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DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll has spoken out about returning behind the kit for the first time since spending almost two weeks on a ventilator in an intensive care unit at a Northern California hospital. The musician — who tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus — first got sick when he and the rest of DEATH ANGEL spent more than a month on the road in Europe with TESTAMENT and EXODUS as part of "The Bay Strikes Back 2020" tour. Carroll discussed his COVID-19 battle during an appearance yesterday (Tuesday, August 4) on Rock Immortal's "Rock Talk Happy Hour". Asked what it was like playing the drums again after being out of commission for more than two months, Carroll said (see video below): "Surpisingly, it went really well. [It was] really easy to get back behind the kit and get back into the groove of things. I wasn't quite sure how it was gonna go — if I was gonna get winded or if my heart was gonna feel funny. Who knows what was gonna happen? But it was smooth sailing, and by the end of the day, I was almost back to where I left off. It was really great. And now I'm drumming a lot. Rob [Cavestany] from DEATH ANGEL is sending me songs, so I'm going into the studio and working on those… Yeah, I'm staying busy with the drums, and it feels good. Everything is working good." Carroll went on to say that he came out of his coronavirus experience relatively unscathed. "I didn't get any scarring on my lungs," he explained. "I had heart failure during the coma, so my heart took a beating a little bit, but it's back to a hundred percent now. I'm lucky I didn't have any permanent damage." Asked if there were any lingering maladies from COVID-19, Will said: "The only thing I have that still hasn't worked out yet is the very tip of my tongue on the left side is numb. Maybe I bit my tongue during the coma or I don't know exactly what. My doctors don't know either. So that's the only thing that's lingering. "I had to learn how to walk again, so that was a trip, because being in a coma for 12 days, my muscles went to shit and my legs were toast," he said. "So I can't imagine what people who are in a coma for a year have to go through. Good God. But learning to walk again was really trippy. I was scared I wouldn't be able to drum again when I couldn't even walk down the hallway. So that was pretty scary." Carroll woke up from a medically induced coma on March 30 after spending nearly two weeks on a ventilator. Doctors told the San Francisco Chronicle he was in critical condition and came close to dying. On March 22, TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Several days later, EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt also said that he was infected with the new coronavirus. Both had spent more than a month on the road with DEATH ANGEL as part of "The Bay Strikes Back 2020" European tour in February and March. DEATH ANGEL had been touring in support of its ninth album, "Humanicide", which came out in May 2019 via Nuclear Blast. Carroll joined DEATH ANGEL in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original drummer, Andy Galeon. Will can be heard on the last four DEATH ANGEL studio albums: "Relentless Retribution" (2010), "The Dream Calls for Blood" (2013), "The Evil Divide" (2016) and the aforementioned "Humanicide".

We've come a long way from the days when being remotely progressive in metal was seen as an act of extreme radicalism, but it's still quietly thrilling to see the continued rise of bands like BLACK CROWN INITIATE. The progressive death metal scene has often suffered from too weighty a debt to the first few OPETH albums, with bands falling over themselves to plug a gap Mikael Åkerfeldt was only too happy to leave behind. But this Pennsylvanian unit were always audibly smarter and more unpredictable than many of their supposed peers, and "Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape" continues the extraordinary expansion their sound has undergone since 2013's "Song of The Crippled Bull". Four years on from the immersive sprawl of "Selves We Cannot Forgive", the third BLACK CROWN INITIATE full-length showcases a band with confidence and inspiration coursing through their veins. The opening "Invitation" offers seven minutes of revelatory moments: more robustly melodic than before, but intermittently heavier than ever, it's an epic statement of intent that augurs well for everything yet to come. Death metal is still a key component here, and if you are desperately searching for a band to scratch that "Blackwater Park" itch, then there are certainly a handful of pertinent moments to enjoy here. The truth is that BLACK CROWN INITIATE are now striding confidently down their own path — "Trauma Bonds" is a case in point. There are shades of post-rock, shoegaze and even djent buried within its maze-like structure, but the end result engages on a singular new level, as guitarist Andy Thomas's clean vocals soar and shimmer above the multifarious maelstrom. "Years In Frigid Light" is a darker and weirder affair; a storm of dissonant churn that shifts shape and gear with freewheeling abandon, but with occasional, bittersweet melodic intrusions and at least two heavy duty, euphoric hooks. Elsewhere, preview single "Sun Of War" crams more great ideas into its 435 seconds than most so-called progressive bands could muster in a decade; volubly widescreen in intent, it flips majestically from twinkling, post-rock restraint to mutinous, syncopated grooves and may be the finest song BLACK CROWN INITIATE have written to date. Only "Holy Silence" comes close: another bewitching blend of pumped-up precision and beguiling grace, it howls with a compositional maturity that few bands, progressive or not, reach by their third album. That "Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape" also ticks every conceivable pure metal box along the way is nothing short of miraculous. If you want progress, here it is in glorious, eye-frying Technicolor.

In a new interview with Full In Bloom, guitarist/vocalist Rik Emmett of the legendary Canadian power trio TRIUMPH was asked if being involved with the making the forthcoming first-ever feature documentary about the band's dramatic career "reignited any animosity" between him and his bandmates, drummer Gil Moore and bassist Mike Levine. He responded (hear audio below): "We're good. We're old grown-ups now. [Laughs] That stuff is ancient history, because we resolved our issues a long time ago, and we've sort of come to terms with that in very adult grown-up kinds of ways. Having said that, it's not great when you're revisiting things in your life that give you sorrow. "It was not an easy time from 1987 through about 1993 — it was a bad time in my life when it came to those guys — but it doesn't change the fact that for 13 years we were bonded at the hip, and for a large chunk of that time, it was three musketeers," he explained. "So, yeah, there's some emotion in it, that's for sure." Slated for release in the coming months, "Triumph: Lay It On The Line" was produced by Emmy and Peabody award-winning Banger Films and was described in a press release as "a celebratory, exhilarating thrill ride through the history of one of rock's most unsung acts. Moore, Levine, and Emmett formed TRIUMPH in 1975, and their blend of heavy riff-rockers with progressive odysseys, peppered with thoughtful, inspiring lyrics and virtuosic guitar playing quickly made them a household name in Canada. Anthems like "Lay It On The Line", "Magic Power" and "Fight The Good Fight" broke them in the USA, and they amassed a legion of fiercely passionate fans. But, as a band that suddenly split at the zenith of their popularity, TRIUMPH missed out on an opportunity to say thank you to those loyal and devoted fans, a base that is still active today, three decades later. After 20 years apart, Emmett, Levine and Moore played at the 2008 editions of the Sweden Rock Festival and Rocklahoma. A DVD of the historic Sweden performance was made available four years later. Back in 2016, Moore and Levine reunited with Rik as special guests on the "RES 9" album from Emmett's band RESOLUTION9. Most recently, Moore, Emmett and Levine reconnected for an invite-only event this past November at MetalWorks studio in Mississauga (a suburb of Toronto), Ontario, Canada. The reunion was taped for "Triumph: Lay It On The Line".

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor's new single "Black Eyes Blue" is the number one most added song at Active Rock radio, entering the Mediabase / BDS chart at No. 26 and currently sitting at No. 16 on the building chart. This marks the highest debut at the format for Taylor, surpassing previous first week chart positions from both SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR. Meanwhile, Taylor's other news single, "CMFT Must Be Stopped", has been viewed nearly 1.5 million times on YouTube. Both songs are available on all streaming platforms. Bubbling to the top of the pop culture conversation, Rolling Stone wrote, "The genre-spanning 'CMFT' — short for 'Corey Mother Fucking Taylor' — sees the singer tackling multiple styles of music, from hard rock and classic rock to punk and hip-hop." Forbes observed, "Taylor's solo career will blur the lines between a number of rock sub-genres. And honestly, this approach seems like the best direction for his solo debut." Taylor's debut solo album, "CMFT", is set for release on October 2 via Roadrunner Records. The songs illuminate the broad spectrum of this fiery and fearless rock 'n' roll opus, as Taylor touches on lifelong influences ranging from hard rock to classic rock, punk rock to hip-hop. On "Black Eyes Blue", Taylor's vocals soar with nostalgia, while on "CMFT Must Be Stopped", his rhymes recall his work on SLIPKNOT's debut record and run alongside bulletproof bars from multi-platinum artist Tech N9ne and U.K. MC Kid Bookie. The track is joined by a Djay Brawner-directed music video, which sees Taylor taking the CMFT championship belt as friends such as Marilyn Manson, Lars Ulrich, Rob Halford, Chris Jericho, ZillaKami and more making cameos. "CMFT" has been a long time coming for Taylor, with newly written tracks alongside some dating back to his teens. Recorded at Kevin Churko's The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas with producer Jay Ruston and his band — Jason Christopher on bass, Dustin Schoenhofer on drums and Zach Throne and Christian Martucci (STONE SOUR) on guitar — the album traces a wild and exhilarating roadmap through Taylor's musical psyche. "HWY 666" kicks off the album barreling ahead with a devilish twang, while "Silverfish" peels back the layers of Taylor's songwriting as acoustic guitars build to a highwire balance of hooks and heft. An ominous bass line gives way to pummeling wah-ed out guitars on "Culture Head" and the moving piano-driven "Home" offers a raw glimpse at Taylor's immense vocal range. SLIPKNOT recently canceled all of its previously announced summer 2020 tour dates, including the "Knotfest Roadshow", Knotfest UK and Knotfest At Sea, due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

During a brand new interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Dee Snider was asked if thinks TWISTED SISTER will ever play live again, four years after the band completed its farewell tour. The singer responded: "Look, I know that some of my bandmembers have recently said 'never say never.' I wrote a song called 'Never Say Never' many years ago, so I'll go with that for their benefit, but I will say this: it was so hard fought to find a Dee Snider [solo] sound, to find my place in the community, the metal community. Mentally, if I do anything moving forward, I want it to be continuing on this path that I finally found. "As I sit here thinking about, okay, I've got these movies I'm gonna make, I just wrote this novel, I'm working on a second novel, my brain is going, 'Where is the follow-up to [my latest solo album] 'For The Love Of Metal'?' That's something that I really wanna do," he explained. "So in the long line of things I've got on there, TWISTED would have to come after that, and then we'd get to be — like, what? — in our 70s. So I don't know if I see that happening — in this lifetime." This past June, guitarist Eddie Ojeda also didn't completely rule out a TWISTED SISTER reunion, telling Talking Metal: "I never say never, because you never know. It depends on the situation. You always miss it, no matter how much you've done it. "The whole comeback — we were back together for 14 years, and we did a lot of shows in the last 14 years, and we were headlining all the shows," he continued. "We were bigger now than we were in the '80s. So it was a great time. "I think it just got to the point where we just felt — maybe it was like [the American sitcom] 'Seinfeld': go out on a high note. But as far as that goes, THE WHO blows everybody away — they are the biggest liars of all time. [They played their farewell tour in 1983] and they [are] still touring. Forty tours later, and they're still saying, 'We mean it this time.' So if anybody's gonna complain, they'd better talk to THE WHO first." In 2016, TWISTED SISTER embarked on one final trek, titled "Forty And Fuck It", in celebration of its 40th anniversary. These shows featured the band's "core lineup" of Snider, guitarist Jay Jay French, Ojeda and bassist Mark Mendoza, along with drummer Mike Portnoy. The band's last-ever concert took place in November of that year — 20 months after the passing of TWISTED's longtime drummer A.J. Pero. TWISTED SISTER's original run ended in the late '80s. After more than a decade, the band publicly reunited in November 2001 to top the bill of New York Steel, a hard-rock benefit concert to raise money for the New York Police And Fire Widows' And Children's Benefit Fund. A year ago, French said that he was that "blissfully retired" from playing music. "I walked off stage at the last show in Mexico, and I gave all my guitars away to my crew," he told the "Neil Jones Rock Show". "I said, 'Guys, thank you. It's been great. See you later.' I never looked back. We didn't even meet in the lobby and have a drink. I was off stage in a golf cart with my wife on the way to the hotel. I was on a plane and out of here." French said that he played nine thousand shows with TWISTED SISTER and he "loved every bit of it." But he understood when people told him that they don't believe the band is completely retired. "I never said we weren't coming back," he explained. "We retired for a while. And I said, 'No, I'm not gonna say never.' We could. Maybe there's a charity [event that we could play at]. Maybe there's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I doubt it, but maybe. Whatever. It could happen. But at this point in my life, I don't think about it."

Furthering their support for raising funds and awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic, QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT are releasing special limited-edition CD and seven-inch vinyl versions of their lockdown track "You Are The Champions". Both versions of the new formats are limited to 3000 copies each and will be numbered. They will be available to order only through QUEEN's online store from today. Recorded in lockdown between their homes in London, Cornwall and Los Angeles, the QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT version of the classic QUEEN track was first revealed on the band's Instagram accounts. Overwhelmed with calls for the track to be made available to download, the resulting "virtual jam" version titled "You Are The Champions" was made available on all streaming and download services at the end of April. Proceeds of the new formats released will again go to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization powered by the United Nations Foundation to support fron-tline workers. QUEEN and Adam Lambert are waiving all of their royalties from the sales of this single and Universal Music Group are donating all revenues they receive from the sales of this single (after deductions only of actual costs, sales taxes and third party publishing payments) so that not less than £2 for every CD single sold and not returned and not less than £4 for every seven-inch vinyl single sold will be donated to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization. Quotes at the time of the track's initial release from the band read: May: "It seems to me we should dedicate this one to all the front-line soldiers fighting for humanity against the insurgent coronavirus. Just like our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents who fought for us in two world wars, those brave warriors in the front line are our new champions. That means the doctors, nurses, cleaners, porters, drivers, tea-ladies and gentlemen, and all who are quietly risking their lives daily to save the lives of our kin. Champions all!!!” Taylor: "As a father with a daughter in the front line, I am ultra-aware of the vital work they are doing daily to save us and our society. Their bravery and sacrifice must not be prejudiced by anything less than a one hundred percent effort by our governments to protect them. They are precious to us all and they are truly our champions." Lambert: "It is with the deepest gratitude to all those on the front line all over the world that we dedicate our performance. Thank you for keeping us safe, we are in awe of your bravery and strength." Elizabeth Cousens, president and CEO of the UN Foundation, said: "We are grateful to QUEEN and Adam Lambert for using their talents to support our heroes on the front lines of the COVID-19 response. Their contribution to this fight will lift spirits and raise critical funds for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization."

EXTREME guitarist Nuno Bettencourt was joined by his "Generation Axe" tourmates — Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen and Tosin Abasi — along with QUEEN's Brian May for a six-guitar performance of QUEEN's timeless classic "Bohemian Rhapsody" as part of AXS TV's "At Home And Social With Nuno Bettencourt & Friends" special. Video footage of the performance can be seen below. "At Home And Social With Nuno Bettencourt & Friends" aired this past Monday (August 3) and benefited the Music Forward Foundation's Crew Nation initiative, raising funds and awareness for the touring and venue crews who are vital to the live music experience and have been negatively impacted by the shutdowns resulting from COVID-19. In the spring of 2016, Vai, Malmsteen, Wylde, Bettencourt and Abasi teamed up for a North American tour called "Generation Axe", in which the five musicians shared a backing band and performed together in addition to playing individual sets. A year after their successful inaugural tour, the five guitarists reconvened for an 11-city tour of Asia that included a stop in Beijing, China. Select performances from that April 2017 concert appeared on a live recording, "Generation Axe - The Guitars That Destroyed The World: Live In China", which was released in June 2019 via earMUSIC. Vai said the idea behind "Generation Axe" was "to create a seamless show with one backing band and five completely accomplished and astonishing guitarists that take to the stage in various configurations, performing some of their solo music and merging together as cohesive co-creators of lushly orchestrated guitar extravaganzas." Vai described "Generation Axe" as "pure controlled chaos." "My favorite thing about 'Generation Axe' is the tour bus," he said. "Between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m., when we're all hanging out in the lounge just rapping. I wake up in the morning [and] my jaw hurts from laughing so much. These guys, they're out of their minds."

In a brand new interview with the "Thunder Underground" podcast, legendary bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes was asked if he will continue writing music up until his "final day." He responded (hear audio below): "I will. People ask me that question — not all the time, but they do ask that question. "A good friend of mine, who you know of — I won't say who he is — but we've had a conversation about retirement. And I know a lot of people older than me that are still going — [Mick] Jagger and Robert Plant; friends of mine. They're still going 'cause they love music. "If you are a musician who's a songwriter, you just continue to write," he added. "And that's what I do — I've been doing it for 50 years. But more so since I've been sober, for the last 28 years, I've been writing more proper songs, about recovery. "In fact, I don't know if you know, but most of my work deals with the human condition and about, pretty much, the love factor and recovery and being free, and that's where I'm at." Hughes also talked about the possibility of making new music with BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi, with whom he worked on 1986's "Seventh Star" (released under the BLACK SABBATH banner), as well as "Fused" and a collection of sessions tracks titled "The 1996 DEP Sessions". "I speak to Tony once in a while, and we have a bit of a chuckle, 'cause every time we speak, we talk about doing some more work," Glenn said. "And all I can say is I know Tony's doing riffs at the moment back home; he's got his studio there. "I've done three albums with Tony — I've done 'Fused', I've done 'DEP Sessions' and 'Seventh Star', so with Tony and I, it can happen overnight; it just happens really quickly," he continued. "All I care about is his health, his great relationship with his wife and daughter and he's happy and he's healthy. But it wouldn't surprise me if Tony and I did something else. Is it on the cards at the moment? Not today, but you never know." Known as the "voice of rock," Hughes spent key years of his career as the beloved bassist and vocalist of DEEP PURPLE, appearing on the classic albums "Burn", "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste the Band". More recently, he has been playing various hits and deep cuts from the DEEP PURPLE catalog, including "Burn", "Stormbringer", "Sail Away" and "Smoke On The Water", as part of his "Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live" tour, which was launched in 2017. In 2009, Hughes formed BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION with blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, SONS OF APOLLO) and drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN, FOREIGNER). Last year, Hughes joined THE DEAD DAISIES as the band's new bassist and vocalist, replacing John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE) and Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY). Hughes's first album with THE DEAD DAISIES, "Holy Ground", will be released on January 22, 2021. Photo credit: David Pickles

EVANESCENCE and HeadCount, the non-partisan, non-profit voter registration organization, unveiled a public service announcement today dubbed "Use My Voice" along with a campaign to encourage Americans to check or update their voter registration status. Watch the PSA, which features a portion of EVANESCENCE's upcoming anthem "Use My Voice" (out August 14) as its theme music, below. The "Use My Voice" initiative places special emphasis on empowering Americans to use their voice as safely and easily as possible in the upcoming election. It points voters to www.UseMyVoice.org, where they can get accurate, clear information on voting by mail. It also offers location-based instructions on where to vote, what's on an individual voter's ballot, and provides easy access to voter registration, where permitted by states. As an additional incentive to encourage people to use the free service, everyone who registers or checks the status of their existing registration will receive an electronic ticket to attend a free, private online performance by EVANESCENCE in the fall. EVANESCENCE joined together with HeadCount after witnessing the COVID crisis's dire impact on primary voting in many states, including long lines in places like Georgia and elsewhere, as well as the forced rescheduling of other primary elections. With the recent spike in coronavirus infections throughout the nation, the band wanted to do something to address the concern. Sharing HeadCount's belief that our democracy functions best when as many people as possible — regardless of their political preference — participate by using their voices, the band is dedicating itself to this cause by leveraging its reach to help in achieving HeadCount's goal of registering 200,000 voters, and directly engaging with one million voters this election year. EVANESCENCE frontwoman Amy Lee said: "For many Americans, voting is too often an intimidating experience. We all saw the long lines in certain precincts in Georgia during their recent primary. Unfortunately, what happened there is not unique In America. It happens all the time, especially in underserved communities in our country. Now, add COVID into the mix and you have the perfect combination of factors to continue to suppress the voice of the people." Lee continues: "The 'Use My Voice' campaign is about empowering people to use their voice at the ballot box. Promoting easy access to registration and voting is not a Democratic or Republican issue — it's an American issue and one we should all promote because there's nothing more patriotic than supporting participation in our democratic process." HeadCount's executive director Andy Bernstein said of the partnership: "We're thrilled to collaborate with EVANESCENCE towards our goal of registering 200,000 new voters this election year. Their strong commitment, enormous fan base, and 25 million-strong social media following will help us accomplish great things." "Use My Voice" is also the name of the exciting new single by EVANESCENCE, out August 14, from the band's highly-anticipated upcoming album, "The Bitter Truth" (BMG). Previously released songs and videos "Wasted On You" and "The Game Is Over" have gotten early praise from The New York Times, Elle magazine, Rolling Stone and more, and the album — the band's first of all new music in nearly a decade — is set to ignite a new fire for rock fans everywhere. Last week, the band's video for "Wasted on You", shot in March while the band was quarantined due to the COVID pandemic, garnered an MTV Video Music Awards nomination in the "Best Rock" category. COVID has made everything more challenging this year, including voting, but we can’t let anything stop us from using our voices. Go to https://t.co/JOxpORDjwA to get vote-ready & get access to our free, private online performance in Oct. Don’t miss your chance to USE YOUR VOICE. pic.twitter.com/XcWTscGSrj — Evanescence (@evanescence) August 5, 2020

California glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER are bringing their debaucherously fun concert experience to Pennsylvania this September. The band will perform live at two Pennsylvania area drive-ins this coming September as part of the "Fast Cars & Loud Guitars Tour": at the Starlite Drive In in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 11 and the Circle Drive In in Scranton, Pennsylvania on September 12. STEEL PANTHER will rock live on stage as the performance is broadcast on the movie screen with the audio available via an outdoor P.A. system as well as in everyone's car via FM transmitter. This will help to keep all attendees socially and sexually distant. Ticket information for both drive-in shows on the "Fast Cars & Loud Guitars Tour" can be found at this location. "Bring your hot rod and hot dates to the concert event of the weekend," STEEL PANTHER says. "This ain't your momma's NASCAR. This is STEEL PANTHER live and out of our cage in Los Angeles. You're welcome, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the local government has informed us that it is totally ILLEGAL to attend this concert naked. They blamed COVID; so please STILL wear a mask when you're around strangers!" STEEL PANTHER drummer Stix Zadinia recently said that the band has been using the coronavirus downtime to work on new music. STEEL PANTHER will take a break from writing music to stage another virtual concert event, "Rockdown In The Lockdown", on Sunday, August 16 from the Drum Channel Studio at Drum Workshop, located in Oxnard, California. "Rockdown In The Lockdown" is being sponsored by Monster Energy, and all tickets and VIP upgrades are available here. STEEL PANTHER's latest album, "Heavy Metal Rules", was released last September. The disc, which is described in a press release as a "heavy metal version of a self-help manual and ultimate party album combined," was once again produced by Jay Ruston, who collaborated with the band on all of its previous recordings, including 2017's "Lower The Bar". STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme. The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive." Twelve years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.