Iron Maiden announces Anthrax collaboration for ‘Legacy of the Beast’ game

Iron Maiden announces Anthrax collaboration for ‘Legacy of the Beast’ game
Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via Getty Images

Anthrax is the latest band to collaborate with Iron Maiden‘s Legacy of the Beast mobile game.

Legacy of the Beast now includes a new level inspired by the “Madhouse” outfit’s music, which allows you to play as their Not Man mascot alongside Maiden’s Eddie character.

“Just the idea that our character is in a game with Eddie, and they get to fight alongside each other, [it’s] kinda mind-blowing for me,” says Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian. “It’s kinda hard for me to put into words.”

To play as Not Man, you’ll need to log in to Legacy of the Beast any seven days between now and June 16.

Legacy of the Beast has previously featured levels inspired by Avenged Sevenfold, Motörhead, Ghost, Five Finger Death Punch and Disturbed.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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On This Day, May 18, 1978: ‘The Buddy Holly Story’ is released in U.S. theaters

On This Day, May 18, 1978: ‘The Buddy Holly Story’ is released in U.S. theaters

On This Day, May 18, 1978 … 

The life of future Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Buddy Holly hit the big screen when The Buddy Holly Story opened in theaters in the U.S., including a special premiere in Holly’s hometown of Lubbock, Texas. 

The film starred a 33-year-old Gary Busey as Holly, a role that earned him an Oscar nomination.

The movie followed Holly’s story from age 20 until his death in a plane crash at age 22. Also on the plane were Holly’s tour mates, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens, all of whom also perished.

The film, which had a budget of $1.2 million, opened to mostly good reviews and wound up earning $14.3 million in the box office.

While Busey lost the Oscar for Best Leading Actor, the film took home the Academy Award for Best Adaption Score.

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KISS celebrating 30th anniversary of ‘Alive III’ with new vinyl reissue

KISS celebrating 30th anniversary of ‘Alive III’ with new vinyl reissue
Island Def Jam Music Group

KISS is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their album Alive III with a new vinyl release set to come out June 2. 

Alive III was the first live album from the band during their non-makeup era. It captures performances from the November 1992 “Revenge” tour shows in Detroit, Cleveland and Indianapolis. It was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1994.

The limited-edition 30th anniversary set is being released in a variety of formats, including an already sold-out deluxe anniversary edition, which was limited to only 500 copies. It included two picture discs with a die-cut cover, along with new picture sleeves featuring unreleased tour photos and a King of Live T-shirt.

There’s also a premium two-LP colored vinyl version pressed on yellow and orange pyro vinyl, which can be purchased with the King of Live T-shirt. Only 2,500 copies of this version are being made available worldwide. It is available for preorder now.

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Sting shares why he no longer performs “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” in concert

Sting shares why he no longer performs “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” in concert
Rob Ball/WireImage

Sting fans may be disappointed when they see him in concert, because he’s no longer playing one of his classic tunes live.

In an interview with People, Sting looks back at some of his hit songs and discusses the Police tune “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” which is about the relationship between a male teacher and a female student, and why you won’t hear it in his set list.  

“It’s certainly not biographical, but people having relationships with teachers, it definitely happens,” Sting, who was a teacher before becoming a rock star, says. “And in the song’s defense, nothing happens. It’s just the danger of, something happens and the teacher is aware of it, which is why he’s saying, ‘Don’t stand so close to me.'”

Sting says the song could be interpreted in “many, many different ways,” which can become an issue.

“In the current climate, I don’t sing that live,” he says. “People with a sort of puerile sensibility will say, ‘Oh it’s about you.’ And of course it’s not, but it’s an interesting situation.”

Sting will be honored as a Fellow of the Ivors Academy at the Ivor Awards on May 18 in London, and he’s certainly proud of the honor.

“If you ask me my profession, I would say I’m a songwriter, so to receive this honor is very special,” he shares. “I get people coming up to me saying, ‘Oh, I got married to your song,’ or ‘We buried Uncle Charlie to your song’ or ‘I fell out of love to this’ … People mark their lives with the songs of their era, as do I.”

As for seeing Sting live, his My Songs tour comes to North America starting September 1 and 2 in Vienna, Virginia. A complete list of dates can be found at sting.com.

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Def Leppard releases ‘Drastic Symphonies’ version of “When Love and Hate Collide”

Def Leppard releases ‘Drastic Symphonies’ version of “When Love and Hate Collide”
Mercury Records

Def Leppard’s new album, Drastic Symphonies, is out Friday, May 19, and the band has just released yet another track from the record.

The album features 15 Def Leppard tunes recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Fans are now getting to hear the new take on “When Love and Hate Collide,” a song that was recorded for the band’s 1992 album, Adrenalize, but didn’t make the record. 

“When Love and Hate Collide” eventually appeared on the band’s 1995 anthology collection, Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits 1980-1995. The original demo version contained the final recorded guitar solo from Steve Clark, who passed away in January 1991.

Drastic Symphonies is available for preorder now.

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Queen’s Brian May hints at documentary appearance with Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi

Queen’s Brian May hints at documentary appearance with Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi
Brian Rasic/Getty Images

Queen’s Brian May and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi had a chance to hang out together this week, but it looks like it may have been more than just a social call.

“Joy ! A rare and special afternoon with my dear pal Tony Iommi,” May shared on social media, noting they got together for a “documentary on RIFFS!!!!”

Iommi added on his page, “It was so lovely to see my dear friend Brian yesterday and to spend some time together catching up. Brilliant!”

So far no other information about the documentary is known.

In other Queen news, a Queen The Greatest Pop-Up Store is set to open this weekend in Kyoto, Japan. This is the third such Queen pop-up to open; the first opening was in 2021 on Carnaby Street in London, followed by one in Tokyo in 2022. The Kyoto shop, which will feature a photo exhibit, plus a line of merch, including some new products, will be open from May 20 to June 4.

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Foo Fighters headlining after-race concert at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Foo Fighters headlining after-race concert at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
ABC/Randy Holmes

Foo Fighters are performing at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Formula 1 race.

Dave Grohl and company will take the stage following the events of the race’s final day on November 26. The performance will mark the first Foos performance in the United Arab Emirates.

The Foos were previously announced to perform at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but the performance was canceled due to what a statement described as “unforeseen medical circumstances.” They’re playing the event this year as part of their live comeback following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022.

Meanwhile, the new Foo Fighters album But Here We Are, their first since Hawkins’ passing, drops June 2. The graphic design company Morning Breath Inc, which apparently worked with Foos on creating the But Here We Are artwork, shared a closeup look at the record’s minimalist design, which features the line “For Virginia and Taylor” on the back corner, presumably in tribute to Hawkins and Grohl’s mother, Virginia Hanlon Grohl.

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Graham Nash on writing political songs: “I have a right to speak my mind”

Graham Nash on writing political songs: “I have a right to speak my mind”
Graham Nash, Inc./BMG Rights Management

Graham Nash’s new album, Now, comes out Friday, May 19, and he isn’t afraid to sing about what’s bothering him about the current political climate in America.

In an interview with USA Today, Nash says he’s “very disappointed in America and particularly Republicans on their insatiable desire to please (DonaldTrump. I don’t understand it.”

And while some artists may worry about alienating fans with their political opinions, the 81-year-old Nash doesn’t seem to worry about that.

“Yeah well, I have a right to speak my mind. No one has to agree and no one has to listen,” he says. “But I live in America and have since 1968 and I love this country. It has its faults, but it has so much more going for it.” 

Nash also talks about the loss of his friend and bandmate David Crosby, who died in January just when they were starting to mend their broken relationship.  

“I’m beginning to really make the choice of trying to remember the good stuff because the bad stuff is not worth it,” he says. “I want to remember the good music we made … I see his face everywhere.”

Nash is currently on a solo tour. He plays New York’s City Winery on Wednesday, May 17. A complete list of dates can be found at grahamnash.com.

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Patti Smith & Her Band booked for The National’s Homecoming Festival

Patti Smith & Her Band booked for The National’s Homecoming Festival
Courtesy of The National

Patti Smith & Her Band have been booked to play The National’s annual Homecoming Festival, this time returning to Cincinnati for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2018.

The festival is happening September 15-16 at the ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park, with Smith part of the lineup on September 15. The National headlines both nights of the fest, with the lineup also featuring PavementThe WalkmanSnail Mail and more.

Single-day, weekend and VIP passes for the fest go on sale Friday, May 19, at 10 a.m. ET. More information and the complete lineup can be found at ntlhomecoming.com.

The show is one of many Smith has on the books this year. She kicks off a European tour in Copenhagen on June 1, with her first U.S. date set for August 7 in Pioneertown, California. A complete list of dates can be found at pattismith.net.

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Rock for Ronnie concert raises $50,000 for Dio Cancer Fund

Rock for Ronnie concert raises ,000 for Dio Cancer Fund
Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

The Rock for Ronnie concert, held in memory of the late Ronnie James Dio, raised over $50,000 for the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.

The event took place May 7 in Los Angeles and included performances by the Dio offshoot band Dio DisciplesSteamroller, featuring former Whitesnake members; and the Van Halen cover band The Atomic Punks. It closed with a jam featuring Eagles of Death Metal‘s Jesse Hughes, ex-Megadeth guitarist Chris Broderick and Thin Lizzy vocalist Ricky Warwick, among many others.

Dio passed away from stomach cancer in 2010 at age 67. The Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund was founded in his honor to raise money for cancer research.

Along with Rock for Ronnie, the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund holds the annual Bowl for Ronnie charity bowling tournament.

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