In the Journal of Community Psychology, Australian psychologists say that metal has a positive influence on young people aged 18-24. Researchers say metal helps protect fans from stress and bullies:

"Metal identities are popularly represented as leading to mental health issues but with flawed evidence. We documented the community contexts around metal and well-being by talking to young metalheads directly. We engaged in repeated, informal talks with 28 young Australians who strongly identified with metal (aged 18–24 years, 5 females and 23 males), and found that the metal identities and community protected them from mental health problems. Four core themes were found from transcripts: they were all bullied or marginalized through social relationships at school; they enjoyed the impact of metal music and lyrics when angry or ostracized; they felt part of a protective community of metalheads, even though in many cases at this age it was more imagined than real; and embodying metal identities enabled them to keep bullies, detractors, and others at bay, and to find friend groups. By talking repeatedly, directly with young metalheads, it was found that metal identities were helping participants to survive the stress of challenging environments and build strong and sustained identities and communities, thus alleviating any potential mental health issues."

Read the whole study HERE.

Producer Chris Tsangarides, known for his work with such metal veterans as Judas Priest, Anvil, Thin Lizzy and Helloween, has sadly passed away at the age of 61. He died on January 6th after a bout with pneumonia, which led to heart failure.

Tsangarides worked with some of rock and metal's biggest names, producing Judas Priest's classic album, "Painkiller," as well as Anvil's, "Metal On Metal" and "Forged In Fire," with whom he would work with again for their "This Is Thirteen" album, resulting in him being featured in the award winning documentary, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" and also did work for Black Sabbath ("The Eternal Idol,") Bruce Dickinson ("Tattooed Millionaire,") Thin Lizzy ("Renegade" and "Thunder & Lightning") and Tygers Of Pan Tang ("Wild Cat," "Spellbound" and "Ambush.") He also worked with a number of non metal groups such as Depeche Mode, Tom Jones, Concrete Blonde and The Sisters Of Mercy.

British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden and independent family brewers Robinsons announce the creation of Light Brigade, a unique golden English ale with a 4.1% ABV. It has been developed in support of Help For Heroes, the British charity that provides recovery and support for the Armed Forces community whose lives are affected by their service.

6p of each pint and 5p of each bottle sold will be donated to help the thousands of Servicemen and women who live with complex wounds and injuries – both physical and mental – and are looking to regain their purpose in life.

Help For Heroes met with Robinsons in the summer of 2017 to explore the possibility of launching a beer. Robinsons and Iron Maiden, who jointly launched Trooper Beer almost five years ago and which has now sold over 20 million pints worldwide, were immediately enthusiastic about the idea. Indeed, the origin of Trooper’s name, which comes from the classic Iron Maiden song, 'The Trooper', based on the Battle of Balaclava of 1854 in the Crimean War, reflects the band's well-known interest in history.

As ever with the Trooper range of beers, Robinsons’ Head Brewer, Martyn Weeks, and Iron Maiden lead vocalist and ale aficionado, Bruce Dickinson, teamed up to create the new and original beer, with the final tasting and approval taking place at Help For Heroes’ Tedworth House Recovery Centre in Wiltshire, last Autumn.

Bruce Dickinson said: "We are very proud to have been asked to get involved. I have been an instructor on several of British Airways’ flight simulator ‘Flying Heroes’ days for Help For Heroes Veterans, so I know the charity and the work that they do well. Light Brigade is our interpretation of a golden ale that maintains the elements of strength and character that are the essence of Trooper but at a more sessionable level. In fact, the two beers complement each other very well."

Beth Miles, Director of Marketing and Fundraising at Help For Heroes: "We are thrilled that Bruce Dickinson has developed a new beer for us under the Trooper brand with Robinsons. We are sure that Light Brigade will have a very popular appeal and raise significant funds, enabling Help For Heroes to empower more Veterans to reach their potential and regain their purpose. This is the beginning of a partnership which we hope will see Trooper fans and Robinsons customers join The Force for Good campaign to support the thousands whose lives have been affected by their service."

Martyn Weeks commented: "Bruce and I were recently invited to visit Help For Heroes in Wiltshire, where we had a tour of the incredible recovery facilities there and met some of the Veterans. We were both hugely impressed with the work they are doing and launching a new beer in support of this Charity is, we believe, a great way to raise money and awareness for this very worthy cause. Robinsons will also be supporting the Charity through fundraising in our pub estate."

Light Brigade is designed as a session ale for beer and music fans everywhere. It will also be produced on a long-term basis, differentiating it from the other limited edition Trooper beers: 666, Red ‘N Black, and Hallowed. In keeping with the Trooper brand, Light Brigade's original bottle label features Iron Maiden’s iconic mascot Eddie on horseback in one of the uniforms of the Light Brigade.

Light Brigade is available to pre-order online now at www.robinsonsbrewery.com for delivery from 1st February, and will be stocked in supermarkets nationwide and selected pubs from 19th February onwards.

Taake‘s forthcoming spring North American tour has been met with at least one cancellation in the wake of allegations of Nazism being leveled at the group. The March 24th opening date at Le Poisson Rouge in New York, NY has been cancelled due to pressure from activist groups, such as this Antifa group.

The allegations originate from the Taake‘s mainman Hoest performing with a swastika painted on his chest back in 2007. He has since apologized for the incident and claimed it was meant to incite a reaction and was done as a joke. That said, lyrical content interpreted as being anti-Islamic by many hasn’t sat well with others either. Regardless, other venues seem to also be under pressure and are considering cancelling the band’s planned shows.


* James Hetfield plays cop in new Ted Bundy flick:
Director Joe Berlinger shares the below picture from the set of his forthcoming film, "Extremely Wicked, Shocking Evil, And Vile". The movie tells the story of serial killer Ted Bundy with Zac Efron as Ted Bundy and Lily Collins as his girlfriend Elizabeth Kleopfer. Hetfield himself stars as Officer Bob Hayward, who first arrested Bundy back in 1975.


* Judas Priest's Glenn Tipton diagnosed with Parkinson's.