TGIF people! Well, I don’t think this is coming as any surprise since the rumors have been swirling since last spring! Blabbermouth & Pulse Of Radio both report today Asking Alexandria vocalist Danny Worsnop has parted ways with the band. Worsnop issued a statement in which he said, “Over the last eight years together, we’ve done some amazing things and created something truly special. I now, same as then, want what’s best for the band and at this point in time, that isn’t me. Asking Alexandria will continue to tour throughout the year and will be working on a new album.” Worsnop added, “I will always support and love Asking Alexandria and cannot wait to see what the future holds for them.” Asking Alexandria guitarist Ben Bruce wrote at the band’s Facebook page, “Asking Alexandria will not be slowing down. We are going to tour harder than ever and we are going to write the greatest record of our career . . . This isn’t the end, this is the start of a whole new chapter. This is where we come together and make history.” Worsnop’s departure comes just days after it was announced that his other band, We Are Harlot, will release its self-titled debut album on March 31st. Worsnop admitted last year to Kerrang! magazine that his involvement with We Are Harlot had caused some friction with the members of Asking Alexandria, saying, “Back when it started, there were maybe concerns and stress and bitterness from the guys. But over time they’ve realized that it’s not detrimental to Asking in any way.” “Moving On,” the latest single from Asking Alexandria’s 2013 album From Death To Destiny, is Number Eight on the rock radio chart. Meanwhile, We Are Harlot will release their official debut single, “Dancing On Nails,” soon and the music video has already in out. Listen for Danny Worsnop on hardDrive with Lou Brutus the weekend of Feb 07-08….Blabbermouth reports Michigan-based act Pop Evil will enter Studio Litho and London Bridge Studios with veteran producer Adam Kasper to begin work on an all-new LP, due out this summer. Kasper, who has helmed mega-hit records for bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Foo Fighters, was the obvious choice to produce Pop Evil‘s new CD. “It was very important to us to choose a producer that has the credentials,” says Pop Evil frontman Leigh Kakaty. “We also had a distinct vision on where the band could move forward and take our sound into the future. With the success of our last record we wanted to challenge ourselves and explore new and creative ways of musical expression.” Adds Kasper: “Individually, these guys are all great players and writers. Collectively, they are a force to be reckoned with. “Musically, this record is intricate, heavy and melodic. With their charismatic lead singer and a drummer that sounds like John Bohnam and Dave Grohl‘s love child, I’m more than excited about this one.”…Dunno if you are a Muse fan, but the band has started 2015 with a new video teaser from the studio where the British trio are recording their seventh album. The clip shows singer and guitarist Matt Bellamy sitting in a shadowy room by himself, playing a bluesy passage on a guitar with no one else around him and no other sounds. This clip is different from the one the band posted in December, which showed them working with an orchestra. The band has hinted at a “back to basics” approach to the music for its seventh studio album, with Bellamy saying late last year that the new record was “gonna get heavy.” We asked drummer Dominic Howard if the band members were their own toughest critics when it came to making music: “Generally, yeah, I suppose we are, you know. ‘Cause we know who we are, where we are as a band and as musicians and performers and, you know, and really how that feels. So we’re very aware of what that is and always trying to make that better somehow or improve it somehow.” Muse has been working on the new effort for three-and-a-half months and is reportedly recording with legendary producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange, who was behind the board for landmark records like AC/DC‘s Back In Black and Def Leppard‘s Pyromania. The new CD is expected out by mid-2015 and will follow up 2012’s The 2nd Law, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Album and debuted at Number Two on the Billboard album chart….Uh oh! Will Lou Brutus start collecting these next? Pulse Of Radio reports Jack White, Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder and Rage Against The Machine‘s Tom Morello are among the musicians, actors and celebrities getting their very own baseball cards as part of a new set of cards coming from Topps next month. The cards are part of Topps’ 2015 Series 1 and also includes other famous faces such as Jeff Bridges (???) and rappers 50 Cent and Macklemore. The series, called “First Pitch,” features shots of the participants throwing out first pitches at various Major League games. Jack White threw out the first ball at Detroit’s Comerica Park last July, while Vedder did the honors in the same month for his beloved Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Will Metallica be far behind? Some of the non-entertainment folks included are 105-year-old baseball fan Agnes McKee and a man named Tom Willis, who threw the first pitch despite being born without arms. The new series is due out on Feb 06. Collect ’em all! Speaking of ‘tallica, the boys were on hand at a recent San Jose Sharks’ NHL hockey game vis the LA Kings the other night at the Shark Tank (SAP Center.) Pretty cool when your local teams take your music as their theme song, and in this case, the Sharks use “Seek & Destroy.” (Thanks Blabbermouth)…Scott Weiland knows how to spoil a party doesn’t he? Just one day after the unveiling of “supergroup” Art Of Anarchy, one member is distancing himself from the project. The former Stone Temple Pilot/Velvet Revolver singer said in a new Facebook post he won’t be touring with the group, writing, “I just saw some press about a side project called art of anarchy that I worked on last year — I wrote and put my vocals down for these guys and had fun doing a couple of videos too, we had a lot of fun. When they find their front man to hit the road and play some dates, check them out.“….Hinder has replaced its lead singer for the second time in less than two years. After recruiting Nolan Neal to replace original frontman Austin Winkler following the latter’s departure in late 2013, the band has announced that Neal himself has been shown the door. In a new post on Facebook, the group has revealed that their new vocalist will be Marshal Dutton, who also happens to be the co-producer on several of their records. The band’s statement said, “As our loyal and beloved fans know, we have been searching to find the perfect fit for two years now and recently came to realize that it was right under our nose the entire time. Marshal has been a part of the Hinder family since 2009, when he began co-writing/producing on the All American Nightmare album. He has been a co-producer on every Hinder release since, and truly loves this band as we do. We have been the best of friends for many years and we couldn’t be more excited for the future!” Dutton previously sang for Hinder on some tour dates during Winkler’s hiatus from the band in 2012. After Winkler left for good in November 2013, the band recruited Neal to take his place. A single, “Hit The Ground,” was released last fall with Neal on vocals. Hinder will release its new full-length album, When The Smoke Clears, on March 03. Drummer Cody Hanson said, “This is the album Hinder fans have been waiting for and they won’t be disappointed. We spent a year writing this and we couldn’t be more excited for the world to hear it.”…. I noticed on Blabbermouth Faith No More will be lining up gigs this summer in support of their first album in many moons. One gig will be at this year will be at HVY MTL in Montreal which is happening Aug 07-09….Today: Happy 62nd to Cheap Trick frontman Robin Zander! In the hardDriveRadio studios on Monday, Tyler Bates, producer and new guitarist for Marilyn Manson! Got questions? Holler at me!