Named after the four members, Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth, Mike Portnoy, Mark Menghi, and Phil Demmel, supergroup BPMD is here with their debut release, a covers album by the name of American Made (Napalm Records). As the title suggests, every cut on the record was originally recorded by an American artist, and each revitalised track sounds nothing short of tremendous.Continue reading
Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor has written the forward to “Nothin’ But A Good Time”, described as the definitive, no-holds-barred oral history of 1980s hard rock and hair metal, will be released on March 16, 2021 via St. Martin’s Press. 1980s hard rock was a hedonistic and often intensely creative wellspring of escapism that perfectly encapsulated — and maybe even helped to define — a spectacularly over-the-top decade. Indeed, fist-pumping hits like Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, Mötley Crüe’s “Girls, Girls, Girls”, and Guns N’ Roses‘ “Welcome To The Jungle” are as inextricably linked to the era as Reaganomics, Pac-Man, and E.T.Continue reading
Released in February 2020 and shared by the now postponed (and heading to online) Tribeca Film Festival as part of their A Short Film a Day Keeps Anxiety Away series online, a new documentary tells the story of two fans that got to party with Van Halen for an unforgettable and life-threatening time thanks to winning a contest on MTV during the 1984 tour! Lost Weekend by Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb tells the story of two 20-year-olds from Phoenixville, PA who won a contest to party with rock band Van Halen, then in their debaucherous prime. The clip is one part cheesy 1980s goodness, one part classic rock history, and one part MTV legend. Check it out now! Continue reading
Returning from an extended self-imposed hiatus, My Ruin celebrated Valentine’s Day by releasing a new covers album Rock Love & Red Lipstick. Released as a free download on Bandcamp, the covers range from Black Flag, PJ Harvey, Eric B and Rakim, KISS, Plasmatics, Van Halen, AC/DC, Soft Cell, Frank Sinatra, and many more. My Ruin went on hiatus when it’s main conspirators Tairrie B (Manhole, Tura Satana), and Mick Murphy (Heavy Seventies, Chevy Metal, Teenage Timekillers) moved from Los Angeles to Nashville. My Ruin’s last release was 2012’s The Sacred Mood. Tairrie has been busy of late releasing her out of print albums with other bands to Bandcamp, writing her highly-anticipated memoirs, and pursuing future musical projects, photography and video directing. Watch the Tairrie directed video for their cover of ‘My Way’.
The popular fan site Van Halen News Desk has uncovered a doozy of a lost take. The site shared a clip from YouTuber Groovefunkel Second Helping has uploaded an alternate take of the classic first song heard on Van Halen’s 1978 debut, featuring a different vocal track by David Lee Roth and an extended Eddie Van Halen guitar solo. Check it out right now! Continue reading
Ozzy Osbourne has shared pro-shot footage of his now legendary performance at the 1983 US Festival. Taking place on Memorial Day Weekend, at What is now Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernadino, California and put on by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and concert promoter legend Bill Graham, the “Heavy Metal Day” of the fest included Ozzy, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, Van Halen, Quiet Riot, Scorpions, and Triumph! One of the most bootlegged tapes of the 1980s, Ozzy’s band feature Jake E. Lee on guitar. The Prince of Darkness just released a new single, rebooked his postponed tour dates and is releasing a retrospective boxed set soon. Watch him and his band rip through classics such as ‘Iron Man’, ‘Crazy Train’, ‘Suicide Solution’, and more in the videos below! Continue reading
Van Halen famously released 13 singles in Japan between 1978 and 1984. Like many bands of that era, their fame in Japan was huge and helped catapult the band to one of the biggest in the world. Those singles will now be collected in a new 7″ vinyl set from Rhino. Each replica single features the original sleeve artwork and comes housed in a cigarette-style box. Two versions of The Japanese Singles 1978-1984 will be available on November 1: a black vinyl version and a limited-edition version of 750 copies on red vinyl, which is available now to pre-order at Rhino.com. Both versions have a suggested retail price of $129.98. Watch the teaser trailer for the collection below. Continue reading
Normally we don’t do the rumor mill here at Ghost Cult HQ, as some of our brethren at other metal sites do. When it is a monumentally important artist, we listen to new information and try to be respectful. One story we have been tracking is the end of the Van Halen reunion with David Lee Roth, which we broke the news last week of Roth saying definitively the band is done with him. In that same interview Roth gave, he alluded to health issues from Eddie Van Halen being the culprit and even said that Eddie needs to address the public. Now TMZ has reported that Eddie has had a relapse of his throat and tongue cancer that he has battled for the last 20 years. According to a published report, Eddie has been traveling to Germany for routine treatments. In a recent article, Eddie alluded to the fact that he believes he got his initial tongue cancer from holding metal guitar picks in his mouth during his solos like ‘Eruption’, and not from Smoking. One wide-spread report last winter had the band booking a summer tour of baseball stadiums with Foo Fighters, Metallica and others, but that it fell apart over the involvement of bringing founding VH bassist Michael Anthony back in on a part-time basis. We wish Eddie the best and we will keep following this news. Continue reading
In a new interview with Meltdown of the Detroit radio station WRIF, David Lee Roth says Van Halen, as we know it, is finished. He also said Eddie Van Halen has his own story to tell about the current state of the band and discussed his upcoming Las Vegas residency, which is due to begin in January. Earlier this year, rumors were rampant that the classic-era lineup of Van Halen would reunite for the first time since 1984 and possibly embark on a co-headline tour of baseball stadiums with Foo Fighters. There were even tour posters leaked to press. It’s unclear why the tour didn’t happen, though there has been online chatter that a health setback involving Eddie Van Halen might have been responsible. Roth also spoke earlier this summer with podcaster and comedian Marc Maron on his WTF show and claimed he and the Van Halen Brothers have “no relationship.. and never have”.
Van Halen legend David Lee Roth performed with his new band pubicly for the first time on Thursday (September 26) as he prepares for his upcoming Las Vegas residency. Recorded at Los Angeles’ SIR rehearsal studios from an invite-only show, watch the show featuring Roth and his backing musicians running through snippets of ‘Atomic Punk’, ‘Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love’, ‘Dance The Night Away’, ‘Runnin’ With The Devil’ and ‘Panama’ recorded by a fan. Roth’s residency at the House Of Blues at Las Vegas’s Mandalay Bay kicks off on January 8th.Continue reading