SONS OF APOLLO — the progressive metal supergroup featuring former DREAM THEATER bandmates Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, as well as bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, THE WINERY DOGS), guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (GUNS N' ROSES) and vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (JOURNEY, TALISMAN, W.E.T.) — has released a new digital EP, "Alive / Tengo Vida". ...
Posted in: News
Legendary New Jersey thrashers OVERKILL will release "Live In Overhausen" on May 18 via Nuclear Blast. Celebrating the band's history, "Live In Overhausen" captured not one but two album anniversaries. Fans assembled on April 16, 2016 at Turbinenhalle 2 in Oberhausen, Germany for the 25th anniversary of "Horrorscope" and 30th anniversary of where it all ...
Posted in: News
The official lyric video for "Sinister", the title track of the first joint studio album by Carmine and Vinny Appice, can be seen below. The disc was released last October through SPV/Steamhammer as CD digipack, double gatefold vinyl, download and stream. You're unlikely to find a phenomenon like Carmine and Vinny Appice a second time ...
Posted in: News
ICED EARTH mainman Jon Schaffer has confirmed that he will spend some time later this year working on material for the long-awaited third album from DEMONS & WIZARDS, his side project with BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch. DEMONS & WIZARDS was launched in 1997 and has released two full-length albums so far: 2000's self-titled effort ...
Posted in: News
Iconic rock band STEPPENWOLF and frontman John Kay will release the definitive career retrospective, "Steppenwolf At 50", a 3-CD collection featuring 41-tracks, to celebrate the band's half-century of music. Set for release Friday, March 16 via Los Angeles-based Rainman Records, the collection includes five rare or never-heard-before tracks. Guitar World premiered the recently-unearthed song "Compared ...
Posted in: News
GODSMACK has set "When Legends Rise" as the title of its first album in four years, due out April 27. The follow-up to 2014's "1000hp" will be GODSMACK's first effort for BMG, following a split with the band's label home since 1998, Republic/Universal. Arriving to radio today, February 28, the first single is "Bulletproof", which ...
Posted in: News
Sofa King Cool recenty conducted an interview with former GUNS N' ROSES and current SONS OF APOLLO guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal. You can now watch the chat below. Asked if it "bothers" him that so many interviewers are fishing for clickbait quotes with their questions nowadays, Thal responded: "That frustrates everybody, yeah. Because, like this, ...
Posted in: News
SONS OF APOLLO — the new progressive metal supergroup featuring former DREAM THEATER bandmates Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, as well as guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-GUNS N' ROSES), bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, THE WINERY DOGS) and vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (W.E.T., TALISMAN) — has released the official music video for the song "Alive". ...
Posted in: News
According to SILive.com, Scott Stapp has been sued by the founders of ART OF ANARCHY for allegedly refusing to tour with the band and participate in promotional photo and video shoots and publicity events. The $1.2-million lawsuit was filed in New York State Supreme Court by Vice Inc., whose chief executive officer and ...
Posted in: News
Former DREAM THEATER and current SONS OF APOLLO and METAL ALLEGIANCE drummer Mike Portnoy was recently interviewed by Anne Erickson. You can now listen to the chat below. Asked for his opinion on the state of the current heavy metal scene, Portnoy said: "I think metal is bigger and better than ever. It went through ...
Posted in: News
GODSMACK has released a short video teaser for its upcoming album, tentatively due out this spring. The band's follow-up to 2014's "1000hp" will arrive to coincide with the 20th anniversary of GODSMACK's debut LP. The group's seventh studio disc was produced by Erik Ron, who has previously worked with PANIC! AT THE DISCO and SAOSIN. ...
Posted in: News
SONS OF APOLLO, the "supergroup" featuring former DREAM THEATER members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian alongside Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-GUNS N' ROSES), Billy Sheehan (THE WINERY DOGS, MR. BIG, DAVID LEE ROTH) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-JOURNEY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN'S RISING FORCE), made its live debut on February 3 as part of the Cruise To The ...
Posted in: News
GODSMACK filmed a video for the band's new single on Thursday, February 7 at a Los Angeles-area studio. The clip, which is being directed by the band's longtime visual collaborator Troy Smith, features television host and personality Chris Jacobs ("Overhaulin'") playing a fireman and cameo appearances by former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach and country ...
Posted in: News
Dave Mustaine has once again commented on the dispute over songwriting credits that apparently contributed to the shelving of the previously announced expanded version of METALLICA's 1982 demo tape, "No Life 'Til Leather". "No Life 'Til Leather" was released as a limited-edition cassette for Record Store Day in April 2015, available exclusively in independent record ...
Posted in: News
DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci says that fans shouldn't read anything into his recent encounter with Mike Portnoy, explaining that he continues to maintain a "good relationship" with his former bandmate. Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 30 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He ...
Posted in: News
During an appearance on the "Trunk Nation" show on SiriusXM channel Volume, guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen was asked if he has had any recent discussions with drummer Mike Portnoy and bassist Billy Sheehan about a possible new album from their THE WINERY DOGS project. "We didn't literally talk about, 'On this date, we're gonna do this ...
Posted in: News
TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon is in the process of releasing "From One Place… To Another", a series of albums comprised of cover songs. The first of three albums to be issued in 2018, "From One Place… To Another Vol. 1", has just been made available. The disc features special guest appearances by Paul Jackson (BLACKBERRY ...
Posted in: News
Mike Portnoy says that it's "sad to see" RUSH come to an end but he believes that the legendary Canadian rock band deserves respect for "going out on top." RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson recently said that his band has no plans to tour or record again in the future. His comments came two years after ...
Posted in: News
U.S. rock and roll survivors LITTLE CAESAR have signed a global deal with Golden Robot Records for the release of their new album, "Eight", on March 16. LITTLE CAESAR fuses no-nonsense hard rock that harks back to '70s giants such as BAD COMPANY and HUMBLE PIE with an aching ZZ TOP groove and overlay it ...
Posted in: News
Prior to the group's January 14 performance at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles, California, FATES WARNING drummer Bobby Jarzombek was interviewed by The Jimmy Cabbs 5150 Interview Series. The two-part conversation can be viewed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): On the group's plans to record a live album ...
Posted in: News
Mascot Label Group has announced the signing of San Diego, California-based rockers P.O.D. (PAYABLE ON DEATH). Over the span of two decades, P.O.D. has released 10 studio albums, including the triple-platinum "Satellite". They have had several hit songs, including "Southtown", "Alive", "Youth Of The Nation" and "Boom", and most recently with their Active Rock singles ...
Posted in: News
Calin Pacatius of Radio Romania Timisoara conducted an interview with Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal prior to the former GUNS N' ROSES and current SONS OF APOLLO guitarist's November 23 solo concert at Reflektor in Timisoara, Romania. You can watch the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On his evolution as a musician ...
Posted in: News
Drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, SONS OF APOLLO, THE WINERY DOGS) was recently interviewed by "Rock City Radio Show Berlin". You can now listen to the chat using the Mixcloud widget below. Asked when he realized that he wanted to be more than just a musician in the background and that he also had a ...
Posted in: News
Guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (SONS OF APOLLO, ex-GUNS N'ROSES) was recently interviewed by RadioactiveMike Z. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): On recording SONS OF APOLLO's debut album, "Psychotic Symphony": Ron: "With technology today, it's so easy to just piece things together, and there's a disconnect. ...
Posted in: News
When it comes to hard rock and heavy metal drumming royalty, the lordly name of Appice should automatically spring to mind. Individually, Vinny and Carmine Appice have canvassed the history of heavy music in their times with BLACK SABBATH, the Ozzy Osbourne band, DIO, VANILLA FUDGE, CACTUS, KING KOBRA, BLUE MURDER, HEAVEN AND HELL and ...
Posted in: CD Reviews
Drummer Mike Portnoy (SONS OF APOLLO, ex-DREAM THEATER) was recently interviewed by Let's Rock. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET and Korea Guitar): On why SONS OF APOLLO wasn't formed sooner: Mike: "[Keyboardist] Derek [Sherinian] and myself, along with [bassist] Billy Sheehan and [guitarist] Tony MacAlpine, ...
Posted in: News
METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich last year took part in the popular "Not My Job" segment as part of NPR's Peabody Award-winning show "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" The question-and-answer session, which was taped last August in San Francisco, can be streamed below. Asked what it was about METALLICA and its sound that helped it become ...
Posted in: News
During a January 1 Facebook Live session, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson outlined the band's touring plans for the summer. He said (see video below): "It looked like we were gonna have a lot of the year off, and, of course, the phone rings and we go. So go to Megadeth.com [to find the tour dates]. ...
Posted in: News
EMP Label Group, the U.S.-based label of MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, has announced the formation of EMP Outlaw, a southern rock/outlaw country imprint. EMP Outlaw will reissue "Metal Cowboy", the 2014 independent release from STEELER/KEEL vocalist Ron Keel, on March 2. 2018 will also see the studio debut from RON KEEL BAND, the highly anticipated ...
Posted in: News
Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick was interviewed by Metalliluola's Ville Krannila during the Kiss Expo in Helsinki, Finland on November 25. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): On how his brother, Bob, helped him score a gig with Meat Loaf: Bruce: "When they were ...
Posted in: News
