On October 9, 2020 "Blue Öyster Cult" released their 14th studio album "The Symbol Remains". This is the comeback album of "Blue Öyster Cult", the first studio album in two decades, since "Curse of the Hidden Mirror" which was released in 2001. Eric Bloom noted that the album's poor sales and the fact that its production costs were high, caused them to take a long break. Some of the songs on the album were remotely recorded during the Covid-19 lockdowns, using remote-sharing recording technology. In February 2019 Buck Dharma noted that the band had started working on a new album. The announcement was reinforced at July 2019 when the band signed a contract with the Frontiers Music label and confirmed that they were working on a new album. In February of 2020 we were privileged to see a short video posted on Richie Castellano's Facebook page, in which he was seen with Eric Bloom while they both confirm the work on the new album. The first two singles from the album were released on August 28 2020 - " That Was Me " and " Box in My Head " and initially heralded the band's comeback. A few days later the band released a video clip for the song " That Was Me ". It was surprising to find Albert Bouchard starring in it, tapping there on "Cow Bell". He is one of the band's founders and the one in charge (along with his brother) of the band's rhythm section. After clarification, it was understood that Albert is not part of the band but is hosted in one song on the album. The song opens with the intensity of a Metallic album, but then comes a reggae-style bridge that makes us realize that this album is probably going to surprise us. Indeed, a quick run through the 14 songs on the album reveals, that in terms of the musical line it probably seems to give fans a bit of all the periods the band has gone through during the years. In September 2020 we got another glimpse of how the band looks and sounds after their comeback, with the clip for the song " Box in My Head ". A lighter song in a rockabilly rhythm that is reminiscent of Buck Dharma's solo album. The third clip already made us realize that this album is indeed diverse in every way, when we became acquainted with the bluesy ballad " Tainted Blood ". The album title comes from the song "Shadow Of California", which appeared on the album "The Revolution By Night" that the band released in 1983. Track List: 01. That Was Me 02. Box In My Head 03. Tainted Blood 04. Nightmare Epiphany 05. Edge Of The World 06. The Machine 07. Train True (Lennie's Song) 08. The Return Of St Cecilia 09. Stand And Fight 10. Florida Man 11. The Alchemist 12. Secret Road 13. There's A Crime 14. Fight For Listening: Spotify Follow us on Facebook  or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

This talented Canadian and some even say the woman who invented female Punk-Pop, singer and creator Avril Lavigne, was born on September 27, 1984. (Photo: David Needleman) Here are some interesting facts about her… 1. She was born in a small town in Canada where the French language dominates so her father gave her the name Avril which is the month of April in French. 2. There is a local pizzeria in her hometown that has added a pizza named after her to the menu. 3. She is multi-instrumental and knows how to skillfully play a large number of musical instruments. (Photo: Avril Lavigne) 4. She owns a very successful fashion brand called "Abbey Dawn", she is not only the owner but also the main designer 5. She was married to singer Chad Kroeger from the band "Nickelback", the band everyone loves to hate. 6. She was also married to singer Deryck Whibley from the band "Sum-41" who also produced several her albums. 7. She has released seven albums to date with the last one released in 2022 and called "Love Sux". Her favorite music video is "Complicated" because it is the first music video she shot. 8. She appeared more than once in the opening show of the Olympic Games, in 2006, 2010 and 2015. 9. The agent Cliff Fabri discovered her and signed her to a contract after seeing and hearing her cover country songs at a bookstore in her hometown. 10. In 2007, two comic books were released called "Make 5 Wishes" starring Levin. 11. In 2015 she was diagnosed with an infectious disease called Lyme Disease which she caught from a tick and almost lost her life 12. She contributed her voice in three films: "Over the Hedge", "Fast Food Nation" and "The Flock" but she still has a dream of becoming a real actress. 13. There are two perfumes bearing her name: "Black Star" and "Forbidden Rose". 14. At the age of 16, she was signed by "LA Reid" to a contract worth 1.25 million dollars, left school, and began her musical career. Listen to her latest album "Love Sux" on: Spotify , Apple Music Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

On September 9, 1992, the MTV Music Awards ceremony took place. Why is this an event important enough to address? Stay with us and find out. Let’s start with the fact that this was the Music Awards ceremony for one of the craziest years in Rock, as it sums up the year from June 16, 1991, to June 15, 1992. Just think how many masterpieces albums have come out in this time frame: Pearl Jam’s " Ten ", Nirvana's " Nevermind ", " Blood Sex Sugar Magik " by "Red Hot Chili Peppers", " The Black Album " by "Metallica", " Achtung Baby " by "U2", " Use Your Illusion I & II " by "Guns N 'Roses", should we continue ??? Let's keep in mind that the big winners of this evening were "Van Halen" who won three awards, including the most prestigious award of "song of the year" with "Right Now", which defeated the video clips for the songs "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Under the Bridge". "The Red Hot Chili Peppers" also stood out with 6 different nominations of which they won three awards. But that's not what we came to tell you about this very sensational evening. The stars of this evening were Kurt Cobain and "Nirvana" on the one hand Vs. Axl Rose and "Guns" on the other. In between those two giants, there was Elton John who got into a silly conflict involuntarily and unknowingly and eventually paid the "price ". So as with any good story, it all started with a quarrel that originated with a "Girl." The singer, actress, and the walking provocation, who happens to be the wife of ... Courtney Love , walked behind the scenes of the music awards ceremony when she met Axl Rose and offers him to be the godfather of her newborn (just a few weeks old) - Frances Bean Cobain. The mad Axl Rose threatened Cobain that if he did not immediately silence his wife then... and within seconds a loud exchange of insults began between him and Cobain and between Courtney Love and Axl Rose 's girlfriend at the time - Stephanie Seymour. The bassists from both sides of the barricade, Duff McKagan and Krist Novoselic , immediately joined the "celebration" and even exchanged blows between them, up until "Nirvana" had to take the stage. "Nirvana" and "Guns" were the bands that were scheduled to perform on stage this evening. Kurt Cobain really wanted to play the song "Rape Me" but the MTV management was very unhappy with his choice. Even bassist Krist Novoselic did not understand why Kurt insisted on this song and thought the band should play a song from " Nevermind ". Eventually, the band played "Lithium" but Kurt who did not remain obligated started the song with a few chords from "Rape Me" while also singing the pair of "Forbidden" words, which of course infuriated the network. See here the amazing performance at the end of which "Nirvana" just took the stage by storm, quite literally: The quarrel continued even after "Nirvana"'s performance when drummer Dave Grohl also continued to tease Axl. At one point Kurt Cobain passed by the grand piano where he thought Axl was going to play the song "November Rain" and spat on it from the best fluids in his mouth and nose. The one who paid the price was Elton John , as Kurt Cobain did not know that the piano on which he spat was the piano that Elton John was supposed to play on during the duet with "Guns", while Axl Rose played on another piano. See here: Either way, it was one of MTV's best ceremonies, to sum up, one of the best years in music, with more shows by Bryan Adams, "Def Leppard", "Red Hot Chili Peppers", "Pearl Jam", Eric Clapton , "U2" that appeared via satellite broadcast and more .. Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

"Stone Sour's" "Audio Secrecy' album was released on September 7, 2010 !!! Let's divide the review of this album into two... the Listener side and the Creative side... The Listener side... The band's third album continues the line of its first two albums but with a more refined approach, both in lyrics and music (this is the band's only album without the Parental Advisory sticker). It could be called another stage in the band's development or musical maturity, but it feels a lot less rough and aggressive than the previous ones and the level of production involved is high. There are fewer "gimmicks" and musical exercises, and the structure of the songs is more moderate (and a bit monotonous) but do not think for a moment that the talents of Jim Root , Josh Rand, Corey Taylor , and Roy Mayorga are not felt or expressed here. Melodic, pleasant, and poppy songs like "Dying", "Hesitate", "Miracles", "Pieces" and "Imperfect" alongside some aggressive flickers befitting "Stone Sour". It’s always fun to see a band that is able to change its sound without completely losing its essence or DNA, which is exactly what "Stone Sour" achieved here. They prove that it is possible to make the sound of a rock band bigger without necessarily making it more prominent. The Creator side... Here is an example of the record company and management intervening to create something different from what the band wants, and how the impact of business interests is reflected in the work itself. The band worked for two months on some estate in Nashville to write the album and they were ready to go into the studio to start recording. But hold on to your horses... The record company did not allow the band to enter the recording studio !! Atlantic, which was the band's management company at the time, did not allow the band to go in to record because they felt the songs were not good enough. They kept demanding the band work over and over again until they brought the songs they were looking for. Atlantic required the band to work with producer Rob Cavallo to create a more poppy and approachable album for the mainstream, but nonetheless, the band managed to bring in the producer they are used to working with from previous albums Nick Raskulinecz. Despite opposition from band members, the management company refused to accept the songs they wrote and forced them to include songs that Corey wrote for his solo album such as "Pieces", "Imperfect" and more, despite opposition from the other band members. They just "took all the wind out of the sails" and the energy out of the songs. There were a lot of things on this album that the record company forced the band to do and since Corey and his friends were so eager to release this album they succumbed to a great deal of pressure and dictation. The mix for the album was also done on the road between "Stone Sour" and "Slipknot" and the members had a very minor impact on it. No wonder Corey described the album as: "One hiccup in my career" There is a 45-minute film in the Special Edition version called "MAKING OF AUDIO SECRECY" documenting the recordings of the album, we recommend watching the segment of the recording of the song Miracles (funny...) For some reason since Corey's announcement of the band's permanent hiatus, its Instagram has not stopped working... Interesting ... Still, we really like this album and it is worth listening to on: Spotify , Apple Music Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

You may know him as the new singer of "Alice In Chains", but his career did not start and end with the aforementioned band, but much more... (Photo: kerrang.com) = His full name is William Bradley DuVall and he was born on September 6, 1967, in Washington, USA = He is descended from Dutch and North African lineage. = The first influence he had on music came from the direction of Jimi Hendrix when he was a little boy listening to the album "Band of Gypsys" together with his cousin. = He started his musical career in Atlanta, after moving there with his mother and stepfather. He was attracted to the Harcore Punk scene that existed there when in 1980 he founded his first band "Awareness Void of Chaos". = In 1983 he founded the band "Neon Christ" taking the role of guitar and writer. The band was controversial due to its outspoken political lyrics and rough music style. They released two EPs in 1984 and 1990, although the band broke up as early as 1986. By the way, they returned to perform several times in 2006. (Photo: southernlordeurope.com) = In 1987 DuVall formed the band "Final Offering" with two other members, but it did not survive long after one of them returned to his previous band and the other died of a drug overdose. = In 1988, DuVall together with Hank Schroy on the bass and Matthew Cowley on the drums founded the band "No Walls", which for him was his first significant band, since it fulfilled exactly what he wanted. A crazy mix of styles from the world of rock, jazz, and pop that blend together into melodic, but very complex songs. DuVall said that they tried to combine "Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, "Sonic Youth", Ornette Coleman, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, "The Beatles", all together!! The band released one self-titled album in 1992 and despite rave reviews, it failed commercially and the band broke up. = This was the first time that DuVall also took on the singing role! (Photo: Wikipedia) = At the same time as he was engaged in music at that time, DuVall graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy studies with a specialization in religion. = In 1994 DuVall and Milton Davis (one of the greatest producers in the Soul, R&B, and Pop genre) wrote the song "I Know" for the musician Dionne Farris (remember "Arrested Development"?) which was the first single from her debut album and gain tremendous success (stayed 38 weeks on the Billboard charts). In 1996, DuVall won the ASCAP Pop Music Award for the song. = In 1996, DuVall founded the band "Madfly" together with Nico Constantine on guitar, Jeffrey Blount on bass, and Beva Davies on drums. They released two albums "Get the Silver" (1996)" and "White Hot in the Black" (1998)". With this band DuVall tried to get out of the musical complexity, he felt that in his previous bands, the music was complex and even ahead of its time, and this time he wanted to change it 180 degrees. He wanted to make "an over-the-top glam-pop" music !! This was the first time that DuVall took the position of vocalist without the guitar. (Photo: Wikipedia) = Three years later the bassist left the band due to medical problems. The three members added bassist Adam Stanger and changed their name to "Comes With The Fall". They released their self-titled debut album in 2000, through DuVall's label "DVL Records", but after feeling unable to break through the confines of Atlanta, they moved to Los Angeles. (Photo: Comes With The Fall) = After several months of raging the stages in Los Angeles, they were approached by a talented musician named Jerry Cantrell. Jerry was very impressed by the band and even went to perform with them several times. He offered them to be an opening act on his tour. During 2001 they toured with him as an opening act occasionally filling in for his bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Mike Bordin when they were unavailable. = In the same year they released their second album "The Year One". After the release of the album the band again goes on tour with Jerry, this time to promote his second album "Degradation Trip" and to promote their second album, but this time they are not only an opening act but also his backing band. = In April 2002, during the tour, Layne Staley from the band "Alice in Chains" passed away. That same week DuVall lost his grandmother to whom he was attached. He said that during the tour he and Jerry were very fragile and several times during the tour they cried together on stage when they performed the songs of "Alice". = In 2004 the drummer left the band in favor of the band "Danzig", but managed to record with them in 2005 their third album "Beyond the Last Light", which was released only in 2007. = In March 2006, the band "Alice in Chains" held a tribute performance to Layne and the fans and invited DuVall to sing the song "Rooster" with them. After the show, he had a short audition where he sang "Love, Hate, Love" with the other band members. Sean Kinney looked at the other members and declared that the search was over. The band members really liked DuVall's voice and the way he sings the songs of "Alice" when he doesn't try to imitate Layne but takes them to his own place. That year, DuVall was officially announced as a member of "Alice In Chains". (Photo: Johnny Buzzerio) = These reunion shows gave the band an appetite to write and record new music, but at first, they thought it wouldn't be appropriate to do so under the original name of "Alice", but over time as they performed together and spent time together it felt more right to them. In October 2008, the band entered the studio "Studio 606" of the "Foo Fighters" in California to record the album. The band did not have a record company to accompany them at that time, so Jerry and Sean financed the recordings from their own pockets. = During the recordings, Layne Staley's mother visited the studio and gave the band her blessing. So it was already clear to all the members that this project was going to bear the name of "Alice in Chains" and not any other name. Mystically, the recording of the album ended on March 18, 2009, Jerry's birthday which is also the birthday of DuVall's son. In this album Jerry took the lead in vocals with DuVall as co-pilot, he wrote and sang alone the song "Last of My Kind" on the album. = In September 2009, the renewed band released their fourth album "Black Gives Way to Blue" . = In 2012 DuVall joined the supergroup "Giraffe Tongue Orchestra" which included Brent Hinds the guitarist of "Mastodon", Ben Weinman the guitarist of "the Dillinger Escape Plan", Thomas Pridgen the drummer of "the Mars Volta" and Pete Griffin the bassist of "Dethklok". They released one album called "Broken Lines" in 2016. = In May 2013, "Alice" released her fifth album "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" , where also here Jerry continues his role as the lead singer of the album, but DuVall takes a more significant part in the writing of the songs "Hung on a Hook" and "Phantom Limb" where he is the lead singer. This album was also nominated for Grammy Awards and included the singles: "Hollow", "Stone" and "Voices". = In February 2018 the guitar brand "Framus Guitars" released a special edition guitar designed by DuVall himself, the guitar was named "William DuVall Talisman Signature". = In August 2018, the band released their sixth album "Rainier Fog" which they recorded in "Studio X", where the band's third and last album with Layne was recorded. In this album, DuVall already takes a more significant part in both the writing of the lyrics and the music. = In October 2019 DuVall released his first solo album called "One Alone" under his own label. Listen to DuVall's solo album on: Spotify , Apple Music Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

He's mostly known as part of the "Rage Quartet" but he is much more than that. Here are some facts about the mighty drummer Brad Wilk: (Photo: Chris Tuite) 1. He was born in Portland, Oregon USA on September 5, 1968. His full name is Bradley Joseph Wilk 2. He started playing drums when he was 11 and was influenced by drummers like: John Bonham , Keith Moon , and Elvin Jones 3. In 1989, a guy named Tom Morello formed the band "Lock Up" with guitarist Mike Livingston, bassist Kevin Wood, singer Brian Grillo, and drummer Vince Ostertag. Brad came to auditions for that band but despite Morello's good impression, he was not accepted. The band released one album that failed commercially and broke up. 4. In 1990, Brad along with Paul Plagnes, Kyle Baer, and Josh Gordon formed the Hard Rock band "Greta". Brad left the band after a year because... 5. In 1991 Morello decided to form a new band, he added Zack de la Rocha from whom he was impressed after seeing him perform, and added Brad whom he knew from the auditions in which he participated in his previous band. They were looking for a bassist and Zack suggested his childhood friend Tim Commerford. The quartet gave itself the name "Rage Against The Machine". (Photo: Rage Against The Machine) 6. The band we call "Rage Quartet", recorded 12 songs on a tape that bore the band's name, and tried to get themselves a contract with a big record company. By the way, not all the songs from the tape will be released on the band's debut album. 7. After the tape "toured" in several offices and the band performed many times at various clubs in Los Angeles for a year, the quartet signed a record deal with "Epic Records" which was the only label that agreed to all of the band's terms. 8. In 1992, "Rage" released their debut album bearing the band's name . The album was widely played on radio stations when the first single from it "Killing in the Name" broke the charts. The album itself reached number one on the Billboard charts and number 45 on the Billboard 200. Just as in the photo on the cover of the album, "Rage" shocked the world of music. 9. Despite many rumors about the breakup of the "Rage Quartet", they released their second album " Evil Empire " in 1996. The album was a huge success and won first place on the Billboard 200, the band appeared with the song "Bulls on Parade" - the album's second single, on the SNL show and caused a great provocation in what was called the " SNL Flags Incident ". 10. In 1999, the Quartet released their third album, "The Battle of Los Angeles" . Here too the album won first place in the Billboard 200, but in addition, it also gave the band a Grammy nomination for the Best Rock Album category. The album also entered Rolling Stone's all-time top 500 albums. This is the band's last studio album. 11. In 2000, the band filmed the famous music video for the song "Sleep Now in the Fire" filmed on the sidewalk at the entrance to the New York Stock Exchange. The clip is directed by the famous director Michael Moore who gave them the only instruction, "No matter what happens don't stop playing". The quartet and Moore were arrested during the filming of the clip after they also tried to break into the stock exchange, they managed to stop the stock exchange from operating for several hours, a rare event! 12. Although the band officially disbanded in October 2000 after Zack decided to leave them, they released their cover album "Renegades" , two months later. On the album, they pay tribute to Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Minor Threat, Eric B. & Rakim, EPMD, MC5, The Rolling Stones, Cypress Hill, and Devo. 13. After the breakup of "Rage", the remaining trio decided to try to form a new band and look for a replacement for singer Zack. Tim called him a "crossroads angel", Rick Rubin, recognized that the trio had huge potential (not really hard to spot), supported them, and pushed them to go for group therapy. Robin is also the one who invited Chris Cornell to his studio with the trio because he was sure it would be a heavenly pairing, and indeed it was !! (Photo: Interscope) 14. In 2002, the new quartet, now supergroup, which bears the name "Audioslave" released their debut album . The combination of Chris and the three "Rage" members was just huge, a deadly combination of talented musicians with a singer with a tremendous, exciting, and rough voice. The singles "Cochise", "Show Me How to Live", "What You Are", "Like a Stone" and "I Am the Highway" were released from the album. 15. In 2005 "Audioslave" released its second album " Out of Exile ". This is the band's only album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 and also earned the band its second Grammy nomination. The singles "Be Yourself", "Your Time Has Come", "Doesn't Remind Me" and "Out of Exile" were released from this album. 16. On May 6, 2005, the band held its historic performance in Cuba. The Supergroup became the first American rock band in history to receive approval to perform live in Cuba. The event was filmed and released on DVD in October 2005 and later on an album. (Photo: illinoisentertainer.com) 17. In 2006, the supergroup's third and final album called “ Revelations ”. The album reached # 2 on the Billboard 200. After that, the supergroup officially disbanded as a result of artistic disagreements. 18. In 2007 the "Rage" Quartet (which included Zack) returned for a "one-off" performance at the Coachella Music Festival. Luckily in the end the show was not a one-off and the band continued their performances at major festivals over the years until 2020 !! 19. In 2013 Brad recorded the drums parts on the album "13" by the band "Black Sabbath", he also participated in the band's EP called "The End" . 20. During 2014-2015 Brad was the drummer on "The Smashing Pumpkins" tour. 21. In 2016 the "Rage" trio joined another "Rage" trio, rapper B-Real from Cypress Hill, rapper Chuck D from Public Enemy, and DJ Lord, and they became the "Prophets of Rage". 22. That same year the "Prophets" released the EP "The Party's Over" and in 2017 they released their debut and only album bearing the band's name. (Photo: Eitan Miskevich) 23. Brad also held the reputation of a recording session drummer and has collaborated over the years with many varied artists among them: actress and musician Juliette Lewis. 24. He participated in Dave Grohl 's "Sound City" project. 25. He worked with Josh Homme on the soundtrack of the movie "Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys". 26. He was even the drummer of The "8G Band" accompanying the TV show "Late Night with Seth Meyers". 27. Believe it or not Brad is of German and Russian Jewish descent. Some of his family members were Holocaust survivors. 28. During Rage's visit to Israel in 2000, Brad took the microphone and sang the Hanukkah candle blessing. Do not believe? watch this at minute 3:55. Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

On August 5, 1989, "Soundgarden" released their second album, "Louder Than Love". Let us tell you some interesting facts about this album: 1. The album was recorded at the London Bridge Studios in Seattle in less than two months, between December 1988 and January 1989. 2. This is the band's last album with its original bassist Hiro Yamamoto. During the recordings, he began to distance himself from the band members, contributed less to writing, and also noted that he no longer enjoyed performing. Chris Cornell noted that Hiro just got tired of being a musician. 3. The album was originally supposed to be named "Louder Than Fuck" but the record company objected. 4. This is the band's first album to enter the Billboard 200. 5. 7 out of the 12 songs on the album were written exclusively by Chris Cornell . 6. Three singles "Loud Love", "Get on the Snake" and "Hands All Over" were released from the album. 7. The song "Loud Love" appears in the movie "Wayne's World". It's played in the background when Wayne meets Cassandra, but he does not appear on the soundtrack album. 8. The song also appears in the soundtrack of the movie "Lost Angels" from 1989. 9. The album earned the dubious Parental Advisory sticker and even caused marketing problems at a number of record stores that refused to sell it, mainly due to the lyrics of two songs: "Hands All Over" which included the line "kill your mother" and "Big Dumb Sex", which included The word "Fuck" throughout. 10. The music video of the song "Get on the Snake" was released only in 2010. 10. The single "Hands All Over" began a tradition to include cover versions on the B-Side. The B-Side in this case was "the Beatles" "Come Together." 11. The song was written as a protest song about the destruction of the earth by humans. 12. The song "Big Dumb Sex" was a kind of parody of the glam metal bands that used to include thick hints about sex in the lyrics. 13. "Guns N 'Roses" performed a cover version of the song "Buick Makane ("Big Dumb Sex") included on the album "The Spaghetti Incident?" 14. Guitarist Kirk Hammett noted that he wrote the riff for the song "Enter Sandman" after listening to this album. 15. The cover of the single "Deep Set" by the singer Greg Puciato is a homage to the album cover. 16. Beyond the twelve songs on the album, the band recorded two more songs that were left out. "Fresh Deadly Roses" which was included as a cover for the single "Loud Love" and "Heretic" was included as a second cover for the song "Hands All Over" (the first was the cover version of "Come Together" as mentioned). Both songs were later included in the 1990 EP "Loudest Love". 17. The song was first recorded in 1986 and was intended for the Deep Six collection, but was re-recorded during the sessions of the album. The song was also included in the soundtrack of the movie "Pump Up the Volume" starring Christian Slater, which was released in 1990. 18. Another track recorded during the sessions was "Twin Tower" , but it was only released as part of the triple compilation album "Echo of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across the Path" which was released in 2014. 19. The singer and roommate of Chris, Andrew Wood was found dead from a heroin dose after Soundgarden returned from the tour that promoted this album. This tragic event severely affected Cornell and was the trigger for the project and the album "Temple of the Dog" . 20. In a large part of the album's songs the instruments are tuned in the drop D tuning, which is lower than the standard tuning, which gives the album its dark and heavy sound. 21. The special tuning of the instruments and the heavy riffs on the album led to the obvious comparison to the band "Black Sabbath". Despite this, guitarist Kim Thayil noted that the band wanted to avoid being cataloged as a heavy metal band and therefore noted that they were influenced by bands like "Killing Joke" and "Bauhaus". (Photo: vinylchapters.com) 22. Some of the album's songs are played in unusual asymmetrical rhythms, such as "Get On The Snake" with a 9/4 rhythm and "I Awake" with rhythms of 9/8, 11/8, and 14/8. 23. The song "Full on Kevin's Mom" was written by Cornell about a friend of his who slept with another friend's mother. 24. The lyrics of the song "I Awake" were part of a letter written by Kate McDonald - the girlfriend of bassist Yamamoto. 25. In 2011 the album was included in Q Magazine's list of the 50 heaviest albums in metal. 26. In 2017, the album was ranked 69th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 best metal albums of all time. Listen to the album on: Spotify , Apple Music Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

We told you the story about the amazing supergroup Mad Season who released only one studio album, a unique and special album called "Above" . This very special band has released one more album, not a studio album but a live performance album !! The album "Live at The Moore" was released on August 29, 1995 and is a recorded performance of the band at the Moore Theater in Seattle on April 29, 1995. The album was released as a live performance on VHS tape only, only in 2013 the album was released on CD, with Re-release of the show on DVD and re-release of the album "Above" also on vinyl. This amazing band performed all ten songs on the album plus a cover of John Lennon's song "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier". This was also the band's last appearance !! What sets this album apart from the studio album is the fact that the band was devoid of external and even internal influences. Since they were disconnected from their mother bands they were not under any pressure or restrictions. They were not concerned of the record companies, the audience or even themselves, they created, recorded and performed only for fun, for music only !! That's why this show is so honest, real, simple and special and unique !! This is a unique and ultimate gift from the band, an almost perfect tribute by Mad Season, a band that has achieved in five years greater achievements and influences than many other bands that have existed for thirty years. It is also important to mention that on January 30, 2015 there was a tribute show in honor of Mad Season and Temple Of The Dog called "Sonic Evolution". The performance took place in Seattle at Benaroya Hall where members of the band Peral Jam (minus Vedder) shared with Chris Cornell and many other great musicians backed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Follow us on Facebook   or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

He is the well-known Israeli with the famous tongue, the bass player, and one of the founders of the legendary rock band "KISS" !! So let's have 12 facts you may not have known about him... (Photo: Jim Dyson) 1. He was born on August 25, 1949, in Haifa (yes, in Israel) under the name "Haim Weitz" but at the age of eight he moved with his mother to live in Queens and changed his name to "Eugene Klein", his stage name is Gene Simmons and his nickname in the band is The Demon. 2. Together with the band they released no less than 20 studio albums !! 3. He once owned a football team called "LA KISS" along with his bandmate Paul Stanley . 4. He never consumed alcohol or drugs because he promised his mother that he would not do so. His mother is a Hungarian Holocaust survivor and Simmons is very attached to her. 5. He is a very big philanthropist and even received quite a number of awards for it, especially for his contributions to children. (Photo: AP) 6. Prior to his musical career Simmons was a sixth-grade teacher at the Spanish Harlem School in New York. 7. He speaks five languages: Hebrew, English, German, Hungarian and Japanese. 8. Believe it or not but his trademark, his famous tongue was measured and it stretches to a length of 17.8 cm !! He even has a lifestyle magazine bearing the name of the tongue "Gene Simmons' Tongue". 9. Simmons has a special talent he received not voluntarily. He can spit a flame of fire to a distance of almost 5 meters. When the band director came up with the idea of ​​pyrotechnics for performances, no one wanted to be the one spitting the fire so Simmons was chosen for the role and was trained by the magician "Amaze-O". The first time he performed the stunt, the flame was so strong (with a combination of an excessive amount of hair spray) that he burned a significant portion of his head hair. (Photo: Morrisonhotelgallery.com) 10. He released two solo albums, the first "Gene Simmons" in 1978 and the second "Asshole" in 2004. 11. On his first solo album he hired the services of actress Katay Sagal, to perform background vocals on the album, you probably know her as "Gemma" from the "Children of Anarchy" TV Series. 12. He discovered one of the great bands of rock !! "Van Halen" !! He signed them to his label and started recording demos with them but in light of his crazy schedule with "KISS" they decided to break up and went to sign with Warner Music. Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

Friday release # 8. So, the sequence of yesterday's events made us forget to tell you about the special deluxe edition released of "Permanent Waves" by "Rush". on the occasion of it's 40th anniversary. This is one of the band's founding albums, the bridge between the Prog era and the electronic-synthesized one. It was just before the International break of "Moving Pictures". The release includes an updated version with a remarkably improved sound from the original album, as well as 12 bonus excerpts from the band's performances during the tour that accompanied the album's release in 1980. The live recordings are mostly from shows in the UK and one in Missouri, USA. While the album has undergone a fine remaster that allows you to hear the multiplicity of layers and tracks of the variety of instruments and vocals, the added value of this special edition are live tracks that shows the band members' tremendous talent. While the popular bands of the period relied heavily on puffy hair, ornate attire and pyrotechnic performances, "Rush" focused on the music itself and the performances in the special version prove how much musical talent each member of the band had. One of the big surprises of the live album is the performance from Manchester, England of "The Trees" from the 1978 album " Hemispheres ", which preceded "Permanent Waves". This performance features a different and special classical guitar intro by Alex Lifeson and is an absolutely amazing show of meteoric playing ability !!! From Geddy Lee 's singing, Alex Lifeson 's sharp and sleek guitar playing and Neil Peart 's masterful and energetic drumming - without a doubt one of the greatest drummers to ever hold a drum stick. This track presents "Rush" in all its glory with amazing chemistry and remarkably accurate and rare synchronization during a live performance. For Listening : Spotify , Apple Music Follow us on Facebook   or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW !!! This is how you open a review ??? Yes, this is how this review is opened, which cannot be in any other way!!!! Absolute madness, a powerful experience, unprecedented excitement, and above all love, love for music!! Before we tell you how it was, what we think about the production and what we experienced at the performances, we must point out that since the festival there is one strong feeling that does not let us go. It is very difficult for us to define it in one word, but if we try anyway, then we feel that this festival was characterized by "commitment". The commitment of the bands, the production, and even the audience to make this a successful festival. A strong desire and great hope of all involved that this special and amazing thing will succeed. That everyone will be satisfied. That the bands will express themselves and enjoy themselves on stage, that the production will manage to cover the costs of the event and even make a nice profit and of course, we, the audience, who voted with our feet and came in clans, will enjoy all this goodness called metal music. S we can feel that we have a future, that this is not a one-time event that barely survived, and that we, as an audience of a genre that does not receive budgets and resources and is on the fringes of the music industry, manage to make a festival of this magnitude succeed, because if it succeeds then we can do more wonderful and even bigger things here in the future. From our side, as an audience, this festival was a huge success!!! We say this with a whole heart and without a "BUT"!! This festival was a huge success!! The production was masterful... Huge thank you to Vladislav Mazourenko and the " Hotbox " crew for the amazing initiative and production!!! Already at the entrance, you felt that you were entering a festival and not another performance at the Gagarin club where there were different and varied booths and you could purchase a new tattoo along with a shirt and stickers of the participating bands. The children's complex was an amazing idea and proves how much the production pays attention to details and tries to give space to the diverse audience. With the exception of a single case, the bands took the stage according to the pre-published schedule and managed to keep up. The drummer of "Saffek" got stuck at the border crossing in Taba, which forced the transfer of the band's performance to the end of the lineup after the performance of "Walkways", in order to allow his arrival. We must mention the amazing work of the bands and especially of the stage crew both in the sound and in the transitions between the various performances. As soon as one band finished the performance, the disassembly of the stage workers immediately began with the band members themselves assisting the stage crew in disassembling their equipment, in order to meet the schedules. The sound was excellent throughout most of the show, with minor technical glitches here and there that did not impact the overall experience. Nevertheless, it is no less than 11 different bands, with different musical instruments, different amplifiers, and different equipment that came up one after the other. The bands were amazing... What amazing music we have in Israel!! Before the festival, we sat down and listened, once again, to all the materials of the bands in the line-up (we know most of them). You are invited to listen to the playlist created for the event on Spotify . We have to be honest, it was very difficult for us to decide at which stage of the festival to place the foray for food, for fear of losing even a few minutes of the performance of one or other band. During the almost 10 hours of the festival, there was not even one weak moment. 11 great bands came to make this festival a pure pleasure. The amount of talent that was on one stage, in a relatively short period of time, was unimaginable. It is evident that each of the bands, without exception, gave their all and simply burned the stage, even in cases where the performance was shortened due to constraints such as in the case of "Saffek" and "Her Last Sight". The crowd was unbelievable ... Since the festival started at 15:20 and was supposed to end at midnight, there was, of course, an expectation that in the first hours the number of people would be sparse, after all, it was Saturday noon. Add to that the fact that nothing in Israel starts on time, so the quite reasonable expectation was that the first shows would have very small attendance. But the reality defeated the expectation and the number of people that filled the club already with the rise of the first band "Violate Inner Amends" was amazing. The Gagarin club was almost full and everyone who came to the festival made sure to pay respect to the bands that played, right until the end. It was very moving!! True, the audience is the customer, he paid for a ticket and he expects to receive a SHOW. But it seems that this time the audience didn't just come to enjoy and get value for the money they paid. It was evident that this time the audience also came to support! To support the bands and musicians he likes, to support the festival organizers and the various service providers, and in general to support the metal scene. We must point out that for us this event was exciting on a very powerful level!! We had the pleasure of seeing such a large amount of people addicted to this "bacterium" that we love so much, meeting friends, followers of our page and website, and musicians of bands that we love so much and sharing with them the pleasure and the impression of the unique event. It will sound funny or material but we really hope that the production managed to bring in enough money to cover the costs and make a profit, just to have the appetite and ability to create more such successful events in the future. Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

Friday Release for # 137 A new song was released under the "Pink Floyd" brand, featuring a collaboration between David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Ukrainian musician Andriy Khlyvnyuk from the band "Boombox". The two former "Pink Floyd" members were joined by bassist Guy Pratt, married to the daughter of keyboardist Richard Wright, who died in 2008, and British keyboardist and producer Nitin Sawhney. This is the band's first material in 8 years, since the release of "The Endless River", an album that mostly included tracks recorded in 1994 during the sessions for the album "The Division Bell", but also new recordings from 2013-2014. The track is based on a Ukrainian folk song, sung by Ukrainian musician Andriy Khlyvnyuk, after leaving his tour of the United States to return home and fight for Ukraine. He recorded a video in which he sang the Ukrainian song and thus inspired the members of "Pink Floyd". The track was recorded last Wednesday (March 30), and uses the singing of Andriy Khlyvnyuk taken from his Instagram post, singing in Sofiskaya Square in Kyiv. The song itself, titled "The Red Viburnum In The Meadow" (translated English), is a Ukrainian protest song written during World War I, which recently became popular again following protests against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The title of the track is taken from the last line of the song which is translated as "Hey Hey Rise up and rejoice". It is interesting to note, that Gilmour has a Ukrainian daughter-in-law and grandchildren and he noted that the new song was written in support of the Ukrainian people, following the outrage and frustration of the vile act in which an independent and peaceful democratic state fell victim to one of the world’s major powers. F: o know Andriy Khlyvnyuk and his band "Boombox" in 2015, during a performance in London, which featured members of "Boombox". He noted that he saw Andriy's video on Instagram, in which he stands in Kyiv Square with the beautiful church and golden dome and sings the song. He said it was a powerful moment inspiring the song being written. For Listening: Spotify Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast