New RATT lead guitarist Jordan Ziff — who is also a member of Marty Friedman's backing band — recently spoke with Mark Strigl of Talking Metal. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On joining RATT: Jordan: "It's just one of those things ...
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Members of BLACK SABBATH, KISS, MEGADETH and KING DIAMOND are among the rock musicians who reacted on social media to the passing of RUSH's Neil Peart. The iconic drummer passed away on Tuesday (January 7) in Santa Monica, California after having been diagnosed with brain cancer. A statement posted on the band's official Twitter page ...
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A screening of the documentary film "Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet" about Jason Becker, the guitarist/composer who has had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's Disease) for 30 years, will take place at the Granite Bay High School in Granite Bay, California on Saturday, February 8 between 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. PST. Depending ...
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Chester Bennington's widow wants to set the record straight: she did not get remarried on New Year's Eve, the anniversary of the date she tied the knot with the LINKIN PARK lead singer back in 2005. Talinda Bennington actually walked down the aisle on January 4, four months after she announced her engagement to Los ...
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According to TMZ, Chester Bennington's widow got remarried on January 4 at Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku, Hawaii. The groom is Los Angeles County firefighter Michael Friedman. Talinda and Chester's three children — son Tyler and twins Lilly and Lila — attended the ceremony, along with other friends and family members. ...
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Earlier today, MEGADETH guitarist Kiko Loureiro took part in a live YouTube video stream in which he showed his channel subscribers how to practice a challenging guitar solo. Check it out below. Back in January, Kiko said that one of the most memorable experiences he has had as a member of MEGADETH was the very ...
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Former MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland is working on a memoir with the help of Thom Hazaert, who recently co-authored MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson's "More Life With Deth". The book is titled "Liar: Truth, Highs, And Consequences", and will tentatively be released sometime in 2020, in partnership with Combat Records and Ellefson Books. It will also ...
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Jason Becker, the guitarist/composer who has had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's Disease) for 30 years, has posted the following message on his web site: "Hi everyone, "I'm feeling very grateful for the blessings in my life — for you all, and for your prayers and their effect on me. I had an ...
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In a brand new interview with Brazil's Lokaos Rock Show, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was asked if he ever imagined, when he "left" the band in 2002, that he would one day return to the group that he launched more than 35 years ago with MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine. "Technically, MEGADETH ...
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Guitarist Marty Friedman (MEGADETH, CACOPHONY) recently spoke with Australia's Everblack Media. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On his "Super Band From Japan" backing band: Marty: "I'm sure everybody's going to love my band. They might come to see me, but when ...
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This afternoon (Friday, December 13), come hang with DRAGONFORCE's Herman Li and MEGADETH's Kiko Loureiro on Twitch. Beginning at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET, Li and Loureiro will chat with you and do some jamming too. In a 2016 interview with Communities Digital News, Li said that he started ...
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Lita Ford is putting the finishing touches on her long-awaited new solo album, tentatively due in 2020. The follow-up to 2012's "Living Like A Runaway" is once again being helmed by guitarist/producer Gary Hoey, who contributes some guitar playing to the disc, alongside the rest of Ford's backing band, which continues to consist of guitarist ...
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Former MEGADETH lead guitarist Marty Friedman has recently added songs from his debut solo album, "Dragon's Kiss", to his live repertoire. Released in 1988 via Shrapnel, "Dragon's Kiss" followed up Friedman and Jason Becker's legendary CACOPHONY album, "Speed Metal Symphony", which quickly put the two players on the guitar playing map. Friedman and Becker would ...
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Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman spoke to Australia's Silver Tiger Media about the music industry's "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" ethos and how it has somewhat been taken over in recent years by a desire to be healthy and fit. "You know, I'm not a guy who likes to promote ...
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Lita Ford has confirmed to Rockin' Metal Revival in a new interview that she is putting the finishing touches on her long-awaited new solo album. "Well, I don't even wanna talk about it yet," she said (hear audio below). "Because it's almost done, it's almost ready to find a home — we need to find ...
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David Ellefson says that "Risk" was "very much a transitional record" for MEGADETH, explaining that it was made during a time when "heavy metal had such a horrible stigma" in America. Issued in 1999, "Risk" received a mixed response from critics and alienated hardcore MEGADETH fans due to its departure from the band's heavy thrash ...
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Jason Becker, the guitarist/composer who has had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's Disease) for 30 years, underwent two cataract surgeries last week. He says: "My vision is still funky, but slowly getting better." Becker's latest procedure comes six months after he had an operation to drain the abscess in his lung. Becker's story ...
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Lita Ford invited 12-year-old Helena Harris to sing "Kiss Me Deadly" with her during her August 31 concert at the Canyon in Santa Clarita, California. Video footage of the performance can be seen below. "Kiss Me Deadly" is Ford's signature song and the most successful track she has recorded on her own ("Close My Eyes ...
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Guitarist Marty Friedman (MEGADETH, CACOPHONY) recently spoke with Andrew McKaysmith of the "Scars And Guitars" podcast. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): On his reaction when people call him the greatest lead guitarist in thrash metal history: Marty: "You never get tired of hearing that people ...
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Fan-filmed video footage of Lita Ford's August 28 performance at Univest Performance Center in Quakertown, Pennsylvania can be seen below. Earlier this year, Lita told The Metal Voice that she was putting the finishing touches on the follow-up to 2012's "Living Like A Runaway" album. Helming the new project once again is guitarist/producer Gary Hoey, ...
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In a recent interview with Australia's Heavy magazine, guitarist Marty Friedman spoke about what he has taken from being in bands such as CACOPHONY and MEGADETH, all the way to his current solo career, which finds him playing challenging, unconventional instrumental metal. Since his 1999 departure from MEGADETH, Friedman moved to Japan, where he established ...
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Guitar legend Marty Friedman (MEGADETH, CACOPHONY) recently spoke with Paul Tadday of Australia's Amnplify. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On moving to Japan: Marty: "It [was] a crazy decision, but it was really something I just had to do. It was all about the music. ...
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Richie Faulkner says that K.K. Downing "looked and sounded great" when he returned to the live stage earlier this month as a special guest of ex-MANOWAR axeman Ross "The Boss" Friedman. Downing's August 11 appearance at the Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Park, Derbyshire, United Kingdom marked K.K.'s first public performance since October 17, ...
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The official music video for the song "Love Gets Us All" from HEAVY AS TEXAS, the aggressive metal project featuring acclaimed guitarist Marzi Montazeri and vocalist Kyle Thomas — otherwise recognized as members of Louisiana-based metal pioneers EXHORDER — can be seen below. The track is taken from HEAVY AS TEXAS's self-titled album, which was ...
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In a brand new interview with Eonmusic, ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing was asked about the possibility of taking part in the band's upcoming 50th-anniversary tour, alongside other former members Al Atkins and and Tim "Ripper" Owens. He responded: "Yeah, lots of things could happen, but I think the main thing is, lots ...
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Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing joined ex-MANOWAR axeman Ross "The Boss" Friedman on stage earlier today (Sunday, August 11) at this year's Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Park, Derbyshire, United Kingdom to perform four songs. This marked K.K.'s first public performance since October 17, 2009 when JUDAS PRIEST played the final "British Steel ...
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Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing joined ex-MANOWAR axeman Ross "The Boss" Friedman for four songs earlier today (Sunday, August 11) at this year's Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Park, Derbyshire, United Kingdom. This marked K.K.'s first public performance since October 17, 2009 when JUDAS PRIEST played the final "British Steel 30th Anniversary" date ...
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Ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing says that he hasn't been approached by his former bandmates about taking part in the group's upcoming 50th-anniversary tour, which is expected to launch next spring/summer. PRIEST recently announced that it will mark the half-century milestone with a world tour in 2020, including an appearance at next year's edition of ...
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In a brand new interview with "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon", original JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing was asked if he regrets leaving the group eight years ago. He responded: "I don't know. As I said before, everybody has the perception that PRIEST is a massive band and that, but in reality, so many other ...
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K.K. Downing has clarified his recent comments about JUDAS PRIEST, saying that he "still hopes" he can get in a room with his former bandmates and talk about the possibility of his return to the group. Last week, the guitarist gave an interview to The Metal Voice in which he said about PRIEST: "I thought ...
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