Guns N' Roses To Give Back At Historic Show

Prior to being hired by Ozzy to replace the late Randy Rhoads, Lee worked for a short with Dio in 1982 with Ronnie ultimately tapping Vivian Campbell to play guitar in his namesake post Sabbath solo band.

Lee was asked about why things did not work with Dio during a recent interview with the Cobras & Fire podcast and responded,
"I think that [Dio] was looking for more of a European sort of sound. 'Cause back then, and maybe to this day - I don't know - heavy metal, you had the American version and you had the European version.

"We've already got a huge head start on this new record," Mustaine tells The Metal Voice. "[Guitarist] Kiko [Loureiro] just came out to see me, [drummer] Dirk [Verbeuren] was here before him and David Ellefson will be visiting me shortly to start playing some bass stuff.

"We're doing things a little bit differently this time; we're kind of approaching the songs one riff at a time and just kind of focusing on the riff, and if the riff doesn't sound good on its own and then why put it in a song? A lot of people, when they write songs, they'll put a part in a section in the song just because they need something in there...for me, I don't like doing that. I don't want that one part of the song where there's a weak spot.

"I've tried just about every way to write a song over my career," he adds, "and I found this way's probably the best way because if you have a riff and it's not it's not carrying its own weight and it doesn't sound cool, how can it possibly sound cool to good lyrics over it."

Hellfest will be taking place in Clisson, France next June 21st through 23rd and it has been revealed that the special Knotfest will happen on the 20th featuring Slipknot, Rob Zombie, Papa Roach, Ministry, Sick Of It All, Sabaton, Amon Amarth, Powerwolf, Amaranth and Behemoth.

Organizers had this to say, "As you know, owners of three-day passes are more likely to come on Thursday in Clisson. Delighted by these 10 exceptional names, Hellfest has agreed to lend its main stages to allow fans to enjoy another mini-festival.

"I love being off the road," Sixx added. "As an artist we need to create NEW. That's why we started in the first place was to create. So excited about my trilogy project I'm working on right now."

The planned 2019 recordings will mark the first new music from the rocker since a pair of 2016 albums from Sixx:AM - "Prayers For The Damned" and its companion, "Prayers For The Blessed."

While the group went on hiatus last year, there's no word yet if the bassist's trilogy project may include his Sixx:AM bandmates DJ Ashba and James Michael.

They recorded their debut album at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio with producer Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price, John Prine and Elvis Presley) and expect to release the effort in the spring of next year. A studio video can be seen here.

Devon had this to say, "What an honor to make a record at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. It was very important to me to make a 100% analog recording on 2 inch tape to try and evoke the vibes of the records we grew up with. To do that in such a historic place is so profound to us. Also, producer Matt Ross-Spang is a longtime friend and the perfect cat to help our vision. There's some classic 70's rock feels, some RnB, some Texas, some Nashville....soulful Americana, with teeth. We are stoked to share it with the world in Spring 2019."

Duane added, "I'm very proud of this record. The song always ignites the flame, the connection to the listener and I feel like we have accomplished that. What an honor it was to record in Muscle Shoals, a place so rich in musical history and to work with Matt Ross-Spang who shared the same vision as Devon and I. We are very excited to share with everyone soon!"

The trek will be in support of their forthcoming album "Feral Roots", which will be hitting stores on January 25th. The tour kicks off on April 4th in Dallas.

"For lack of a better word, it's a singer-songwriter album," explains Springsteen. "More of a solo record."

According to Variety, the project is one the singer shared some details about last year before he launched his extended "Springsteen on Broadway" residency in New York.

"I wrote most of that before [2012's] 'Wrecking Ball,' and I stopped making that record to make "Wrecking Ball," and then I went back to it," he revealed, describing it as being "influenced by Southern California pop music of the '70s" along the lines of "Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach, those kinds of records. I don't know if people will hear those influences, but that was what I had in my mind. It gave me something to hook an album around; it gave me some inspiration to write."

Earlier this fall, guitarist Damon Johnson announced his plans to exit the group this month to concentrate on a solo career and session work, and the band are ready to move forward with some new music.

"We go into the studio in January with the new boy Christian Martucci from Stone Sour who we're absolutely delighted to have as part of our family," frontman Ricky.Warwick tells Planet Rock. "We've already demoed 16 songs and we start with Jay Ruston producing the album and we're going to record in LA, so it's a change all round because obviously we used Nick Raskulinecz for the last two records, which was great.

"But just with Damon leaving and Christian coming in," he continues, "Jay's mixed the last two Black Star Riders albums, so we just thought let's just do the whole thing in LA with Jay this time, and Christian's worked with him before in Stone Sour so there's a relationship there. So, we're excited."

The festival will be taking place on May 3rd, 4th and 5th at Metropolitan Park in Jacksonville, Florida with Korn topping Friday night's bill, Rob Zombie and Judas Priest the next night and wrapping up with Tool on Sunday.

The trek, dubbed the Group Therapy Tour, will include shows in 44 cities and is scheduled to kick off on May 30th in Virginia Beach, Va. at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater.

The tour will conclude with a special return to the area where they formed at the Univercity of South Carlina where they will end the tour with a show at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia on September 13th.

Blurred is a very emotional song for me. As I was writing songs for the EP, I wrote down a list of possible song titles. I eventually had a list of over 50 titles. I like to write down possible song titles when I hear interesting phrases in songs that I like from other songwriters. A lot of the titles came from listening to David Bazan and his large collection of albums. Listening to his albums produced a very visceral reaction, both in the extreme of joy and frustration. I remember thinking at various points that I both despised and admired him. I was really struck by this realization and I became aware that there was something about it, some greater truth about relationships and longing that this reaction uncovered in my life.

The first line of the song truly expressed my emotional state. "All of this is blurred. Everything you've heard." There are so many things that draw us away from what is most important in our lives. We get distracted by the assault of the 24-hour news cycle. We get distracted by the endless noise of the city. We get distracted by our own subterfuge until we don't even recognize who we really are or the beauty that surrounds us at every moment. As I get older I am reminded again and again to just take a breath. To take a moment to be silent and truly see those around me. In spite of the chaos. In spite of the fear of the future. To just be silent and be truly present in the moment. It is in that moment where I can once again see the purpose behind it all and encounter the gift of love.

For me, the best way that I can fight against hopelessness and the injustice in the world is to sing love songs. The most rebellious or countercultural act of all in our world is to love another person unconditionally. It is a scary thing to be completely open, nothing hidden, but it is what truly changes us and gives us hope. That is where the chorus line came from, 'Even still, I won't let you go." No matter who you are, no matter what you have done, I refuse to let you go. That is the kind of love that goes beyond the right or wrongness of a choice or a belief. It is a love that doesn't judge or exclude, but is willing to walk beside you regardless of the situation. I'm not saying I have it worked out in my own life every part of the day, but that is the kind of love and commitment I want to work towards. That is the kind of love I want to give my life trying to show to another person. I don't want to regret not giving myself completely to another person.