Guitarist Gus G issued a statement on social media revealing he played on Bruce Dickinson’s The Mandrake Project. He also spoke to Jimmy Kay from The Metal Voice and went into more details about his contribution in a all new exclusive video interview while on tour.
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Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to former guitarist of Whitesnake and solo artist Adrian Vandenberg.
In the chat Adrian talks about latest co-headlining tour with Geoff Tate, gives an update on his next musical endeavors and upcoming tour. As well as chats about his early Vandenberg albums and sharks.
Vandenberg’s latest album ‘SIN’ that was released on August 25, 2023 via Mascot records.
When asked about the differences in touring the USA vs Holland
“What I love about playing in the States, since the first time with the original Vandenberg lineup in 1983 (Tour). Is that the position that show business and in this case rock music has in society.People are really excited about it and they respect it which is great. Because in Holland still after all those years sometimes I run into people that go so what is your real work (job)? In America it is the number one show business country and number one worldwide everybody knows. For you guys it’s normal because you live here and you’ve grown up in that vibe. But for me whenever I play here it is a different kind of excitement even though the crowd that you play for now is of course uh is a lot more mature because they’ve been grown they grew with us, with this kind of music. For people it’s a time machine and for me too because we play a lot of Whitesnake (songs) that I’ve was involved with in for such a long time ,12- 13 years. It’s great to play it again for the people that made it that big and everybody’s got a big smile on their face and they sing along.”
When asked what he is planning to do musically in the future
“I’m going to do two more tours in Holland. One doing the classic Vandenberg material and later in the year I’m going to do the same thing as what I’m doing right now (in USA) predominantly Whitesnake years. There’s a lot of interest for that because as we know Whitesnake is not touring anymore and in Holland Whitesnake was really big when I was in the band, it was a part of patriotism. Also we will be back soon in the USA for second leg. “
When asked when he looks back during the debut album if he thought he would be doing music today
“No, I would never have thought, really. Even also in the Whitesnake days when we were number one, you know the biggest band in the States or in the world or whatever. Every day in the morning I woke up and I thought man if it’s over tomorrow? But nobody’s going to take those memories away from me and I’ll go back to painting which I love too. I’m a lucky bastard. So I don’t take anything for granted. The first album (Vandenberg 1983) we recorded it in Jimmy Page’s Studio and I met Jimmy Page for the first time and a bunch of times afterwards. I went out in Tokyo one night (with him) which was an unforgettable night and it was one of the biggest hangovers I had in my life. He’s a great guy (Jimmy Page) , he’s very intelligent, has a British sense of humor, he’s incredible talent and it was just a pleasure and honor to meet him.”
Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to (Ex-Guns n’ Roses, Sons of Apollo) guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal about new band ‘Whom Gods Destroy’ and their upcoming debut album ‘Insanium’ which will be released March 15, 2024, via InsightOutMusic
In the chat Bumblefoot discuss how Sons of Apollo ended and how Whom Gods Destroy began.
Pre-Order here.
When asked how Sons of Apollo dissolved with so much momentum going for them
“We were on tour, we had doubled our attendances, just everything was going this way (pointing up). It was going great and we got four shows into a 20 show tour in Europe and we had to pull the plug (Because of Covid) and we all and went back home and then Derek and Jeff (Scott Soto) the singer we wanted to start working on album number three (Sons of Apollo) It’s like we have all this time now to nurture it (The music) but not everybody was on board to do that, some people had their own plans and things they wanted to do which they did and so killed the band. So it split into two bands, Jeff (Scott Soto) offered to be the singer for this band that I had with old friends of mine called ‘Art of Anarchy’ that we were doing during the pandemic. So now I have Art of Anarchy with Jeff and Derek (Sherinian) and I just continued writing as we did with Sons of Apollo where we just write, we write the music and we kept doing that. And we realized that with certain members not interested we couldn’t really continue with Sons of Apollo. Jeff (Scott Soto) was interested, he would loved to do a third one (album) but we found new band members. So started with Dino Jelusick on vocals. Then we got Yas Nomura on bass which is kind of funny cuz he’s this incredible guitar player but then again Dino is also an incredible keyboard player and songwriter and everything. All the guys in the band are multi-talented . Then we got Bruno Valverde on drums. So it really started from the ashes of Sons of Apollo we crawled out and and just we continued writing what could have become a third Sons of Apollo album but it wasn’t going to happen. “
When asked if it is too difficult to keep a supergroup together
“Nothing is easy. It can be easy if everyone just shuts the F- up and does their job. If people think about the hive and not just their bee-self. If you have the mentality of being a team player and not just a selfish F@@@ then a band can easily work and last for decades. Also I’m not calling anyone in particular a selfish F@@@ I’m just saying that in bands, in every band you’re going to have the narcissist, you’re going to have usually a drug addict narcissist. You’re going to have the conspiring greedy F***. You’re going to have the one that is just riddled with depression and thinks that every note is the most important thing that happened. And also you have people that forget that if you have four or five people in the band you should only be getting 25 or 20% of your ideas going through and if you’re hogging it up you’re taking away from everyone else and it’s you know not a fair scenario and someone is going to feel like they’re left out and not being heard.”
When asked about the musical direction of the new Whom Gods Destroy Insanium album
“If you know Sons of Apollo, it’s like Sons of Apollo with the intensity knobs turned up. Turning the 10 up to 11s and the proggy stuff is pretty proggy. The solos are crazy The Melodies are melodic. The heaviness is heavier. To me, it’s just more intense. I remember when we were first showing it to the label they were a little concerned because they were expecting Sons of Apollo 3 and this was described more as it’s like a constant pummeling. Yeah as it should just come in swinging. Each person is a key ingredient to the mix that creates the flavour of what it is.”
Whom Gods Destroy, the formidable new progressive metal group formed by keyboardist Derek Sherinian, guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal, and vocalist Dino Jelusick, along with the potent rhythm section of bassist Yas Nomura and drummer Bruno Valverde, are pleased to announce their debut album “Insanium”, to be released on March 15th, 2024 worldwide via InsideOutMusic.
Whom Gods Destroy – “Insanium” (52:56)
Whom Gods Destroy line-up:
Bruno Valverde – Drums
Yas Nomura – Bass
Dino Jelusick – Vocals –
Derek Sherinian – Keyboards
Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal – Guitars
Canada’s The Metal Voice recently interviewed Ex-Iron Maiden singer Blaze Bayley
In the chat Blaze talked about his new studio ”CIRCLE OF STONE’ that will be released on Feb 23, 2024.
Blaze Bayley also talks about opening for Iron Maiden on the ‘No prayer for the dying’ tour in U.K. w/ Wolfsbane.
In Blaze’s own words the ‘Circle of Stone’ album is a work of 2 halves…
“Side one comprises six unconnected songs that describe human frailty, resilience, courage, and gratitude. Can you look to yourself for answers? Can you fight against all the odds to take your future in your own hand, or do you accept the fate that other people tell you is what you deserve? Believe in yourself. You can survive the knocks, defeats and disappointments of your life and come back stronger. That is the hope we hold in our first six songs.”
Blaze continues… “Side two contains six connected songs that tell the story of our forgotten tribe; a search for the truth in the heart of the circle of tall stones. Seeking the mystical portal, whilst the ancestors call to you in dreams, you have denied them. They demand vengeance and reckoning but you are a selfish, materialistic coward, and you have avoided the true path of your future. You must find a way to become selfless and courageous to lead our tribe back to the homeland of our ancestors. This is the journey described by the six songs of side two.”
When asked what his experience was like
“That was just the best thing I ever did. It was incredible. My dreams were coming true and I was asked to be part of the Iron Maiden football team. So I actually played for the Maiden football team. So it was fantastic man. You’re playing football on the days off, oh it’s just it was incredible. I think it was 33 sold out UK shows, it was the last time they ever played theaters in the UK. It was a fantastic.”
When asked if it even crossed mind at the time if one day he would be fronting Iron Maiden
“No, no I I felt like my voice was so different to Bruce (Dickinson). But you know what the confidence of those guys. I would push it a little bit more every night. We’d always be on time very respectful of the time and said this is the time on, that’s a time off, that’s it. We always made sure that we were good for the time. But I’d see the big side fills the frames with the speakers in and you know I know Bruce climbed up, so I’d have a climb. And I’ll climb up and you know the lads would egg me on, go on have a go. And I was thinking afterwards I thought I’m going to get right trouble for this? No never said anything. I kept doing it every night and eventually I was standing on top of the things Bruce use to stand on. And Steve Harris come over there one night I thought oh here we go. And he goes I’ve seen you climbing up there and he goes it’s nice to have a band that pushes us. Incredible isn’t it? No ego at all. And that’s why they’re at the top and they deserve to stay at the top because that’s the attitude. It’s like not that they’re saying oh no, someone will blow us away they’re going oh we better really get to work because someone is trying to blow us away.”
Canada’s The Metal Voice recently interviewed Ex-Thundermother now The Gems’ vocalist Guernica Mancini and drummer Emlee Johansson about the bands new studio album ‘Phoenix’. which is out now Jan 26, 2024 via Napalm Records
In the chat the ladies discuss their emotional rollercoaster after parting ways with the band Thundermother which inspired the making of the LP.
When asked about the themes on the debut album ‘Phoenix’
“There’s a lot of things that we had to get off our chest and the whole album is us basically working through the grief. So there’s some angry songs, there’s some frustration, there’s sadness and in that mix it’s still empowering and hopeful. If you listen to the album from beginning to end you get to hear basically everything, all the emotions that we went through when this happened (parting ways with Thundermother) to us. Guernica Mancini
“I mean we tried to think of other themes but on the other hand this is what we feel right now and that’s the best outcome with lyrics to a song you know when you actually write something real and it was really therapeutic to put down our feelings in words. It’s been helpful for us in many ways and also I think I mean this debut album is a statement like we’re not going to give up basically, we’re going to rise up again no matter what.” Emlee Johansson ‘
When asked if Guernica had any regrets from over-expressing her feelings in public after she was dismissed from Thundermother
“No I don’t regret anything. I feel like we are on a truth journey that’s this (Phoenix) album. We’re being honest and we’re sick of hiding what’s actually going on because of other circumstances or other people. I’m just sick of it, completely over not being truthful and we’re all very truthful honest people. That’s how we are as humans. So it’s nice to just be yourself freely and unfiltered.” Guernica Mancini
When asked if they see themselves having a relationship or conversation with current Thundermother band, if they bumped into each other at a festival or show.
“I think we will definitely avoid each other. We are honest people and I could never wish her well, unfortunately because she has hurt me very much, so I can’t. I’m sorry I can’t. Emlee Johansson
“I would probably just avoid her and I think maybe all of us would yeah I hate those kinds of confrontations. I would rather hide in the bushes or something like that. I would never want to see her. To be completely honest the new (Thundermother) lineup I don’t know two of the girls, so I have no hard feelings towards them whatsoever So eventually I’m kind of hoping to get to talk to them because we are trying to build a nice community of female musicians who are actually supporting each other and being there for each other. Like I’ve said in a lot of interviews we’re here when you know shit is going to hit the fan, eventually. We are here waiting for them with open arms and ready to be that support that you will need eventually. ” Guernica Mancini
When asked Emlee Johansson how she had the courage to quit Thundermother when Guernica was let go
“Guernica was in the band and we had we always had each others back when things were tough. We were always happy on stage and I loved every show we played. Guernica was also really helpful to have as a real friend on tour that you could always l text or whatever. We were a band, we were a democracy, that’s the way we worked in Thundermother and we split up the hard work and we did everything together. So for somebody in the band to just all of a sudden start making their own decisions that wasn’t for me at all. I could never imagine myself being in that band without Guernica and also the worst thing ever business-wise (decision) to fire the singer who had the voice that made our sound was not good. ” Emlee Johansson
When asked about their thoughts on the songs, on the new album
“We have made an effort to put the songs in a specific order so we take the listener on a journey. We are all over the place with influences, from the 70s and the 80s rock but somehow it’s a red line through the whole album because of the theme that goes through like you’re going through hard times and you still like rise up again and you never give up. We’re really proud of that.”- Emlee Johansson
“I think it’s empowering/ We know what inspired the songs on our part but we really made an effort to make them open enough for anyone to relate to.” – Guernica Mancini
THE GEMS on Phoenix:
“Phoenix marks the beginning, the rise of THE GEMS. This album takes you on a journey through one of our toughest times. Through this creative process we were able to really dig deep and let go of a lot of emotional baggage, and find true happiness in music again. The new found freedom our band has been given us shines through on this album. We couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished, and the true Rock n Roll Sisterhood and community we’ve built through these few months of our existence. Phoenix is the perfect album for anyone going through a tough time, having the rug pulled out under you and somehow finding the strength to rebuild. You’ll get the full range of emotions, masterfully produced by our dear friend Johan Randén, who we also wrote some of the songs with. We hope people will love Phoenix and really enjoy the epic ride this album will take you on.”
THE GEMS are:
Guernica Mancini – Vocals
Emlee Johansson – Drums
Mona “Demona” Lindgren – Guitar, Bass
The Metal Voice recently spoke to Judas Priest’s Guitarist Richie Faulkner about the bands upcoming Studio album ‘Invincible Shield’ that will be released March 8, 2024 via Epic Records.
Pre-order New album Invincible shield at https://shop.judaspriest.com/
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When asked about the new album
“I think it’s its own animal, as all the albums are. It’s the character of the band that’s been there for over half a century now. There is Halford, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill, Scott Travis. Scott’s been there for 30 years. So there’s that beautiful Legacy that they laid down along with K.K. Downing and Les Binks and Dave Holland and all those guys in the past. We always try to do something a little bit different. Whether it’s musical or lyrical content or we always try to make it better, quote unquote. Better songs, better production, better solos, better Melodies. We always try and strive to do something that’s better than the last one and it has its own unique quality. I think it’s a less commercial record than Firepower because it kind of it Strays away from that three minute single as much as it could. “
When asked what he did different guitar wise on this album than on Firepower
“What I did differently this time was that we had a bit more time to develop riffs and solos and musical parts because of the lockdowns of the pandemic. So there were a few solos on this record which actually worked out. I don’t usually do that. I usually play some off the cuff solos in the studio and then a little bit stick here and there and you build it around them. But a few of them on this record I actually worked out. I’m always trying to find my own voice. I’m always trying to find my own thing to say. Coming in after K.K. Downing who had such a unique voice and Glenn as well what am I going to say that’s always been my journey? So I mapped out some of the guitar solos on this record which I don’t usually do.”
When asked to talk about about some of the songs off the new album
‘The Serpent and the King’
“It’s a fast screeching Priest track with Rob’s banshee vocal style. That one had been around for a while with no vocals but we knew there was something in the song we knew there was an energy and when Rob put the vocals on I think it was one of the last ones that he came up with and just sent it over the top man. You know that Halford High register banshee whale is something that really in the dynamic flow of the record that’s something that really makes the record and that song jump out. I really love that song it would be fantastic to play Live.”
“Invincible Shield”
“It’s one of those songs which has riff after riff after riff. Part of the solo goes off in a different direction. The solo is almost like a musical piece in itself it changes almost like Randy Rhoads (style) I was going for that. I wanted a Randy Rhoads type feel. It’s a challenging song to play right until the very end. It’s a great fun fast anthemic track and it sums up the title of the album really. iIt’s all about i metal that we all know and love and it’s our music and our community.”
“Gates of Hell”
“It’s got a tip of the hat to the 80s maybe uh but a good strong track.”
“God as my witness”
“That’s another fast one. This comes in after ‘Crown of horns’ which is a mid paste Anthem and there’s a fade out on’ Crown of horns’ then this one jumps in uh this is Relentless this one that’s a great track.”
“Escape from reality”
“That was one of Glenn songs that he brought in to the sessions. It was a very kind of Sabathy midsection and Rob went with that dynamic as well but that was one of Glenn’s ideas and we thought was strong. It has a different texture on the album both in Sonics and in sentiment of the vocal so we thought that was a good Dynamic to have in there.”
“Sons of thunder”
“I think definitely reminds me of ‘Hell bent for leather’ in heart. That’s another one on Glenn’s. Glenn came to the session and he had this song ‘Sons of thunder’ we added a couple of bits and solo sections and stuff like that. And again that’s Tipton. Hell bent for leather was Tipton too. So it’s a testament to how he writes songs, short, sharp and to the point.”
“Giants in the sky”
“Rob has that kind of way of having something meaningful but yet ambiguous as well. It’s the Metal Gods that have passed, that music, their music will live on forever. The last words on Rob’s final scream is you will never die and that kind of take as a reference to the music and these Metal Gods that we all hold in such high esteem that will live on forever.”
Bonus Track: “The Lodger”
“It tells a story. It’s Bob Halligan Jr that wrote that song, who’s got a history with Priest you know, (‘Take these chains’ , Heads are gonna roll). Bob produced that song for us and gave it to us and it kept coming back you know. We’d work on other songs and then that one kept coming back and it’s got a really unique, uh it’s almost like a Broadway Type sentiment, Jack the Ripper type stuff.”
When asked about Rob Halford’s vocals on the song
“He connects the listener with them you know the sentiment of the song comes across. Rob’s got such a diverse range as we all know he’ll do the high stuff he’ll do the low stuff and the stuff in the middle which really he’s so Dynamic, he’s not just like a one trick pony. He doesn’t do one thing. Rob does so many things ,which makes him the metal god, the Undisputed metal god and uh it’s fantastic to work with him.”
