Internationally renowned Canadian keyboard player Michael Fonfara has died in a Toronto hospital on January 8, 2021, due to complications from his two-year battle with cancer. He was 74. Born in Stevensville, Ontario in 1946, the former Lou Reed keyboardist/bandleader appeared on nine of Reed's albums between 1974 and 2005, including his highest-charting U.S. album ...
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During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Talkin' Rock With Meltdown" podcast, former VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony was asked when the last time was that he spoke to Eddie Van Halen before the legendary guitarist died last October. Michael responded (hear audio below): "We actually hadn't spoken [for many years], and unfortunately, ...
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Michael Schenker will release a new MSG (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) album "Immortal", on January 29, 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The album title is a perfect statement describing Schenker's legacy and to celebrate his 50th anniversary as a musician. Today, the band has released the official lyric video for its latest single, "Sail The Darkness". Vocalist ...
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In a new video posted to his Zetro's Toxic Vault YouTube channel, EXODUS frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza confirmed that the band's upcoming album, "Persona Non Grata", will be released this summer via Nuclear Blast. It will be the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' first release ...
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GROUND CONTROL, the supergroup featuring SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR's Corey Taylor, FOO FIGHTERS' Taylor Hawkins, and JANE'S ADDICTION's Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney, will perform at "A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day!" live streaming concert this weekend. Produced by David Bowie's longest-standing band member Mike Garson, in partnership with Stacey Sher and Kerry Brown ...
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Marty Friedman (MEGADETH), Mark Morton (LAMB OF GOD), Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT), Gus G. (FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE), Michael Amott (ARCH ENEMY), Jens Johansson (STRATOVARIUS), Mikael Stanne (DARK TRANQUILLITY) and SONATA ARCTICA are amont the heavy metal musicians who have reacted on social media to the passing of former CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman Alexi Laiho. The Finnish ...
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The legendary Danish studio where JUDAS PRIEST recorded parts of its "Ram It Down" album has been destroyed in a fire (see photos from Pressefotos.dk below). According to Foreigner.fi, the Puk Recording Studios complex, located in Gjerlev, north of the city of Randers, in western Denmark, burned down early Monday (December ...
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Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH), Slash (GUNS N' ROSES), Neal Schon (JOURNEY), Joe Satriani, David Coverdale (WHITESNAKE), Joe Bonamassa, Joey DeMaio (MANOWAR), Rex Brown (PANTERA), Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL), Jeff Scott Soto (SONS OF APOLLO), Todd Kerns (SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS) and Michael Amott (ARCH ENEMY) are among the rockers who have reacted ...
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DOKKEN leader Don Dokken has reflected on the passing of QUIET RIOT drummer Frankie Banali. Banali, who joined QUIET RIOT in 1982 and played on its breakthrough album, 1983's "Metal Health", the first heavy metal LP to top Billboard's album chart, died in August after a 16-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Speaking to
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Stern Pinball, Inc., a global lifestyle brand based on the iconic and outrageously fun modern American game of pinball, announced today a new line of pinball machines based on the legendary rock band LED ZEPPELIN and its music. The LED ZEPPELIN pinball machines will be available in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition (LE) models. Formed ...
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EXODUS's "Bonded By Blood" guitar book is now available for pre-order. The book features guitar tab and notation for all nine songs from the 1985 EXODUS album release. All songs were transcribed note for note from the original recordings by EXODUS touring guitarist Kragen Lum (also of HEATHEN) and Ernie Ball's ...
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Michael Schenker will release a new MSG (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) album "Immortal", on January 29, 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The album title is a perfect statement describing Schenker's legacy and to celebrate his 50th anniversary as a musician. Today, the band has released the official music video for its new power ballad "After The Rain". ...
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During a December 6 Headbangers Con live virtual panel, EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt revealed that "new music" from the band will be made available in June 2021. EXODUS's upcoming album, "Persona Non Grata" will be the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' first release since the ...
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On Tuesday, December 8, former NIGHTWISH vocalist Tarja Turunen took part in an Instagram Live chat with current NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen. You can now watch th entire 48-minute discussion below. Speaking about how she has been spending her coronavirus downtime, Floor said: "I'm writing new music. I would like to release a solo record ...
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DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll has once again spoken out about his battle with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. The musician, who spent almost two weeks on a ventilator in an intensive care unit at a Northern California hospital, first got sick when he and the rest of DEATH ANGEL spent more ...
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Graham Bonnet has clarified his recent comment that he will "still be recording and performing with ALCATRAZZ" despite the fact that he has parted ways with the musicians who performed with him on the band's latest album, "Born Innocent". On December 4, ALCATRAZZ members Jimmy Waldo, Joe Stump, Gary Shea and Mark Benquechea issued a ...
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IRON MAIDEN has uploaded a video of guitarist Adrian Smith playing the song "Gangland" for the first time in many years. The track is taken from MAIDEN's 1982 album "The Number Of The Beast", which was the band's first LP to feature vocalist Bruce Dickinson and the songwriting contributions of Smith, who had joined the ...
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This Tuesday, December 8, former NIGHTWISH vocalist Tarja Turunen will take part in an Instagram Live chat with current NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen. The discussion will start at 19:30 CET / 1:30 p.m. EST / 10:30 a.m. PST. Tarja announced the chat via her Facebook page on Sunday (December 6). She ...
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Dave McClain says that he has "no regrets" about leaving MACHINE HEAD more than two years ago. The drummer, who joined the California metal band in 1995, announced his departure from MACHINE HEAD in October 2018. McClain, along with guitarist Phil Demmel, went on to complete the Robb Flynn-fronted act's "Freaks & Zeroes Tour" before ...
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Graham Bonnet says that he will "still be recording and performing with ALCATRAZZ" despite the fact that he has parted ways with the musicians who performed with him on the band's latest album, "Born Innocent". Earlier today, ALCATRAZZ members Jimmy Waldo, Joe Stump, Gary Shea and Mark Benquechea issued a statement saying that will be ...
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New Orleans disciples of hardcore, blues-based, post-amplified audio wreckage EYEHATEGOD have set a March 12 release date for the band's first new full-length album in seven years, "A History Of Nomadic Behavior". The official visualizer for the disc's first single, "High Risk Trigger", can be seen below. Lyrically, the song is cryptic and abstract, but ...
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ALCATRAZZ members Jimmy Waldo, Joe Stump, Gary Shea and Mark Benquechea will be joined by singer Doogie White (RAINBOW, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST) for all their 2021 touring. "ALCATRAZZ are extremely excited to be able to announce that our good friend Doogie White will be singing with us for all of our 2021 tour ...
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EXODUS singer Steve "Zetro" Souza has praised Tom Hunting's performance on the band's upcoming album, "Persona Non Grata", saying it was "the most focused" he has ever seen the drummer on an LP. Tentatively due in the summer of 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records, "Persona Non Grata" will be the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In ...
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On December 26, Grey Haven Media will release video of a conversation between current EXODUS frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza and the band's former vocalist Rob Dukes, recorded earlier in the month at Zetro's studio in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of Souza's "Zetro's Toxic Vault" YouTube interview series. The one-hour-plus discussion is described ...
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In a new interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Sammy Hagar discussed Wolfgang Van Halen's recent revelation that his father, legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, had contemplated a "kitchen-sink tour" that would have included bassist Michael Anthony, as well as vocal turns from both Hagar and David Lee Roth. There was ...
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Former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal says that the band's much-maligned 2008 album "Chinese Democracy" is a "one-of-a-kind" record that will be looked upon more favorably by fans as time goes on. Thal joined GUNS N' ROSES in 2006 and played on "Chinese Democracy", an album which contained music that had been written ...
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Ex-EXODUS guitarist Rick Hunolt says that he is tentatively set to play some live shows with his former bandmates in support of their upcoming album, "Persona Non Grata", which is due in the summer of 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. At the end of a recent video question-and-answer session with fans, Hunolt said (see below): ...
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In a new interview with Steve Baltin of Forbes, Wolfgang Van Halen was asked how he dealt with all the negativity he was subjected to online after it was announced he was stepping in for Michael Anthony on VAN HALEN's reunion tour with David Lee Roth. He responded: "I don't think ...
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Michael Schenker has completed the recording of a brand new MSG (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) album "Immortal", which will be released on January 29, 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The album title is a perfect statement describing Schenker's legacy and to celebrate his 50th anniversary as a musician. Today, the band has released a lyric video for ...
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In a new interview with Rod Ryan of the Houston, Texas radio station 94.5 The Buzz, Wolfgang Van Halen discussed his recent revelation that his father, legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, had contemplated a "kitchen-sink tour" that would have included bassist Michael Anthony, as well as vocal turns from both Sammy Hagar and ...
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