BLAZE BAYLEY UNDERGOES SUCCESSFUL TRIPLE BYPASS SURGERY; FORMER IRON MAIDEN FRONTMAN RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL

Former Iron Maiden frontman, Blaze Bayley, suffered a heart attack on Sunday, March 26, and recently underwent triple bypass surgery.

Mark Appleton & Christopher Appleton (management / bookings) have issued the following update via Bayley's Facebook page:

"As with our previous update, we are delighted to say that Blaze's surgery seems to have been a success & we're really happy to report that he is now released from hospital & is at home to continue his recovery.

METALLICA - 72 SEASONS

 

Metallica is a name that has become synonymous with ubiquity, smashing down the cultural and commercial boundaries surrounding metal music, and achieving the status of a universal phenomenon. Through their more than 40 year career they’ve embodied that all too American ideal of chasing one’s dreams and actually catching up with them, going from the gritty venues of the early ‘80s U.S. heavy metal underground to selling out arenas normally reserved for the most prominent of pop stars, to speak nothing for the impressive cumulative Billboard numbers their studio work has garnered since their early 90s breakthrough and eponymous opus dubbed The Black Album. But as the famous quote from the film Conan The Barbarian goes, “Success can test one’s mettle as surely as the strongest adversary”, and even as early as their seminal 1984 sophomore LP Ride The Lightning, there have been grumblings among their core fan base that Metallica’s stylist evolution has been inorganic and touched primarily by overly commercial motivations.

The meteoric rise of any icon naturally comes with an often dramatic and dark back story, and 12th studio album and 77- minute slough 72 Seasons can be best understood as a lyrical confession of vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield. The name itself refers to the seasonal measurement of 18 years, and the 12 songs that unfold from the accompanying subject of a tumultuous youth reflect the sentiments of a man that has seen much and puts forth an impassioned and highly dynamic vocal performance to underscore the fact. Indeed, between that newly rediscovered edge that Hetfield exhibited in 2016’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct and the heightened vitality that has no doubt come with his recent sobriety; the vocal display that comes along with this album proves to be the most powerful and indicative of classic Metallica since The Black Album made them a household name. One might even go so far as to say that James takes full ownership of this album and all but turns it into a solo effort that may as well bear his own name on the cover.

Yet while the voice at the helm of this extended sonic endeavor brings a highly varied and dynamic element into things that often borders on fan service, the instrumental foundation upon which it stands turns in a more mixed showing. Despite the continual insistence of this quartet of veteran metal trustees that this would be geared towards the seminal ‘80s sound that their fan base has been clamoring for, 72 Seasons often finds itself mired in the malaise of meandering mid-paced jam material that seeped into their songwriting template during their ‘90s days of moonlighting as alternative rock trend-hoppers. It doesn’t manifest so much in a sound that is sloppy and lacking in cohesion or punch, as between the booming quality of Lars’ kit work and the rock-solid wall built by the bass and guitars, the resulting sound is unmistakably metallic. Instead, much of what rounds out this medley of dark and brooding anthems are songs that are built off of repetition and generally rest in mid-tempo land, often arranged in a bare fashion that avoids the rich harmonic, almost symphonic choir of guitars that gave the longer material on Master Of Puppets and …And Justice For All their charm. When combined with a mix that has the cymbals too prominent and the vocals sounding just a tad too distant, the notion that this is a full on return to the glory days becomes difficult to defend.

TWILIGHT FORCE – AT THE HEART OF WINTERVALE

 

Come one, come all to the power metal triumph of Twilight Force’s At The Heart Of Wintervale. The metal warriors delve into their lore of the Twilight Kingdoms with a soundtrack of major chorded anthems, whipping solos, bright keys, and lush orchestral arrangements. This falls right in line with the greats like Rhapsody Of Fire or newer entities like Gloryhammer – although the Force is more earnest in their delivery.

Twilight Force knows exactly what they’re doing and who they are catering too – so for those looking for something heavier and lighter/void on the orchestral elements – you’re definitely not going to enjoy this. Our Twilight heroes do the right thing to not bloat this one out, keeping it a steady paced eight tracks at 45 minutes. Having a tight runtime gives more meaning to the two tracks eclipsing 10 minutes.



Allyson (aka Alessandro Conti of Trick Or Treat) fits like a glove vocally with a prominent presence and effortlessly hits the high notes. He doesn’t strain himself and brings to life these sword-raising anthems. Guitarists Lynd and Aerendir have fun interplay bouncing happy melodies and quick notes between them. Just wish there was some more bite in the rhythm guitars, but our guys want the symphonic instrumentation to stick out.

AMORPHIS’ ESA HOLOPAINEN TALKS 30-PLUS YEARS OF BAND HISTORY - “MY MOM SAID ‘MUSIC IS A GOOD HOBBY, BUT YOU SHOULD GET A REAL JOB’

For nearly 35 years, Finnish heavy metal legends Amorphis have been steadily building their unique brand of progressive folk metal with the odd nod to the gurgling death metal scene. It was 1994’s epic Tales From The Thousand Lakes that made the music world stand at attention and there’s been no looking back. Their latest album Halo, released last year, hit #1 on the Finnish charts and they recently tied a bow on their incredible career by releasing the English version of their mighty tome, Amorphis: The Official Story Of Finland's Greatest Metal Band. BraveWords caught up with longtime friend and main composer Esa Holopainen for a career-encompassing chat recently.

BraveWords: So, after 30-plus years, what do you think is the glue that holds Amorphis together? What's the bond?

Holopainen: "I guess it's friendship, and the music. We've been friends for ages, for some of the guys we have known each other since we were kids. So I guess that bonds us. That bonds us and it's work, it's a job for every one of us. I guess that is pretty much something that connects us. And, we still have a love of doing what we do, to meet people, and travel, and play shows. We've been together now over 30 years. And we are still a solid band. We do tours and release new albums. Our career has been very stable and we have gotten further little by little. The years have brought more appreciation from the industry

STRATOVARIUS ANNOUNCE MAY 2023 TOUR DATES FOR MEXICO

Finnish bashers Stratovarius are gearing up for a tour of Mexico between May 6th and May 14th. Dates are listed below. 

BLACKSTAFF: EP “THE DARK STICK” DISPONÍVEL NAS PLATAFORMAS DE STREAMING

O Blackstaff, projeto capitaneado pelo multi-instrumentista norte-americano Dustin Cleary, lançou em meados de dezembro de 2022, seu mais novo trabalho, o EP intitulado “The Dark Stick”. Contando com 5 músicas, o trabalho entrega um Doom Metal/Sludge acima da média, onde se destacam principalmente as ótimas “Flesh Eater” e “Corpse Queen”, com seu peso opressivo, ótimos riffs, vocais agressivos e um ar obscuro que deixa tudo ainda mais atraente para os fãs do estilo. Uma ótima pedida e um nome a ser observado de muito perto.

Mick Mars sobre Mötley Crüe: “Há anos carregos esses bastardos nas costas”

Mick Mars, guitarrista do Mötley Crüe, deu sua primeira entrevista sobre sua decisão de abrir um processo contra a banda, alegando que ele “carregou esses bastardos por anos” e insistindo que ele “não vai deixar qualquer um tirar” dele sua “parte desta empresa”.

Durante uma entrevista à Variety, Mars comentou sobre seus colegas de banda: “Esses caras estão martelando em mim desde 87, tentando me substituir. Eles não conseguiram fazer isso, porque eu sou o guitarrista. Eu ajudei a formar esta banda. É meu nome, eu criei [o apelido Mötley Crüe], minhas ideias, meu dinheiro que recebi de um patrocinador para começar esta banda. Caso contrário, o grupo não teria ido a lugar nenhum.”

“Por volta de 2012, quando eles começaram a dizer que minha memória estava ruim e eu não lembrava das músicas, fui consultar todos os meus médicos, pois quero me manter sempre firme”, continuou. “Então, ficou um embate entre as pessoas da 10th Street [empresa que gerencia a banda] e todos os meus médicos, que afirmavam que não havia nada de errado comigo. Agora, eles estão jogando esse jogo comigo”, acrescentou.

“A verdade é: Eu quero me aposentar das turnês por causa da minha AS [espondilite anquilosante, uma doença artrítica inflamatória que causa a fusão das vértebras]. No entanto, eu não tenho problema em lembrar as músicas, não tenho nenhum desses problemas que eles afirmam. O que eles falam está absolutamente errado.”

“Vou fazer 72 anos, estou em turnê com esses caras há 41 anos, ajudando a construir a marca e ajudando a fazer tudo o que foi preciso. E eles me retribuem com ingratidão. Isso é uma loucura. Isso é muito estúpido”, completou o guitarrista.
O processo de Mick Mars contra Mötley Crüe

Segundo os documentos obtidos pelo TMZ, os demais integrantes foram responsáveis por uma “decisão unilateral” sobre a saída de Mars. Além disso, o advogado da banda supostamente insinuou que Mars deveria “ser grato” por receber essa porção dos lucros da banda na presente situação.

Mick Mars acusou o baixista Nikki Sixx de manipulação por meio de “gaslighting”, pois o colega sempre comentava que as habilidades na guitarra de Mick estariam diminuindo.

Segundo Mars relatou no processo, existe certa ironia nesses comentários de Sixx, uma vez que o colega “não tocou nenhuma nota de baixo” na atual turnê e usaria apenas faixas pré-gravadas.

A exigência de Mick Mars é receber acesso às finanças da banda para verificar se está recebendo corretamente.