Tickets Available Starting Today with Artist Presale
General On Sale Begins Friday, April 14 at 10 AM Local at WASPnation.com
Hollywood, CA (April 11, 2023) — Today, W.A.S.P. announced The 40th Never Stops World Tour 2023. Produced by Live Nation, the 33-city run kicks off on Saturday, August 5 in Wheatland, CA, making stops across North America in Vancouver, BC, Omaha, NE, New York, NY, Memphis, TN and more before wrapping up on Saturday, September 16 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, CA. Special guest Armored Saint will join the band across all dates of the tour.
The 2023 North American tour comes following the band’s first U.S. tour in 10 years wrapping up in 2022, ending with 18 sold-out shows. The tour was selected by Metal Edge as one of the 10 Best Hard Rock and Metal Tours of 2022 and one of the 22 Memorable Rock Tours of 2022 by Ultimate Classic Rock. BraveWords writers listed the tour as the Top Concert of 2022 and selected by the Detroit radio station WRIF as one of the Top Concerts of 2022.
W.A.S.P. is currently playing off their massive European leg of the 2022 40th Anniversary World Tour, with upcoming shows taking place in Spain, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and more before wrapping on May 18 in Sofia, Bulgaria at Universidada Sports Hall.
TICKETS: Tickets will be available starting with the Artist presale beginning today at 12 PM ET. Additional presales will run throughout the week with all presales ending Thursday, April 13 at 10 PM local time. The general on sale will begin Friday, April 14 at 10 AM local time at WASPnation.com.
VIP: Blackie Lawless VIP meet and greet tickets will also be available at WASPnation.com.
THE 40TH NEVER STOPS WORLD TOUR 2023 DATES:
Fri Aug 04 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Fremont Theatre *
Sat Aug 05 – Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live Sacramento
Mon Aug 07 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
Tue Aug 08 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre *
Thu Aug 10 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
Fri Aug 11 – Spokane, WA – The Podium
Sat Aug 12 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House and Event Center
Sun Aug 13 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
Tue Aug 15 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha
Wed Aug 16 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis presented by Affinity Plus
Thurs Aug 17 – Moline, IL – The Rust Belt *
Fri Aug 18 – Eau Claire, WI – RCU Theater *
Sat Aug 19 – Clive, IA – Horizon Events Center *
Sun Aug 20 – Gary, IN – Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana
Tue Aug 22 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live @ 20 Monroe
Wed Aug 23 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room @ Old National Centre
Thu Aug 24 – Wheeling, WV – Capitol Theatre *
Fri Aug 25 – Stroudsburg, PA – Sherman Theater *
Sat Aug 26 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
Sun Aug 27 – Hampton, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Tue Aug 29 – Wallingford, CT – The Dome At Oakdale Theatre
Wed Aug 30 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
Thu Aug 31 – Warren, OH – Packard Music Hall *
Fri Sep 01 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
Sun Sep 03 – Montreal, QC – Mtelus
Tue Sep 05 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady Music Center
Thu Sep 07 – Memphis, TN – The Soundstage at Graceland
Fri Sep 08 – Little Rock, AR – The Hall
Sat Sep 09 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom
Sun Sep 10 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
Wed Sep 13 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre *
Thu Sep 14 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
Sat Sep 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
*Not a Live Nation Date
Ladies and gentlemen, that is most certainly how you put on a rock show. – Backseat Mafia
W.A.S.P. are here to provide a good time and to celebrate their legacy, and they do both of these things in spades tonight. – Metal Talk
“When you’re putting on a show as enjoyable as this, it’s no surprise why people keep coming back.” – Moshville
About W.A.S.P.
Few Bands in the history of Rock N’ Roll have ever incited the love, the hate, the raw emotional effect this Band has had on the world. From the very beginning, in the small venues of Los Angeles California, and later to the numerous countries worldwide that banned these Winged Assassins from performing live, the Band’s unique style of Shock and Rock caused Religious organizations, Local City Councils, Parliaments, and the Washington D.C. Senate to hold hearings in an effort to bar this group from selling records and trashing stages everywhere they played.
The band’s founding member, frontman Blackie Lawless, has led the group as its lead vocalist and primary songwriter since its beginning. His unique brand of visual, social and political comment took the group to worldwide heights and sold millions of records alongside a legacy of sold out shows across the globe for 4 decades.
Joined by bassist Mike Duda and guitarist Doug Blair, whose tenures in the band span 26 and 18 years respectively, along with drummer extraordinaire Aquiles Priester, will take the Band and the Fans back to where it all started. Complete with the stage show extravaganza that many fans never saw live.
Witness Live the Winged Assassins spectacle of “SHOCK and ROLL” as they take you Back…Back to the Beginning!
About Live Nation Entertainment Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit http://www.livenationentertainment.com.
We are pleased to announce that Finnish melodic death metal newcomer SHADE OF SORROW are the latest talent to collaborate with M-Theory Audio and we look forward to the completion of their debut album.
The one-man project is spearheaded by multi-instrumentalist Mika Kankainen, the former drummer of Finnish bands WWOC, Soul Terror, and Warceremony. With SHADE OF SORROW, Mika plays all instruments including drums, bass, guitar, keyboard, while also handling vocals showcasing his immense talent and virtuosity.
“My dream came true as M- Theory Audio contacted me and proposed a collaboration with Shade of Sorrow,” explains Mika. “I know they have a huge amount of professional experience in the field of music business, and I really think that the company has a heartful purpose of lifting promising bands and music up for the masses. Needless to say, I´m super stoked about this collaboration and will make sure that we will get a hell of a debut album to release! There is a lot of passion, big dreams and a huge work ethic behind this project and I’m really looking forward for the future release and collaboration with M-Theory Audio!”
The genesis of this band started back in 2017 when demo songs were sent to friend and collaborator Tuomas Saukkonen (Wolfheart, Before the Dawn, Dawn of Solace, etc.) who promptly agreed to produce. Fast forward to 2020, their busy schedules finally lined up and they went into the studio to record the first two SHADE OF SORROW songs — “No Return” and “Fabricated Hope,” each receiving glowing reviews. Both songs were recorded, mixed and mastered by Esa Uusimaa (Wolfheart, Rain of Acid, Crowen) with vocals produced by Juha Kylmanen (Full Nothing, For My Pain…) from Whiteleaf Studios. Those two songs were then followed up by a stand-alone digital single “Meteor” in 2022, which Tuomas from Wolfheart played some acoustic guitar on. Videos were made for all 3 songs, with a highlight being “No Return,” which gives you a great taste of what’s to come and can be seen HERE.
All 3 songs will be available on the forthcoming full-length release, along with 6 new ones once again produced by Saukkonen.
The 70000TONS OF METAL festival organizers have announced that the twelfth edition of the floating festival will sail on January 29th to February 2nd from Miami, Florida – Cruise Capital of the World – to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and back, on board the luxury passenger vessel Freedom of the Seas.
The festival will once again host 60 Heavy Metal bands spanning all subgenres and welcome 3000 metalheads from around the world.
The Freedom of the Seas, a Freedom class cruise ship, offers a host of amenities and complimentary dining options. Guests will also enjoy unrestricted festival access to all 120+ performances across four stages:
The Royal Theater is a five-storied concert hall. The more intimate Star Lounge offers the local club vibe. A third indoor stage, Studio B, provides an arena-like atmosphere. Lastly, but most notable, the Pool Deck Stage: The World’s Biggest Open Air Stage structure to sail the Open Seas. This colossal stage is surrounded by bars, plenty of room to sunbathe and even hot tubs incorporated into the stage itself, offering guests the unique opportunity to watch their favorite metal bands from the comfort of a hot tub.
The ship will sail to Puerto Plata – the Dominican Republic’s oldest city in the north and the pioneer of tourism in the country. The city is famous for Parque Independencia, the “Central Park” of Puerto Plata and a popular meeting point. Take a cable car to the top of “Monte Isabel de Torres”, a peak rising 2,600 feet above sea level. Swim and snorkel at Sosua beach and then grab some lunch or a beverage at one of the many nearby restaurants and bars. Try some local fare with a bowl of la Bandera: a meat stew with rice, beans, and fried plantains or a saucy Pescado con coco (fish in coconut sauce).
La Casa de la Cultura is a three-story Victorian house that features local arts exhibits, a contemporary art gallery, library and store with local goods for sale. Find yourself some of the oldest, most translucent amber in the world, which Puerto Plata is famous for. As the festival organizers continually strive to innovate and improve the Heavy Metal Festival Experience for their guests and their surroundings, festivalgoers will once again have the option to purchase a Carbon Offset when booking their Private Cabin or Single Ticket for 70000TONS OF METAL 2024. For the eleventh voyage of 70000TONS OF METAL in 2023, nearly 15% of their customers chose to purchase the additional Carbon Offset. The funds contributed through the Carbon Offset Program went to Greentripper’s Improved Cookstoves in Ghana project. Visit 70000tons.com for more information and watch their social media pages @70000tons for more announcements including sales dates. About 70000TONS OF METAL 70000TONS OF METAL is The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise. With ten consecutive sellouts since the inaugural voyage in 2011, this extraordinary and unique floating festival now sails on board some of the largest luxury passenger vessels in the world. Featuring 60 world-class Heavy Metal bands from around the globe performing across four stages, 70000TONS OF METAL is home to The World’s Biggest Open Air Stage Structure to sail the Open Seas. Guests can enjoy the Heavy Metal festival experience of a lifetime with all the benefits that a cruise has to offer: complimentary fine dining, bars that never close, 24-hour room service, as well as the ship’s many amenities. This four-day Heavy Metal Music Festival and Caribbean vacation offers 3000 metalheads the amazing opportunity to mingle side-by-side with all of the bands on board. With no VIP areas it truly is like everyone has a backstage pass. Not only do guests have unrestricted festival access to 120+ live performances (all bands play twice), every ticket also includes meet & greets with every band, intimate masterclasses with select musicians and exclusive live & listening premieres. Guests also have full access to the “Jamming in International Waters All Star Jam” – a one-of-a-kind jam session featuring a host of musical virtuosos performing classic metal songs together on stage. Festivalgoers also have the special opportunity to explore a Caribbean dream destination with their favorite band members on an “Artist Escorted Shore Excursion”, another 70000TONS OF METAL exclusive. For more details about 70000TONS OF METAL 2024, including FAQs, vessel amenities and contact information, please visit 70000tons.com. Guests and fans are also invited to join the 70000TONS OF METAL community on The70000TONS OF METAL Official Forum, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Telegram and Spotify: @70000tons
Grand Design continue to hold the perfect element that bring hooks, breaks and choruses to the forefront. Hands down God Bless Rawk ’n’ Roll is a classic. Frontman Pelle Saether says about the second single from the upcoming album: “God Bless Rawk ‘n’ Roll has that typical, well known Grand Design sound with a chorus that will blow your mind! The song is about the band being on the road, touring, meeting fans. It’s all about rawk n roll – and we loooove it.”
GRAND DESIGN, the Swedish AOR/melodic rock sensation, are back with their long- awaited 6th album RAWK that will hit the streets on Friday April 21, 2023. The album was produced by Pelle Saether and recorded at Studio Underground Sweden between January and September 2022. This album is the perfect follow up to their last album V (2020).
RAWK has that signature GRAND DESIGN sound that has made them one of the top artists in the Swedish melodic rock scene. The 11 songs on the album are packed with unforgettable choruses, shredding guitar work and a superb production. Erik Grawsiö from Swedish act Månegarm and Veith Offenbächer from German act Dawn of Destiny appear as guests on one of the albums highlights, Carry on my wind. Again the whole band have put in 100% and we have a great feeling about this album!
We are very pleased to say that we have visited Blaze in the hospital. His spirits are high and his sense of humour remains intact! He is currently waiting on news about his surgery and is optimistic for the future. We wish Blaze a full and quick recovery.
Nevertheless, with Blaze likely to be in recovery for several months, this blows a big hole in our touring plans and therefore we are beginning the process of booking shows for Absolva. We are open for offers for headline shows and/or festivals in UK & Europe.
Meantime, we had stocked up on merch ahead of the original shows, so if possible it would be a big help if you would please buy online items which you might have bought on the tour. Please check out our webshop to see our ‘Stand Your Ground’ T-shirts & more www.absolva.com
Rock Candy Magazine Issue 37 Out Now Featuring METALLICA
MARCH 31, 2023 — As thrash legends Metallica return with a new album, ‘72 Seasons’, Rock Candy Mag goes back to 1986 to look at the band’s classic ‘Master Of Puppets’ over 14 pages. Guitarist Kirk Hammett discusses the making of the album, how it changed Metallica’s career trajectory, and how he looks back on ‘Master…’ today.“We weren’t trying to make an album that 35 or so years on people would put on and think still sounded great,” Hammett tells Rock Candy Mag editor Howard Johnson. “We didn’t set out to do anything, really. We were just trying to make the best album we possibly could and that’s what came out.”Released on 3 March 1986, ‘Master Of Puppets’ was the thrash band’s third album – recorded in Denmark with producer Flemming Rasmussen – and it went on to sell over six million copies in the US alone.“From a technical viewpoint, when I listen to the album I’m really surprised at how good it sounds so long after the fact,” says Hammett. “The recording of the album, the recording of the songs, the production… it all holds up still.”‘Master Of Puppets’ proved to be Cliff Burton’s swansong with Metallica. The bassist sadly died on 27 September 1986 in a coach accident while on tour promoting the album.“Cliff’s contribution to ‘Master Of Puppets’ was very melodic and very musical,” explains Hammett. “His contribution wasn’t so much the big heavy riffs. It was all melody bass, and it was a lot of really, really cool stuff. When Cliff went it was the end of an era, and we all knew it. We knew it.”More than 35 years after it was first released, ‘Master Of Puppets’ is an acknowledged classic of the thrash genre and proudly sits in the US Library Of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry on account of being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”Hammett thinks he knows why.“A lot of the music from that time now sounds samey and similar,” he says. “But there’s really nothing on ‘Master Of Puppets’ that dates it to any particular period – sound-wise, production-wise, recording-wise. ‘Master Of Puppets’ is my favourite of all the albums we’ve ever done.” You can read our 14-page Metallica special, together with fascinating stories about L.A. Guns, Kansas, Bad English, Winger and many others in issue 37 of Rock Candy Mag. For more details visit http://www.rockcandymag.com.ABOUT ROCK CANDY MAG Rock Candy Mag is a 100-page, full-colour bi-monthly rock mag, created in the UK. It covers the sights, sounds and smells from the greatest era in hard rock music, the ’70s and ’80s. The brainchild of: respected UK rock journalists Derek Oliver, Howard Johnson and Malcolm Dome – all frontline writers for the legendary Kerrang! magazine in the golden era.https://www.facebook.com/rockcandymag/ https://twitter.com/RockCandyMag https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBjkpEXB53nRCs_yhEClGhg
SWEDISH RAWKERS GRAND DESIGN CONFIRM NEW STUDIO ALBUM RAWK (GMR Music) FOR APRIL 21, 2023! Grand Design continue to hold the perfect element that bring hooks, breaks and choruses to the forefront. Hands down God Bless Rawk ’n’ Roll is a classic. Frontman Pelle Saether says about the second single from the upcoming album: “God Bless Rawk ‘n’ Roll has that typical, well known Grand Design sound with a chorus that will blow your mind! The song is about the band being on the road, touring, meeting fans. It’s all about rawk n roll – and we loooove it.”
GRAND DESIGN, the Swedish AOR/melodic rock sensation, are back with their long- awaited 6th album RAWK that will hit the streets on Friday April 21, 2023. The album was produced by Pelle Saether and recorded at Studio Underground Sweden between January and September 2022. This album is the perfect follow up to their last album V (2020).
RAWK has that signature GRAND DESIGN sound that has made them one of the top artists in the Swedish melodic rock scene. The 11 songs on the album are packed with unforgettable choruses, shredding guitar work and a superb production. Erik Grawsiö from Swedish act Månegarm and Veith Offenbächer from German act Dawn of Destiny appear as guests on one of the albums highlights, Carry on my wind. Again the whole band have put in 100% and we have a great feeling about this album!
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (January 27, 2023) — Johnny O’Neil announces the release of the EP “LIVE at the Southern Theater”. This follows up his debut album TRUTH OR DARE. The EP was recorded live at a show the band performed at the iconic Southern Theater in Minneapolis on December 11th, 2021. The EP features five songs that provide a snapshot of Johnny and his band’s history, ranging from a song initially recorded by Johnny’s former band Dare Force, “Let Me Play,” the lead track from Johnny’s first solo album, “Snake In the Grass,” to three brand new tracks from Johnny’s upcoming second album: “Take Me Down,” “Tell Me Your Story,” and a remake of the Thin Lizzy classic, “Don’t Believe A Word.”Fans can download the new live EP for free directly from Johnny’s website: http://www.JohnnyONeil.com or it can be streamed from your favorite platform.Johnny O’Neil talked about the recording of their second full length album, “We are currently in the studio recording our second album. While we have “officially” been a band since late 2020 and performed live over the past year-and-a-half, the new album represents the maiden voyage of my full band in the studio. As such, we all are discovering more about each other as musicians, band mates, and dear friends. My first solo album, “Truth Or Dare” set a high bar to meet with the second album, this time featuring my whole band.”Johnny O’Neil is excited to announce a show on March 6th supporting The Winery Dogs at the Fine Line in Minneapolis, MN. Show info and tickets can be found at https://bnds.us/2kqa3xARTIST: Johnny O’NeilALBUM: LIVE at the Southern Theater1. Take Me Down2. Don’t Believe A Word3. Tell Me Your Story4. Let Me Play5. Snake In The GrassBand Members: JOHNNY O’NEIL: All Lead and Harmony Vocals, GuitarsJOHN FUNK: GuitarsBENNY CRAIG: BassJOACHIM BAECKER: Drums and PercussionLive Mix Engineer: Michael TienkenFinal Mix Engineer: Brian BartCo-Produced by the Blood Brothers: Johnny O’Neil & Brian Bart Executive Producer: Johnny O’NeilBack Cover Photographer: Blake BogdanovichGraphics and Design: JoB VisualsManagement: Michael BrandvoldHISTORY: (Johnny O’Neil’s previous band Dare Force)DARE FORCE: Dare Force was a legendary hard rock/heavy metal band based in Minneapolis that was initially founded by Johnny and Brian Bart when they were 18 years old. Dare Force released three albums in the 1980s and performed in concert with numerous national acts such as KISS, Ted Nugent, Triumph, Kansas, UFO, the Joe Perry Project, and Ratt, as well as headlining in venues throughout the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Dare Force also had several songs that received heavy airplay on rock radio stations throughout the midwestern US in the 1980s. Dare Force released its third album, “Firepower,” with a reformed version of the band in 1989. The original lineup performed occasional reunion gigs after the long run of the original band ended in 1987, but the original version of Dare Force stopped performing live altogether after their last reunion show in 2002. Dare Force reformed yet again with a return to a four-piece lineup in 2017, and released its fourth album, “Callin’ Your Name,” in 2018.WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA: Website: http://www.JohnnyONeil.com FB: http://www.Facebook.com/JohnnyONeilOfficial Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/Johnny_ONeilOfficial Bandcamp: https://johnnyoneil.bandcamp.com/releases YouTube: https://youtube.com/JohnnyONeilOfficial Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnnyONeil16