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Lamb Of God, Mastodon celebrate 20 years of breakthrough albums

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Lamb Of God, Mastodon celebrate 20 years of breakthrough albums

AUSTIN — In 2004, a pair of metal bands — one hailing from Richmond, Va., and the other from Atlanta — weren’t too far into their careers. The former released an album called Ashes of the Wake while the latter dropped its second record called Leviathan on the same day: Aug. 31.

Little did Lamb Of God and Mastodon know that 20 years later, they’d still be around, let alone on tour together playing those efforts in their entirety.

But that’s what happened Saturday at Germania Insurance Amphitheater to approximately 7,000 fans as both bands played the second gig of their co-headlining “Ashes of Leviathan” tour after kicking off the night before in Grand Prairie just outside of Dallas. Kerry King’s solo band (coverage here) and United Kingdom metalcore band Malevolence opened the show.

How special was this occasion? Mr. T and “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair issued congratulatory videos via social media to Lamb Of God on the 20-year anniversary of their groundbreaking album.

Ashes of the Wake songs usually make up a decent-sized chunk of Lamb Of God’s sets on a normal tour, but this trek marks the first time they’ve played the album all the way through. And that meant kicking off with live staple “Laid to Rest,” which in turn meant there wasn’t a much better way to jump start a band’s set than to have thousands screaming out “See who gives a fuck!” during the midway point.

It also signified that “Hourglass,” “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For,” “The Faded Line” and “Omerta” would ensure that the intensity of a long, muggy mid-90s day-turned-into-evening would not lose any steam if vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell and drummer Art Cruz had anything to say about it.

Blythe even called out for a Flair-like “Wooooo” as the lead-up to “One Gun” and “Break You” (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

Bursts of pyro accentuated the flaming temperatures and performance for both Lamb Of God and Mastodon, with the latter adding a different type of flair to its act.

Mastodon utilized breathtaking oceanic special effects on the backdrop to Brann Dailor’s drum kit in playing its concept album Leviathan to Herman Melville’s 1851 book “Moby-Dick.” They also brought out Cysquatch, an imposing one-eyed creature that resembles “The Simpsons” Treehouse of Horror characters Kane & Kodos, during the second of three encores following the album’s completion: “Circle of Cysquatch.”

Bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Brent Hinds and Dailor took their turns at lead vocals while guitarist Bill Kelliher played plenty of unassuming riffs accompanied by fireworks being released behind the keyboardist. Watch them in action via ATM Facebook Live footage of “Megalodon” and “Naked Burn” here.

Malevolence brought its brand of English metalcore after taking the stage at 5:55 p.m., all culminating in Lamb Of God’s two-tune encore of “Memento Mori” and “Redneck.”

The only other thing that can be said after all of that molten metal? Pity the fool who misses this tour.

LAMB OF GOD SETLIST: Laid to Rest, Hourglass, Now You’ve Got Something to Die For, The Faded Line, Omerta, Blood of the Scribe, One Gun, Break You, What I’ve Become, Ashes of the Wake, Remorse is for the Dead. ENCORES: Memento Mori, Redneck

MASTODON SETLIST: Blood and Thunder, I Am Ahab, Seabeast, Island, Iron Tusk, Megalodon, Naked Burn, Aqua Dementia, Hearts Alive, Joseph Merrick. ENCORES: More Than I Could Chew, Circle of Cysquatch, Steambreather

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Kerry King's all-star band rises from hell to scorch Austin with fresh thrash

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Kerry King's all-star band rises from hell to scorch Austin with fresh thrash

AUSTIN — When the co-founding guitarist of one of thrash metal’s Big 4 walked off stage toward the end of 2019 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, fans had no way of knowing if it was going to be the final time they would see Kerry King shred.

The riveting riff master of Slayer since 1983’s Show No Mercy debut, King eventually made no bones about the fact he still had plenty of music left to get off his chest and onto his Flying V, and that Slayer’s premature retirement was not his call.

Roughly 4 1/2 years and a bunch of well-kept secrets from within later, King hasn’t just re-emerged with a solo band in supergroup form.

He’s risen from hell.

Having unleashed From Hell I Rise on May 17, King brought his new-look musical outfit to the Germania Insurance Amphitheater on Saturday night as a support act for the co-headlining Lamb Of God / Mastodon trek known as the Ashes of Leviathan tour. And though he was relegated to a 40-minute set in the death of Texas’ muggy mid-’90s temperatures, Kerry King the band pulverized the amphitheater the only way its namesake and his cohorts know how.

Basically sworn to secrecy for several months, King’s bandmates came to fruition in the form of Death Angel vocalist Mark Osegueda, ex-Machine Head and Violence guitarist Phil Demmel, Hellyeah bassist Kyle Sanders and one-fourth of Slayer in drummer Paul Bostaph.

King’s solo album could very well have served as a new Slayer record. For many fans, that would’ve been just fine. For others, perhaps they’d want something a little different.

But thrash, anti-religion and to-hell-with-political liars lyrics reside like residue in King’s blood, and From Hell I Rise — a strong candidate for metal album of the year — sports many tunes that get heads banging and pits swirling.

King’s band played seven of those tracks, opening with the album’s intro “Diablo” on the P.A. before taking the stage at 6:50 p.m. to “Where I Reign.”

Other album highlights included second tune “Trophies of the Tyrant” and initial single “Idle Hands,” with Osegueda commanding the crowd’s attention and energy as if his life depended on it.

And if for some reason you were in the merch line or, worse yet, the venue’s facilities during King’s set, you should be kicking yourself for missing the intensity of “Toxic.” With the Death Angel frontman spewing out: “Too many people, spend too much time, forcing their opinions on other people’s lives. Toxic rhetoric. Toxic government. Toxic politics. TOXIC. HYPOCRITES,” you may as well have been clinically dead if you couldn’t get fired up after that one.

Not exactly to be confused with the Britney Spears hit.

But of course, it wouldn’t have been a crowning performance without a taste of Slayer, and King obliged with the mandatory “Raining Blood” segueing into “Black Magic.” Watch ATM’s Facebook Live footage of those along with new track “Shrapnel” here.

The danger with supergroups is getting each member’s schedule from his main band to mesh if the new unit has a desire to take its act on the road for longer, non-supporting periods of time. Although Slayer is set to put an end to its time off with a couple of festival gigs that are said to be more reacquaintances than anything permanent, you can bet Slayer fans — and true metalheads in general — would be even happier to see Kerry King on stage more often, bringing the best that 40 years of material plus From Hell I Rise have to offer.

So while King may have been happy to unveil his new gathering as part of a Lamb Of God / Mastodon package, a major jaunt of his own would be just what the metal gods need to order.

Sign us up, San Antonio promoters. It can’t come fast enough.

SETLIST: Diablo (intro), Where I Reign, Trophies of the Tyrant, Residue, Toxic, Idle Hands, Shrapnel, Raining Blood, Black Magic, From Hell I Rise

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Salvation turned up to 10 as Armored Saint conquers Austin with Dangerous Toys

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Salvation turned up to 10 as Armored Saint conquers Austin with Dangerous Toys

Writers have their blocks. Baseball players call it the yips.

Those moments when the part of your craft you’ve been doing routinely for years — putting thoughts to paper or computer or throwing a baseball — suddenly gives way to something unexplainable that causes you to tighten up and either forget how to do it or do it horribly wrong.

Singers can take it further. Not that they forget how to sing. But when their voice lets them down in the middle of a tour, and there’s a show to play that night, all hell can break loose. Do you postpone or cancel the concert? Can you find a replacement, and even if you do, will fans accept it or demand a refund if the singer they came to hear can’t perform?

Thousands of vocalists have endured this nightmare at one point or another — especially if they’ve been in a band since 1982 and singing for much longer.

On Thursday night, Armored Saint vocalist John Bush not only showed the packed house at Come And Take It Live in Austin he was back and in rare form. He also got to thank, jam, and even cry with his temporary replacement at three gigs earlier this month that followed two postponements.

Playing in Austin on their “Saints Will Conquer” tour for the first time since 2001, Bush and Armored Saint headlined the Riverside Drive venue fresh off a tour supporting Queensryche. Supporting Armored Saint on this night were Austin natives Dangerous Toys and Snake Skin Prison.

Dangerous Toys frontman Jason McMaster, a member of the South Texas Music Walk of Fame among other illustrious honors, filled in for Bush to help save Armored Saint’s tour, much like McMaster had done last year for Accept vocalist Mark Tornillo.

This time, McMaster’s band was supporting Bush’s, and the significance of the moment overcame the latter when his good friend was in the front row watching Armored Saint’s set following his own performance.

After Armored Saint played 1985 deep cut “Aftermath,” the beginning of which Bush sang from the middle of the crowd, the veteran vocalist went over to McMaster, shared an embrace and came up teary-eyed. Not even a knucklehead from the back of the venue who didn’t realize what was happening, or simply didn’t care before shouting, “Why’s it so quiet? Play some fuckin’ music! Goddamn” could ruin the moment.

Bush called himself a “pussy” for crying, then shared with the audience his gratitude for McMaster and the emotion he felt while believing his prior vocal issues had let down fans and his bandmates, saying in part, “Only singers know, when you lose it, it’s utter misery,” before Armored Saint dedicated the title track to 2015’s Win Hands Down to McMaster (see ATM footage of it all below and 65-photo gallery).

But that wasn’t all of the feelgood story.

Bush referred to McMaster as “a diehard fucking fan” and thanked him for coming out “on a day’s notice” during the fill-in shows before giving him the ultimate compliment, calling him “an extra member of Armored Saint at this point.” So of course, the only way to punctuate the moment was to have McMaster come up and sing “Can U Deliver” with Bush and the band (ATM footage below).

If Bush hadn’t said anything about it, or you hadn’t kept up with the band’s recent happenings, you wouldn’t have had much indication that the singer was coming off a troubling couple of weeks because Armored Saint, as usual, was firing on all cylinders from the get-go.

Appropriately, the group hit the stage running by opening with the best song off 2020 and latest album Punching the Sky, the in-your-face “End of the Attention Span.” Founding brothers Phil Sandoval on guitar and Gonzo Sandoval on drums, along with veteran mainstay bassist Joey Vera and guitarist Jeff Duncan jammed as if their lives depended on it right into the title track to 1987 classic album Raising Fear, ensuring the headbanging was not about to stop anytime soon.

Considering they only played 13 tracks as the headliner in an approximate 75-minute set, the presence of multiple deep cuts such as “Head On” from 2010’s La Raza and “Tribal Dance” off 1991’s Symbol of Salvation had to please the biggest of Armored Saint diehards. The downside was the absence of personal 1987 favorite “Chemical Euphoria,” but the group nevertheless was absolutely killer on everything else including “Symbol of Salvation,” “March of the Saint,” and closers “Reign of Fire” and “Mad House” (ATM footage of both below).

Bush’s passionate style is something he spoke about exclusively with ATM during the Win Hands Down tour (watch here). One of the reasons McMaster was more than a suitable fill-in is because the Dangerous Toys frontman exhibits similar qualities.

Even though DT hasn’t released new music since 1995, you don’t have to ask McMaster and Co. twice to play a hometown show. And although they’re used to headlining their backyard, McMaster shared it was a no-brainer to support Armored Saint when that band came a-callin’.

Emphasizing tracks from their smash self-titled 1989 debut album, McMaster and original mates Scott Dalhover (lead guitar), bassist Mike Watson and drummer Mark Geary, along with rhythm guitarist Paul Lidel (McMaster’s onetime mate in Broken Teeth) rocked the house on “Outlaw,” “Take Me Drunk” and “Queen of the Nile” to help get things warmed up.

With Broken Teeth guitarist David Beeson among the crowd up front, Dangerous Toys kept the hits coming on the title track to Pissed plus cock-pleasing “Sport’n A Woody” (ATM footage of both below). The band ended the 12-song performance with obligatory closers and two biggest MTV hits: “Teas’n Pleas’n,” and “Scared,” the latter originally dedicated to Alice Cooper with McMaster telling the crowd that the king of fright “probably used the album as a coaster” (see setlist below).

If you missed DT in action on this night, don’t fret. They’ll headline Deco Ballroom in San Antonio on June 21 with Hollywood Guns N’ Monsters and Even In Death (tickets here).

Another Austin band, Snake Skin Prison, opened the night in a unique way that wasn’t necessarily by choice. But it benefitted the fans in an unusual way.

With space for three bands’ drum sets at a premium inside Come And Take It Live, Snake Skin Prison had their drummer not only set up in the center of the stage but pressed to the barrier as they rocked out five tracks including “The Great Texas Death Ride,” “Come and Take It,” and new tune “The End of the World.”

But the story on this night was Bush’s return to the stage. Yet Armored Saint is no longer his only obligation.

Bush recently became part of supergroup Category 7, which will release its debut self-titled album July 26 on Metal Blade Records (see a complete list of “New Releases” here; best viewed on a computer). Bush’s mates in that band are ex-Machine Head and current Kerry King band guitarist Phil Demmel, Adrenaline Mob guitarist and main songwriter Mike Orlando, Exodus bassist Jack Gibson and Shadows Fall/Overkill drummer Jason Bittner.

ARMORED SAINT SETLIST: End of the Attention Span, Raising Fear, Tribal Dance, Symbol of Salvation, March of the Saint, Head On, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, Over the Edge, Aftermath, Win Hands Down, Can U Deliver (w/Jason McMaster), Reign of Fire, Mad House

DANGEROUS TOYS SETLIST: Outlaw; Take Me Drunk; Sugar, Leather & The Nail; Gimme No Lip; Bones in the Gutter; Ten Boots (Stompin’); Queen of the Nile; Pissed; Sport’n A Woody; Line ‘Em Up; Teas’n Pleas’n; Scared

SNAKE SKIN PRISON SETLIST: The Great Texas Death Ride, Come And Take It, The End of the World, Bury Me in the Mountain, Smokin’ Whiskey

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Donella Drive heading to Hollywood after winning Wacken Metal Battle state final

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Donella Drive heading to Hollywood after winning Wacken Metal Battle state final

AUSTIN — Throughout their musical career and, presumably, their lives, Aidan Escalante and Andrew Salazar haven’t been unlike most brothers in that they have their share of disagreements. But there’s no arguing one simple fact: all the infighting they’ve done over their band Donella Drive is now worth it.

The San Antonio duo, along with new drummer Landis Chisenhall, are headed to The Viper Room on Hollywood’s famed Sunset Strip on Saturday, May 7, for the Wacken Metal Battle National Final after defeating nine other bands to win the Texas state final last Sunday at Come And Take It Live (watch Alamo True Metal’s Facebook Live footage of the winning announcement here). The winning artist at the nationals will represent the United States at the world’s most renowned heavy metal festival, the three-day Wacken Open Air before roughly 85,000 fans in August in Germany.

“We argue, we get in fights about the music, but we try to make the best music possible, and now it’s finally starting to pay off,” Salazar, the bassist and backup vocalist, told ATM in the euphoria of victory. “We’re very driven people. Me and my brother, we work our asses off. And we’re just gonna keep rehearsing. keep practicing and keep getting better. That’s all we can do.”

For emphasis, Escalante chimed in: “A lot of arguing.”

Each band throughout the Wacken regionals, state and national finals is allotted 15 minutes. The artists perform alphabetically (see 64-photo slideshow and ATM videos below). And that just happened to indicate Donella Drive would go on first at 5:30 p.m. With apologies to the winners, ATM arrived right after their performance of “Ozell,” “Golden” and “Keep You Waiting” / “Uncertainty Of Now” despite leaving San Antonio 2 1/2 hours before showtime with a quick bite to eat. So, of course, it stood to reason the only band missed would be revealed as the state champion five hours later.

“Keep You Waiting,” incidentally, recently peaked at No. 24 on The Billboard Rock Indicator Chart and No. 10 on The Foundations Chart.

But not even Chisenhall was around for the winning announcement. Salazar said Chisenhall, who joined Donella Drive two days after Steven Rodriguez quit in October and was only playing his sixth gig as a member Sunday, barely made it in time either.

“He was actually on tour with another project he was in, and he was coming in from Dallas when we were loading in,” Salazar said. “By the time we were done, he hung out for a bit and was dead tired. I just sent him a text that said, “Pack your bags, ‘cause we are going to L.A.”

Enjoying their 10th year as a band, Escalante and Salazar have persevered through ups and downs. Once having employed a female singer, Escalante ended up shifting to lead vocals along with guitar. The stepbrothers are the backbone of the band, original members and main songwriters. But their dream could’ve ended five months ago with the drummer switch.

“We had no idea what we were going to do,” Salazar said. “We just asked around, found Landis, and he’s in. And now look what’s happening.”

While Donella Drive’s devotion to its music is paying off, one need look no further than the other nine artists on the bill to see dedication exemplified. Not every state in the country held a Wacken regional, so bands in such a predicament had to travel to another state to begin their road to Wacken.

Among the bands advancing to Austin were two non-Texas groups: Eye from Albuquerque (ATM Facebook Live footage here plus video below) and Immortal Synn from Denver (watch here and below) — just to strut their stuff for 15 minutes. There was also intense Spanglish trio Psycho Pact from Houston with their bloody war paint and bongo drum, thrashers Sadistic Force from Austin, young thrashers Toxic Priest driving 9 1/2 hours from El Paso, metalcore act Trench Rat out of Amarillo and heavy rockers Wellborn Road also from Houston. Sadistic Force, incidentally, will be headlining Paper Tiger’s side room tonight (tickets here).

A pair of area bands that also took part had peculiar situations and circumstances surrounding their sets.

First, melodic rockers Hanna Barakat, performing on their home turf, were easily the sentimental favorites for a pair of reasons. The quartet won the 2020 Wacken Metal Battle at Come And Take It Live, only to have their trip to the nationals in Hollywood snatched away by the following week’s nationwide Covid-19 shutdown. On Sunday, the band’s namesake sang on one leg due to complications that arise periodically from a fracture she sustained at a gig seven years ago in Houston when a brick fell on her toe.

From the 2020 to 2022 event, Barakat enlisted a new bassist and lead guitarist. With her former bassist on hand to show support, as well as Disturbed bassist John Moyer — who produced the band’s 2019 album Siren — Hanna Barakat performed “In the Night” (ATM footage below), “Wanting to Go Home” and “Dangerous Game.” Hanna Barakat will headline Fitzgerald’s on Saturday, April 23 (tickets here).

Meanwhile, San Antonio’s other state-finals entrant Jessikill had a bit of a conundrum. In between the regional and state competitions, the band landed a monster national tour in the spring opening for Yngwie Malmsteen (details here). The trek conflicts with the May 7 nationals, as Jessikill is scheduled to support Malmsteen that night on the other side of the country at the famed Gramercy Theatre in New York. Jessikill bassist Arturo Knight told ATM prior to Sunday’s performance that should his band have emerged victorious in Austin, he and his mates would’ve tried to award the nationals berth to the runner-up.

While most of Sunday’s groups squeezed in three tunes, with a couple able to play four, Jessikill was the only one of the 10 to only play two. Watch them below on “Lightning” before they followed up with “Metal Knights.”

Some artists enter the Wacken Metal Battle without an emphasis on winning it. They may simply be trying to spread the word of their music, gain new fans and sell some merch along the way. Others are genuinely disappointed they didn’t make it all the way. And some, like Denver’s Immortal Synn, are good sports and come up to the winners with congratulations while graciously joking, “We shared the stage with Donella Drive!”

Alas, the night belonged to a set of brothers from San Antonio and their new drummer. Donella Drive will now follow in the footsteps of 2019 Texas state final winners Nahaya in representing the Alamo City at nationals. Nahaya lost out to San Diego, California, band Monarch for the right to play at Wacken during the inaugural battle.

“We’re always challenging ourselves,” Salazar concluded in exultation. “We don’t try and repeat the same things. We love all kinds of music. We love taking it all in in our filters and our minds. I can’t believe I’m here!”

And now Donella Drive will have the opportunity to write a Hollywood ending . . . with German subtitles.

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Immolation and friends provide unholy soundtrack to death metal

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Immolation and friends provide unholy soundtrack to death metal

From the moment a single foot was set inside Come And Take It Live in Austin on the night of Feb. 26, it was clear your standard heavy metal show was not about to unfold. That was confirmed from the first strains of the bands on the bill.

Immolation, Imperial Triumphant and Mortiferum made a packed venue feel like it had entered the bowels of hell via their respective soundtracks of death metal. But that wasn’t exactly a bad thing. As long as this version of hell included a few drinks and mosh pits accompanying the darkest sounds of death, ticket buyers in the house certainly didn’t mind.

Touring in support of the Feb. 18 release of Acts of God, Immolation brought three decades of death metal to downtown Austin and brutalized the cozy yet intimate venue with a mix of tunes from throughout its career. Led by original vocalist/ bassist Ross Dolan and original guitarist Bob Vigna, the New York band that often convenes for rehearsals at the Cleveland home of drummer Steve Shalaty had a tough act (of God, if you will) to follow after Imperial Triumphant and Mortiferum stoked the fires of hell in their own unique way (see 33-photo slideshow below).

Watch ATM’s Facebook Live footage of Immolation beginning its set here, then click ATM’s four videos below that included two songs from 1991 debut Dawn of Possession, the title track to 2013’s Kingdom of Conspiracy and “Rise the Heretics” from 2017’s Atonement. See an exclusive interview with Shalaty previewing the tour, discussing the latest album and other topics via the video box below.

Fellow New Yorkers Imperial Triumphant were easily the most unorthodox band on stage but certainly had its share of fans who came to see them most. Adorned in gold facemasks and black cloaks, vocalist / guitarist Zachary Ezrin, bassist / vocalist Steven Blanco and drummer Kenny Grohowski methodically made their way onstage before spending a large portion of their set prancing and dancing to fast and complicated, technical and abnormal bass-thumping and riffage not heard — or experienced — on a normal day. Ezrin at one point broke out a champagne bottle, using it on his instrument before popping it open and offering it up to the willing and waiting mouths of anyone who wanted a taste. Watch Imperial Triumphant begin their set via ATM’s Facebook Live footage here.

The night got off to a darkened, yet enlightening, start from Mortiferum. The band out of the Pacific Northwest set the tone with its intense brand of music, opening the fiery gateways to the abyss of the evening’s soundtrack. Mortiferum demonstrated it is a band on the rise within all subgenres of metal, and it would be nice to bring them to the Alamo City sometime in the near future.

After all, hell should be vast enough to cover Interstate-35 from one South Texas city to another.

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Into the Pit: Immolation drummer Steve Shalaty

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Into the Pit: Immolation drummer Steve Shalaty

As the man behind the death-metal drum kit since 2003 for New York-based band Immolation, Ohio native Steve Shalaty has seen his fair share of trends within the industry, progression in the extreme metal subgenre of heavy metal — and shown the type of perseverance that enabled him to only miss one show after breaking his leg.

Now locked, loaded and rarin’ to go during a pandemic era that has stymied the majority of bands’ ability to tour and changed the way they make their albums to a certain degree, Shalaty and Immolation will drop 11th record Acts of God on Feb. 18 via Nuclear Blast Records. They’ll headline Come And Take It Live in Austin on Sat. Feb. 26 with guests Imperial Triumphant and Mortiferum (tickets here).

Co-founded by singer/bassist Ross Dolan and guitarist/video mastermind Bob Vigna, the group debuted with 1991’s Dawn of Possession and hasn’t looked back. Each Immolation album Shalaty has played on has included the production expertise of Paul Orofino, known for working with classic-rock bands such as Blue Oyster Cult and Golden Earring but who has also purified the sound for which Immolation is known. Acts of God, which also features the addition of guitarist Alex Bouks, who joined in 2016, marks the group’s first recording effort since 2017’s Atonement.

Shalaty graciously went “Into the Pit” today to discuss a variety of topics in addition to the forthcoming album and tour. Click the videos below to watch new singles “The Age of No Light” and “Apostle,” then watch our entire conversation (cover photo courtesy: Nuclear Blast Records).

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Double dose of The Dead Daisies and its Hall of Fame frontman like no other shows

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Double dose of The Dead Daisies and its Hall of Fame frontman like no other shows

When The Dead Daisies decided to name their current North American trek the “Like No Other” tour, it could’ve easily been taken as a nod to one of the songs on Holy Ground, which was recorded in 2019 in France and dropped this past January — global pandemic notwithstanding.

But it’s more apropos to believe the label is an apt description for its newest frontman, he of the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame via Deep Purple, the “Voice of Rock” known as Glenn Hughes.

Although the Daisies, created by Australian guitarist David Lowy and having released their debut self-titled album in 2013, were reportedly meant to have various supergroup musicians as part of their roster over the years, it’s the inclusion of Hughes in 2019 that has taken the group to another level. With no disrespect to former vocalist John Corabi or other Daisies bassists such as Marco Mendoza — or even to whomever may comprise the band in the future — the addition of Hughes on powerful lead vocals and bass may shoot The Dead Daisies into the next stratosphere.

The band could be headed that way regardless thanks to the private jet and 5-star hotel way of life it enjoys due to Lowy’s lofty investments and real estate ventures. Their latest stop found Texas with the Rock Box welcoming the Daisies, comedian and former “That Metal Show” co-host Don Jamieson and Phoenix trio The Black Moods last Thursday. That trifecta was then joined by locals Black Heart Saints at Come And Take It Live in Austin this past Sunday (see 122-photo slideshow below).

Hughes and Lowy are accompanied by former Whitesnake and Dio guitarist Doug Aldrich and latest touring drummer Tommy Clufetos. Some may recognize Clufetos as one of Ozzy Osbourne’s drummers, but he’s also a unique answer to a trivia question: who was the only non-original member of Black Sabbath to take part in its farewell tour?

Yep, Clufetos filled in for Bill Ward, who was reportedly mired in contract squabbles with Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler during that 2013 trek. Clufetos got the call, and the rest was history. Clufetos, who formed Tommy’s RockTrip earlier this year and released Beat Up By Rock N’ Roll in May, provided riveting drum solos during both performances this past week.

Playing the same set both nights (see slideshow), the group showcased tracks from all five of its studio albums and one covers record. See ATM’s Facebook Live footage from San Antonio of “Mexico” and “Bustle and Flow”plus “Like No Other'“ and “Holy Ground”. But the highlights, particularly for the stylish Hughes of course, were the Deep Purple offerings. Although there were only two, watch ATM’s Facebook Live footage from the Rock Box of “Mistreated” for further evidence as to why, according to Hughes’ website, Stevie Wonder once referred to Hughes as his “favorite white singer.”

About the only thing that could stop Hughes at the Rock Box, at least temporarily, was the distraction he felt from the sold-out show happening on the other side of the door that separates it from the larger Vibes Event Center within the same confines. Millennials were diving off the stage during the sold-out Knocked Loose gig with Gatecreeper, and Hughes couldn’t resist taking a stab in between songs:

“There’s some shit going on next door,” lamented Hughes, who provided all the bass on Joe Satriani’s 2018 album What Happens Next. “I’m a lovely guy, but that music is fucking dreadful.” Moments later, Hughes recanted a bit: “I’m sorry about next door. I’m sorry I was so vicious . . . you have no idea how much I love you San Antonio.”

The tireless work of Rock Box owners Micaela and Steve Rodriguez to host concerts in their 3-in-1 venue (4-in-1 if you count the outdoor stage that has hosted Corey Taylor, Papa Roach, Skillet and Alter Bridge among many others over the years along with the basement stage and multi-bar area known as Vibes Underground) and to keep the music scene alive, particularly during this era, may have been lost on Hughes in the heat of the moment. But as Jamieson shared with ATM after the performance, Hughes had been talking about the Texas trek, and especially San Antonio, for several days in advance of The Dead Daisies’ arrival.

The night ended with the mandatory Deep Purple classic “Burn", which was preceded by Daisies track “Long Way to Go” (ATM footage of both below). To think that Hughes and David Coverdale were once in a band together undoubtedly brought back memories of that early ‘70s period, for those fortunate to have lived through it, when “Burn” put a definitive time stamp on this evening.

For his part, Jamieson shook things up as the immediate warmup for The Dead Daisies by providing laughs about his favorite Rock N’ Rollers and the fact “That Metal Show” not only got canceled a few years back but that he and his cohorts, Eddie Trunk and Jim Florentine, also managed to take down VH1 Classic with them.

Jamieson said he was comfortable with his manhood to admit he liked Winger, but primarily because that band had a No. 1 hit about an underage girl, which led him to refer to Kip Winger as “the R. Kelly of Rock N’ Roll.” Jamieson also recalled how former Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach, who’s headlining the Rock Box tonight, still doesn’t speak to him after Jamieson told him during a comedic roast of Bach that he didn’t have any balls anymore, a joke that resulted in Bach hurtling a cup of hot coffee at Jamieson.

Jamieson said his favorite Black Sabbath album was Vol. 4 because the band “was so stoned that they recorded the whole thing in 13 minutes,” and he admired Tommy Lee’s schlong, saying it’s “longer than a Dream Theater song.” The comic’s version of audience participation was to tell one front-row goer he “may have even gotten a little excited” when Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford came out of the closet as a gay man. Watch Jamieson in action here from Sunday’s show in Austin.

A date with paying the bills necessitated a late arrival to the Rock Box, thereby missing The Black Moods’ set Thursday. But much like Come And Take It Live had only one show occurring on its premises at a time, there were no such issues Sunday in Austin as the trio rocked the house with tracks from 2020 album Sunshine including “Whatcha Got” and “Throwing Shade.”

Meanwhile, the Black Heart Saints returned to their home stage and warmed things up in Austin with seven songs, including “All Night Long” and ending with a cover of Billy Squier’s “Lonely Is the Night.”

“Like No Other” can also be considered a victory signaling when a concert is able to go off without a hitch during these times. Two shows in a span of four days featuring these acts was certainly a treat to behold, led of course by The Dead Daisies, who demonstrated they’re livelier than ever. And if you weren’t there, or simply aren’t convinced, there’s more Daisies where the previous footage came from. Watch ATM’s Facebook Live clips from Austin of “Lock and Load” and cover song “Fortunate Son,” plus another dose of closers “Long Way to Go” and “Burn.”

While it would’ve been nice to hear one song as an ode to each member’s previous bands, such as Whitesnake, Dio, Black Sabbath or even Hughes’ stints in Trapeze and more recent outfits Black Country Communion or California Breed, there’s no denying the talent on stage and the fun they brought to South Texas. So feel free to hold ‘em up high as a thank you to The Dead Daisies, the promoters that brought them to town and the venues and staff who enabled them to be on stage.

Because you never know when the last time you saw your favorites perform might be the last time you witness them on stage at all.

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