During a recent appearance on “Whiplash”, the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen spoke about the musical inspiration for the band’s eighth studio album, “Servant Of The Mind”, which came out on December 3 via Republic Records.

“If you look at the more heavy side of the material, it’s obvious that’s a lot of old BLACK SABBATH inspiration — more from the [Ronnie James] Dio past and from the Tony Martin [era] of BLACK SABBATH,” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “I do love the Ozzy [Osbourne] material, but you can definitely hear the inspiration from the BLACK SABBATH Dio and Tony Martin era. And there’s also some pretty old-school death metal influences, like DEATH and BOLT THROWER and ENTOMBED; you can definitely hear that in between. And early METALLICA as well. And when we’re doing those kinds of parts, we still have that ’50s rock and roll inspiration that comes from Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, and some punk elements that might take you back to some of the RAMONES stuff and really darker kind of CRAMPS stuff.”

VOLBEAT’s “Shotgun Blues” single, which is taken from “Servant Of The Mind”, holds the No. 1 slot on on both the Billboard Mainstream Rock and Mediabase Active Rock charts, the band’s tenth top-charter, and cements the group’s record for having the most No. 1 singles on the Mainstream Rock chart by an artist based outside of North America.

Revolver called “Servant Of The Mind” “excellent… the darkest and heaviest VOLBEAT offering yet.” For the LP, the band, which consists of Poulsen, Jon Larsen (drums), Rob Caggiano (guitars) and Kaspar Boye Larsen (bass), took its signature heavy metal, psychobilly and punk ‘n’ roll sound up a notch while showcasing Poulsen’s keen ability for songwriting and storytelling. “Rarely has such a successful band sounded so ravenous,” says Kerrang! magazine of the album.

“Servant Of The Mind” was written and recorded during the shutdown and quarantine necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The LP includes the “double barrel” of summer songs the band released this past June: “Wait A Minute My Girl” and “Dagen Før” (featuring Stine Bramsen), the former of which became the band’s ninth number one single on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

VOLBEAT has racked up nearly three billion cumulative streams over the course of its career, notched a “Best Metal Performance” Grammy nomination for “Room 24” (featuring King Diamond) from 2014’s acclaimed (and gold-selling) “Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies”, and has grabbed multiple Danish Music Awards.

Since forming in 2001, VOLBEAT has gone from the clubs of Copenhagen to headlining stages around the world, including the famed Telia Parken stadium in Denmark (becoming the only domestic artist to ever sell out the venue). Over the course of seven record-breaking albums the band has picked up number one songs (including nine No. 1s on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and counting, the most of any band based outside of North America), multi-platinum certifications, awards and accolades all over the planet. Most recently, they contributed a cover of “Don’t Tread On Me” to “The Metallica Blacklist”, with all proceeds from the track benefiting METALLICA’s All Within My Hands foundation and the Børne Cancer Fonden of Denmark.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

Fan-filmed video footage of Sebastian Bach’s December 16 performance at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, California can be seen below.

The former SKID ROW singer recently returned to the stage for a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band’s double-platinum, acclaimed album “Slave To The Grind”. The trek kicked off on September 25 in Waterloo, New York and will wrap in San Diego, California on December 17.

In October, Sebastian was asked in an interview with Rockin’ Metal Revival if he ever regrets writing such high vocal parts that he now has to reproduce live on stage three decades later. He responded: “All I can tell you is that I’ve been singing so much in the last four or months. I can’t tell you exactly what I was doing yet, but I will be able to. My voice is the same it’s always been.

“I’ve gotta say just a couple of things answering your question — a couple of things come to mind,” he continued. “For a guy like me or a guy like Bono [U2] or a guy like — I don’t know, Geddy Lee [RUSH] or somebody like that, making a record is not the same as doing a show; it’s not the same thing; it’s a different thing. Making a record is you standing in an air-conditioned room with water next to you and coffee and you’ve got the lights perfect. And you’re standing as still as you can, and you get to sing it as many times as you want until it’s perfect. [Laughs] Nothing can be more different than a show — unless you’re using [backing] tapes. But I’m proud to tell your audience that we will not be using any tapes anytime soon, so it’s a real rock show. But doing a show is more like communicating the spirit of the song and the music to the audience, and everybody gets into it. And I’m not just gonna stand there and try to be perfect. I’m gonna run all over the place and I’m gonna put on a show.

“As singers get older, I don’t like changing the key of the song because, to me, that makes it sound like a different tune, and I’m not interested in that,” Sebastian explained. “If I’m gonna change a little vocal part in the same key, to me that’s a cooler way of doing it instead of making it into the key of KORN. That works great for KORN.

“I have to sing every day properly and do it for many weeks in order to get my voice to the top of its abilities, and that’s what I’ve been doing. I just played and I had no problems doing all those tunes. I’ve got no problems — knock on wood.”

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY.

In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarists Dave “Snake” Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger.

SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.

Posted by Roger Zimmerman on Friday, December 17, 2021

On the heels of their critically acclaimed, acoustic release of “Riptide”, which was produced by Peter Cornell (brother of the late Chris Cornell), multi-platinum rockers CANDLEBOX have announced dates for their “Candlebox Unplugged” tour. The 14-show routing will kick off April 20 in Cincinnati, Ohio at Memorial Hall and hit the southern and East Coast states before culminating in a special two-show finale at City Winery in New York on May 7. Tickets are on sale now at www.candleboxrocks.com.

Featuring frontman Kevin Martin and lead guitarist Brian Quinn, these stripped-down, intimate performances will bring fans inside the songs with stories and insights into the inspiration behind the music, as well as life on the road. During the show, audiences can expect to hear tracks from CANDLEBOX’s new album “Wolves” (Pavement Records), which was released in September 2021 and debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard chart, as well as classic favorites.

Martin will also be unveiling his latest philanthropic initiative throughout the tour — RiptideSociety.org. Co-founded with Ballogy founder and CEO Todd L. Young, the 501 (c)(3) charity will help youth and young adults by partnering with outreach organizations, professionals and service providers to offer hands-on mentorship opportunities and events. During the “Candlebox Unplugged” tour, $1 from every ticket sold will go directly toward supporting RiptideSociety.org.

“I am so excited to be a founding member of RiptideSociety.org and to have the ability to amplify its message through my music platform,” said Martin. “There are far too many young people today who are caught in their own riptide and struggling to find their place and voice in this world. Our mission is to provide them with access to the resources and tools they need to settle onto a new, safe and healthy wave where they can thrive. I look forward to immersing myself in this new experience; I cannot wait to get started.”

“Candlebox Unplugged” tour dates:

Apr. 20 – Memorial Hall – Cincinnati, OH
Apr. 21 – City Winery – Nashville, TN
Apr. 22 – City Winery – Atlanta, GA
Apr. 23 – Harvester Performance Center – Rocky Mount, VA
Apr. 25 – City Winery – Chicago, IL
Apr. 26 – City Winery – Chicago, IL
Apr. 27 – Buskirk-Chumley Theatre – Bloomington, IN
Apr. 29 – Tropics WV – Morgantown, WV
Apr. 30 – City Winery – Washington, DC
May 01 – Ridgefield Playhouse – Ridgefield, CT * (no charity tie-in)
May 03 – City Winery – Philadelphia, PA
May 05 – Flying Monkey – Plymouth, NH
May 06 – Cabot Theater – Beverly, MA
May 07 – City Winery (Early & Late Shows) – New York, NY

“Wolves” was produced by Dean Dichoso at the legendary Henson Studios in Los Angeles, California. It is the Seattle-based rockers’ follow-up to 2016’s “Disappearing In Airports”.

Most of the “Wolves” recordings were finished in August 2019, and Martin completed his vocals in January 2020.

Did you totally blow it on Christmas shopping again this year? We’ve got your last-minute-ass covered with Decibel gift subscriptions and Decibel gift cards!
The post Too Late For Shipping? Decibel’s Got Last-Minute Gift Ideas! appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

In a new interview with Darren Paltrowitz, host of the “Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz”, DJ Ashba spoke about his decision to leave GUNS N’ ROSES more than six years and eventually launch a dance/rock hybrid called GDM (Guitar Dance Music) with his ASHBA project. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Financially, thank God, I’m in a place to where, honestly, I never have to hit another note. Everything I do at this point in my life is pure passion; it’s not money motivated.

“When I created this new sound… I left arguably one of the biggest bands in the world, one of the biggest paychecks in the world, and I did it because I had a vision in my head to create something new,” he continued.

“I’ve always gotten more pleasure out of carving my own path in life, going against the grain… If the whole crowd’s going right, I’ll be the first to go left. I love those odds; I love to take chances and try things, because what have you got to lose, really? You only lose if you don’t try. If you don’t go after whatever that idea in your head is, then you’re already defeated. So my thing is if I would have never got in that mini-van and had the balls to drive to L.A. when I was 20 — think about that — none of this would have happened. So I’ve made a living off of making choices that would scare most people.

“I’m a big advocate on follow your dreams,” Ashba added. “Because the worst you’re gonna do is learn so the next time you go after your next dream, you’ll probably succeed. You’re gonna learn something, and that knowledge is so valuable. So it’s, like, what have you got to lose?”

Ashba, who joined GUNS N’ ROSES in March 2009 following the departure of Robin Finck, issued a statement in July 2015 saying that he was leaving GUNS N’ ROSES “to dedicate myself to my band SIXX:A.M., my adoring wife and family, and to the many new adventures that the future holds for me.” He later claimed that he was approached about being part of GN’R’s “Not In This Lifetime” tour, but that he declined, citing his desire to pursue SIXX:A.M. full time.

Ashba previously discussed his departure from GUNS N’ ROSES in a November 2016 interview with SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”. He stated at the time: “Well, there [were] multiple reasons [why I left GN’R] — a couple that I won’t go into — but the biggest reason was I needed to get back to my roots, back to what I really truly believed in, and that was playing songs I helped write with [SIXX:A.M. bandmates] James [Michael] and Nikki [Sixx]. We [SIXX:A.M.] have five albums out [and] we have a ten-year career together. So we did a tour, ‘Modern Vintage’ tour, where it was, like, nineteen shows, and that tour really changed my life and put my career back into perspective — you know, being out on the stage and connecting with the fanbase.”

Ashba also once again claimed that he was asked to stay in GN’R for the “Not In This Lifetime” tour, but that he decided against it, preferring instead to pursue his own career path.

“Axl called me and he really wanted me a part of the reunion, and I turned it down,” Ashba said. “I felt if Slash is coming back, that’s great — that’s what the fans want, and I can go off and do what I really wanna do now… And we left [off on good terms]; everything is good. And I couldn’t be happier for the fans out there. I’m a fan. Half of the band reunited, which excites me, but at the same time, it’s the best of both worlds — I get to do what I really love to do, and that’s play in SIXX:A.M.”

Only Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan from GN’R’s “Appetite For Destruction”-era lineup are taking part in the band’s current reunion. They are being joined by keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Frank Ferrer. Also appearing with them is second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Four years ago, former GUNS N’ ROSES bassist Tommy Stinson said that he found it “funny” that Ashba “made such a big deal about” quitting the band at a time when “there wasn’t really anything going on” with the group. Stinson, who was in GUNS N’ ROSES from 1998 until 2014, told HardrockHaven.net: “[DJ] called me up on the phone and told me that he was gonna quit, you know, and this that and the other thing… [It] seemed like it was kind of inevitable that there was going to be a reunion happening, so I think he… I don’t know if he [laughs] tried to get in front of the curve to, you know, drum up some extra fucking press for himself. I don’t really know what the deal was, but I thought it odd. I thought it an odd time to make a big stink about quitting, you know?”

Ashba recently released a new single “Bella Ciao”, a modern-day EDM-driven makeover of the Italian folk classic fueled. The song marked Ashba’s first release of 2021 and followed a series of tracks that were released in late 2020 through Edgeout Records/UMG/UMe, including “Hypnotic”, “Let’s Dance” and “A Christmas Storm”.

Ashba is also the founder and CEO of Ashba Enterprises, where he draws upon his executive and entrepreneurial skills to run his many companies, utilizing his longtime experience and expertise from years of developing his own brand in entertainment, multimedia, touring, and merchandise. Through Ashba Media, a design and creative agency, he advises clients, including Cirque De Soleil, hotel, hospitality and entertainment industries, to create state-of-the-art custom props, themed environments for events and exhibits around the world.

In a new interview with AMFM Magazine, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES frontman Mike Muir discussed the band’s current touring lineup, which includes Tye Trujillo, the 17-year-old son of METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo, and drummer Brandon Pertzborn, who has played with BLACK FLAG, Doyle (from MISFITS), HO99O9, Corey Taylor, MARILYN MANSON and LIMP BIZKIT, among others. They are filling in for Roberto “Ra” Díaz and Dave Lombardo, respectively. Speaking about Díaz and Lombardo’s absence from SUICIDAL TENDENCIES’ recent shows, Muir said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “When COVID happened, then everything canceled. And one by one, when it was originally [happening] in March, people started to book shows for the fall of 2020 — like they were gonna happen. Then summer [came] and then [fall], and I was going, ‘You know what? I don’t see any reason to book [when] you don’t know what’s going on’ and stuff. And so when we actually did those shows and the festivals [earlier this year], our bass player was playing with KORN and our drummer plays with the MISFITS and he was doing a thing with MR. BUNGLE, but that got canceled. So we had a situation where we had these shows and we’d be just switching everybody in and out, and so we just decided to get people that could do all the shows. So we had Tye Trujillo, which is Robert Trujillo from METALLICA — he used to play with SUICIDAL — his son’s playing with us. So it’s cool too, because he has a different perspective, playing songs that his dad did. And he’s got his favorites, so he’s, like, ‘Hey, can we play ‘Trip At The Brain’?’ I said, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ And then Brandon, who’s playing drums, he filled in for us when Dave was playing with the MISFITS a couple of years ago, and then he got the MARILYN MANSON gig right before a few things happened. Then he got the LIMP BIZKIT gig, and then they canceled their tour. So he’s a good friend and an amazing drummer. They have a different perspective: ‘Hey, can we play this and that?’ It’s nice to have that youthful excitement and stuff.”

When the younger Trujillo first performed with Muir and his bandmates two years ago, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES praised the musician for “showing what a badass he already is on bass. His youthful enthusiasm was contagious, his bass skills undeniable,” the group wrote on social media.

Back in 2019, Lombardo told Drum! magazine that it was a “no-brainer” when Muir asked him to join SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, which — like Lombardo’s former band SLAYER — was formed in Los Angeles in 1981. “I’ve known Mike for many years. I’m a fan, and I love the music,” Lombardo explained. “Also, it was a great opportunity for me to venture into the crossover scene; implement some funk grooves, get more swing into my playing. I’m able to dabble in different styles, which is beneficial for any drummer.”

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES’ latest album, “STill Cyco Punk After All These Years”, was released in September 2018. The LP was a re-recording and re-imagining of a Cyco Miko (Mike Muir) solo album recorded in 1995, “Lost My Brain! (Once Again)”.

Robert Trujillo was first invited to join SUICIDAL TENDENCIES for a European tour in 1989 supporting East Coast thrashers ANTHRAX. While with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, Robert appeared on some of the band’s most successful albums: “Lights, Camera, Action” (1990), “The Art Of Rebellion” (1992) and “Still Cyco After All These Years” (1993). During Trujillo’s years with SUICIDAL, Muir heard some of Robert’s homemade demos and they collaborated on a funkier, more progressive sound under the name INFECTIOUS GROOVES. They produced a number of albums such as “The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move…” (1991), “Sarsippius’ Ark” (1993) and “Groove Family Cyco” (1994).

Former FLYLEAF singer Lacey Sturm has released the official music video for her latest single, “Awaken Love”. The song is now available on all major streaming platforms.

Both atmospheric and intimate, “Awaken Love” is a string-driven ballad that Lacey co-wrote with SKILLET’s Korey Cooper. The song explores what it feels like to be immersed in the transcendent experience of perfect love.

“With lyrics, I go into a place where I try to hear what the song is about. I have to learn. The music tells you,” Lacey recalls about the writing process. “Sometimes there are lyrics that stir that up, and Korey already had some of that written.”

The song developed into a sweeping chorus and vivid verses, with Lacey’s fervent vocals declaring, “My racing heart so safe with you, they can’t take me away from you.”

While the instrumentation marries rock riffs with cinematic musical scope, “Awaken Love” invites the listener into wonder over the ways they’ve experienced unexplainable love.

“Romance is a shadow of the divine,” the singer concludes. “The shadow boxing of romance is really coming from the divine dance of God and humanity.”

“Awaken Love” follows the previously released “The Decree” and “State Of Me”. Together, the three songs showcase Sturm’s consistently expanding sound. Working closely with her husband and guitarist Josh Sturm to break new musical ground, Lacey continues to solidify her role as one of the most iconic voices in hard rock.

Performing live with SKILLET before the pandemic shut down arena tours, Lacey has since been writing new music and finding creative ways to connect with fans. Singing on BREAKING BENJAMIN’s 2020 single “Dear Agony (Aurora Version)”, which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 after 20 weeks on the chart while racking up well over 16 million views on YouTube alone, Lacey has also performed with SHINEDOWN and others on drive-in theater stages and has hit virtual stages along with METALLICA, THREE DAYS GRACE, SEETHER and others during the Recording Academy-sponsored Octane Home Invasion festival.

Sturm left FLYLEAF in October 2012. She was replaced by Kristen May, who recorded one album with the group, 2014’s “Between The Stars”, before exiting.

Former GUNS N’ ROSES members Matt Sorum and Gilby Clarke, along with blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, were among the guests who performed with Billy Gibbons at the ZZ TOP frontman’s 72nd-birthday bash last night (Thursday, December 16) at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

Gibbons is an American musician, producer and actor, best known as the guitarist of the American rock band ZZ TOP. Gibbons formed ZZ TOP in late 1969 and released ZZ TOP’s first album in 1971. The albums that followed, “Rio Grande Mud” (1972) and “Tres Hombres” (1973), along with extensive touring, solidified the group’s reputation as a hard-rocking power trio. In the 1980s, ZZ TOP released its three biggest-selling albums: “Eliminator” (1983), “Afterburner” (1985) and “Recycler” (1990). A wave of music videos for the hit singles “Legs”, “Gimme All Your Lovin'”, and “Sharp Dressed Man”, among others, became mainstays on MTV. Gibbons was ranked at No. 32 on the 2011 Rolling Stone list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time.” ZZ TOP was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2004.

Apart from his five decades-long role fronting ZZ TOP, Gibbons has in recent years recorded three much-lauded solo albums for Concord Records, including “Hardware”, released this past June. To cap off the year, Concord released a singular single, “Jingle Bell Blues”, in November. It’s Billy’s reworking of the eternal “Jingle Bells” with some significant modifications or “Kustom” touches.

The follow-up to Gibbons’s 2018 solo LP “The Big Bad Blues”, “Hardware”‘s title is an homage to Joe Hardy, the longtime ZZ TOP collaborator who died in 2019. The album was recorded in a desert studio in Palm Springs, California.

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An All-Star Band turns it up to celebrate Billy Gibbons birthday, with Special Guests Robby Krieger, Joe Bonamassa, and many more surprise special guests. Hosted by the Guigui Family Band.

Posted by Billy F Gibbons on Friday, December 10, 2021

Multi-camera video of original AC/DC singer Dave Evans performing the band’s classic song “Highway To Hell” on October 22 at Leonardo’s in Huntington Park, California can be seen below (video editing by Joe Dolan).

As previously reported, Evans recently recorded two new songs with legendary producer Flemming Rasmussen, best known for having been helmed three of METALLICA’s early albums, plus winning a Grammy for his work on METALLICA’s “One” in 1989. One of the songs, “Guitarman”, was written by Danish musician and composer Nicholas Hill, while the second track is a cover of an Elvis Presley classic that Evans had previously performed with AC/DC.

The new Evans recordings, which were made through a collaboration betwen Chrystal Records Argentina and Space Rock Productions Denmark, will be released in the next few months.

Dave recorded AC/DC’s first two singles, “Can I Sit Next To You Girl” and “Baby, Please Don’t Go”. But in October 1974, less than a year after AC/DC’s first gig, Evans was out of the band. He was replaced by Bon Scott, who sang on AC/DC’s first six studio albums and became a legend himself after his death in 1980.

Earlier this year, Dave was asked in an interview with The Rocker Diaries if he thought “that would be it” for AC/DC after Bon’s death in 1980. He responded: “No, not at all. I mean, we all keep going. And AC/DC has had that many players through [the history of] the band. I don’t know how many. 20? And three singers, plus a stand-in singer as well.

“We were always ambitious when we first started,” he continued. “We always wanted to be the best in the world — all of us. And after me, Bon Scott got his chance. He did great with the band. And when he died, I just thought, ‘Who are they gonna get?’ I never thought [I would be approached about it] myself, because that’s water under the bridge. And I was busy with bands as well at the time, and doing my own music and recording. I was just wondering who it would be. I had heard of [Brian Johnson’s pre-AC/DC band] GEORDIE — just the name GEORDIE. I’d never heard of Brian. And then Brian popped up and, of course, the ‘Back In Black’ album came out, which was a massive album around the world, and they were off and running with Brian. But if Brian quit, they’d get another singer, and another singer. [They’ve gone through] different bass players [and] different drummers.

“The drive was always Malcolm Young,” Dave added. “I remember Malcolm when I first met him. He was such a driving force. Just a tiny little guy — just a little touch over five foot tall — but, boy, he had a big heart and a big personality. And he was tough, too — Malcolm was very tough. And no matter what, he was AC/DC through and through. And, of course, once he passed away, which is very sad, AC/DC, of course, will never, ever be the same without Malcolm. How can it be?”

This past May, Evans released a new compilation album called “BADASS Greatest Hits”. The effort contains “20 massive hits on one album,” including Dave’s version of “Rockin’ In The Parlour”, the song that originally appeared as the B-side of the “Can I Sit Next to You Girl” single.