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Day in Rock Report for 12/20/2017


Today's Day in Rock Stories


Led Zeppelin Releasing Unheard Music Next Year

(hennemusic) Led Zeppelin will mark their 50th anniversary in 2018 with a series of unreleased material, according to comments that were recently made by guitarist Jimmy Page.

"There'll be Led Zeppelin product coming out, for sure, that people haven't heard, because I'm working on that," Page recently told the Academy Of Achievement. "Next year will be the 50th year so there's all manner of surprises coming out."

With Page as producer, Led Zeppelin reissued their nine studio albums in chronological order in 2014 and 2015, with each project expanded with a companion disc of previously unreleased material; a complete version of their 1997 set, "BBC Sessions", surfaced last year. Read more and watch video here.

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Slipknot's Clown Reveals Timing Of Studio Return For New Album

Slipknot's Shawn "Clown" Crahan has discussed the timeline for the band's plans to enter the recording studio to work on the tracks for the follow up to the group's 2014 album ".5: The Gray Chapter".

Crahan did a Q&A with NME and was asked what is next for Slipknot and he responded, ""We're about a year away from being in the studio. It's not my fault the maggots don't pay attention. We make an album, we tour for three years, we take two years off. It got a little screwed up after 'All Hope [Is Gone', the band's fourth album] because Paul passed away, so we took time off, took time with our kids, and toured for a couple of years until it felt right. Then when it felt right, Joey took off.

"I'll be in the studio in November 2018. There's a plethora of sh*t written. I don't wanna be told by a label when to write, like some f***ing Cheerio. I wanna write because I write. I've made people so much f***ing money - pay for the studio. Give me this engineer, give me this producer. It's just jamming, but I've never heard music like this, that we're doing right now. I'll be 50 by the time it comes out. I'll be touring when I'm 50, they'll throw me a birthday party! So where I'm at these days, I'm like, 'Maybe make it the last one.'"

He was then asked if that meant the end of Slipknot and he answered, "Who knows? I don't have to explain myself to anyone. I'm not gonna be like, 'Farewell tour!' then come back. Never say those words to fans - you have to come back if you say that. For me it's like, I'm going to go fishing indefinitely." Read the full Q&A here.

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Judas Priest Frontman Shares Rock Hall Rejection Letter

Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford discussed his legendary band being snubbed for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a recent radio interview and he also shared the rejection email that he received from the controversial institution.

Halford shared the rejection email during an appearance on Phoenix radio station KSLX. Greg Harris, the President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wrote:

"Thank you for embracing your nomination for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. While you didn't garner enough votes for induction this year, you were part of a very select group of Hall of Fame nominees. Artists are frequently on the ballot multiple times before they are inducted. For example, Black Sabbath were nominated eight times before their induction, Patti Smith seven times, Solomon Burke nine times, and both the Beastie Boys and The Yardbirds were on the ballot three times before their respective inductions." Read more here.

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Imagine Dragons Blown Away By 600 Person Choir Cover Of 'Believer'

(Radio.com) Imagine Dragons were speechless when they viewed a video of a choir of 600 people singing their song "Believer." A five-minute video of the performance was put together by GLGLZ radio in Israel for their Best of Year chart of 2017 along with Koolulam, a social media platform that strives to bring together people from all corners of Israeli society to sing together. GLGLZ is Israel's most popular radio station and plays top 40 hits, a representative told Radio.com.

"This 600 person choir singing believer blew my mind this morning as I watched," the band tweeted. "So much passion." Each year, the radio station does a Best of Year chart chosen by its listeners. Then, Israeli artists cover the top hits. This year, the station approached Koolulam, which helped coordinate a choir of 600 singers to perform "Believer."

Six hundred participants were divided into three vocal groups (baritone, alto and soprano), and were taught their harmonies in one hour. The result is unlike any other cover of "Believer." Watch the performance here.

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Tom DeLonge Reacts To Reveal Of Pentagon UFO Program

(Radio.com) Over the weekend, The New York Times ran a story confirming the existence of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, a UFO-related investigation at the Pentagon. Though formally shuttered in 2012, it began in 2007 as a pet project of then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D. NV).

Former Pentagon official Luis Elizondo spoke to the Times and Politico about the program and his business partner, former Blink-182 guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge. The musician has been vocal about UFOs and government cover-ups for years. As founder of To the Stars Academy of Arts & Science, DeLonge and former high-ranking officials from the Department of Defense, CIA, NSA and Lockheed Martin are working to investigate extraterrestrial life.

"I know that it's fun to make snarky comments, but this isn't the kind of thing to joke about," DeLonge told The New York Daily News. "This is going to really affect a lot of people and a lot of people's belief systems."

By operating in the private sector, DeLonge hopes to avoid the same fate as the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. "Part of our strategy has always been to throw it all out in the open so people can't come and try to shut it down from some weird office at NATO or the United Nations or the United States or whatever," he told the paper. Read more here.

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Top 17 Stories Of January 2017


Guns N' Roses Reunion Wasn't Motivated By Money 2017 In Review

Guns N' Roses Reunion Wasn't Motivated By Money was a top 17 story of January 2017. (New Rock Times) Guns N' Roses guitarist Richard Fortus says that the rekindling of the friendship between Axl Rose and Slash and subsequent return to the band for the latter had nothing to do with money.

The stadium tours with the current line-up of Guns N' Roses with Slash and Duff back with frontman Axl Rose are reportedly raking in in excess of $5.5m per show.

But speaking to Guy 'Favazz' Favazza of the St. Louis, Missouri radio station KSHE, Fortus shot down suggestions the reunion was fuelled by dollar signs.

"No. Axl has been going on on time for years before [the reunion]," said Fortus. "It's been great. Is money the motivating factor for him? Absolutely not. I've never seen that guy motivated by money, as long as I've known him. Otherwise, this reunion would have happened a long time ago."

"Honestly, I don't think money was a motivating factor for anybody, other than the stars just seemed to align. We didn't have a bass player, we didn't have a guitar player. Really, that's how it sort of happened." Read more here.

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Ozzy Osbourne Overdosed Claims Daughter 2017 In Review

Ozzy Osbourne's daughter Kelly made headlines in January when she made claims in excerpts from a book that the legendary Black Sabbath vocalist overdosed back in 2002 while his wife Sharon was battling colon cancer. Radio.com had the following details:

"Dad was there in his boxers, and I watched him scoop his hands into a bowl of pills, swallow a handful of something, and then wash it down with vodka," she recalled an excerpt featured in NME.

Another excerpt obtained by AOL recalls Kelly's ambulance ride with both her parents. '[Dad] leaned over to put his hand out to see if mum was breathing. Then he passed out with his hand over her mouth� The EMTs tried to pull him off, and dad, not knowing where he was or what he was doing, started to resist out of habit," she writes. 'They pulled over the ambulance and started to call the police."

'Dad could not handle the thought of losing mum," Kelly writes. Read more and find out why the news didn't come out back in 2002 here.

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Tony Iommi Has Lump Removed From Throat 2017 In Review

(hennemusic) Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi was in the news back in January when he revealed that he was recovering from surgery to remove a noncancerous lump from his throat. In the previous month, Iommi revealed that doctors determined his latest tests revealed the blood cancer lymphoma - first diagnosed in 2012 - was in remission but that they discovered a lump at the back of his nose that needed to be extracted and analyzed.

"Well, I had the treatment when I got back from (our tour of) South America," Iommi tells Planet Rock. "I went in for the throat operation - they found a lump at the back of my sinus in the throat and we had to have it checked in case it may have been cancerous.

"But it turns out it wasn't, which I found out on Christmas Day, which is brilliant! So far (I'm all good). I daren't say that - I'll probably fall down the stairs now!"

The guitarist shared the update while speaking with the UK radio station about "How Good It Is", a new song that he has just released with the Birmingham Cathedral Choir. Read more here.

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Dave Mustaine Says Metallica Didn't Want Him At Rock Hall 2017 In Review

Dave Mustaine Says Metallica Didn't Want Him At Rock Hall was a top 17 story of January 2017. (Radio.com) Megadeth's Dave Mustaine wasn't part of Metallica's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, and on Monday (January 2nd) he opened up about the snub that kept him from participating in one of the events he has listed on his bucket list.

Mustaine tweeted, "I think that the @rockhall is opposed to me being in there. It is one of my bucket list items: The R&R HOF and my Grammy." Despite being Metallica's original lead guitarist and having writing credits on their first two albums, Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning, Mustaine wasn't among the founding or principal members inducted in 2009, which included James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Cliff Burton, Jason Newsted and Robert Trujillo.

When fans wrote back exclaiming how much they loved him, Mustaine tweeted, "Thank you. I just wish that both of those boards felt the same way that you do. I am in there bcuz of Met in a way. But I'd like Megs to go!" Some outlets took Mustaine's original tweet and began asking why the Hall of Fame was keeping him from being inducted.

Once he caught wind of the error, he went back on Twitter to explain that it was Metallica who kept him from participating. "Your story is incorrect. Met didn't want me there, not the RNRHOF," he tweeted. Read more here.

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Unusual AC/DC Cover Becomes Viral Hit 2017 In Review

Unusual AC/DC Cover Becomes Viral Hit was a top 17 story of January 2017: A unusual cover of the AC/DC classic "Thunderstruck" by a Spanish bagpipe band has gone viral after a video clip of the performance was posted online last week.

The clip of Rondalla de Santa Eulalia de Mos performing the iconic hard rock hit drew almost a million views in its first few days of release, according the UK outlet Daily Mail.

They quote the group's musical director and conductor Daniel Burgos Paz as saying: "I would never have believed that anything like this could happen to us." He then added: "We thought we had a bit of an impact, because we are always seen in local media, but nothing to do with what has happened now. Fame is over us." Watch the video here.

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Deep Purple Sue Accountant Over Missing Millions Of Dollars 2017 In Review

(hennemusic) Deep Purple Sue Accountant Over Missing Millions Of Dollars was a top 17 story of January 2017: Deep Purple are suing longtime account Dipak Shanker Rao after discovering that nearly $5 million dollars is missing following a review of their company's books.

The Times reports principal band members Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice and the estate of Jon Lord have filed a lawsuit in London's High Court accusing Rao of siphoning off up to �4 million in royalties from their financial companies, HEC Enterprises and Deep Purple (Overseas) Ltd.

The High Court have frozen Rao's assets after he admitted "borrowing" or "lending" at least �2.27 million of the company's money. Only �477,000 has been recovered to date, while both companies went into administration (bankruptcy) a year ago.

The funds were discovered missing during a review of the group's books after former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore sued the companies last year, alleging that he was owed �750,000 in unpaid royalties. Read more here.

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Aerosmith's Long Goodbye May Last Years And Include New Music 2017 In Review

Aerosmith's Long Goodbye May Last Years And Include New Music was a top 17 story of January 2017: Aerosmith are gearing up to launch their Aero-Vederci, Baby Tour later this year which has been dubbed their farewell trek, but guitarist Brad Whitford says that it may be a very long goodbye for the veteran band.

Whitford recently spoke with Metal Express Radio about the band's not-so-impending retirement and told the outlet that they may tour for several years and may also record some new music.

"We really are calling it the Farewell Tour but it's going to probably take us between the next three to five years as we plan on touring the States, South America, Europe and Japan and wherever else, so it's going to take a while.

He had the following to say about the possibility of new music, "We're at the talking stage of doing some more music. It's quite hard right now as Steven [Tyler] is out on the road with his band. We had a talk a few weeks back about going into the studio. When that'll happen, though, I'm not sure. We certainly have plenty of ideas." Check out the full interview here.

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Allman Brothers Band Legend Butch Trucks Dead At 69 2017 In Review

(hennemusic) Allman Brothers Band Legend Butch Trucks Dead At 69 was a top 17 story of January 2017: Legendary Allman Brothers Band drummer and founding member Butch Trucks died January, 24th in West Palm Beach, FL at the age of 69. While the cause of his death has yet to be confirmed, Trucks is survived by his wife, four children and four grandchildren.

"The Trucks and Allman Brothers Band families request all of Butch's friends and fans to please respect our privacy at this time of sadness for our loss," announced the group. "Butch will play on in our hearts forever." Donations and remembrances in Butch's name may be made to The Big House Museum in Macon, GA.

"I'm heartbroken," says Gregg Allman. "I've lost another brother and it hurts beyond words. Butch and I knew each other since we were teenagers and we were bandmates for over 45 years. He was a great man and a great drummer and I'm going to miss him forever. Rest In Peace Brother Butch." Read more here.

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Stone Temple Pilots Defend Decision To Continue With New Singer 2017 In Review

Stone Temple Pilots Defend Decision To Continue With New Singer was a top 17 story of January 2017: Stone Temple Pilots' Robert and Dean DeLeo defended their decision to continue the band under the same name with a brand new singer replacing the late Scott Weiland.

The DeLeo brothers discussed the decision during a recent interview on SiriusXM's Covino and Rich Show, Robert said (via Alternative Nation) "We did that [performing under another name with Talk Show], we did that.

"We [also] did Army of Anyone with Richard Patrick, and Ray Luzier on drums. That's not what this is, we want this to be Stone Temple Pilots. We want it to be the three members of Stone Temple Pilots with another singer moving forward. That's what we want to do."

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Of Mice & Men Frontman Leaves Group Over Health 2017 In Review

Of Mice & Men frontman Austin Carlile made headlines in early January when he revealed that he was leaving the group due to his battle with Marfan syndrome. The group plan to continue and they will proceed with their upcoming live shows.

Carlile broke the news to fans in a lengthy Instagram post (read it here) and the band followed up with the following statement, "It's with heavy hearts that we announce Austin's departure from the band for reasons pertaining to his health.

"As many of you are aware, Austin suffers from a rare connective tissue disorder called Marfan syndrome & has been struggling with the physical demands of touring since the band began.

"After his most recent series of surgeries at Stanford University Hospital, following the cancellation of our European headlining tour, his team of doctors informed him of the damage that performing, & more specifically his aggressive vocals, have been causing his body." Read more here.

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Grim Reaper Frontman Has Part Of His Leg Amputated 2017 In Review

Grim Reaper frontman Steve Grimmett made news in January when he had part of his leg amputated as he battles a serious infection, according to posts made by his wife Millie on social media.

Grimmett was hospitalized following a Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper concert in Guayaquil, Ecuador on Saturday night (January 14th). His wife posted the following initial message on the band's Facebook page, "As many of you know steve was taken Ill at Saturday nights gig and he sung most of it sitting down.

"After the show Steve was taken to hospital where he had an operation to remove an infection from his foot and bones. He is still in hospital in Guayaquil but this is all I know right now. Once I have more information I will let you know. Thank you for all your support and kind words. It means a lot."

Unfortunately, she revealed in a later update that the surgery did not work and he had to have part of his leg amputated. She wrote Tuesday, "unfortunately the operation didn't work and steve is currently in the operating theatre having limbs removed." Read more here.

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Geoff Tate Insulted By Motley Crue Comparison 2017 In Review

Geoff Tate Insulted By Motley Crue Comparison was a top 17 story of January 2017: (New Rock Times) Being compared to Motley Crue was 'an insult' says former Queensryche frontman Geoff Tate. Queensryche were often lumped in with a number of bands which broke through in the 80's including Motley Crue which Tate admits to taking exception to.

Speaking to The Irish Examiner he said: "When we started, genre wasn't really a thing in the business. Rock music was all encompassing. You had different bands doing different things and it was all totally fine.

"What happened was that the marketing mentality came into the business. They started breaking everything down and putting music in boxes. At that point, writers began placing us in the same box as Motley Crue. It wasn't about the music - it was a selling technique. To be compared to Motley Crue...? I took it as kind of an insult, frankly." Read more here.

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Cadillac Tramps' Gabby Gabon Dead At 51 2017 In Review

News of the passing of Gabby Gabon was a top 17 story of January 2017: Gabon, who was the frontman for iconic OC punk bands Cadillac Tramps and Manic Hispanic, has died at the age of 51 after a battle with liver cancer.

Apart from liver cancer, Gabon also in recent times reportedly had suffered from other major health issues including a heart attack, a stroke, diabetes, and liver and renal failure, according OC Weekly. They report that he is survived by his six year-old son, Presley.

Cadillac Tramps broke the news to fans with the following Facebook posting "Our hearts are broken. Our beloved Gabby has passed away. Vaya con Dios compadre!

"We will keep all his wonderful friends and fans posted on upcoming services and ways we will be celebrating his life. Sad day for music."

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Ritchie Blackmore Would Not Have Reunited With Dio 2017 In Review

Ritchie Blackmore made news when he said that he would not have reunited with Ronnie James Dio: Blackmore made his return to rock in 2016 with a new version of Rainbow and he says in a new interview that would not have reunited with original frontman Ronnie James Dio if the legendary metal singer was still alive.

The iconic original Deep Purple guitarist was asked in an interview if he was disappointed that he wasn't able to invite Dio, who died of cancer in 2010, to be part of the Rainbow reformation.

He responded, "I hate to say it, but no, I wasn't. I'd finished with Ronnie a long time ago, and we kept in touch now and again but I went on to other things and he was in other things.

"We kept it very convivial and that, but I think neither one of us really wanted to get back together. He's a strong alpha male, and so am I; he wanted to go one way, I wanted to go the other."

Blackmore also discussed how the mid-90s regrouping of Rainbow came about and he explained why the lineup didn't last. Read more here.

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Ghost Make History With 'Square Hammer' 2017 In Review

Ghost Make History With 'Square Hammer' was a top 17 story of January 2017: (New Rock Times) Ghost have made history with their single 'Square Hammer' by becoming the first Swedish band to land the No.1 spot on the Billboard's mainstream rock chart.

'Square Hammer' is featured on the occult rocker's recent EP release 'Popestar' which was also a chart topper, debuting at the No. 1 position on Billboard's Top Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts and has sold 75,000 units in its first four months of release.

'Popestar' also featured a handful of cover versions of tracks by Echo and the Bunnymen, Simian Mobile Disco, Eurythmics and Imperiet. Ghost is currently preparing to embark on a European tour. Check out the chart topping song here.

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Joey Jordison Looks Back On Serious Illness At End Of Slipknot 2017 In Review

Joey Jordison Looks Back On Serious Illness At End Of Slipknot was a top 17 story of January 2017: (New Rock Times) Joey Jordison says he is stronger than he ever has been in his life having beaten acute transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord which damages nerve fibres.

In the space of three weeks the ex-Slipknot drummer, currently playing with Vimic and Sinsaenum, went from flu symptoms to being unable to walk and paralysis from the waist down. But now Jordison says following extensive physical therapy and continued gym sessions he is in the best shape of his life. Speaking to Neomedia Group he said: "What happened was toward the end of my Slipknot touring cycle, I became very ill - like, very sick. And like I've said before, we all know when you have a cold, we all know when you have the flu, we all know these symptoms. I suffered from asthma when I was a kid.

"There was a pain and a weirdness that I'd never felt before. And next thing I know, my legs just started failing on me. And next thing I know, my playing was going downhill, and then next thing I know, I was unable to walk. And then next thing I know, I was paralysed from the waist down. It literally happened within the span of, like, three weeks. So I instantly, of course, checked myself into the hospital and went into intensive care.

"I had amazing, amazing doctors that really were working around the clock to find out what was wrong. It turned out to be the acute transverse myelitis condition. And from then, what I did is I spent some time in the hospital, like a couple of months and started working with therapists. And next thing after that, once I got discharged from the hospital, I went into intense physical therapy. And I still stay in it. Now, even though I'm fully recovered - I'm literally stronger than I've ever been in my life - I just still stay on that regiment, man." Read more here.

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Trivium Star Leaves Group and Announces New Band 2017 In Review

Trivium Star Leaves Group and Announces New Band was a top 17 story of January 2017: Drummer Paul Wandtke has confirmed that he has left Trivium and he announced that his long in the making new project called Bedlem will be releasing their debut single "Triumph" next month.

Wandtke, who joined Trivium in late 2015, had the following to say in a post entitled "I guess the rumors were true" that he published on his official website on Friday (January 20th): "Bedlem has been a project that I've been in the development stage for the past six years with my good old best friends from high school. After working with Trivium the past year, taking the world stage with them has been Eye Opening And Jaw Dropping for me. Some of the festivals we rocked were Graspop Metal Meeting (over 100,000 people), Knotfest, Louder than Life, Rock on the Range and more.

"I feel so inspired to finally release Bedlem. It's like, 'Bedlem begins' haha meaning the chaos begins because that's what Bedlem actually means but spelled with an 'a' in replacement of the second e originally called Bethlehem for the first mental hospital. We actually came up with the name 10 years ago (when we were kids in middle school playing dive bars) but we didn't actually start writing in professional studios until about 6 years in the midst of all my work for hire drumming duties like Rock Of Ages, Kill Hannah, Parabelle (original Evans Blue's vocalist), The Sammus Theory and more. I hope you get to check out our debut single which is being released in February. This current single features a bombastic display of sick riffs by my best bud Joe Brassal, and contains tons of groove power with some slightly progressive elements. Rhythmically the song starts in 11/4, the second phrases of the verse contain some 3 over 4 motifs created by the displacement of the cymbals and the song ends with some nice grouping of 5s. Vocally we have Mike Petrasek my good old buddy that has a significant tenor range but with a nice rasp and powerful sustaining voice. Obviously we are going commercial but it's still gonna be metal and it's gonna kick ass". Check out a video that Paul posted of his tracking for the new group here.

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