’ I didn’t expect anything. I knew I had an issue with one guy in the band, like a lot of people have issues with the same guy in that band. But I knew that. And I didn’t think the guys would decide to say, ‘Screw Terry, and let’s get somebody else.’ I didn’t expect that at all. I was completely taken by surprise, to say the least. I was beside myself. But I didn’t post anything negative. I didn’t make stupid comments online; I didn’t do anything like it. I said, ‘Well, it is what it is. They have somebody else. I don’t wish him anything bad,’ which I would never do anyway.”

Ironically, the first time Malloy performed with GREAT WHITE was on the Monsters Of Rock cruise in 2018, just a few short months before Terry was fired from the band. At Terry’s invitation, Mitch got up on stage and joined GREAT WHITE for a rendition of their cover of Ian Hunter’s “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”.

“I’m the one who introduced Mitch to the band,” Ilous recalled. “And I will never forget that day. I introduced Mitch to the band, and Mitch tried to upstage me on stage. I’m a stage performer, but I don’t need to overdo things. It’s like sex. Music is sex — the same thing. You don’t need to try all different positions to please your partner. You do what you do, and that’s it. But I realized that Mitch was trying to go crazy on stage, one side to the other, to prove that he was a great performer. And I have nothing against Mitch, by the way; I wish him the very best. But I said, ‘Okay. Good for him.’ I didn’t expect that… It’s okay. They did what they had to do. And honestly, to this day, I don’t wish them anything bad at all. Even Mitch — I’m happy he’s got the gig. It’s not his fault. He just got hired.”

Ilous relocated to Hollywood, California from Lyon, France in 1986, forming the metal band XYZ along with friend and bassist Pat Fontaine. Ilous quickly became a favorite on Sunset Strip scene in the late ’80s before getting signed to Enigma/Capitol. After selling over 1.5 million records worldwide and touring with artists such as FOREIGNER and ALICE COOPER, Ilous continued to release albums well into the 2000s, along with film, songwriting and television work.

In 2009, Terry was contacted to play a handful of dates with GREAT WHITE, and within a couple of years, the lineup was made official. GREAT WHITE immediately headed out on an extensive year-long tour, followed by a new album, “Elation”, in 2012 that was highly praised by the media and fans alike. “Full Circle” arrived five years later.

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Tennessean death/grind trio Torsion are here to deliver a world of gut-twisting pain on this week’s Demo:listen..
The post Demo:listen: Torsion appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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Catch the buzz on the Canadian mostly-solo avant grind project Neon Hiss.
The post Blast Worship – Neon Hiss appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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Wolfgang Van Halen says that a widely circulated image on social media purporting to show a shirt for one of the concerts on VAN HALEN’s proposed 2019 tour is “painfully fake.”

In November 2020, Wolfgang, who became VAN HALEN’s bassist in 2006 at the age of 15, revealed that his father, legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen, had contemplated a “kitchen-sink” VAN HALEN tour that would have included former bassist Michael Anthony, as well as vocal turns from both Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth. There was even talk about bringing back Gary Cherone, who sang with the band on one poorly received album, 1998’s “Van Halen III”.

On Monday (December 20), Montreal radio personality Jeremy White shared a photo of a “local crew” shirt that somebody claimed was intended for “the ‘Kitchen Sink Tour’ that never was.” The tweet added “that only a few venues had approval to print some shirts & this would have been in Chicago at Wrigley Field on 07/04/2019.” Alongside supposed headliners VAN HALEN, the shirt listed several support acts, including FOO FIGHTERS, Jason Aldean, WEEZER and Wolfgang’s own band MAMMOTH WVH, the latter of which wasn’t publicly launched until last year.

After one of Wolfgang’s Twitter followers asked him if the shirt is authentic, the 30-year-old responded: “Painfully fake. Said this a year ago when somebody made this the day after my Howard Stern interview when the kitchen sink tour was first talked about.”

Wolfgang added in a separate tweet: “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, because that shirt is complete horseshit. Whoever made that is a weird fucking person. Just… why. It even looks stupid. Just such a a poorly designed shirt. Also we didn’t even have a final official design for the MAMMOTH logo at that time, so yeah.

“What an incredible coincidence that this picture surfaced right after my Howard Stern interview a year ago where I talked about the kitchen sink tour for the first time.”

With Wolfgang on bass, VAN HALEN embarked on lengthy tours in 2007, 2012 and 2015. The band’s final run of shows took place in the summer and fall of 2015. The North American trek included 41 concerts beginning on July 5, 2015 and ending on October 4, 2015.

In early 2019, a rumor surfaced that the classic VAN HALEN lineup would reunite that summer for a run of stadium shows. This would have been the first time that Michael, David, Eddie Van Halen and Alex Van Halen performed together since 1984.

The rumors originally started with Roth, who hinted to Vulture that VAN HALEN would be playing stadiums with Anthony back in the lineup.

VAN HALEN and Anthony had not been on good terms for more than a decade, with Anthony not invited to join the reunion with Roth that began in 2007.

Anthony took a pay cut and signed away all of his rights to the band name and logo in order to participate in VAN HALEN’s 2004 tour, which featured Hagar.

Eddie died in October 2020 at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman died from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

Painfully fake. Said this a year ago when somebody made this the day after my Howard Stern interview when the kitchen sink tour was first talked about.
— Wolf Van Halen ? ? ? (@WolfVanHalen) December 21, 2021

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, because that shirt is complete horseshit. Whoever made that is a weird fucking person. Just… why. https://t.co/OT65Dzf6tQ
— Wolf Van Halen ? ? ? (@WolfVanHalen) December 21, 2021

It even looks stupid. Just such a a poorly designed shirt. Also we didn’t even have a final official design for the Mammoth logo at that time, so yeah. ?
— Wolf Van Halen ? ? ? (@WolfVanHalen) December 21, 2021

What an incredible coincidence that this picture surfaced right after my Howard Stern interview a year ago where I talked about the kitchen sink tour for the first time.
— Wolf Van Halen ? ? ? (@WolfVanHalen) December 21, 2021

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Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury completes the first quadrilogy of his instrumental/ambient/electronic solo venture Dark Sky Burial. Hear it now.
The post Hear Shane Embury Return With Dark Sky Burial’s ‘Omnis Cum in Tenebris Praesertim Vita Laboret’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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SCORPIONS have released the first in a three-part series of short documentaries — directed by Thomas Noehre — focusing on the making of the band’s 19th studio album, “Rock Believer”.

Says the band: “For our new album ‘Rock Believer’, we all came back together in the studio like in the old days and captured that journey on camera. Today we release the first part 1 of 3. Maybe you discover some unreleased music snippets from our new album in it…”

Last month, SCORPIONS released the official music video for their new single, “Peacemaker”. The track, which features music courtesy of guitarist Rudolf Schenker and bassist Pawel Maciwoda and lyrics by singer Klaus Meine, is taken from “Rock Believer”, due on February 25, 2022.

Asked in a new interview with Chile’s Radio Futuro what fans can expect to hear on “Rock Believer”, Meine said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Well, you can expect an album that is dedicated to all the rock believers in the world. And we’re very excited after all these years. We thought, when you think about all the touring we did the last 10 years, after the release of ‘Return To Forever’ in 2015, the time was right to go back into the studio, to write new material, to write new songs and check out if the creativity is still working. The big aim was, the goal was to make a rock album — to make an album with lots of attitude, power and focus on the good old times and really enjoy the music and have some fun with the music. And that feels really good.”

Speaking about the “Rock Believer” album title, SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker said: “Look, we are around the world since 50 years or more. And when somebody can say he’s a rock believer, then this is us. And of course, we meet our rock believers in front of us, our audience.

“So many people said rock is dead. It’s not dead,” he continued. “It’s always coming back — sometimes, okay, more stronger [or] less strong — but in the end, it’s great to play around the world in over 80 countries we’ve played so far, and all rock believers. It was always great to share the music with them together and be in connection with them. I mean, that’s so amazing and so fantastic, that we are very happy to come out with a new album. And yeah, let’s see what’s happening.”

Asked if “Peacemaker” is representative of “Rock Believer” as a whole, Klaus said: “It is an uptempo rock song, and this album really rocks. There are some heavy songs on the album, like when you think about ‘China White’ and ‘Animal Magnetism’, there’s a track on the record that is really in the best way of those songs. There are many uptempo songs and, believe it or not, there are even faster songs than ‘Peacemaker’. [Laughs] There’s also a very beautiful ballad on the album, and I’m sure there are fans out there especially love the SCORPIONS ballads, and they will enjoy this record as well very much. ‘Peacemaker’ is the appetizer for what the album is all about. It rocks.”

“Rock Believer” was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

“The album was written and recorded in the SCORPIONS DNA with core Schenker/Meine compositions,” said Klaus. “We recorded the album as a band live in one room, like we did in the ’80s.”

SCORPIONS’ new album will mark their first release since 2017’s “Born To Touch Your Feelings – Best Of Rock Ballads”, which was an anthology of new and classic material.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

Meine previously told Talking Metal that the goal with using Fidelman to produce “Rock Believer” was to bring “the old vibe from albums like ‘Blackout’, ‘Love At First Sting’ or even ‘Lovedrive’. We try to focus on those albums and this attitude,” he said. “If we get there, who knows — it’s so many years later. But it’s the spirit and it’s the whole vibe around this album. This time, the focus is on the harder songs.”

According to Meine, SCORPIONS’ new LP features “no outside writers at all,” unlike 2015’s “Return To Forever”, which was largely co-written by the album’s producers, Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen.

SCORPIONS will kick off their “Rock Believer” world tour in March 2022 in Las Vegas where the band will play nine shows as part of their residency at Planet Hollywood Hotel. Afterwards they will cross the Atlantic to Europe where they will play six concerts in France and six shows In Germany supported by Wolfgang Van Halen’s new band MAMMOTH WVH.

SCORPIONS’ last full-length collection of new recordings was the aforementioned “Return To Forever”, partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the ’80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS’ longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

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