Author: wamdines

Lamb Of God have released the official aftermovie for Headbangers Boat 2024, stating, “Take a look back at the Headbangers Boat 2024! Thank you to all the bands and fans who made year 2 an unforgettable voyage.”

Lamb Of God and Sixthman, the leader in festivals and music cruises for more than a decade, have announced Lamb Of God Presents Headbangers Boat 2025, sailing October 31-November 4, 2025 from Miami, FL to Cozumel, Mexico aboard the glittering Norwegian Jewel.

Acts confirmed include: Lamb Of God (two sets), Clutch, Kublai Khan TX, Power Trip, Obituary, DevilDriver, Fear Factory, The Black Dahlia Murder, The Exploited, Crowbar, Nekrogoblikon, Eighteen Visions, Gideon, Walls of Jericho, Category 7, BRAT, Josh Potter (Comic), Saul Trujillo (Comic), Jose Mangin, Riki Rachtman, Liberty Tattoo.

For complete details, and to book your cabin, head to headbangersboat.com.

The genre-fluid sextet from Germany is set to bring their unique blend of dark metal, industrial, pop, and goth influences back to UK stages, promising an unforgettable experience for fans. Known for their electrifying live performances, Lord Of The Lost will showcase tracks from their upcoming album alongside fan favourites and hits from their extensive 15-year-catalog.

Having forged a special connection with the UK during their participation in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, followed by a UK tour as special guests for the legendary Iron Maiden and a sold out headliner tour afterwards, Lord Of The Lost are thrilled to return.

Frontman Chris Harms shares his excitement about the tour: “The UK holds a special place in our hearts, and we’re thrilled to return and share this new chapter with our incredible fan community there. It nearly feels like coming home, and what could be more beautiful?”

Special guests for this tour will include the female-fronted UK metal outfit Skarlett Riot and the synth-rock pioneers Julien-K (featuring Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh of Orgy) from the US.

With their distinctive soundscapes, striking visuals, and emotionally charged performances, Lord Of The Lost have earned a reputation as one of the most dynamic acts and most energetic live performers in the alternative scene. Fans can look forward to a night to remember.

Tour dates:

October
30 – Wolverhampton, England – KK’S Steel Mill
31 – Manchester, England – O2 Ritz

November
1 – Whitby, England – All Tomorrows Ghosts
2 – Glasgow, Scotland – Garage
4 – Belfast, Ireland – Limelight 1
5 – Dublin, Ireland – Academy
7 – Bristol, England – The Prospect Building – Crane
8 – London, England – Electric Ballroom
9 – Southampton, England – Engine Rooms

Lord Of The Lost are:

Chris Harms – Vocals, Guitar
Pi Stoffers – Guitar
Class Grenayde – Bass
Gared Dirge – Piano, Synths, Percussion, Guitar
Niklas Kahl – Drums
Benjamin “Benji“ Mundigler – Keyboard, Guitar

(Photo – Jan Season)

Khanate will play their first North American shows in 20 years this spring, with a trio of rare live dates, including headlining performances in Chicago and New York, as well as a featured spot at the Prepare The Ground festival in Toronto.

Tickets are on-sale this Friday, January 24, at 10 AM, CT / 11 AM, ET, here.

Khanate tour dates:

May
30 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall (Jon Mueller opens)

June
1 – Toronto, ON – Prepare The Ground
3 – New York, NY – (Le) Poisson Rouge (Mick Barr opens)

In the lead up to the band’s Roadburn 2024 appearance, Khanate shared: “As a collective, Khanate has been silent during our dormancy, but now we will get loud; very loud. We’ll be returning to the stage to explore tension and the elasticity of time. Get dead.”

To Be Cruel, the band’s fifth album and first in 14 years, arrived in 2023 via Sacred Bones Records. Khanate’s full discography is available via their webstore, here.

Khanate is:

Alan Dubin (vocals)
Stephen O’Malley (guitar)
James Plotkin (bass)
Tim Wyskida (drums)

(Band photo – Ebru Yildiz; Admat photo – Maiken Kildegaard)

Canadian metal legends, Anvil, have announced dates for a US East Coast tour with guests, Don Jamieson and Midnite Hellion. The trek will launch on April 17 in Portland, ME, and will conclude on May 10 in Flint, MI.

Tickets are on sale now, dates are listed below.

Tour dates:

April
17 – Portland, ME – Geno’s Rock Club
18 – New Haven, CT – Cafe 9
19 – Syracuse, NY – Song & Dance
22 – Amityville, NY – Amityville Music Hall
23 – Clifton, NJ – Dingbatz
24 – Bensalem Township, PA – Broken Goblet
25 – Mechanicsburg, PA – Loverdraft’s Brewery
26 – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery
27 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theater
30 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum

May
1 – Orlando, FL – The Conduit
2 – Jacksonville, FL – Underbelly
3 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
4 – Nashville, TN – Cobra Lounge
6 – Knoxville, TN – Open Chord Stage
7 – Newport, KY – Southgate House / Sanctuary
8 – Cleveland, OH – The Winchester
9 – Chicago, IL – WC Social Club
10 – Flint, MI – Machine Shop

HEAVY BIRTHDAYS

Happy 60th  
Cordell Crockett (UGLY KID JOE) – January 21st, 1965

HEAVY RELEASES

Happy 42nd  
LOUDNESS’ The Law Of Devil’s Land – January 21st, 1983

Happy 41st  
BON JOVI’s Bon Jovi – January 21st, 1984

Happy 15th  
TOKYO BLADE’s Live In Germany  – January 21st, 2010

Happy 14th 
SIRENIA’s The Enigma Of Life – January 21st, 2011
MR. BIG’s What If…  – January 21st, 2011

Happy 12th 
FEN’s Dustwalker – January 21st, 2013
THE PROPHECY’s Salvation  – January 21st, 2013
RIVERSIDE’s Shrine Of New Generation Slaves  – January 21st, 2013

Happy 11th  
ALCEST’s Shelter – January 21st, 2014

THROWDOWN’s Intolerance 

Paganfest 2025 – featuring Alestorm, Ensiferum, Týr, Heidevolk and Elvenking – kicked off on January 8 in Hamburg, Germany at Grosse Freiheit. Fan-filmed video of the Alestorm’s entire January 19th show in London, England at O2 Academy Brixton can be viewed below.

Setlist:

“Keelhauled”
“Shipwrecked”
“Mexico”
“Under Blackened Banners”
“Alestorm”
“Hangover” (Taio Cruz cover)
“Fannybaws”
“Zombies Ate My Pirate Ship”
“Voyage of the Dead Marauder”
“Nancy the Tavern Wench”
“Uzbekistan”
“P.A.R.T.Y.”
“Shit Boat (No Fans)”
“Drink”
“Wooden Leg!”
“Fucked With an Anchor”
“Rumpelkombo”

Remaining dates on the Paganfest 2025 tour are as follows:

January
21 – Wiesbaden, Germany – Schlachthof
22 – Paris, France – Zenith
23 – Pratteln, Switzerland – Z7 Konzertfabrik
24 – Geiselwind, Germany – Eventzentrum * extended show with special guests
25 – Munich, Germany – Backstage
26 – Liege, Belgium – OM
28 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
29 – Lyon, France – Transbordeur
30 – Lausanne, Switzerland – Salle Metropole
31 – Meisenthal, France – Halle Verrière

February
1 – Leipzig, Germany – Felsenkeller
2 – Tilburg, Netherlands – 013 Poppodium
3 – Hannover, Germany – Capitol
5 – Krakow, Poland – Studio
6 – Warsaw, Poland – Progresja
7 – Zlin, Czechia – Hala Datart
8 – Budapest, Hungary – Barba Negra *extended show with special guests
9 – Zagreb, Croatia – Tvornica

Ace Frehley recalls the many on-stage accidents and mishaps he experienced when performing with Kiss, including the time he almost died on stage.

In an interview with Music Radar, the former Kiss guitarist remembers the on-stage disaster which could have taken his life, and eventually lead him to writing the classic song Shock Me, which featured on the glam metal band’s 1977 album, Love Gun. It was also the first track Ace appeared on as lead vocalist.

During a show in Lakeland, Florida in 1976, Frehley was electrocuted by a staircase rail on stage, which became electrically-charged due to a grounding issue.

“I should have been dead that night,” he says. “The fact that I got electrocuted and didn’t fall forward was a godsend. There must have been angels pushing me back.

“I was standing on top of four Marshall cabinets on a staircase when I got shocked. I had a heavy Les Paul around my neck, and my body should have fallen forward—but I didn’t.”

Fortunately, though his hands took quite the shock from the rail, the Kiss founder avoided what could have been a fatal fall, and even managed to complete the performance. He continues, “If I fell forward, I would have broken my f**king neck. But I fell back, and the road crew dragged me back off of the staircase. I had no feeling in my hands for five to ten minutes.

“I went on to finish the show,” he declares. “But I maybe had feeling in half of my fingers by the time it was done. It was crazy shit, man, but I did get Shock Me out of it. So, I guess it wasn’t all for nothing.”

Looking back on far less dangerous experiences, Frehley remembers taking many tumbles while performing due to the height of his platform boots – a Kiss wardrobe staple.

“I used to fall a lot in those boots,” he says. “A lot of times. Paul would cover for me by walking over to me like it was part of the show. He made it look like it was choreography or something. If nobody realised I’d fallen, I play on my knees and get back up. It was just part of the show!”.

When performing the outro to their 1974 song Black Diamond, the guitarist would frequently fall to his knees – a move which eventually lead to severe knee damage.

“During the Reunion Tour, I ended up chipping a bone in my knee, and the doctor said, ‘Listen, you gotta stop doing that, or you’ll end up in a wheelchair.’

“We ended up putting a pad under the carpet where I’d fall. I tried to hit it—and if you look at old videos, you can see that I’d go down one knee at a time.”

Plenty more accidents took place at their shows, including the moment Frehley accidentally shot a rocket at bassist Gene Simmons’ head.

Last year, Ace Frehley released his eighth solo album 10,000 Volts.

Mikael Åkerfeldt looks back on the time he was the most starstruck he had ever been.

In a new interview with Revolver, the Opeth mainman recalls meeting Agnetha Fältskog and sharing dinner with her.

Speaking of the moment, he remembers, “I met Agnetha Fältskog from ABBA — the blonde.

“We did the Heritage record in the studio where ABBA used to record, and the owners had their flat on top of the studio. They invited us for dinner when the record was done, and Agnetha was there.”

Åkerfeldt continues, “We all got to sit down with her and have dinner, and she brought this expensive champagne.”

Reminiscing on what he spoke about with the legendary Swedish star, as well as his reaction to being in her presence, he muses: “I’m a huge fan, so I got to ask her all these questions about their songs. She was super cool.

“But when she first came up as I was entering the flat, I froze. It’s like seeing Greta Garbo — she just doesn’t appear… After shaking her hand, I went out and had like five cigarettes in a row just to calm myself down. I get starstruck easily, I think.”

Last year, Åkerfeldt briefly recalled the memorable moment during an interview with Metal Hammer, noting how during the evening, he even found himself enjoying music with the ABBA singer from the studio owner’s jukebox, which was filled with old 1950s singles.

“I danced with the Dancing Queen,” he declared. “Not to Dancing Queen, sadly. The studio owner used to hang out with her, and he said the Heritage record was always out by the stereo in her house – and it wasn’t in the shrink-wrap. She definitely listened to it.”

Elsewhere in the Revolver interview, the Swedish frontman reveals he was once starstruck over being in the same room as Ritchie Blackmore. “And] when we played with Rainbow,” he says, “I knew of course that Ritchie Blackmore was in the vicinity.

“I was so nervous that I drank myself to the point where I missed my flight the next day. Because I figured I needed liquid courage if I’m going to say something cool to Ritchie Blackmore. But I never got to meet him.”

Last year, Opeth released their fourteenth album, The Last Will And Testament, to glowing reviews. Metal Hammer writer Rich Hobson awarded the album with 4.5 stars, hailing the album as “their best since the career-making heights of Blackwater Park and Ghost Reveries.”