Alternative Music
NEAL SCHON Explains JEFF SCOTT SOTO’s Dismissal From JOURNEY
JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon has explained Jeff Scott Soto‘s dismissal from the band, saying the singer’s voice wasn’t what he and keyboardist Jonathan Cain wanted. Soto, who previously sang with Yngwie Malmsteen, joined JOURNEY about a week and half into a six-week summer 2006 tour with DEF LEPPARD, after Steve Augeri began having vocal issues. Soto had earlier worked with Schon and drummer Deen Castronovo in the short-lived side project SOUL SIRKUS. JOURNEY named Soto its permanent lead singer in December 2016 before firing him just five months later. Jeff discussed his time with JOURNEY during a recent interview with Argentinian journalist Lucas Gordon. Asked what caused his split with the band, Soto responded: “The problem is I don’t know. That’s the...
METALLICA’s ‘…And Justice For All’ Album Mixer Thought LARS ULRICH’s Drums Sounded Like ‘A**’
In a new interview with Dean Cramer, Steve Thompson, a prominent music producer who has worked with a vast array of rock icons, including GUNS N’ ROSES (on “Appetite For Destruction”), KORN (on “Follow The Leader”) and SOUNDGARDEN (on “A-Sides”) spoke about the mixing sessions for METALLICA‘s classic 1988 album, “…And Justice For All”, and the criticism that record has received for the bass parts being nearly inaudible. While “…And Justice For All” is considered one of METALLICA‘s classics, it has been panned almost since the day it was released for the lack of any bass guitar on the record. Jason Newsted‘s playing is virtually buried in the mix — and many fans feel that drummer Lars Ulrich, who had v...
Widowspeak Announce New Album The Jacket, Share “Everything Is Simple”: Stream
New York indie rockers Widowspeak have announced their sixth studio album, The Jacket. The record is out March 11th via Captured Tracks, but first single “Everything Is Simple” is available to stream now, along with a music video directed by OTIUM. Check it out below. Widowspeak recorded The Jacket with producer Homer Steinweiss. The record, initially a concept album centered around the formation and disintegration of a fictional band, is rife with self-referential, full-circle moments. Now a duo, band members Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas reunited with founding drummer Michael Stasiak for the recording, which also features J.D. Sumner on bass, and piano and keyboard contributions from Michael Hess. “Everything Is Simple” previews The Jacket with a minimalist, country groove. ...
Jared Leto’s Morbius Delayed Yet Again
It’s starting to feel like this vampire will never see the light of day. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Jared Leto’s Spider-Man spinoff Morbius has been delayed yet again, with the January 28th release date pushed back to April 1st. Morbius was originally slated for July 31st, 2020, although the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled those plans. The eternal optimists at Sony had initially rescheduled the movie for March 19th, 2021, before giving up on last year and sinking their teeth into January 2022. Now, with the Omicron variant leading to record case counts, they’re going to try again on April Fool’s Day, which is probably a coincidence, right? It’s not a years-long practical joke because this movie exists, right? They released a trailer and then a second trailer, so i...
Exodus’ Gary Holt Thinks “Shitty Metallica” Mention in New Cobra Kai Season Is “Rad”
Exodus got a big mention in the new season of Netflix’s popular series Cobra Kai, although it had one character referring to the veteran thrash band as “shitty Metallica.” Nonetheless, guitarist Gary Holt is celebrating the “massive Exodus reference.” In the scene (a minor spoiler), the character of Raymond (also known as “Stingray”) — played by Paul Walter Hauser — is confronted by a neighbor, who tells him, “Some freeloader was blaring shitty Metallica all night!” To which Stingray responds, “Yeah, that was actually Exodus’ Bonded by Blood, but it’s not your fault, you don’t know the genre.” Holt, a longtime member of Exodus who also played guitar in Slayer’s final lineup, posted the clip on his Instagram account, writing, “RAD!! One of my favorite shows just threw a massive Exodus refer...
Tom Morello Admits He Doesn’t Know How to Use His Home Studio
Like many artists during the pandemic, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello was forced to work remotely and record music from home during lockdowns. The only problem: He doesn’t know how to use his home studio. In a recent interview with Guitar World, Morello said, “For the first four months or so [of the pandemic] I was absolutely adrift. You know, I have a nice studio in my house, but I don’t know how to work it. Like, I don’t know how to move any of the buttons around. So I was like, ‘I’m not going to be able to play shows. I’m not going to be able to record music.’” The lack of expertise with his gear didn’t stopped Morello from being extremely productive during the pandemic. In the past few months, he released two guest-heavy solo albums, The Altas Underground Fire and ...
JUDAS PRIEST’s ROB HALFORD On Staying Sober For 36 Years: ‘I Live One Day At A Time’
JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford, who will celebrate the 36th anniversary of his getting sober this Thursday (January 6), spoke to Spain’s Mariskal Rock about how he has managed and avoided the urge to relapse since 1986. “I think about it all the time,” he said about drinking alcohol. “It’s an addiction. When I’m watching the Phoenix Cardinals play on TV the other day, there’s constantly adverts for beer and for alcohol and stuff. And I know it’s there. And it’s a temptation. So you have to have all of the mental tools ready to get you through that instance. ‘Cause it’s all about instances. And I live one day at a time. I’ve lived one day at a time for 35 years now. And that’s all that matters. It’s the m...
Watch Ex-SOULFLY Guitarist MARC RIZZO Cover SEPULTURA’s ‘Territory’ In Maine
Video of former SOULFLY guitarist Marc Rizzo performing the SEPULTURA classic “Territory” this past Friday (December 31) at Not Whole Studios in Harmony, Maine can be seen below. Although Rizzo‘s departure from SOULFLY wasn’t officially announced until August 7,2021, it was widely speculated that he was out of the group two days earlier when it was revealed that FEAR FACTORY‘s Dino Cazares would play guitar for SOULFLY on the band’s last U.S. tour, which kicked off on August 20 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Rizzo addressed his split with SOULFLY in an interview with “The Ex-Man” podcast hosted by Doc Coyle (BAD WOLVES). Speaking about the circumstances that led to his exit from SOULFLY, Rizzo said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Th...
KROKUS Singer MARC STORACE’s Solo Album ‘Live And Let Live’ To Receive North American Release Next Month
KROKUS frontman Marc Storace will release his first-ever solo album, “Live And Let Live”, in North America on February 5. The effort was made available in Switzerland last month. The official music video for the “Live And Let Live” can be seen below. Audio samples of the entire record are available at Cede.ch. “Live And Let Live” track listing: 01. Live And Let Live (3:41) 02. High On Love (3:57) 03. Lady Of The Night (4:44) 04. Carry The Burden (3:16) 05. Broken Wings (3:41) 06. No Place To Hide (3:22) 07. Don’t Wanna Go (4:40) 08. Love Over Money (3:53) 09. Time Waits For No One (4:14) 10. Paradise (2:59) In a recent interview with Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon from Canada’s The Metal Voice, Storace said about how his solo album came about (as t...
Official RONNIE JAMES DIO Documentary To Be Released This Year: It ‘Goes All The Way Through His Life Till The End’
Wendy Dio, widow and longtime manager of Ronnie James Dio, spoke to Argentinian journalist Lucas Gordon about the upcoming career-spanning documentary on the life and times of the legendary rock icon. It is the first documentary about Dio to be fully authorized by the artist’s estate. BMG is both financier and executive producer of the film. “It’s coming out [later this] year,” she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “I [recently] saw the first cut of it. It was very emotional. It’s very different from [Dio‘s autobiography]. ‘Cause the book finishes in 1986, with Ronnie playing Madison Square Garden. But the documentary goes all the way through his life till the end. And it was very emotional. I was watching it with my publicist and a ...
Dirty Honey Cover Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” on a Frozen Lake for NHL Winter Classic: Watch
Dirty Honey covered Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” on a frozen lake as part of the festivities for the NHL Winter Classic hockey game, hosted on New Year’s Day in Minneapolis. The Los Angeles-based band surely aren’t used to sub-freezing temperatures, but they turned in a lively and inspired version of the Purple Rain opener — a cover worthy of the hometown hero Prince himself. Lest we not forget, the Purple One performed his iconic Super Bowl XLI halftime show in inclement conditions back in 2007. The NHL Winter Classic takes place annually on New Year’s Day and pits two of the league’s teams against one another in an outdoor venue. In fact, it was former NHL player Tyler Lassiter that put Dirty Honey on TNT’s radar for the Winter Classic performance. Advertisement “I found out about Dirt...
Röyksopp Share New Song “(Nothing But) Ashes…”: Stream
Way back in 2014, Röyksopp announced that their fifth studio album, The Inevitable End, would be their last, but the Norwegian electronic duo have still made good on their promise to continue putting out music without the confines of an LP format. Over the weekend, Röyksopp returned with the new track “(Nothing But) Ashes…,” along with an eerie music video. “(Nothing But) Ashes…” is a wordless song that pairs droning, ambient synths with a gentle piano melody. Its music video focuses on a character wearing a helmet that looks like if Daft Punk had a steampunk phase. This anonymous character then embarks on a journey to a muggy forest, where they uncover a curious knife-like object. It’s hard to make heads or tails of any storyline here, but considering the video’s subtitle “Profound M...
