Alternative Music
MICHAEL SCHENKER Looks Back On His Brief Stint As Guitarist Of RATT: ‘I Couldn’t Wait To Get Out Of It’
In a new interview with The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn, legendary German guitarist Michael Schenker reflected on how he agreed, in late 1990, during one of the MCAULEY SCHENKER GROUP‘s many breaks, to do a favor for his friend Warren DeMartini and temporarily replaced Robbin Crosby in Los Angeles glam rockers RATT. “That was harmless; it was absolutely harmless,” Michael said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “Warren DeMartini is an absolute Michael Schenker fan, and he became a friend. So, Robin [McAuley] and I, we joined the same management, Left Bank. And so I did two things. There was a six-month break for Robin and myself before we were gonna start recording the next album, and in those six months I was approached by the Left Bank management and record...
SAXON Releases Lyric Video For ‘Super Nova’
British heavy metal legends SAXON have released the official lyric video for their new song “Super Nova”. The track is taken from the band’s latest album, “Carpe Diem”. Produced by Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, EXODUS, ACCEPT) at Backstage Recording Studios in Derbyshire with singer Biff Byford and Sneap mixing and mastering, “Carpe Diem” strikes the ear as one of the most essential British metal statements of the last few years and not lacking in pace or bite, an album which will ignite the joy in stalwart supporters and attract a whole new legion to the SAXON fold. Sneap, himself a guitarist and producer of some metal repute, ensures that “Carpe Diem” does not lack one ounce of grit or sharpness. “Andy‘s obviously a very good ...
DEFTONES Officially Recruit Former MARILYN MANSON Bassist FRED SABLAN
DEFTONES have recruited Fred Sablan as their new touring bassist following the recent departure of Sergio Vega. Sablan made his live debut with the DEFTONES Thursday night (April 14) at the opening concert of the band’s spring 2022 U.S. tour at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter in Portland, Oregon. Sablan is best known as the former bassist for MARILYN MANSON, having toured and recorded with the shock rocker between 2010 and 2014. He has also played bass for CHELSEA WOLFE and PETER HOOK AND THE LIGHT, and is a member of the punk-rock supergroup HEAVENS BLADE alongside YOUTH CODE singer Sara Taylor, ROB ZOMBIE bassist Piggy D. (on guitar) and SUICIDE SILENCE drummer Alex Lopez. Vega, who officially joined DEFTONES in 2009, confirmed his exit last month, just days after a new photo o...
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Releases Lyric Video For New Single ‘AfterLife’
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has released the official lyric video for “AfterLife”, the title track of the band’s upcoming studio album. Check it out below. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH‘s follow-up to 2020’s “F8” was once again recorded at the Hideout Recording Studio, the Las Vegas, Nevada facility owned and operated by Kevin Churko, the Canadian record producer/engineer and songwriter who has worked on all of FIVE FINGER‘s albums beginning with the band’s sophomore release, 2009’s “War Is The Answer”. “AfterLife” will be FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH‘s first album with its latest addition, renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who replaced Jason Hook in 2020. James was previously featured on “Broken WorldR...
Roar Star Alison Brie on How GLOW Changed Her Career: “It Just Emboldened Me as a Person”
Alison Brie‘s resume is packed with notable roles, from her breakout performance as Trudy Campbell, Pete Campbell’s spirited and long-suffering wife on Mad Men, her charming six-season run on Community as plucky and eager Annie Edison, and voice work in BoJack Horseman and The LEGO Movie. But as she tells Consequence, perhaps the most seismic project of her career was in GLOW, the Netflix comedy which fictionalized the creation of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling promotion from the 1980s. In the series, created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, Brie played Ruth Wilder, one of the operation’s founding wrestlers and creative influences, in a series that met with its share of behind-the-scenes controversies with regard to its treatment of people of color, but was unabashedly feminist in its st...
Lizzo Announces New Album, SPECIAL, Shares “About Damn Time”: Stream
It’s About Damn Time: Lizzo has announced her highly anticipated new album, SPECIAL, which will be released on July 15th. As a preview, the self-proclaimed “Bop Star” has shared the cheeky new single, “About Damn Time.” The upbeat single is a celebration tailor-made for the summer months, as Lizzo stretches her vocals over a disco-influenced beat. “Turn up the music, turn down the lights/ I’ve got a feeling I’m gon’ be alright/ Okay alright, it’s about damn time,” she sings. “Turn up the music, let’s celebrate/ I’ve got a feeling I’m gon’ be okay.” Watch the song’s accompanying video below. Since her 2019 breakthrough record Cuz I Love You, Lizzo has stayed pretty quiet. Last August, she released the Cardi B collab “Rumors,” which we named Song of the Week, and in September, she ...
SAULT Drop Surprise Album Air: Stream
SAULT have unfurled a surprise new album called Air. The studio set came with little warning or fanfare from the mysterious British collective, who wiped their Instagram feed just hours before releasing the record to reveal its simple cover art. It dropped with seven tracks: “Reality,” “June 55,” “Solar,” “Heart,” “Lous Higher,” the title track, and “Time Is Precious.” On the latter, SAULT lean into a capella gospel sounds as they preach “Don’t waste time ’cause time is precious/ It’s your only time you’ve got here/ Life will always bring its precious/ Music, wise up, keep those treasures.” Related Video Air is available for purchase as either a CD, a vinyl LP, or a name-your-price digital download. Stream Air and check out the album’s artwork and tracklist after the jump. A...
DaBaby Shot a Trespasser at His North Carolina Home: Report
On Wednesday evening, a trespasser was shot at the Troutman, North Carolina mansion of controversial rapper DaBaby. Local news reported that DaBaby was home at the time, with police officers suggesting he was somehow involved. Now, TMZ confirms that DaBaby himself pulled the trigger. According to law enforcement sources, DaBaby exchanged words with the intruder before shooting the man in the leg. He then dialed 911, and police arrived at around 7:45 p.m. The rapper reportedly cooperated with police and no arrests have been made. The trespasser was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries. Troutman Police Chief Josh Watson called the event an “isolated incident” that posed no further risk to the community. He added that the interloper didn’t live in the area and w...
JASON NEWSTED Says He Was Approached To Join ALEX VAN HALEN And JOE SATRIANI For New VAN HALEN Tour
Former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted has told The Palm Beach Post in a new interview that he almost joined an all-star VAN HALEN tribute project six months ago. VAN HALEN drummer Alex Van Halen had already tapped Joe Satriani to play guitar, Newsted said, and the two were searching for a bass player for a possible VAN HALEN tour. Newsted said he agreed to go to California to jam with the guys and see if it felt right, but he eventually realized that it would be impossible to do justice to VAN HALEN‘s legacy. “How could you?” he said. “There’s nobody that can top it, so how do you show it honor? I didn’t want it to be viewed as a money grab. And then it kind of just all fizzled.” Last June, Eddie Van Halen‘s son Wolfgang Van Halen, who joine...
ANN WILSON Says HEART Has ‘Big Plans’ For 50th Anniversary: ‘It’s Gonna Be A Great Event’
In a new interview with HeadBangers LifeStyle, HEART singer Ann Wilson was asked if there are any plans for the band to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Well, it’s a little bit too early for me to be talking about that, but we do have big plans. And it’s gonna be a great event. That’s really all I can say at this point because it’s such early days. And we will be dropping little information as the plans get locked. I don’t wanna just start talking about it now until things are actual reality.” Ann‘s latest comments come just days after she denied rumors of a rift with her sister and HEART bandmate Nancy. In an interview in the 300th issue of Classic Rock, Ann said that she is ̶...
HARLEY FLANAGAN Doesn’t See Classic CRO-MAGS Lineup Ever Reuniting: ‘That Ship Has Kind Of Sailed’
During an appearance on “Talking Bollocks”, the monthly metal podcast hosted by ACID REIGN frontman-turned-stand-up-comedian Howard H. Smith, Harley Flanagan, who founded the legendary hardcore band the CRO-MAGS at the age of 14, was asked if he thinks the classic lineup of the CRO-MAGS will ever reunite. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Nah, really, sadly, I don’t. And you know what? For those of you who’ve followed my social bullshit media and all that, you see that I’ve been over it for many, many years. I’ve extended the olive branch to all these fucking guys a gazillion times. Even with all the bickering that has gone on, back and forth, I’ve always been willing to talk, I’ve always been willing to try to see wha...
DRAGONFORCE’s HERMAN LI: ‘It Was An Honor’ To Help Raise More Than $600,000 For JASON BECKER
Last year, some of the world’s most legendary musicians teamed up with DRAGONFORCE‘s Herman Li in a bid to raise funds for guitar shred pioneer Jason Becker, who has been living with ALS for the past three decades. Such high-profile guitarists as Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Marty Friedman joined Li live on his Twitch channel for some impromptu jamming, with all proceeds going directly to help pay for Becker‘s medical expenses. Becker — the composer, virtuoso musician, and former child guitar prodigy — has been suffering from ALS for more than 30 years, but that hasn’t stopped him from creating music. His latest album, “Triumphant Hearts”, was released in 2018, after Becker composed the music via computer using his eyes and enlisted heavy hitters like Sat...
