Alternative Music

Glenn Tipton has fired back at Kenneth “K.K.” Downing, claiming that the former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist has been saying things about him that are “crazy” and “aren’t fair.” K.K. left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as “a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music,” while the second was “angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties.” Downing later said that he believed the second letter was “a key reason” he wasn’t invited to rejoin PRIEST after Tipton‘s deci...

GWAR has announced the first leg of “The Black Death Rager World Tour” which will see the band touch down in Europe for the first time in almost three years. The trek kicks off July 29 in Tilburg, Netherlands and runs through August 18 in London, United Kingdom. In addition to the GWAR headline shows, the tour also features stops at the Free And Easy, Wacken Open Air, Pol’land’Rok and Bloodstock Open Air festivals. The Berserker Blothar had this to say about the coming trek: “Ah, Europe, the Old Country. We shall sweep across the continent like the plague, bringing pestilence and death and our unquenchable thirst for heavy metal glory.” Fans can expect to hear all their GWAR favorites and blistering new tracks from the band’s new album, “The ...

Drummer Mario Duplantier of French progressive metallers GOJIRA spoke to Art Of Rock about his obsession with bodyboarding, a water sport in which the surfer rides a bodyboard on the crest, face, and curl of a wave that is carrying the surfer towards the shore. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It’s not like surfing. Bodyboarding is like a smaller board. Since I’m a kid, I’m bodyboarding. So yesterday I was in the water during wintertime. I try to go every day. I’m truly addicted to the ocean and to bodyboarding. [The water is] super cold [right now here in France]. And outside it’s cold as well. But I have a good wet suit and all the gear.” Duplantier went on to say that he has gone surfing with METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo on a ...

In a new interview with the “(Don’t) Quit Your Day Job” podcast, Jeff Scott Soto, the acclaimed American hard rock singer of Puerto Rican descent, was asked if he ever felt like he didn’t get a fair shake or people treated him “shitty” just because of the slightly darker hue of his complexion. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Absolutely. Of course I went through it, especially in the ’80s when this style of the hair bands, or whatever you wanna call them, and even the genre was flooded with so many bands that were… a lot of their frontmen were of Caucasian descent and had green eyes or blue eyes and they had blond hair. I didn’t fit in that mold… Of course, there were exceptions. Stephen Pearcy [RATT] is Spanish. I be...

RATING: 8/10 The list of rock bands that have managed to release a brand-new album fifty years after their debut record is not exactly overflowing with names. The list of bands that have released a new album fifty years later and managed to not sound like tired retreads of past glories or sad attempts at modernizing their music is even shorter. SCORPIONS have avoided both pitfalls with “Rock Believer”, their first new album in seven years. The rock icons revisit many of the sounds that fueled their superstardom’s peak. The level of energy and songcraft present though keep those tracks from feeling tired, and perhaps for the first time in several records, there are even a few anthems that hold up next to the classics we’ve been re-purchasing on multiple formats over ...