The long-awaited autobiography from heavy metal music icon Ronnie James Dio, the powerhouse voice of Elf, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his long-time bespoke band DIO, will be published on July 27. Co-written with British music journalist Mick Wall and Dio’s widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio, Rainbow in the Dark: The Autobiography is officially available for pre-order.
Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio had begun writing the manuscript several years before being diagnosed with cancer. Born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and raised in an Italian-American family in the upstate New York town of Cortland, his journey to international fame was hardly pre-ordained. He first began playing trumpet and then guitar and bass in local bands at parties, bars, and clubs while still in high school. It also tells the tales of him surviving life-changing setbacks. Among them the loss of his bandmate and best friend in a car accident that put his own life in jeopardy. These events only made him more focused and determined to succeed. He documents how he evolved from sideman into singer and frontman to not one, but three, internationally-renowned multi-platinum-selling bands.
The autobiography is illustrated throughout with photographs, largely never-before-seen, derived from family photo albums and personal archives, plus an eight-page color insert devoted to additional rare photographs from Ronnie’s life and career.
To celebrate the publication of the book, Wendy Dio will participate in an hour-long LiveSigning.com event on Wednesday, July 28 beginning at 3:00 PM (Eastern time). Those who have pre-ordered the book will have the opportunity to submit questions in advance for Wendy to answer during the event, which will stream live via the Ronnie James Dio Facebook page.
On Friday, June 11, Dee Snider came back to Long Island and rocked Stereo Garden in Patchogue. The show was filmed and will be released simultaneously with his new album Leave a Scar. Check out the video for the first single “I Gotta Rock (Again)” below.
Snider joined Twisted Sister in 1976 and became the band’s sole songwriter. In 1982 they released their first studio album Under the Blade. By 1984 they had released their third and most successful album Stay Hungry. The album featured the metal anthems “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock”. In 1985 Snider was pushed further into the spotlight when he spoke before Congress against censorship in music and the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center).
I wasn’t sure what to expect since it has been a few years since Snider has performed. The the show was electrifying to say the least. Dee was full of energy and kept the crowd connected and engaged throughout the entire seventeen song set. His band also did a great job. He was accompanied by Charlie Bellmore on guitar, Nicky Bellmore on drums, Nick Petrino on guitar and Russell Pzutto on bass. Five songs from the new album made their debut as well as all of the classics. One of the highlights of the night was when former Twisted Sister bandmate Mark “The Animal” Mendoza joined Dee for a rendition on the 1982 song “Under the Blade.”
The show ended with a cover of what Dee said he considers to be the greatest rock song ever, Ac Dc’s “Highway to Hell.” The show was awesome and Dee proved he can still bring it! It was also good to see live music return after 16 months. This was the perfect show to bring it back.! You can preorder Dee’s new album here
Dee Snider – Stereo Nest, Patchogue, Long Island, NY – June 11, 2021
Setlist: I Gotta Rock (Again), Tomorrow’s No Concern, You Can’t Stop Rock and Roll, Down But Never Out, American Made, Under the Blade, Time to Choose, I Am the Hurricane, We’re Not Gonna Take It, Before I Go, Become the Storm, Burn in Hell, Stand, Ready to Fall, I Wanna Rock, For the Love of Metal, Highway to Hell
Mac Sabbath is returning to the road in late August to bring America another heaping helping of unhealthy – but irresistible – Drive Thru Metal. Their 2021 Pop-Up-Drive-Thru Tour will feature The Outlaw Mariachi, Speedealer and Lung on select dates, and will make stops in Rochester and New York City.
Mixing raucous comedy with borderline-horrific theatrics, Mac Sabbath is the love child of heavy metal band Black Sabbath and hamburgers. Warning about the dangers of fast food, Mac Sabbath puts on a theatrical, multimedia stage show – complete with parody lyrics, a smoking grill, laser-eyed clowns, bouncing burgers and many more surprises.
Mac Sabbath has also recently revealed their first book, Drive Thru Metal, a pop-up book that takes fans on a journey through a dystopian fast-food world polluted by its own waste. There are two editions of the book, one being the Special Edition version, a limited version complete with a foil stamped cover, a Gris Grimly art print and “ketchup and mustard splattered” yellow and red vinyl.
Both editions of Drive Thru Metal include pop-up scenes highlighting “The Factory,” “The Ascension” and “Utopia” and include a vinyl with seven Mac Sabbath musical stories, including songs “Organic Funeral,” Sweet Beef” and “N.I.B.B.L.E.” Both editions are available in limited quantities and pre-orders are available on Mac Sabbath’s merch site.
Mac Sabbath’s “Pair-a-Buns” music video, a spoof on Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”
Check out the complete Mac Sabbath tour schedule below:
8/25 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
8/26 – Sacramento, CA – Holy Diver
8/28 -Portland, OR – Dante’s
8/29 – Seattle, WA – El Corazón
9/1 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
9/2 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
9/3 – Wichita, KS – WAVE
9/4 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads
9/7 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
9/8 – Milwaukee, WI – Shank Hall
9/9 – Lombard, IL – Afterlife Music Hall
9/10 – Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation
9/11- St. Louis, MO – Fubar
9/12 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
9/15 – Rochester, NY – The Montage Music Hall
9/16 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge
9/17 – New Bedford, MA – The Vault Music Hall & Pub
9/18 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry
9/19 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
9/22 – Harrisburg, PA – Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center
9/23 – Belle Vernon, PA – Vinoski Winery
9/24 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
9/25 – Ferndale, MI – Magic Bag
9/28 – Indianapolis, IN – HI-FI Indy & HI-FI Annex
Z2 Comics announced that the graphic novel, Among the Living which was inspired by Anthrax, and the titans of thrash metal’s landmark 1987 album of the same name, to be released in stores on July 6. In an effort to support the comic book specialty market, which had been hardest hit by the COVID-19 health crisis of the past year, Anthrax and Z2 shipped a surprise limited number of copies early that stores could make available for sale this week.
L-R: Jon Donias, Frank Bello, Charlie Benante, Scott Ian, Joey Belladonna Photo Credit: Jimmy Hubbard
2021 marks Anthrax’s 40th anniversary, during which time the band has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple Gold and Platinum certifications, six Grammy nominations, and a host of other accolades from the media, the music industry, and fans. In 1991, the band helped break down race and genre barriers when they collaborated with Public Enemy on the track “Bring The Noise,” and was the first metal band to have its music heard on Mars when NASA played “Got The Time” to wake up the Mars Rover in 2012.
I grew up with Marvel and DC, and they were part of my life from the time I was four or five years old. My mom worked at Primrose Bakery on Tremont Avenue in New York, and when I’d go to work with her, I’d sit in the back with the bakers. I’d read and draw the superheroes from the comics she would buy for me from this little shop just a couple of doors down. I’ve loved everything about comic books and the neighborhood comic book stores ever since.
-Anthrax’s Charlie Benante
Anthrax and their landmark 1987 album Among the Living influenced an entire generation of metalheads, cementing the New York band’s place in the Big 4 of Thrash alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer. The book pulls together a “who’s who” of names from the worlds of comics and music who created “bubble dialogue” and original artwork to express what the songs meant to them. Taking advantage of COVID-19’s prohibition of concert touring, the band has been hard at work writing the next Anthrax album. Check with your local comic shop for the availability of the standard TPB edition, with all editions available to order directly from Z2’s website now, with Charlie Benante’s Judge Dredd variant exclusive to preorders.
On July 31st, heavy metal vocalist Dee Snider will release his fifth full-length album, Leave a Scar, via Napalm Records. He recently released his first single on the album, “I Gotta Rock (Again)” along with a new music video.
Hailing from Queens, Dee Snider has become one of the most respected vocalists in the heavy metal world. The release of this album is incredibly exciting for him and his fans, especially because he recently shared that at the end of 2019, he didn’t see his career continuing. The state of the world in 2020, however, led him to find himself through his music again and come out with Leave a Scar.
Leave a Scar expresses the pain and anger that Dee felt while in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He describes how this time of solitude made him more in-tune with the writing process than ever before. He felt a deep need to fill the album with messages to and for listeners that need to speak up, but don’t feel that they can. This experience was a catalyst for him to make his best music yet, proving how his career is far from over.
“I Gotta Rock (Again)” is a strong start to the album and will have listeners head banging from the get-go. Another track that will leave listeners in awe is “Time to Choose,” which features a vocal attack by Cannibal Corpse’s George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. “The Reckoning” is a classic heavy metal assault, and track “All or Nothing More” showcases Snider’s harmonic talent. Melodic, metalcore inspired “In For The Kill” is also highly anticipated, as well as “Down But Never Out” and its strong drums. “Before I Go” has a mesmerizingly catchy chorus and chilling lyrics. The last track on the album is a ballad titled “Stand.” This song fulfills Dee’s purpose of ensuring that listeners feel their own struggles are being heard. Leave a Scar pushes Dee’s music boundaries and sets him into a new era of genius.
Jamey Jasta, Dee’s producer, boasts about the artist, revealing how powerful his range and vocals are. Jasta mentions how unique and original his sound is and confidently states that Dee is an American leader of the rock and metal community.
Former Twisted Sister frontman and Long Island native Dee Snider is coming back to Long Island to film an upcoming concert film. It will take place on June 11th at Stereo Garden in Patchogue. The show is in support of his new solo album “Leave A Scar” which is to be released July 30th.
Tickets to the show can be found here. The 7 p.m. show will be limited to 200 attendees who must be vaccinated or have a recent Covid-19 test. You can see the tracklist and video for the first single”I Gotta Rock (Again)” from the new album below.
Slipknot has announced the resuming of the Knotfest Roadshow, with stops in Darien Lake and Syracuse. The 2021 edition of the tour will start on Sept 28 in Illinois. The 24-night trek will criss-cross the United States and artists such as Killswitch Engage, Fever 333, and Code Orange are all confirmed to join the run.
Following the exciting news of Knotfest Iowa, their massive production planned for September, as well as the confirmation from the band that they are in the studio working on the follow-up to We Are Not Your Kind, the masked nine will return to their caravan of chaos. Tour dates include two shows in New York, one at the Darien Lake Amphitheater in Darien Center on Oct 3 and one at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse on Oct 5.
Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor weighed in on the kind of anticipation that is now building ahead of Slipknot getting back to the business of decimating stages again. “With the world opening up, it’s time to get excited about life again. To get back to life again. This tour is a long time coming and we hope you’re as excited to see it as we are to play it. Stay safe, stay (sic) and we’ll see you soon.”
As for the band’s announcement of recording new music in the studio. Just last week, the band’s artistic architect and percussionist M.Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan confirmed to the U.K. media that the band was in fact, in the studio and in the thick of working on “God music” in the follow up to the universally-lauded 2019 release of We Are Not Your Kind.
Fan can to get an exclusive glimpse at ‘behind the scenes’ footage of the band at work by subscribing over at knotfest.com. Subscribers are also eligible to pre-order both Knotfest Roadshow and Knotfest Iowa tickets before the on-sale date to the general public.
Tickets will be available on pre-sale to Knotfest subscribers from 10am local time on June 2nd, with a general on-sale from 10am local on June 4th, over at the official Knotfest Roadshow website.
Slipknot 2021 “Knotfest Roadshow” Tour Dates with Killswitch Engage, Fever 333, and Code Orange: 09/25 – Indianola, IA @ National Balloon Classic Field * 09/28 – Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre 09/29 – Milwaukee, WI @ American Family Insurance Amphitheater 10/01 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center 10/02 – Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre 10/03 – Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater 10/05 – Syracuse, NY @ Lakeview Amphitheater – Syracuse 10/08 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center 10/09 – Hartford, CT @ XFINITY Theatre 10/10 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center 10/12 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion 10/13 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live 10/15 – Burgettstown, PA @ S&T Bank Music Park 10/17 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion 10/19 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre 10/20 – West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre 10/22 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek 10/23 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre 10/24 – Pelham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre 10/26 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP 10/28 – Del Valle, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater 10/29 – The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion ** 10/30 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion 11/01 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater 11/02 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
* = Knotfest Iowa Festival (no Killswitch Engage or Code Orange) ** = no Code Orange
Brooklyn-based Wild Yaks have announced Live at Rippers, their fifth LP and first live album, due July 16, 2021. Alongside its digital release, Live At Rippers will be available in a run of 500 LPs with jackets hand-screened in Rockaway Beach, NY. Wild Yaks are proud to be the first band back at the venue in 2021, setting a performance there for July 17.
For Wild Yaks, music is the ability to take the horrible parts of life, and elevate them into a sacred, firey riot.
I think my chief interest is to transform despair into moments for celebration. What I’m trying to do is rejoice in what’s fragile, and rejoice in what’s already broken. The only thing that I will accept is being fully abandoned. It’s about moving and singing with no concern for the consequences.
Wild Yaks’ frontman and songwriter Rob Bryn.
Live at Rippers presents this vision and the band’s “sense-clobbering” performance better than any album to date. It was recorded at the Rockaway Beach punk-rock-beach-burger-joint Rippers in October of 2019. Bryn again:
Almost all of the songs grew out of moments that happened in Rockaway. And to perform them at Rippers on the altar of blood from which so many of these things sprang is strange and amazing.
Wild Yaks play an ecstatic fusion of punk rock and big-city folk reinforced with passionate vocals (often delivered in unison by the full membership). The band was formed in the fall of 2007 in Brooklyn, New York by singer/guitarist Rob Bryn and drummer/vocalist Martin Cartagena.
While many players have made their way through the Yaks’ over the years, today’s lineup is Jose Aybar (bass), Patsy Carroll (guitar), Giovanni Kincade (Farfisa), Matt Walsh (guitar), plus Cartagena and Bryn. The Yaks’ discography also includes the EP 10 Ships (Don’t die yet, 2009), and full-length albums Million Years(2012), Rejoice! God Loves Wild Yaks (2015), and Great Admirer (2019). The band’s music has been featured in numerous television shows and films, most notably their live performance in an episode of Law and Order SVU.
Pencildive, an indie rock band that has been aptly described by fans as “a post-punk visual nightmare” is gearing up to release their debut full-length record, Grown-Ups, out May 28th via Albany startup, Paintbox Records.
Pencildive is a name that may ring familiar to Capital Region music fans. The band has been active since 2018, releasing their debut EP When I Go Outside, in 2019, which was recently reissued by Paintbox Records this past April. Pencildive released a short video to accompany the release of their song “Cricket Man,” which was awarded an Eddies nomination for the best music video category in 2019.
Gina De Nardo, the songwriter of the group, graces the mic with her haunting vocals and a lyrical focus centered around losing love, sleepless nights, and the overall human condition, all composed into the group’s wild, electric arrangements in an eclectic frenzy of gloomy post-punk.
Since the first EP we’ve all become more comfortable with the recording and production process which I think shows in Grown-Ups. Creating a full-length also gave more of an opportunity to tell a story through the songs and explore sounds more conceptually.
Gina De Nardo on the Grown-Ups recording process
Grown-Ups was written by De Nardo over the course of a decade, the first full-length album the Upstate rocker has written on her own and that sense of growth is felt throughout the entirety of the project. Grown-Ups was safely recorded in October 2020 in a cabin in the Adirondacks. The ten-track album features strings, noise improvisations, and haunting cries from the insides of a vintage Leslie speaker.
UPDATE: Monday, August 23, 2021 – With Nine Inch Nails cancelling all 2021 tour dates, including this year’s Riot Fest, the festival has announced two major headliner additions.
Those who purchased a three-day or single-day Sunday ticket will now gain access to the festival’s Preview Party on Thursday, September 16, free of charge. Performing Thursday will be Morrissey, who will curate a selection of special guests to perform exclusively on Thursday. Plentiful vegetarian options will be offered by food vendors, following Morrissey’s tradition of no-meat at performances which will be honored across Douglass Park for the entire day on Thursday, September 16.
On Sunday, September 19, Slipknot will close the night out on the Riot Stage, bringing one of the most iconic metal acts ever to Riot Fest for the first time.
Riot Fest this fall returns to Douglass Park in Chicago over September 17–19, 2021 with their first in-person festival since 2019. In an unprecedented move, festival organizers revealed the lineup for 2021, along with tickets for 2022.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Nine Inch Nails will headline the festival’s 2021 edition, alongside The Smashing Pumpkins and Run the Jewels. New additions for this fall’s lineup include Faith No More, a recently reunited Mr. Bungle, DEVO, NOFX, Dinosaur Jr., The Ghost Inside, Motion City Soundtrack, along with many others.
After quickly selling out 3-day passes for 2021, Riot Fest announced that for next year’s festival The Original Misfits, including Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only, and Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, will headline Riot Fest 2022. The band will be performing their first album Walk Among Us in full for its 40th anniversary.
My Chemical Romance will also return to headline the festival’s 2022 edition, a hotly-anticipated reunion, finally realized. The group initially announced their reunion in 2019, playing a single show at Shrine Exposition Hall in Los Angeles before postponing their entire sold-out North American tour—including a slot at Riot Fest—to 2022.
After the Jersey band’s 2013 hiatus fans have been waiting for another chance to catch My Chemical Romance live. Considering their reunion tour is sold out, Riot Fest is a great opportunity to snag tickets for 2022.
3-day passes for this and next year’s festivals are on sale now; single-day passes to this year’s festival will go on sale this week, alongside more band announcements for 2021. Previous ticket holders can purchase 2022 passes at a special price for a limited time; ticket transfers to next year, as well as refunds, are now available.
Safety measures regarding COVID-19 will be frequently updated, as directed by local health and public safety officials.
More info and tickets are on sale through Riot Fest’s website.
Daily lineups have now been announced for Riot Fest 2021.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 MORRISSEY with Very Special Guests
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, COHEED AND CAMBRIA, LUPE FIASCO (performing The Cool), NOFX, DIRTY HEADS, SUBLIME WITH ROME, CIRCLE JERKS, DINOSAUR JR., MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK, THRICE, CIRCA SURVIVE, MEG MYERS, THE LAWRENCE ARMS, BEACH BUNNY, ANTI-FLAG, LIVING COLOUR, FISHBONE, ENVY ON THE COAST, THE SOUNDS, AMIGO THE DEVIL, EYEDRESS, BEACH GOONS, MEET ME @ THE ALTAR, SERATONES, RADKEY, KISSISSIPPI, JACKIE HAYES, OXYMORRONS, GIRLPUPPY, SEŃOR KINO
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 RUN THE JEWELS, FAITH NO MORE, DROPKICK MURPHYS, RANCID, TAKING BACK SUNDAY, VIC MENSA, GOGOL BORDELLO, MAYDAY PARADE, BAYSIDE, STATE CHAMPS, THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES, ANDREW W.K., BEST COAST, BIG FREEDIA, GWAR, HEPCAT, LES SAVY FAV, THE BRONX, FOUR YEAR STRONG, CITIZEN, FUCKED UP, JOYWAVE, NIGHT MOVES, MAN ON MAN, HOLY FAWN, THE BOLLWEEVILS, GANSER, JUST FRIENDS, THE ORPHAN THE POET, BEARINGS, SPIDER, DEVON KAY & THE SOLUTIONS
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 SLIPKNOT, MACHINE GUN KELLY, PIXIES, DEVO, MR. BUNGLE, NEW FOUND GLORY, THE GHOST INSIDE, BODY COUNT, THURSDAY, K.FLAY, KNUCKLE PUCK, HEALTH, THE BLED, MOTHER MOTHER, 3OH!3, FEVER 333, ALEX G, KENNYHOOPLA, BLEACHED, THE GORIES, FACS, RATBOYS, BLACKSTARKIDS, SKATING POLLY, PET SYMMETRY, MELKBELLY, GYMSHORTS, THE WEAK DAYS, AIRSTREAM FUTURES
On June 24, Riot Fest unveiled the first round of Late Night after shows to coincide with this year’s festival, held September 17–19, 2021. Tickets for the Late Night shows are now on sale via RiotFest.org.
RIOT FEST 2021 LATE NIGHT SHOWS On sale Friday, June 25 at 12:00 p.m. CDT
FRIDAY, SEPT. 17 more to be announced! MR. BUNGLE With Special Guests Radius 17+ | Doors: 10pm | TICKETS
SATURDAY, SEPT. 18 more to be announced! NEW FOUND GLORY and SIMPLE PLAN POP PUNK’S STILL NOT DEAD TOUR with Lolo Radius 17+ | Doors: 9pm | TICKETS
DINOSAUR JR. with Ryley Walker Bottom Lounge 17+ | Doors: 10pm | TICKETS
TOO MANY ZOOZ and BIG FREEDIA The Vic Theatre 18+ | Doors: 10pm | TICKETS
On May 17, 2017 Metallica played a sold out show at the newly renovated Nassau Coliseum as part of their WorldWired tour. The tour was in support of their tenth studio album Hardwired…To Self- Destruct. This was the only show of the entire tour not played at a stadium.
After the opening combination of “Hardwired” and “Atlas Rise” Hetfield asked the crowd “Strong Island, how do you feel?” He continued, “There is a little bit of history here. We’ve been here a lot.” This was the eleventh time Metallica performed in Uniondale. The first was on April 28, 1986 while opening for Ozzy Osbourne. The setlist was composed of 18 headbangers that covered 6 of their studio albums.
This was the first show in 13 years that “Ride the Lightning” and “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” were performed in Uniondale. It was also the first time in 26 years that “Harvester of Sorrow” was performed at The Coliseum. The two and a half hour show was merely a tease of what Metallica has in their arsenal. As a true Metallica fan, it was a real treat to see them in such a small venue during this stadium tour.
It was recently announced that Metallica will headline the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky this fall with Nine Inch Nails and Korn. The even that takes place over four days will also feature Jane’s Addiction, Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill and many others. It will take place at the Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center, September 23rd through the 26th.
Metallica, ‘WorldWired’ tour – Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY – May 17, 2017
Setlist: Hardwired, Alas, Rise!, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ride the Lightning, The Unforgiven, Now That We’re Dead, Moth Into Flame, Harvester of Sorrow, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), The Four Horsemen, Sad but True, One, Master of Puppets, Fade to Black, Seek & Destroy
Encore: Blackened, Nothing Else Matters, Enter Sandman
