This Halloween, turn your street into Nightmare Avenue with your free SCORPIONS pumpkin carving stencil. Fill out the form at this location to get your free download.

Print out your stencil, trace and start cutting. Don’t forget to tag @Scorpions for a chance have your masterpiece shared.

SCORPIONS recently released a standalone single called “Sign Of Hope”. The band penned the song as a positive message amid all that is going on in the world at the moment and during the recording sessions for SCORPIONS’ upcoming 19th album. Tentatively due in 2021, the disc will mark the German hard rock legends’ first release since 2017’s “Born To Touch Your Feelings – Best Of Rock Ballads”, which was an anthology of SCORPIONS’ new and classic material.

SCORPIONS’ new album will be produced by Greg Fidelman, who began his career as the guitarist and songwriter for RHINO BUCKET before launching his career as a producer, engineer and mixer, finding an early mentor in Rick Rubin.

SCORPIONS’ last full-length collection of new recordings was 2015’s “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 He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, SCORPIONS were scheduled to take over the Las Vegas Strip in July with their exclusive headlining residency show at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

The band previously played a Las Vegas mini-residency in May 2016, consisting of five shows at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Read more »

We have a limited number of advance copies of the December issue of Decibel, featuring a pair of exclusive flexi discs from WAKE and Frozen Soul, available now. Don’t blow it.
The post Armored Saint Grace the Cover of the December Issue of Decibel appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Read more »

SEVENDUST singer Lajon Witherspoon spoke to Darren Paltrowitz about the making of the band’s 13th studio album, “Blood & Stone”, which will be released on October 23 via Rise Records. The follow-up to 2018’s “All I See Is War” was once again tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette, who has previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH, among others.

“We were lucky enough to [record the LP] before the pandemic,” Lajon said (see video below). “It was [done last] October. We were down in Orlando with Elvis Baskette, which I feel like is a sixth member of the band with his team. It was our second time recording with him, so it felt at home. His house — oh, man. We’re one of the only bands to stay there. Maybe now it’s different. But [it’s] a beautiful mansion — a pool, everything. But what’s so cool about it [is] you breathe and you eat and you sleep music, man. What a creative place to be at as an artist — to wake up and work out and then at 12 noon, go in the studio and be in there until 12 midnight. Just things going on all around the place in the house and never having to leave. So it was great to be able to do that again. And the album came out great. And like I said, luckily, it was before the pandemic, so there wasn’t any stress on that end of things. So I think it made well for a great album.”

The official music video for the latest single from “Blood & Stone”, a song called “Dying To Live”, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Jensen Noen, known for his work with FALLING IN REVERSE, CROWN THE EMPIRE and ASKING ALEXANDRIA, to name a few.

Earlier this year. guitarist Clint Lowery told Front Row Entertainment Live about “Blood & Stone”: “I think this is one of our strongest records in a while. I’m proud of all the music we do. Every band likes to say, ‘Oh, yeah, the new record is the best one we’ve ever done.’ I think it’s a very reflective record for where we’re at musically, where we’re at as a band. So that’s always a goal. I think we just wanna be genuine. We don’t wanna put out a dud record. Not everyone’s gonna like it; we understand that. We just try to do what we do best. We’re not the heaviest band in the world; we’re not a pop-rock band at all either. We’re just this aggressive band that has our own thing, and we stay true to that.”

Last month, SEVENDUST announced its first-ever livestream and its only show of 2020: “Sevendust: Live In Your Living Room”. The event will take place on October 23. The show will be live starting at 9:00 p.m. EDT/6:00 p.m. PDT and available globally at the corresponding hour for each territory. This will be a SEVENDUST show not to be missed as the band will not have any tour dates until 2021.

Tickets for the live stream are $17.00 and available here.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn / Chuck Brueckmann

Read more »

ALTER BRIDGE frontman Myles Kennedy spoke to Terrie Carr of the Morristown, New Jersey radio station 105.5 WDHA about his recently completed second solo album. The LP was tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with the same team that worked on 2018’s “Year Of The Tiger”, including producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette, engineer Jef Moll, as well as drummer Zia Uddin and bassist Tim Tournier.

“When ALTER BRIDGE wrapped up our tour here in the States end of February, I had a feeling I was gonna have plenty of time to do something,” Myles said. “So I took a week off and I started working immediately — demoing tracks, writing — all day every day. And it helped me a lot to process where we were going as people.

“Lyrically, it was a lot harder to write than I thought it was gonna be,” he admitted. “And musically, it was very fun, because now, being at home in my studio and just being able to create all day every day, with no, ‘Oh, there’s a tour coming up.’ It was just, like, ‘You’ve got five months to put a record together. Sit in your studio and work. And then when you get to the real studio with Elvis and the guys, the demos will be done, the pre-production, essentially, 80 percent of it will be done, and you can just press the ‘record’ button and make your record.’ So it was a cool process, and I’m real happy with how it turned out.”

Kennedy went on to say that it was a joy to reconnect with Uddin, Tournier and Baskette for the making of the new album.

“Oh, yeah, it was great,” he said. “It was great, because we actually drove [to the studio in Florida]. So Zia, my drummer, who, we’ve played together for the last 30 years, off and on, since we were in high school. He’s, in my opinion, one of the greatest rock and roll drummers alive; he’s so good, it’s mind-boggling. So we started driving. We left Spokane, with the gear in tow. And then we met Tim about halfway. I think we met somewhere in Tennessee, maybe. Then we after driving to Orlando, we all quarantined. Zia did his drums and then he went home, and then Tim finished up. He hung around for a little while. And then I was there for, I think, seven weeks with Elvis.”

He continued: “It’s a fun environment. We all love each other dearly. I’m serious when I say this: we’re a bunch of middle-aged children. I mean, it’s as if we’ve taken a time machine and we’re in the seventh grade. And the humor is ridiculously silly. I don’t even know how to articulate how ridiculous it gets when you put all of us in a studio together. [Laughs]”

In July, Kennedy told “Offstage With DWP” about the musical direction of the forthcoming LP: “‘Year Of The Tiger’, first of all, is a very dark record, and it’s very stripped down, very acoustic based. This one has elements of that. I wanted to keep a common thread with it. There are acoustic elements. There’s definitely still that element of a lot of slide guitar, a lot of lap steel, ’cause I just love how emotive both those are. But it definitely rocks a little more. There’s no doubt about it — this is more of a rock record, with kind of a heavy R&B undercurrent at times as well. There’s even one song — if it makes the record — which is a full-on Motown thing.

“I’ve got so many [songs] right now,” Myles added. “[The overall direction] is really gonna depend on what makes the record. I think I learned that from David Bowie interview, where he [said he] would try and write… He’d have 40 songs to choose from [for an album], so that way you can make the best statement you can.”

Myles’s tour in support of “Year Of The Tiger” featured music from the album as well as selections from Myles’s work with ALTER BRIDGE, THE MAYFIELD FOUR and SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS.

Read more »

Floridian sludgelords Junior Bruce return to prove they’re the headless kings of swamp metal with their Pray for Death LP.
The post Album Premiere: Junior Bruce – ‘Pray for Death’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Read more »

AC/DC will release its long-awaited comeback album, “Power Up”, on November 13. The follow-up to 2014’s “Rock Or Bust” features AC/DC’s reunited lineup of Brian Johnson (vocals), Phil Rudd (drums), Cliff Williams (bass), Angus Young (guitar) and Stevie Young (guitar). Johnson and Williams both left in 2016 for health reasons; and Rudd was sidelined in 2015 with various legal issues.

In a new interview with “The Hot Breakfast”, which airs on Australia’s Triple M radio station, Angus stated about how the “Power Up” recording lineup came together (hear audio below): “Brian had kept us informed [about his efforts to overcome his hearing loss]. He’d been working with a specialist — hearing people in the U.S. And he was always letting us know that he was having a lot of great results with these people he was working with. And so he himself was going through and testing it in different environments. So he was happy about the way the new technology that they had put together for him [was working out], so he was happy and really eager. I didn’t have to ask him twice to be there, to do this album. And Cliff had said to me at the end of the last tour that we had [done]… I said, ‘Do you want me to contact you if I’m gonna do anything?’ And he said, ‘Yeah. Contact me.’ And I said, ‘And you can see then if you wanna do it or not do it. There’ll be no pressure.’ So we contacted him, and he was, ‘Yeah. I’m on board.’ And Phil, I’d talked to Phil and also seen him a few times. And he was in great shape. But he himself was ready. He said, ‘Yeah, I’ll be there with bells on.’ And then, of course, my nephew, doing Mal’s [late AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young] role. Everyone was excited about doing it. So that was pretty easy to put together.”

The legendary hard rockers postponed the last ten dates of their North American tour in 2016 after doctors told Johnson he faced a total loss of hearing if he did not stop touring immediately. He was eventually replaced on the road by GUNS N’ ROSES vocalist Axl Rose.

“It was pretty serious,” Brian told Rolling Stone earlier this month. “I couldn’t hear the tone of the guitars at all. It was a horrible kind of deafness. I was literally getting by on muscle memory and mouth shapes. I was starting to really feel bad about the performances in front of the boys, in front of the audience. It was crippling. There’s nothing worse than standing there and not being sure… The docs said, ‘Deaf is deaf, son.’ Cliff and Angus didn’t want to be responsible for me damaging my ears any further. … Shit happens. At least it wasn’t terminal.”

Johnson eventually found a specialist willing to try an experimental treatment on him and he spent three years figuring out a solution.

“The first time he came down he brought this thing that looked like a car battery,” Johnson said of the specialist. “I went, ‘What in the hell is that?’ He said, ‘We’re going to miniaturize it.’ It took two and a half years. He came down once a month. We’d sit there and it was boring as shit with all these wires and computer screens and noises. But it was well worth it. The only thing I can tell you is that it uses the bone structure in the skull as a receiver. That’s as much as I can tell you.”

Rudd was ousted from AC/DC when he was sentenced to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand court in 2015 after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession.

Rudd, who has appeared on all but three of AC/DC’s 18 studio albums, toured in support of his 2014 solo debut, “Head Job”. It was the release of that album that led indirectly to Rudd’s arrest, with the drummer allegedly so angry at a personal assistant over the way the record was promoted that he threatened to have the man and his daughter killed.

Johnson told Rolling Stone that he and the rest of AC/DC welcomed Rudd with open arms. “I speak for all the boys with Phil,” he said. “We defend Phil to the hilt. What happened up there, that’s not the Phil we know. That was just something else. He’s really looking brilliant now and doing everything great.”

Williams recently revealed that a “terrible” bout with vertigo contributed to his 2016 retirement. He also admitted the return of both Johnson and Rudd convinced him to return to the group. “It was like the old band back together,” he told Rolling Stone. “It was not like starting over again, but as close to the band that’s been together for 40-plus years as we can possibly make it. I didn’t want to miss that.”

“Power Up” was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O’Brien, who also worked 2008’s “Black Ice” and 2014’s “Rock Or Bust”.

Read more »

Reverb, the largest online marketplace dedicated to buying and selling new, used, and vintage musical instruments, announced today that it has partnered with Wolf Hoffmann, longtime guitarist for ACCEPT, to sell guitars, amps, and more used on albums and tours from throughout the heavy metal guitarist’s career. The official Wolf Hoffmann Reverb shop will launch Wednesday, October 28.

“These guitars and amps have been part of my life and my music for decades, appearing on ACCEPT albums and tours as early as the 1980s,” said Hoffmann. “As tough as it is for me to part with these instruments, I’ll be happy to see them find a new home in the hands of the next generation of heavy metal players.”

Hoffmann’s collection includes a 1980 50W Marshall MK II amp that Hoffmann bought in the 1980s and used “on just about every ACCEPT album since then” as well as a 1987 Marshall 50W MK II amp that was made for Hoffmann by Marshall’s Dirk Baldringer and used to record the albums “Objection Overruled”, “Deathrow” and “Predator”.

“This is the amp I used for recording and touring all through the ’90s,” Hoffmann said of the 1987 amp. “It’s the main sound I used for many years back then. It’s been used to record many albums and has been with me around the world several times.”

Other music gear that will be available in the Wolf Hoffmann Reverb shop on October 28 includes:

* An original Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster that Hoffmann used in the studio on all of ACCEPT’s albums in the 1980s and 1990s. “This little beat-up pedal was part of my guitar sound ever since the early ’80s,” he said. “It was used on all albums, from ‘Breaker’ and ‘Restless And Wild’ to ‘Balls To The Wall’ and ‘Metal Heart’.”

*A Charvel USA Custom Shop Stratocaster guitar used throughout ACCEPT’s “Blood Of The Nations” tour. “Charvels are a truly quintessential rock and heavy metal guitar,” said Hoffmann.

*A Hamer Vector Korina guitar that was built for Hoffmann in the 1990s. “This guitar is one of a kind,” Hoffmann said. “I used it at several festivals throughout Europe in 2005 and extensively in the studio.”

* A Hamer Archtop electric guitar that Hoffmann used live and in the studio throughout the 1990s.

*A Fender Princeton Combo amp that Hoffmann was told came from THE WHO’s touring crew. “I kept the little amp for all these years imagining that maybe Pete Townsend might have jammed on it at some point,” he said.

To preview the gear that will be available in the official Wolf Hoffmann Reverb shop and to sign up to be notified when the shop goes live on October 28, go to this location.

Read more »

In a new interview with Full Metal Jackie’s nationally syndicated radio show, JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford spoke about what it was like recording the audiobook version of his recently released autobiography, “Confess”.

“Well, here’s the test,” Rob said. “When you read a book next time, try reading it out loud, because it’s a completely different [experience], I tell you.

“It took me just over a week of about four or five hours a session. And it was amazing — it really was — because I’m now reading the complete book, and there were many, many moments where I had to kind of regain my composure, because the book is full of emotion — a lot of raw pure emotions down to the bare bones. [It’s one thing] to kind of read that from the page but another to speak it out. And it was amazing.

“I was encouraged by the producer who was over in New Jersey, and I was in Phoenix, and we had link-ups going all over the place, because I wanted to give my best performance like I’ve always tried to do,” he continued. “So we got through it.

“I haven’t heard the audiobook yet. I’d be interested to hear the sound of my own voice. Which I’ve told you before, Jackie — I hate the sound of my own voice,” Halford added. “It’s like I hate watching myself on stage and video or anything. But the time will come when I do that. And I would like to think that it gives it a little bit of extra value in the human connection. And I know a lot of metal maniac readers do enjoy the audio experience.”

“Confess” arrived on September 29 via Hachette Books.

Known as “The Metal God” by his devoted, global fan base, Halford has always subverted the norm, and “Confess” offers readers a compelling, heartfelt and honest look at the struggles Rob has faced with addiction and his sexuality as well as exploring his music and his many brushes with controversy.

Written with Ian Gittins, co-writer of “The Heroin Diaries” by Nikki Sixx, the book charts Halford’s rock and roll lifestyle from the late eighties to the band’s 50th anniversary in 2020.

Halford explained: “‘Confess’ is a unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to expose every facet of myself. Digging deep with nothing to hide and nothing to fear was in many ways exciting, fun, disturbing, terrifying and cathartic. I’ve held nothing back. It’s time for me to ‘Confess’.”

In a recent interview with Robert Cavuoto of Sonic Perspectives, Halford stated about the book’s title: “I would like to feel there are parts of this book which are relatable to others. Everybody is the same, as we all share similar life experiences. There are so many things that happen to us; we are almost identical no matter where we are from. I’ve traveled the world and seen how our music can touch people from all walks of life and professions. Confessing these stories or episodes is important, and it gives the reader a look-see into this guy that you only see from one point of view.”

Asked if he has any regrets about sharing some of his stories with the world, his friends, his family and bandmates, Halford said: “That’s a really great question. When I was sitting with [co-writer] Ian [Gittins, who also co-wrote The New York Times bestseller ‘The Heroin Diaries’ by Nikki Sixx], I was very open and honest. It just flows out of me. Being clean and sober for 30 years, I don’t lie anymore, nor do I hold anything back. I like people to be the same towards me.

“I don’t doubt for one minute that some people will be shocked by what’s in ‘Confess’. This is my life, and me telling you all the important parts of it. It’s up to you to decide how to interrupt and utilize it.

“Going one step further, when I was having these long sessions with Ian, I would stop and go, ‘Why did I say that?’ particularly with some of the family incidents. I really had to let that go.

“When you are confessing, it’s exactly what you are doing. To protect certain individuals, we just changed their names out of respect.

“It’s crazy — some days I feel great that it’s all out there. Some days I would like to rewrite a paragraph or part all over.

“I’m sure I’m not the first person who has made this kind of book.

“Quite frankly, if I weren’t feeling that way, I would think there is something wrong with me.”

Halford is not the first member of PRIEST’s classic lineup to release a book. Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing released his autobiography, “Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest”, in September 2018 via Da Capo Press.

In 2009, original JUDAS PRIEST singer Al Atkins released his autobiography, titled “Dawn Of The Metal Gods: My Life In Judas Priest And Heavy Metal”. JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill penned the foreword to the book, which was written with Neil Daniels — a freelance rock writer and heavy metal fan who befriended Atkins during the writing of Neil’s book “The Story Of Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith” (Omnibus Press).

View this post on Instagram

“Confess audio book recording done and dusted!”(preorder available now at all major online sites and bookstores)???????#heavymetal #ink #tattoo #read #books #listen #learn #life #story #true #facts #open #up #love #family #friends #fans #one #world #peace #respect #all @headlinebooks @hachetteus @hachettebooks
A post shared by Metal God (@robhalfordlegacy) on Aug 4, 2020 at 9:10pm PDT

Read more »

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has released the official music video for the new version of his song “The Perfect World”. The reworked track features guest vocals by Japanese pop singer Alfakyun and is included on Marty’s new solo album, Tokyo Jukebox 3″, which is being released today (Wednesday, October 21) in Japan. According to Billboard, the LP also features Marty’s cover versions of a wide variety of pop songs, including such contemporary numbers as LiSA’s “Gurenge” and OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM’s “Shukumei”, along with DA PUMP’s dance track “U.S.A.”, END OF THE WORLD’s ballad “Sazanka”, and the vocaloid hit “Senbonzakura Feat. Hatsune Miku”. Some throwback J-pop hits from the ’90s are included on the set as well, such as ZARD’s “Makenaide” and EVERY LITTLE THING’s “Time Goes By”.

The original version of “The Perfect World”, which featured MAN WITH A MISSION vocalist Jeanken Johnny, was released in 2018 and served as the main theme for the Netflix series “B: The Beginning”.

Marty revealed the Tokyo Jukebox 3″ cover artwork via his social media in late August, and he included the following message: “Just like everyone, I’ve had a real tough time dealing with 2020. We all suffered from a massive lack of fun this year, so I made it my mission to make feel-good, serotonin-level-raising music of the highest order, stuff that will hopefully kick you all in the feels, and hard.

“Making the album during a pandemic had its hellish challenges, but everyone is facing hardships now, so I was just thankful to have such cathartic work to do.

“Guitar fans will notice, and hopefully enjoy, some pretty cool updates to my guitar sounds. I’ve discovered that when you take off all spatial effects like reverbs and delays, your solo expressions can often live and breathe more, and have an urgency and unique attack to them, that I’m really digging.”

Several weeks ago, Friedman told Bob Nalbandian of the “Shockwaves/HardRadio” podcast that he was putting the finishing touches on his new solo album. Asked what fans can expect to hear on the follow-up to 2017’s “Wall Of Sound”, Marty said: “Any record that I do, as you know, as everybody who listens to my stuff knows, it’s gonna be — at least in my opinion — one step further, deeper, more, above, whatever it is; just a new step farther ahead, advanced — just something I’ve never done before. And I’ve had the luxury of much more time and much more of other people’s time as well.

“Usually, it’s really hard to track down and nail down members and studio people,” he explained. “You really wanna have your ‘A team,’ but sometimes the ‘A team’ is very busy. But now it’s been a lot easier to get people on board who are usually really, really busy, so scheduling has been just a breeze. And [I] love that.”

Released in Japan in 2009 and 2011, respectively, “Tokyo Jukebox” and “Tokyo Jukebox 2” — the ninth and eleventh chapters in Friedman’s influential solo discography — featured energetic instrumental covers of Japanese pop (J-Pop) songs that can be enjoyed by anyone with a sweet tooth for melody, and captured Friedman’s passion for the music of his adopted home country — although, as he warned in the liner notes, “I took the liberty of destroying and reconstructing them my own way.”

Featuring Jeremy Colson (STEVE VAI, BILLY IDOL) on drums, “Tokyo Jukebox” featured reconstructed covers of J-Pop and J-Rock hits selected by readers of Japan’s top entertainment magazine. “Tokyo Jukebox 2”, meanwhile, was recorded in Los Angeles at The Village (AEROSMITH, KISS), and featured guest performances by Jason Bittner (OVERKILL, SHADOWS FALL) and Keshav Dhar (SKYHARBOR). The albums featured tracks originally performed by acclaimed Japanese acts such as MR. CHILDREN, SMAP, PERFUME and MAXIMUM THE HORMONE.

As previously reported, Marty’s long-awaited documentary, titled “Spacefox”, will tentatively arrive in 2021. The film, which is being directed by Jeremy Frindel, the founder of Substratum Films, follows Friedman’s reinvention from lead guitarist in MEGADETH to one of the most famous TV personalities in Japan.

This past June, Friedman released a “Home Jams” version of his song “Self Pollution”, which originally appeared on “Wall Of Sound”. The new rendition of the song features Friedman, along with his longtime bandmates Kiyoshi (bass) and Jordan Ziff (guitar), plus Anup Sastry (drums). The split-screen video was filmed in Tokyo, Osaka, Phoenix and Baltimore, with each musician separated in his or her home.

Friedman’s latest record, “One Bad M.F. Live!!”, came out in October 2018. The album was recorded in Mexico City on April 14, 2018 during the final concert of Friedman’s world tour in support of “Wall Of Sound”.

“Wall Of Sound” was released in August 2017 via Prosthetic Records.

Read more »