Music News Monthly - October 2022

QUICK

REALM Release Lyric Video for

Single, "Plea To The Heavens"

release

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album

Fate Unbroken

progressive metal band EVEN FLOW has released the lyric video for “Revelation Day,” the latest song off their newest

Progressive Metal quintet PARIUS, in collaboration with New Noise Magazine, have premiered "Contact!," the third single from forthcoming album The Signal Heard Throughout Space.

2022, marked the return to the stage of the band In The Rosemary Dreams along with a new single "Teleincision".

new song brings a robotic and dancing sound, with traces of industrial rock and noise.

The Fair Attempts releases a new Dark Wave single "Dark Star"

As the days grow shorter and the darkness takes hold, The Fair Attempts releases the second single, "Dark Star," from their upcoming album The embracing touch of the moody synths and sharp beats invites you to dance to this new Dark Wave piece

Star" is available now on all major platforms

QUICK FIX

Factory: An eclectic mix of alt rock, prog and metal from Finland release new album 'Of Pearls & Perils' Weaved with Frozen Factory's signature mixed sound of alt rock, metal and proggy elements, 'Of Pearls & Perils' marks their second full length album and third LP/EP release.

Pixxx" is the new single from Love Ghost feat Bali Baby Love Ghost and Bali Baby team up for their new single Dirty Pixxx Produced by Mike Summers [Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Tech N9ne], it is a playful pop punk anthem with romantic vibes.

Madison (WI) CASKET ROBBERY has released the official lyric video for "Worm Food," the first single from their upcoming new album, Rituals of Death. The band has teamed with Ghost Cult Magazine for the exclusive premiere of the video.

Cold Are The Graves, the colossal new album from Polish Epic Doom Crew MONASTERIUM, is now available on 180gm black vinyl LP format through Nine Records!

Norwegian punk rock/hardcore trio Freedumb is back with the new album "Social Hangover"

"Social Hangover" is Freedumb's most varied to this date and musically spanning from hardcore with black metal elements to more melodic punk rock The production team from Post Modern Dark Age from Hans Tømmerholen is strengthen with co producer Bjarte Lund Rolland (Kvelertak) who helped to pick out the songs from the album and work with the arrangements in pre productions Artwork by SBAM (NOFX, Pennywise, Fat Wreck)

02 CITY HALL 1ST OF OCTOBER 2022

It has been over four decades in the making and eleven studio albums in the making, but Anthrax finally descended on O2 Newcastle City Hall on the UK leg of their fortieth anniversary tour.

With support from New York metal bands Sworn Enemy and Municipal Waste, Newcastle's metal community was in for a treat. Sworn Enemy kicked off proceedings with a hard and heavy set that really wetted the crowd's appetite. Giving an outstanding performance, Sworn Enemy definitely made some new friends in Newcastle.

A short break and a quick set change and it was back to neck breaking headbanging as Municipal Waste took their place in the North East spotlight

Municipal Waste played a set that rivals any metal band in terms of heaviness and speed. They had people crowd surfing in their droves. The security was plentiful, but they had their work cut out for them as fan after fan rode the crowd wave to the front.

Municipal Waste and Sworn Enemy are testaments to my philosophy that you should always check out the support acts. Sometimes you strike gold, and this was definitely one of those times. As City Hall took a quick breather, the road crew were working hard behind a giant silk curtain to get the stage ready for the main event

The house lights went down and the huge curtain that shrouded the stage became a giant cinema screen. With a big screen comes big names. The likes of Lady Gaga, Gary Holt, Philip H Anselmo, Slash, Dave Mustaine, Chuck D and many more music industry legends paid tribute to the band. The crowd cheered as each one appeared on the screen. The film ended and the atmosphere was buzzing. The entire hall erupted when the band members' silouhettes appeared, and as quick as a flash, the curtain fell to reveal the legends that are Anthrax.

The band have spent the best part of their forty-year career championing not just thrash and heavy metal , but other genres such as rap with their collaboration with Public Enemy on 'Bring The Noise', and the lads haven't stopped innovating since. As one of the Big Four, alongside Metallica,

Megadeth and Slayer, Anthrax certainly have nothing to prove, but that hasn't stopped them putting their heart and soul into giving their fans a show to remember.

Getting off to a strong start with 'Among The Living', Anthrax was full of energy and it showed It was clear that they were here to rock the place.

They played a classic set including heavy hitters like "Mad House" and "Keep It In The Family". In our recent interview with Charlie Benante, he said, "You know, it’s hard to play your 40 years in an hour and a half set or whatever it is, but um, we try. We really try to play the favourites but also try to play some deeper cuts. So the people who are coming to hear those favourites but also really want to hear a song like “Keep It In The Family”, which we haven’t played in forever, you know, we put that back in the set and we really enjoy playing those old songs. And we put a new kind of twist on them too, you know.".

There was no stopping the masters of metal as they made every track as hard hitting and heavy as the crowd expected. There was plenty of crowd interaction, with vocalist Joey Belladonna making sure he made eye contact with as many fans as he could, even brushing off a minor incident with a flying pint of beer. A true professional, and his voice was on point.

Scott Ian reflected on the band's history with Newcastle, reminiscing about their performance in the early 80's at the now demolished Mayfair club. He was talking about playing "I Am The Law" at the legendary venue before breaking into the track, which obviously got the crowd going wild The guitarist later took to the microphone again to make it clear that they were there to rock and to make sure that the crowd were going to rock with them. Talking specifically to the balcony, Scott told them in no uncertain terms to "Get off their asses," which they did for the remainder of the show.

At one point, a member of the crew popped out from behind the drum kit and handed a bag of ice to drummer Charlie Benante, who held it against his face. In an Instagram post after the show, Charlie said, "Most drummers know the feeling of hitting yourselves with a stick: tonight I came pretty close to knocking my eye out #occupational hazard" Luckily, he seems to have made a full recovery

Anthrax are consummate professionals who know their craft incredibly well. They didn't just play to the crowd, they made the crowd part of the show, giving a real sense of appreciation for the support while the crowd were definitely appreciative of the four decades of Anthrax. Like one big, happy heavy metal family, Newcastle and Anthrax played off each other's energy with a real positive vibe, which was apparent from the thousands of smiling faces in the audience.

Closing the show with "Got The Time" and "N.F.L.", Anthrax kept the energy going right to the end. As the final moments approached, the band threw plectrums into the crowd, and Charlie gave out a handful of sticks and skins. There was a real glow about the crowd, who had been well and truly rocked

With any luck, they will be back on our shores at some point in the future, and if they are, make sure you get yourself along to a show. You won't be disappointed.

BY JAMES ROBINSON @SHOTBYJSR

REVIEW

Toby Sebastian

Rolling'

Every now and then, a song comes along that is just a pleasure to listen to. High energy from the beginning, with a positive vibe throughout. "Rock Rolling," the new single from highly acclaimed, British singersongwriter Toby Sebastian, is one of those songs. From the get go, Toby draws the ear in with intrigue as the crackles of an old school vinyl record make way to a toe tapping rhythm that just makes you happy to be alive.

At only two and a half minutes long, "Rock Rolling" is the perfect length for radio play and deserves to be played again and again. However, a longer version would have been welcome as the beat is so darned addictive.

While Toby's rock vocals are a joy to listen to, he also has no trouble hitting the high notes.

The record is a real, timeless gem. An acoustic masterpiece, "Rock Rolling" is a triumph and a testament to the song writing and musical talent of Toby Sebastian.

"Rock Rolling" has been produced by Matty Benbrook (Paolo Nutini, Jack Savoretti, Dido), who also produced Toby's last single 'Real Kicks' alongside Andrea Lepori (U2, Rolling Stones).

The video is a visual treat, which fits the overall feel of the song perfectly. "Rock Rolling" is available right now, just follow this link linktr.ee/tobysebastian

I'm going to lay my cards out on the table from the start; this is not my genre of music and definitely not something I would normally listen to. So when the new album 'Hugo' by Loyle Carner popped into my inbox, I was in two minds as to whether to review it or not. As a firm believer in keeping an open mind and giving every kind of music a chance, I decided that this was a perfect opportunity to broaden my horizons.

I can honestly say that I was not disappointed in what I heard. The album is full of angst but with a message that encourages love and inclusion while reflecting upon Loyle's childhood, his father, experiences of growing up as a mixed race Black man, and the challenges he has faced and still faces because of this.

There is no doubt that he has had many challenges that have been unfairly put in his path. While many would be crushed by the weight of the things Loyle Carner has gone through, this rising Mercury and Brit nominated artist has channelled the negativity he has encountered into creating an album that promotes unity

LOYLE CARNER

Musically, I have nothing much to give in terms of critique as I do not have any experience in this field However, I would happily listen to the album again.

The open self expression and honest lyrics of the record as a whole is refreshing, the album flows well and took me on a journey that I was not expecting to get anything out of. I was left grateful that I was given the chance to see things through the eyes of Loyle Carner. Sometimes it is worth taking a chance and trying something new. This was definitely worth it

album

Follow Loyle Carner on social media Search @loylecarner on Instagram, Tik Tok, You Tube and facebook

hugo tracklist:

1. Hate

2. Nobody Knows (Ladas Road)

3. Georgetown (feat. John Agard)

Speed Of Plight

Homerton (feat. JNR Williams & Olivia Dean)

Blood On My Nikes (feat. Wesley Joseph & Athian Akec)

Plastic

A Lasting Place

Pollyfilla

HGU

INHALER have announced details of a major world tour kicking off at the end of November with two homecoming shows at The Olympia in Dublin. The 36 date tour includes 8 headline shows in the UK in support of the band's new album 'Cuts & Bruises' which was announced yesterday.

The Irish four piece will release their eagerly anticipated second album on February 17th via Polydor. Ahead of its release they have just shared new single 'Love Will Get You There' alongside a video directed by James Arden view HERE It is the second track to be unveiled from 'Cuts & Bruises' following the soaring summer anthem 'These Are The Days'

Tickets for the INHALER world tour go on sale on Oct 21st at 9am

Following a run of festival dates this year, including their first Glastonbury performance, a gig at Dublin's Fairview Park and a tour of Europe supporting Arctic Monkeys, INHALER tomorrow embark on a sold out run of four UK dates including a sold out show at The Roundhouse in London on October 19th.

In addition to their support slots next year with Harry Styles at Slane Castle and Sam Fender at St James Park, INHALER have just been announced as special guests of Arctic Monkeys on their 2023 European tour

NOV 2022

30th Dublin Olympia Theatre

DEC 2022

1st Dublin Olympia Theatre

FEB 2023

16th Leeds

O2 Academy

17th Newcastle NX

18th Liverpool Uni The Mountford Hall

20th Norwich

The Nick Rayns LCR, UEA

21st Cardiff University Great Hall

23rd Nottingham Rock City

24th Birmingham O2 Academy 1

25th Bristol O2 Academy 1

MAR 2023

6th Austin Emo's

7th Houston White Oak Music Hall

8th Dallas The Echo Lounge

10th Nashville Brooklyn Bowl

11th Atlanta Buckhead Theatre

13th Washington DC 9:30 Club

16th Philadelphia DC TLA

17th New York Hammerstein Ballroom

18th Boston House of Blues

20th Montreal Corona Theatre

21st Toronto Danforth Music Hall

23rd Detroit St Andrews Hall

24th Chicago Riviera Theatre

Photo: Lewis Evans

25th Minneapolis

27th Denver

28th

Lake City

30th Seattle

31st Vancouver

APR 2023

1st Portland

5th Los Angeles

Brussels

MAY 2023

12th Winterthur

13th Bologna

14th Rome

16th Milan

Dates with Arctic Monkeys:

APRIL 2023

24th Linz

TipsArena

25th Munich Zenith

27th Hamburg Sporthalle

29th Stockholm Avicii Arena

30th Oslo Spektrum

MAY 2023

2nd Berlin Mercedes-Benz Arena

3rd Oberhausen Rudolf Weber-Arena,

5th Amsterdam Ziggo Dome

6th Amsterdam Ziggo Dome

8th Frankfurt Festhalle

9th Paris Accor Arena

10th Paris Accor Arena

MUSIC

RELEASES BRAND NEW SINGLE 'LAZY'

Pop's favourite anti hero Baby Queen has shared her new single 'Lazy' via Polydor Records. Set to be the ultimate Gen Z slacker anthem, 'Lazy' is the follow-up to the boisterous 'Nobody Really Cares', described by NME as Baby Queen's "poppunk ode to not giving a shit". It tops off a busy few months for the 25-year-old rising anti-pop star, who supported Olivia Rodrigo on the European leg of her 'SOUR' world tour as well as clocking up a string of headline shows and festival performances while working on her debut album. Next week she heads to the US to support Conan Gray on tour throughout October before returning to play a one off show at London's iconic Heaven on November 1st(which sold out in a matter of hours).

Baby Queen aka Bella Latham was asked to elaborate on the track but, in line with the sentiment expressed, she's too f*****g lazy.

'Lazy' follows the soaring success of 'Colours Of You', a track written specifically for Netflix's smash hit LGBTQ+ drama 'Heartstopper', based on Alice Oseman's young adults book series of the same title. Since launching, 'Colours Of You' has clocked up 15.7million streams and been embraced by the Heartstopper community globally. Baby Queen surprised fans at her triumphant headline show at London's Electric Ballroom when she invited the Heartstopper cast to join her onstage to sing the final chorus of 'Colours Of You', much to the audience's delight.

babyqueen.lnk.to/lazy

Baby Queen has been dubbed a voice for the underdog generation and one of the most exciting new artists to emerge in recent times. Known for her sharp lyrical narratives, her songs candidly document experiences and explore themes that resonate with her die-hard fanbase, The Baby Kingdom, which is seeing a huge surge in new members.

Since the release of her critically acclaimed 2021 mixtape, The Yearbook, Baby Queen's star has continued to soar, receiving accolades and glowing reviews from key publications across the board including Clash, DORK, DIY, Hunger, Wonderland, Notion, The Evening Standard, GQ, BEAT, The Independent, i D, Gay Times, Rolling Stone, The Sunday Times and NME who dubbed her "a future leader of pop". Tipped as an artist to watch this year with her inclusion on the BBC Sounds of 2022 list, she is well on her way to fulfilling that expectation and more.

Today, breakout singer songwriter Mimi Webb announces that her highly anticipated debut album Amelia will be released on March 3, 2023 Amelia is available for pre order now.

"Announcing my first ever album is such an important moment in my career that honestly, sometimes I wasn't even sure would happen. But after 3 years of hard work, I just can't wait to share this body of work with all of you who have helped me get to where I am today," Mimi shares. "The album is named Amelia, my full first name, as there are two sides of me that I want people to get to know. There's Amelia, the girl from the UK countryside who loves to be at home with her family, friends, and dogs; and Mimi, the pop artist who loves to be up on stage traveling the world It was important for me to capture this duality with songs written for both of those girls, and I'm excited for you all to get to know them!"

The news comes on the heels of the album's lead single, "Ghost of You," released last Friday listen HERE The power pop track was met with critical acclaim as Consequence of Sound praised, "'Ghost of You' taps into early 2000s energy authentically... to achieve a transcendent quality to both the song and music video." "Ghost of You" was produced by Stuart Price and RISC. The song was accompanied by its aptly aesthetic music video, directed by Fa and Fon Watkins, which made its broadcast premiere across MTV channels.

Additionally, Mimi has announced The Amelia Tour, the 2023 headline tour will make stops across Europe and the UK following the release of her debut album The 30 date tour will kick off on March 11 in Madrid, Spain at Shoko continuing with stops in Berlin, Oslo, Paris, Manchester and more before

concluding on April 24 in London, UK at O2 Academy Brixton

PRESALE: Fans in the UK and Ireland have the opportunity to get first access to tickets on Tuesday October 18 at 9am local time by pre ordering the debut album at mimiwebb.com. Spotify Fan First presale begins Wednesday, October 19 at 9am local time.

TICKETS: Tickets will go on sale starting Thursday, October 20 at 9am local time at mimiwebbcom

Mimi is currently on her first ever North American headline tour, which saw her perform to a sold-out Bowery Ballroom in NYC last night The tour follows a massive summer for UK based emerging artist, which saw her perform at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in London, numerous festivals such as Capital FM's Summertime Ball, Isle of Wight Festival, and Montreux Jazz Festival, and joined as support for Justin Bieber in Norway and Finland.

In just two years the rising star has racked up over 730 million global streams to date, and multiple hit tracks including "House on Fire" and "Good Without." She has garnered praise from the likes of British Vogue, Rolling Stone, Harper's BAZAAR, and Billboard, and has performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and ELLEN. Mimi shows no signs of slowing down as she gears up for the release of her debut album.

KHEADLINETOUR

Review by David Weddle

OCTOBERDRIFT

'IDon'tBelongAnywhere'

October Drift has gone and done it again. After the success of their debut album "Forever Whatever", a second album was always going to have a lot to live up to. Don't be concerned, my friends; October Drift has been hard at work, crafting their latest album, "I Don't Belong Anywhere," and the effort has paid off handsomely.

They come in hard and heavy with "Airborne Panic Attack." The tune will be stuck in your head for aaaaages so approach with caution. A great start to the album, ending with a fantastic little guitar riff. Things take a turn down a slightly different path with 'Waltzer'. An infectious little number with a slight folk rock vibe on the vocals. This is the current single from the album and has already seen attention from the likes of Radio X, having been added to their Xposure playlist. BBC 6Radio presenter Steve Lamacq has been a particularly avid supporter, giving 'Waltzer' a lot of airplay over recent weeks.

The album is crammed full of energy in all the right places, but the lads know when to tone it down a bit, with "Bleed" being the perfect example of this and yet another corker of a song.

Whether it's the catchy "Webcam Funerals" or the eerily atmospheric Ever After, October Drift really does have a little bit of something for everyone. Topping off the album with a stunning acoustic track, packed full of gorgeous vocal harmonies, "Old and Distant Memories" is the perfect finisher.

Overall, the album is a winner. Whether you are new to October Drift or a hardcore fan, "I Don't Belong Anywhere" will be sure to scratch your musical itch. With powerful, anthemic rock sounds sitting comfortably alongside more mellow tracks, the band have made massive steps forward in their overall sound while staying true to their roots.

Released on October 14th via Physical Education Recordings, head over to October Drift's website and socials for more information.

INTERVIEW WITH DRUMMING LEGEND CHARLIE BENANTE

As masters of metal Anthrax embarked on the UK leg of their 40th Anniversary tour, we caught up with drummer Charlie Benante. Charlie talks about the recent US tour, what we can expect for the UK shows, discusses Pantera, longevity, and artwork.

Hi Charlie, how are you doing, are you alright?

Hey man. Yeah, yeah I’m a little tired today my flight was really delayed yesterday, its just one of those days y’ know, but all good.

Big year this year. You’ve just completed the US leg of your 40th anniversary tour, with Hatebreed and Black Label Society. How did that go?

That went really, really well. It was very successful and when I say successful I don’t mean in a financial way, I mean it in erm, like emotionally it was a great thing to get back to doing this from the COVID situation that happened and having the audience all show up for it. Which is the other part of the success, we were very happy with that, everybody came out to these shows and it was some of the best shows that we’ve played so we are really on a high at the moment about that.

Your first UK gig is Birmingham I think then on from there?

Oh yeah, Birmingham. The thing about Birmingham, I mean I think every time we come over to play we’ve always played Birmingham of course, and for me when I was younger I always look to Birmingham as the place that Black Sabbath, Judas Priest where all those bands are from, its like the land of Heavy Metal y’ know. So for us to start in Birmingham it’s the best place to start it I think.

What can we expect from the Anthrax show? Is it going to be all your classics or have you got any of your newer stuff in there?

When you say new stuff you don’t mean brand new do you?

No, I’m talking from For All Kings.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah absolutely. You know the set changed about three times on the U.S. run, we swap out this for another song, then we’d swap out this for another song. You know it’s hard to play your 40 years in an hour and a half set or whatever it is but um, we try. We really try to play the favourites but also try to play some deeper cuts. So the people who are coming to hear those favourites but also really wanna hear a song like “Keep It In The Family”, which we haven’t played in forever, you know, we put that back in the set and we really enjoy playing those old songs. And we put a new kind of twist on them too you know.

You had Chuck D out on the last tour in the US. Is he coming over to the UK?

No, no I don’t think so. I think Chuck made an appearance twice, in LA then he made an appearance in New York. And you know when Chuck comes on stage with us its like an earthquake. His voice just vibrates and it just resonates in your bones y’ know. He just got such a great voice, it’s like a Marshall cabinet in his voice you know.

It works so well with Metal doesn’t it?

It does work really well and y’ know, that song in general it was one of those songs that, man we didn’t know we just loved it so much and we just wanted to do our version of it. And people really reacted to it in a good way.

Over the next few months you’re also going out on the road with Pantera as well. How are you preparing for that and also the Anthrax tour?

Well trying to do for instance, there might be some shows, well there is one show in December where both bands are on the festival so, not the same day but the next day. If it works out like that then it will be great. But I don’t want to say too much about the Pantera thing but for me it’s a very emotional thing for me personally. When we first spoke about it, Philip and I, that was one of the first things I said to him was ‘Dude, this is a very emotional thing for me because I was such good friends with Vinnie and Dime”, so for me this is going to be one of those things that I will have to represent them in this way so, I don’t wanna see any one else up there doing it but me. Darrell was like the fifth member of the band for a while, he still is.

Looking back over the last 40 years with Anthrax in particular, the artwork style, I know you have had a lot to do with the album artwork. The only one you haven’t had anything to do with is “Fist Full of Metal”, but on from there you’ve had a hand in the cover art for most of the albums, is that right?

Pretty much every album cover. Except for Fistful, I pretty much designed or worked on.

How do you come up with the concepts for it? Is it during the writing or the recording of the album or do you come up with it completely separately?

It’s a weird thing. As the album kind of takes shape musically and lyrically, all of a sudden I will get an idea in my head of what the cover should look like. And its so weird to me because that’s how I am with the songs too. I’ll hear a song in my head already and I will have to get a guitar or something and get it on tape because I hear it, and I have to get it down right away. I love when that happens, because it comes from somewhere and I don’t question it but when it comes it’s the greatest thing because its like Wow this is something that, I didn’t sit down and think I need to write a song like this. Its just comes, its just natural. I think its something other musicians will probably agree with me that those are the best things when it happens that way, its kinda supernatural.

That’s good, it must feel good when that happens from your point of view, seeing what you’ve created?

Oh, I love it. And when you collaborate with an artist, Alex Ross did the last few covers for us and Alex is a giant in the comic book world. Alex’s art is something that, you know, when you go to a museum you just walk around and stare at people’s art, that’s how I am with Alex. I just stare at them for like, y’ know, it feels like hours. He is just such a great illustrator. He is a great artist and I was so happy that we got him to really marry the music with the art.

In terms of artwork, you sell your own artwork on your website charliebenante.com Is that something you do in your spare time a lot, or is that something that you’ve done and you’re leaving it in a box or is there a continuation? I know you started off at art college. I started to go to art school, but I had to leave because the band was going to go on tour for the first time. And it was that decision then and there. Do I continue exploring my art and capabilities of being an artist? Or do I follow that dream of being a rock and roller and I chose the rock and roll lifestyle. But I can still do my art, which is the greatest thing. I would go up to the record company art departments and sit with them and really get an education. Especially in a marketing sense, you really get to learn about what colours pop, I mean this was back in the day when people would walk in to a record store and you would have the vinyl in the bin and stuff like that, I learned about all that type of stuff. I am just happy I can incorporate music and art together in my career.

I started drawing when I was a little kid and I would always draw comic book characters. I was a big MAD magazine fan, I always loved MAD magazine and it just grew from there. And fast forward many years later when COVID hit, my girlfriend Carla, she really was the one to get me to do it more and more. She was like “We should do an art show”. That was the catalyst and I really worked on it and just found the love again of drawing. That’s basically how it all happened, and we did an art show and I loved it, and people asked me about “Can I buy some of the prints”, and that’s how it evolved.

On the subject of side projects, do you think that is one of the reasons Anthrax has been together so long? You all have the freedom to do your own thing outside of Anthrax, you have your artwork, your coffee brand, Scott has Motorsister and his artwork for example. But you’re all free to go off and do your own thing and come back to Anthrax rejuvenated would you say? Yeah I would say that’s a good thing. But every one has an outlet, everyone has the freedom to explore, you know what I mean? Go play with other people, it can only help us. And I think that’s what its all about, exploring the musical landscape. If you do a project and its completely different from an Anthrax kind of project and you learn something from it and you incorporate it in to Anthrax and it only makes it better well then that to me is a great thing.

I never understood why certain bands would be so closed minded, “No you have to do only do this”. It was so weird to me because if Scott and I didn’t do that S.O.D. project many, many years ago maybe Anthrax wouldn’t have evolved in to what it was. I know other people were very influenced by that too so, you know, sometimes you change the world without even knowing it and I don’t mean that as in “we’re going to save the world”, I mean that in a musical sense. People hear certain things and it drives them in a different way.

One of your other albums that I’d like to talk about is “Silver Linings”. Where did you get the idea from to do that?

Basically it was the same thing like the artwork. When COVID first hit here in, I think it was February or March, things started to get a little crazy. That was about the time that I started to get a little crazy and I was glued to the television, watching news and trying to get a basic understanding of what was going on. And then we hit the quarantine thing and it was just me, my daughter and Carla here and I was losing my mind and again, Carla said to me you’ve need to stop watching this stuff, you need to go be creative, go play go do something. And that’s what I did.

I started to create music again and I called up some friends, and said would you guys be in to doing this with me? And they were like “yeah”, because I knew they were going through the same thing I was. It started with a Rush song because I was still very sad about Neil Peart’s passing. This was in a sense a very cathartic thing for me to do. So I set up this electronic kit in the room upstairs and it was kind of like the days of me being back home, coming home from school, going in my room and playing my drums. I can only equate it to that and we did a video and I put it out there and people loved it, and I got “how did you do this? How are you doing this?”. And I created more of them and I asked more friends to be a part of it and before I knew it I had a record. People were asking if they could buy these songs and I decided to put it out, and that’s how it happened. It was a very organic thing, like you said before. It prevented me from losing my f*****g mind.

I’m looking forward to seeing you in Newcastle very soon.

I love Newcastle, I always equate music to certain cities and Newcastle to me is Brian Johnston, Venom and Raven.

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