Ahead of the July 25 release of IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson's reworked version of his classic 1994 album "Balls To Picasso", now titled "More Balls To Picasso", the official visualizer for latest single "Cyclops" has dropped.

In 1994, having left IRON MAIDEN for a time (he rejoined in 1999),Dickinson released his second solo album, titled "Balls To Picasso". Named in honor of the cubist pioneer whose representations of spherical objects were as squares, and reflected on the cover in graffiti style on a tiled bathroom wall, the album belied its irreverent title by solidifying Dickinson's reputation as a serious solo artist.

His first record with collaborator Roy "Z" Ramirez, and recorded with Z's band TRIBE OF GYPSIES, it went through various iterations before its release, produced by Shay Baby. The original album contained a number of classic tracks and live favorites from Dickinson, including the singles "Tears Of The Dragon" and "Shoot All The Clowns", alongside the much-loved epic "Laughing In The Hiding Bush", which was the original title for the album.

Yet despite its positive reception at the time, it never quite captured Dickinson's original vision which was even more expansive in scope and ambition. However, with the ability to revisit his solo catalog — and following on from Dickinson's hugely acclaimed album "The Mandrake Project" in 2024 — the brand new part re-recorded, remixed and newly mastered version of the album, now titled "More Balls To Picasso", reimagines it as a fresh and contemporary release; a roaringly full-throttle and ambitious collection of supremely crafted and realized songs.

Dickinson says of it: "While mixing all my catalogue into Dolby Atmos I had a nagging desire to revisit and reinvent the record. So putting more balls into 'Balls…' was a labor of love. Of course, we beefed up the guitars — courtesy of our 'Swedish shredder' Philip Näslund — and we added some really beautiful work by Adassi Addasi on 'Tears…' as well. Fellow Brazilian composer Antonio Teoli added some stunning orchestral arrangements, and in a unique contribution, added indigenous instruments from the Amazon (recorded by himself when he lived there!) at the beginning of 'Gods Of War'.

"'Shoot All The Clowns' gets the benefit of a horn section fronted by the Berklee College Of Music, and all of the record gets the benefit of the mix by Brendan Duffey, (who worked on 'The Mandrake Project'),with notes along the way from Shay Baby, the original father of the album."

Additionally, "More Balls To Picasso" includes two previously unreleased live-in-the-studio tracks, "Gods Of War" and "Shoot All The Clowns". It will be available as a splatter vinyl double album and tri-panel digisleeve CD album.

"More Balls To Picasso" track listing:

01. Cyclops
02. Hell No
03. Gods Of War
04. 1000 Points Of Light
05. Laughing In The Hiding Bush
06. Change Of Heart
07. Shoot All The Clowns
08. Fire
09. Sacred Cowboys
10. Tears Of The Dragon
11. Gods Of War (live in the studio)*
12. Shoot All The Clowns (live in the studio)*

* Previously unreleased

This summer, Dickinson will embark on his first extensive North American solo tour in almost 30 years in support of his current studio album "The Mandrake Project", with a setlist encompassing his entire solo career. "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour kicks off in Anaheim, California at the House of Blues on August 22 and takes the band across North America, including shows in New York, Los Angeles, Texas, Florida and Canada, with festival appearances at Rocklahoma (Oklahoma) and Louder Than Life (Kentucky),with more to be announced. The tour also includes a quick return to Brazil for the prestigious The Town festival at the City of Light in São Paulo.

Joining the IRON MAIDEN singer on the "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour will once again be his 2024 backing band, featuring Dave Moreno (drums),Mistheria (keyboards) and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass),alongside the group's latest additions, Swedish guitarist, songwriter and multi-platinum-credited producer Philip Näslund and Swiss session and touring guitarist Chris Declercq (who played on Dickinson's "Rain On The Graves" single). Roy Z is not part of the touring lineup.

Roy played guitar on "Balls To Picasso" and went on to produce, co-write and perform multiple instruments on Bruce's subsequent four solo albums, "Accident At Birth" (1997),"The Chemical Wedding" (1998),"Tyranny Of Souls" (2005) and "The Mandrake Project" (2024).

"The Mandrake Project" arrived on March 1, 2024 via BMG.

Bruce and Roy recorded "The Mandrake Project" largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by Mistheria and Moreno, both of whom also featured on "Tyranny Of Souls" in 2005.

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on "The Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith.

Photo credit: John McMurtrie

For those who like dark and intense music with a distinctive point of view, IN THIS MOMENT have always supplied the goods, and their new single "Heretic (Feat. Kim Dracula)" is as uncompromising as ever. It combines haunting modern soundscapes, ferocious vocals, and a doomsday metal assault, with unflinching lyrics like "I am not your pain or your remedy/I am not your faith or your vanity/I don't want your gold or your filth/That you give and you take."

"Heretic (feat. Kim Dracula)" marks the first new music to be released from the Grammy Award-nominated Los Angeles band's upcoming as-yet-untitled ninth album and debut for Better Noise Music (exact release date to be announced).

"We are so excited to unveil our new song 'Heretic', featuring the incomparable Kim Dracula," the members of IN THIS MOMENT said in a collective statement. "From the first time we heard that incredible voice, we knew we wanted to collaborate. We cannot wait for the world to hear what happens when we join forces on a song like 'Heretic'."

The release of "Heretic (Feat. Kim Dracula)" coincides with IN THIS MOMENT's "Hell Hath No Fury" tour with WARGASM and Kat Von D and THE PRETTY WILD launching today (July 16) in Green Bay, Wisconsin and lasting through August 16 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Along the tour route, IN THIS MOMENT will make appearances at the Inkcarceration festival in Mansfield, Ohio on July 20.

Later this year, the 23-city "Black Mass" tour featuring special guests DAYSEEKER on select dates, THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT and DED commences on September 18 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, making stops across the U.S., including in Dallas and Atlanta as well as a hometown show, before wrapping in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on October 24.

In a recent interview with The Mistress Carrie Podcast, IN THIS MOMENT singer Maria Brink and guitarist Chris Howorth spoke about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the follow-up to the band's 2023 album "Godmode". Maria said: "We're working on the [new] album. It's just about done. We only probably have, like, two songs left. We thought we were done, and then we kind of had to step away and look back, and it just feels like it needs a little bit more. But we're still gonna actually be releasing a new song soon."

Brink continued: "We wanna get new music out. When you tour for a living and you're out there and you're doing things, you wanna play new music, you wanna bring new energy to the crowds and to everybody. So we will be dropping a new song very soon with a guest vocalist that we can't announce yet, but it's somebody I love and have been inspired by recently. So we're excited for everyone to hear something coming very soon. And yeah, the album is pretty much done. We only have about two more songs left. So we're trying to get it all dialed in. And we don't wanna rush it. We wanna make it the best it can be. And we'll just release songs until the album's ready, 'cause we want it to really be something we're proud of."

Added Chris: "Yeah, we're excited too, because we're on Better Noise [Music] now and they're kind of doing all of our songs and all of our planning and how we roll things out. So we will be releasing songs until the album is ready, which is something kind of new for us, just kind of releasing standalone songs like that."

Howorth went on to call the upcoming IN THIS MOMENT single "a face melter", with Brink saying: "We feel really good and strong about the first [track that we will be putting out]. And so that's what we wanted to lead with. It's really heavy. We wanted to come out with a lot of electricity and make it insane. And then we'll figure out what comes next."

Formed in 2005, IN THIS MOMENT's current lineup includes Brink, Howorth, bassist Travis Johnson, guitarist Randy Weitzel and drummer Kent Diimmel.

To date, in addition to the gold-selling album "Blood" (2012),the quintet has garnered six gold and platinum singles, followed by a trifecta of Top 25 entries on the Billboard 200 with "Black Widow" (2014) and "Ritual" (2017). With a total stream tally well past 200 million as of 2020, "Ritual" elevated them to new creative and critical peaks as well. Between selling out headline tours coast to coast, the group performed in arenas everywhere alongside DISTURBED and appeared at countless festivals from Lollapalooza to Sonic Temple. Along the way, they assembled their seventh full-length, the aptly titled "Mother" (Roadrunner Records) with longtime trusted collaborator Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH). Whereas "Ritual" hinted at a bluesy sonic sorcery, "Mother" breathes the activating mantra of an unbreakable spell, commenced on first single "The In-Between".

In 2022, the band released "Blood 1983" (BMG),a reimagined EP commemorating the tenth anniversary of "Blood". Then in 2023, the longtime staples of heavy music released their eighth studio album "Godmode" (BMG),a 10-song record featuring the powerful lead single "The Purge", the band's stunning cover of Björk's "Army Of Me", the collaborative track "Damaged" which features Spencer Charnas of ICE NINE KILLS, and "I Would Die For You", which appears on the soundtrack for "John Wick: Chapter 4".

Photo credit: Joe Cotela

In a new interview with Larry Mac of the Tucson, Arizona radio station 96.1 KLPX, Jason Bonham spoke about the upcoming JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING (JBLZE) round of dates to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the LED ZEPPELIN classic "Physical Graffiti". The latest 22-city trek is billed as "An Evening With JBLZE Celebrating 50 Years Of Physical Graffiti". The show made headlines as JBLZE has been performing all the songs from the album that fans have been clamoring to hear including classics such as "The Wanton Song" and "Kashmir" live alongside deeper cuts like "In The Light" and "Boogie With Stu". The evening is also made up of other LED ZEPPELIN favorites, including "Good Times Bad Times", "Whole Lotta Love" and, of course, "Stairway To Heaven". The tour kicks off on August 1 in Omaha, Nebraska and wraps August 31 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Along the way, the tour will make stops in Denver, Colorado (August 08),Napa, California (August 16),Bakersfield, California (August 23) and Seattle, Washington (August 30),to name a few markets.

Jason said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Foolishly I took on the challenge of where can you go and see the whole of 'Physical Graffiti' played from start to finish and plus others. It was one of those ideas that came about — obviously I didn't talk to anybody else in the band, as I normally don't, and threw it on everybody. And we'd played all of the songs [from 'Physical Graffiti'] at different times, but never all at the same time. So then it was, 'Okay, how can we make a show of it? How can we make this work?' So I always say, 'Don't think you're gonna come to the show and see in the order of which you listen to it.' Now that would be too easy for people to plan their toilet breaks or go to get a drink at the bar when they think, 'Oh, yeah, this is not one of my favorites. I'm gonna go and get a drink now.' So we leave it basically… And even on some occasions I've changed it on the band at the last minute. It took about five shows to get comfortable with a running order of the whole album. And then if after the hour and 45 minutes of that you are still not satisfied and you make enough noise, we might go back to the beginning or 'I' or 'II' or 'Led Zeppelin IV' and play some others. So it has worked so well. It became such a popular thing. As to my agent, who said, 'I think there'll be a very limited audience for this album.' And last tour was our most successful tour in [15] years."

Elaborating on his decision to not perform the "Physical Graffiti" tracks in the order in which they appear on the album, Jason said: "We start off similar, so everyone thinks, 'Oh, yeah, this is it.' So you get that excitement of when you hear 'Custard Pie'. And just the way I put it together, you'll have to see it because it was a work in progress. We got three shows in and I had this idea. And I was looking online for footage for audio of radio stations, the first time they got their hands on 'Physical Graffiti' and the first time they were allowed to play the opening track. But I couldn't find anything. So we put together a… I had this team of people in Hollywood that all thought they had good radio voices, and literally we imagined what it would've been like if we could have found the footage of people saying, 'I've had this in my hands all week, but tonight we're gonna play it for the first time in its entirety.' And for me, it gave me chills. So the whole setup before the show, this static radio tuning through different stations, all the songs that were popular that week it came out, it really did then give us this life of, like, when it kicked in, the feeling you get from the audience is everyone's, like, 'Oh.' It suddenly starts and they go, 'Please welcome in its entirety, for the first time ever, 'Physical Graffiti'.' And it's like all the different DJs [saying] 'Physical Graffiti', 'Physical Graffiti', and then into 'Custard Pie'. And the roar — it's so exciting. So, yeah, it's become probably be one of my favorite tours I've ever done. And 15 years we've been doing this now. 15 years, and it's the first time we ever attempted to do an album version."

In a December 2024 interview Terrie Carr of WDHA-FM 105.5 FM, the rock music station licensed to Dover and Morristown, New Jersey, Jason Bonham spoke about what it was like to perform in front of full houses with his LED ZEPPELIN EVENING show across North America last fall. He said: "I always find it's a pinch-yourself moment because I look at it as I started this purely as a therapeutic way to get the LED out of me. After playing with the real McCoy, the real deal, in [December] 2007 [at London's O2 arena], I remember when it stopped, it was a huge, 'Now what?' … Because I just spent six weeks with the [surviving LED ZEPPELIN] guys every day [in preparation for the London show]. Every day we were together, hanging out, telling stories. They would tell me things that I didn't know — now I'm a grown-up — they would tell me all these different things. So, suddenly you feel part of it. And my mom said, 'Are you gonna be okay when it stops?' I'm, like, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've got this.' Because you've been given the keys to the kingdom, and you sat in the throne of the greatest rock and roll band in the world. So when it stopped, it was hard, I must say. And then when the idea came, 'Why don't you do a band, a tribute thing", I'm, like, 'Are you kidding me? I've just played with [the original guys]. I don't wanna tarnish that.' So it became more therapeutic. And I realized it's about the fans. The reason why we're still doing it, after I got over the my stories and me — 'it's about me and my dad' — it's not. It's about our love for dad, me and everyone, because we all have stories of what he meant to us. I lost my dad; you lost your drummer. So that's the only reason — the love and the passion that we do it and still do it. Because there's a lot of other things that I like to do."

Jason Bonham spent nearly a decade touring as JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE before changing the band's name to JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING. Bonham later explained that the switch was prompted by a request from the LED ZEPPELIN camp, who wanted to use the "Experience" name for a project involving the archive of ZEP live recordings.

JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE was formed in 2009 to pay tribute to Bonham's father, who died in 1980 at the age of 32. "It was meant to be part of my way of expressing my love for music and expressing myself with a tip of the hat to my father," Jason told Mixdown in a 2017 interview. "Soon after doing the 28 shows that we did with an orchestra, everyone said, 'You're not going to stop now, are you? You haven't been here, you haven't played there…' And so I said, 'As long as you guys want me to do it, I'll do it.' It's really fan-based. It's not us and them; it's about love for LED ZEPPELIN, and that's how it's grown, as a very honest, natural, fan-based show. You guys all knew him as Bonzo; I knew him as dad, and there's a great interaction."

Jason launched JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE two years after taking part in LED ZEPPELIN's aforementioned one-off performance at London's O2 Arena tribute concert for friend and Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. The rare live set, which saw Jason behind the drums in place of his late father, was released in 2012 as "Celebration Day".

He told the Chicago Tribune about JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING: "We're not LED ZEPPELIN. We are fans. We love the music. We give it 150 percent energy and time to make it as good as we can make it to give people that feeling and make people go back to their youth.

"I never wanted it to be we are just playing music. It had to be personal with stories to tell people what Dad was like at home. It's nice to know that so many people love hearing that music played in a live environment."

In a new interview with Metal Talk, MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio confirmed that there are still plans for the band to release a new studio album in the not-too-distant future. "Yes, we've been working on new music, and once we unleash it, you'll be reminded that good things are worth waiting for," he said. "But since we announced ['The Blood Of Our Enemies' 2025] tour, the focus has been on tour prep and then the shows. There's so much that goes into planning a new tour. What I can tell you about the new material is that it is heavy, brutal, and everything you'd expect from MANOWAR."

Two months ago, DeMaio was asked by Iceland's Vísir if there is a demand for new MANOWAR music or if most of the band's fans want to hear the classic songs performed live. Joey said: "Yeah, it's funny. I guess it depends on who you talk to. Some people are, like, 'Oh, I can't wait to hear 'Blood Of My Enemies'. I can't wait to hear' this or that. And that's great, because they know it and they're into it. And then other people are, like, 'Yeah, I'm listening to the old music till I can't listen to it anymore. I've gotta have some new MANOWAR. I can't live without new MANOWAR.' It's really very funny. It depends on who you talk to."

When it eventually arrives, MANOWAR's upcoming album will be the band's first to feature Michael Angelo Batio, a veteran both in the studio and on stage, who was recruited to play guitar for the band on its 2023 "Crushing The Enemies Of Metal" tour. The news came in the wake of guitarist Evandro "EV" Martel's announcement that he was taking a break from touring for a while for "personal reasons".

 Joey told Vísir about Michael: "He's very down to earth, despite the fact that he has an incredible amount of talent.

"Nobody wants him in a band," DeMaio explained. "I mean, he was in his own band called NITRO years ago. But guys like him and Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, they're great, and they're almost too great, because nobody wants somebody who's gonna get on the fucking stage and play like that. A lot of people feel that it's way too much. But for MANOWAR, nothing is too much. That's been our motto. Bigger, louder, harder, faster. So to have somebody like him that plays at that level, well, for us, that's exactly what we enjoy and that's exactly what our crowd enjoys. Let's have more amps, more sound, play faster, play louder. Sure. More is more. I think Yngwie [Malmsteen] said it: more is more. Less is not more. More is more."

In February 2023, MANOWAR released a new song called "Laut Und Hart Stark Und Schnell" dedicated to the band's loyal German fans.

"Laut Und Hart Stark Und Schnell", which translates into "Loud And Hard Strong And Fast", is an anthemic mid-tempo hymn in the vein of MANOWAR's classic "Warriors Of The World United" that invites fans to sing along and raise their hands in celebration of their favorite genre and band.

"Laut Und Hart Stark Und Schnell" was first released digitally on February 10, 2023 on all major platforms and was made available during MANOWAR's German tour.

Although MANOWAR has released a couple of EPs in recent years — including "The Revenge Of Odysseus (Highlights)", which came out in June — the group hasn't issued a full-length effort since 2012's "The Lord Of Steel".

MANOWAR's two "secret" warm-up shows in June 2022 at Jovel Music Hall in Münster, Germany marked the band's debut live appearances with new drummer Dave Chedrick, who has previously played with RAVEN and KILL RITUAL, among others.

Chedrick joined MANOWAR as the replacement for Anders Johannson who announced that same month that he would be unable to join MANOWAR on the band's "Crushing The Enemies Of Metal Anniversary Tour '22/'23" due to "family commitments."

MANOWAR played an exclusive U.S. concert on November 30, 2024 at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, New York. The sold-out event marked the band's first live appearance in MANOWAR's home country in a decade.

Prior to the Kings Theatre concert, MANOWAR's last U.S. shows were believed to have taken place in February 2014 when the band celebrated the 25th anniversary of its "Kings Of Metal" album on the "Kings Of Metal MMXIV" tour.

Back in September 2014, MANOWAR canceled its previously announced U.S. tour dates which were scheduled to take place in November of that year. At the time, the band claimed it was scrapping the shows "due to scheduling conflicts" as well as to concentrate on work on a new studio album.

The 71-year-old DeMaio and 73-year-old singer Eric Adams are the sole remaining original members of MANOWAR, which formed in 1980 in upstate New York.

At the recent Bangers Open Air in São Paulo, Brazil, during our Rapid Fire Questions, BraveWords asked German metal queen Doro Pesch if she’d ever asked for an autograph. And you’ll be surprised with her answer!

“I haven’t, I haven’t,” she exclaimed! “Because I thought – I never wanted to invade anybody’s privacy. So I was thinking about getting an autograph of somebody who inspired me, and I know inspired Lemmy as well. It was Little Richard. When I was three years old, I listened to one song, ‘Lucille’. And then I was in Los Angeles in 1989, 1990, and Gene Simmons of KISS, he produced our album (1990’s Doro), and I was a big KISS fan growing up, and it was, for me, really a dream come true. Then somebody said, ‘Hey Doro, you know, you are living here in this hotel all this time and Little Richard, he’s living right across from you’. It was the Hyatt hotel back then, in Los Angeles. And I said, ‘I’m a big fan’, and the guy said, ‘I know! Go over and get an autograph’. Every day, I woke up and I thought ‘Today I’m going over. I’m knocking on his door and I want to ask for an autograph’. And every day I also thought, ‘It doesn’t feel right. I don’t want to invade his privacy’. So then the record production was over, and I never asked. So I never did, but I should have, yeah.”

Today, US melodic rockers, Double Vision, take a bold step forward with the release of their new self-titled album of all original material, out now via Frontiers Music Srl. To celebrate, Double Vision has released the focus track “Prison Of Illusion,” which comes alongside a visualizer, available below.

About the new single, lead singer Chandler Mogel comments: “This is the opening song on the album, and one of the first songs we wrote for it (along with Aleena Gibson who co-wrote half of the record with us!). A big energetic, ballsy track, with a modern edge, huge chorus – and Tony (our sax player) really shines here! We hope you dig it.”



Born as a Foreigner tribute band in the United States, Double Vision honed their craft performing to lively and sold-out crowds up and down the East Coast and across the country, soon becoming a real live attraction. With a lineup boasting some of New York City’s top professional rock musicians and well-known faces of the scene, including dynamic frontman and singer Chandler Mogel (Outloud, Jeff Waters’ Amerikan Kaos, Punky Meadows, etc.), super drummer Scott Duboys (ex-Warrior Soul) and bass player Scott Metaxas (ex-Prophet) as well as guitar virtuosos Chris Schwartz and Paul Baccash, and keyboard maestro Alex Lubin, Double Vision recently considered working on their own music, still owing a debt and strong influence to the Foreigner sound.

Gathering the immediate interest of the Frontiers label, which supported the band’s plans, with the release of their self-titled album, Double Vision now makes its foray into the world of original music. While they showed they are truly second to none at recreating the masterful songs Foreigner fans worldwide have come to love, Double Vision now enters the second phase of their career, primed and ready to establish a strong foothold in the melodic rock realm with an album that truly recreates the magic of the 80’s rock vibe with a contemporary take.

Order the album here.



Tracklisting:

“Prison Of Illusion”
“No Fool For Love”
“The Man You Make Me”
“I Know The Way”
“Youphoria”
“Transient Times”
“Silence Is Louder”
“Church Of The Open Mind”
“Once Before”
“A Stranger’s Face”
“This Day And Age”
“Love Could Rule”

In a new interview with The Metal Voice, INTO ETERNITY guitarist/backing vocalist Tim Roth and singer Stu Block spoke about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the band's new studio album. Tim said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, all of our albums recently, we've all worked with [the label] M-Theory Audio. I don't know what we're gonna do with this new album. We're self-financing the new album. It's been a long process; this has been going on for years now, really. All we have left is four songs for bass. All my guitars, drums, everything is all done. Basically, yeah, there's not much left. Stu's vocals will be the last thing here. So, yeah, 10 new songs. There may be 12 songs, 'cause we have a couple bonus songs as well. But, yeah, the album's almost done, pretty much."

Asked about the musical direction of the new INTO ETERNITY material, Tim said: "Yeah, it's gonna be all the heavy groove riffs, some, of course, tremolo picking riffs, a lot of acoustic stuff, amazing progressive drumming, off-time signatures, clean vocals, death vocals, fast soloing, double bass, and catchy courses. All 10 songs all have a very catchy chorus. Every single song will be catchy — as far as what I consider catchy. And this is our seventh album, so people will just have to trust us on this one… But, yeah, the new album is definitely on the way here."

Added Stu: "The music breathes really good too. It's exactly what you would expect from INTO ETERNITY, really. And the cool thing about INTO ETERNITY, and I've talked to Tim about this before, and the whole band about this, is we can do whatever the heck we wanna do — to a certain extent. But we have a lot of rein to switch it up and do different things and explore different avenues and stuff. So I think it's gonna be really cool."

Regarding INTO ETERNITY's decision to independently finance the recording of the new album, Tim said: "Well, it's got nothing to do with money at all, because, yeah, the industry is what it is, and our band is only a certain level. So, no. I think we're in a position to do it, and we can do a lot of recording ourselves now. And like Stu said, he's got his studio [at home]. And I record at a place that is, like, 10 blocks away from me, and he's got $30,000 worth of preamps and I'm singing in a closet. And so, yeah, it's been fun. We can do a lot of stuff ourselves now. But that comes from — next year will be 30 years as a band, so, yeah, we've been doing this for so many years and playing our instruments for so many years, we instinctively just know what we like. We're all huge heavy metal fans. Really, I'm just a heavy metal fan, and I took it so far that I'm, like, 'Hey, I've gotta make my own band,' because I was just going crazy for heavy metal."

Stu concurred, saying: "We're all fans of metal and we're all fans of experimentation as well, I think, and just seeing where we can push the limits of what we can do and become better and all that. So I think this album will definitely push those limits as well, and I think it'll be really, really fun and it's gonna be a great experience. And we're gonna be able to get a lot out, a lot of emotion out, and like I said, from what I'm hearing, the album breathes in so many different ways organically that I think people will really dig it."

Stu went on to say that there is no tentative release date for the new INTO ETERNITY album at the moment. "That's the great thing about self-financing and not being on a label, I guess," he explained. "No one's breathing down our neck, [saying] we have to get it done by this date or whatever. So we just want it to be the best possible product that we can put out."

Added Tim: "Yeah, basically, M-Theory Audio, they've done a lot for us too, so I've gotta give them props for sure. They've just re-released a lot of our back catalog and on special-edition vinyl and stuff, so if anyone's interested they could just check out M-Theory Audio and they could always pick up our past albums with them. We were signed to Century Media for all those years and Marco [Barbieri] was the president, and he's the one, after he left Century Media, he made his own label. So that's M-Theory Audio. That's how we hooked up with Marco. So we've been dealing with Marco for over 20 years as well, maybe 22 years. This goes way back."

In August 2021, Stu announced his permanent return to his pre-ICED EARTH band INTO ETERNITY.

Block, who left INTO ETERNITY in 2011 and was replaced by Amanda Kiernan, broke the news of his official reunion with his former bandmates two days after he performed live with them at the Loud As Hell festival in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada.

Before joining INTO ETERNITY in 2005, Block began his musical career singing for various bands in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. After two albums with INTO ETERNITY, Block joined ICED EARTH in 2011, with whom he recorded three LPs: "Dystopia" (2011),"Plagues Of Babylon" (2014) and "Incorruptible" (2017).

Block and ICED EARTH bassist Luke Appleton quit the band in the wake of leader Jon Schaffer's involvement in the U.S. Capitol riot, with guitarist Jake Dreyer also believed to have departed.

INTO ETERNITY's most recent album, "The Sirens", was released in 2018.

INTO ETERNITY, one of the most respected names in progressive metal, will headline the inaugural ProgStorm festival in Montréal on August 9. This marks the band's highly anticipated return to the city, where they haven't performed in several years. Fans will be able to experience their unique fusion of progressive, death, and power metal, as INTO ETERNITY closes the first day of this one-of-a-kind event at Le Ministère.

INTO ETERNITY has a rich history with Montréal, having shared the stage with some of the biggest names in metal at the Bell Centre. In 2006, they performed during Gigantour alongside MEGADETH, OPETH, LAMB OF GOD and ARCH ENEMY, leaving an unforgettable mark on the Montréal metal scene. They returned in 2007 to perform again at the Bell Centre with DREAM THEATER and REDEMPTION, further solidifying their place in the legacy of progressive metal. Now, their long-awaited return to Montréal for ProgStorm is set to captivate fans in a more intimate setting, making this a truly special moment for the band and their loyal followers.

The ProgStorm festival, presented by The Progspace and organized by Metal Shed Productions and collaborators, will be Canada's first-ever festival dedicated entirely to the progressive metal genre. Scheduled for August 9-10, 2025, this festival is set to showcase a diverse range of progressive metal sub-genres, from the classic sounds to the most experimental and extreme.

Press photo courtesy of ClawHammer PR

Living Dead Girl is the modern metal band created by visionary frontwoman Molly Rennick. Seamlessly blending elements of metal, goth, and pop-punk, the band has created a distinct sound all their own, accompanied by haunting visuals, and upbeat music videos, all of which come from the imagination of Rennick herself. It’s dark, it’s brooding, and it draws you in.

The band has just shared their new single / video “Poison Me”, which can be enjoyed below.

Rennick says that the new single “is the first taste of the new era of Living Dead Girl. It’s a dark, emotional song about how someone’s toxicity can drain the life out of you. I think everyone has that person in their lives and will see themselves in the exasperation of the lyrics — we have all had to navigate complicated relationships and this song embodies the emotions that come with it.”





Living Dead Girl has also announced details of their new album Conspiracy, arriving on October 10. Pre-orders can be placed here.

Regarding the album, Rennick stated, “I am beyond thrilled to finally unveil Living Dead Girl’s second full-length album Conspiracy. It feels like the perfect follow-up album to our debut Exorcism, staying true to the sound the band created back in 2021 but also showcasing both my personal and artistic growth over that time. Conspiracy is darker, heavier, more vulnerable, and more intense, but still has the sing-along choruses you’d expect from Living Dead Girl. I hope both new listeners and repeat fans alike fall in love with this album as much as I did creating it.”

The album was produced by Mitchell Marlow and demonstrates a sonic evolution for the band, highlighting its artistic and personal growth over the past four years, while staying true to the unique sound that has drawn so many fans to its lair. The distinct blend of heavy, drop-tuned riffs, hellbound screams, and catchier-than-a-cold choruses grabs you by the nape of the neck and refuses to let go.

Conspiracy artwork and tracklisting:



“Conspiracy”
“Poison Me”
“We’ll All Be Dead”
“Ugly”
“Succubus”
“The Disease”
“Eighteen”
“Brainwashed”
“Wild and Free”
“Unstoppable”
“Survival Mode”

Living Dead Girl will appear at Upheaval Festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday, July 19, sharing the stage with the likes of Falling In Reverse, Wage War, Yelawolf, and more. Additional dates are as follows.

In a new interview with Metalirium, MY DYING BRIDE guitarist Andrew Craighan spoke about the band's decision to recruit vocalist Mikko Kotamäki (SWALLOW THE SUN) to front MY DYING BRIDE for its live appearances in 2025 after an apparent dispute with MY DYING BRIDE's founding singer Aaron Stainthorpe. Asked how the collaboration with Mikko came about, Andrew said: "Despite all the problems, the band was willing and ready to perform the remaining shows in 2024, but, unfortunately, there was no willing singer. The band only discovered this at the very last minute, which led to the cancelation. Given that the album had just been released, the band was not prepared to be sidelined. As a result, a meeting was organized to discuss the possibility of a replacement. Mikko was the unanimous first choice."

As for Aaron's current status with MY DYING BRIDE, Andrew said: "As Aaron has, in truth, distanced himself from the band, we are only aware of his activities through social media and online interviews. The band contacted him in March 2025 to enquire about his intentions with MY DYING BRIDE, but he has not responded. We first learned through social media that he was on a hiatus from MDB. Although he states online that he is still part of the band, he has not engaged with us since April 2024. So, in response to your question, the band does not know what his plans with MDB are."

Kotamäki has already played three shows with MY DYING BRIDE in Europe, at the Rockmaraton Fesztivál in Hungary, the Pit Of Metal in SLovakia and at the Dark River festival in Finland. Fan-filmed video of the gigs can be seen below.

During a recent appearance on the Iblis Manifestations podcast, Stainthorpe stated about his current status with MY DYING BRIDE: "Well, in fact, the last thing I heard was they're writing new material as well now, which is interesting. I have not heard from Andrew for over a year. And as me and him are the only founder members left… And we never had a manager. Me and Andrew managed as best we could for years and years and years. There was only one stint when we nearly got a manager — Ronnie James Dio's ex-wife, funnily enough. That was a long, long time ago. So me and Andrew figured, 'Well, we could probably do it.' So we had a go of it, and then we had this big bust-up — I can't even remember when it was now, a year ago, a year and a half. And I thought, 'We'll let it die down a bit, and when we come to our senses, we'll get around the table, thrash out our differences and reignite the band.' And then I saw they were gigging without me. So I thought, obviously there's no communication then. So, what do I do? I'll just keep doing what I do until there is some communication. And there still hasn't been. So I'm getting on with my life. I'm not gonna sit there and stew and wait for things to happen. I'm gonna crack on and maintain a busy schedule. But I've no idea who they're gonna use in the studio, if they do a new album. I don't even know if there's a record deal anymore, 'cause everything's gone pear shaped at Nuclear Blast. I don't even know if Nuclear Blast is operating as a full record label anymore. I've heard all kinds of weird stories. And I know for a fact that the guy I used to chat with at Nuclear Blast, he's not there anymore. So over the last couple of years there's been massive, massive changes. So I don't even know if MY DYING BRIDE have a deal. And if they do, I don't know where that leaves me. I've not left the band, and I haven't been kicked out, so I don't understand where we're gonna go. I don't know what the future is. But having been a founder member and in the band for 35 years, I'm not leaving. If they wanna do things without me, well, good luck to 'em."

When Iblis Manifestations host Shayan noted that "it sounds like quite a complicated situation" in light of the fact that a legal MY DYING BRIDE partnership exists between Aaron and Andrew, Stainthorpe concurred. "Yeah. And it'll only get more complicated," he said. "I don't fully understand it. You would hope and imagine that as a founder member who hasn't left, I would have some authority somehow, but it seems not. So I don't really know. I'm probably gonna have to seek legal advice at some point. Obviously, I didn't want to, and I don't want to, but if a record comes out, a MY DYING BRIDE record comes out, and I'm not on it, but I'm still officially the singer, I don't know legally what I'm supposed to do. So at some point, unfortunately, it looks like I might have to seek legal advice, which in this country we have the musicians' union, so it's not a problem. They've got all the experts. And I do know some people quite high up in the business. So I've got people with their finger on the pulse so I can chat with them and just see what's what. But I don't want to. I would just rather keep singing MY DYING BRIDE songs. But maybe I don't have a choice with that."

Aaron also clarified that his involvement with his new band HIGH PARASITE, which released its debut album, "Forever We Burn", last September via Candlelight/Spinefarm, didn't create any issues with MY DYING BRIDE, despite fan speculation to the contrary. "Yeah, there was never gonna be a conflict," he explained. "MDB do about 15 gigs a year, and [there is] sometimes three or four years between albums. I could be in 10 bands and it wouldn't affect the scheduling of MY DYING BRIDE. I spoke to [HIGH PARASITE bassist/vocalist Danny] Tombs [Lambert] back in the day and I said, 'Here's some MY DYING BRIDE gigs. Make sure there's no HIGH PARASITE [gigs] clashing, any clashing of any gigs at all.' And he said, 'Absolutely fine. That will not happen.' And, well, it never even got that far, because we had a big bust-up before then, and the gigs got canceled anyway.

"You don't sacrifice the main band for your smaller band," Aaron continued. "That doesn't happen. Can you imagine Lars Ulrich saying to METALLICA, 'Do you know what, guys? Can we cancel those big gigs, 'cause me and my mates wanna mess around in this other band?' It doesn't work that way. It doesn't happen like that. And it would be ridiculous to even think that. 'Cause I know some people think, 'Oh, Aaron's concentrating more on HIGH PARASITE than MY DYING BRIDE. So he sacrificed MY DYING BRIDE for HIGH PARASITE.' You don't do things like that. It's utterly, utterly ridiculous. And why would I? MY DYING BRIDE has been an absolute delight for me for 30-odd years. I'm not gonna let that go. And I'm certainly not gonna let another, a smaller band batter it out the way. It doesn't work like that. Literally every musician I know is in more than one band. It's easy. Anyone can do it. It's not an issue."

Asked if he has been in touch with any other members of MY DYING BRIDE, Aaron said: "I see Neil [Blanchett, guitar] every once in a while for a beer in Halifax. But zero communication with the others. They've all got my details."

Pressed as to whether he has tried to reach out to the other members of MY DYING BRIDE since the "bust-up" happened that he mentioned earlier in the interview, Aaron said: "There's no point. There's no point because if they're not contacting me, they don't want to. So it's pointless me chasing them. They're doing what they wanna do and they clearly wanna do it without me."

Aaron went on to say that he is still holding out hope things could be ironed out between him and the other members of MY DYING BRIDE in the coming months.

"The reason why I'm not screaming and shouting is because I genuinely think it's not over," he said. "If I knew it was definitely over, then, yeah, I'd be heartbroken. But I try to remain optimistic that somehow we can work stuff out. I don't see why we can't. We're not kids. We're not a gang. We can surely work something out. Because normally when bands split up, there's normally some sort of financial irregularity, someone's run off with all the money, or there's some infidelity — 'You slept with my wife' or 'you slept with my wife.' Bands split up because of serious — something's gone really bad, really bad. We have none of that, which is why I think we can get back together. But let's see."

Asked what he would say to Andrew right now if the guitarist was listening to the interview, Aaron said: "Give us a ring. Give us a ring. It's not hard, is it?"

MY DYING BRIDE's latest album, "A Mortal Binding", came out in April 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records.

HIGH PARASITE's debut LP, the aforementioned "Forever We Burn" — with Stainthorpe and Lambert at the helm — was produced by Gregor Mackintosh of PARADISE LOST.

Photo credit: Matt Wells

Theogonia Records and Temple Of Katharsis summon you to witness the first glimpse into the abyss. The Greek black metal conjurors unveil their new single, “Celebrating The Coronation Of Grand Evil”, taken from their forthcoming album, Worshipers Of The Ancient Necromancy, out on November 21.

The ritual begins – this sinister hymn is now unleashed exclusively on YouTube (visualizer below) and Bandcamp, offering a foretaste of the blasphemous darkness to come this November.

Immerse yourself in necromantic incantations, ancient evil, and relentless black metal sorcery as Temple Of Katharsis crowns a new era of darkness. Bear witness. Join the coronation. Let the grand evil reign.

Hells Headbangers announces August 29th as the international release date for a special collection from Deceased, March Of The Cadavers – 40 Years Of Death Metal From The Grave, on double-CD format.

By now, Deceased need no introduction. One of the longest-running American death metal bands, since 1985, Deceased have been there for it all: death metal’s genesis, its creative peak, its commercial peak and subsequent sink into trendiness, the eventual fallout and “un-trendiness,” its rebirth at the hands of a new generation, and on and on. There they have stood, simply and 100% always Deceased, not caring what year it is or what is hip – simply, always, Death Metal From The Grave!

To celebrate their 40th anniversary, Deceased now present a literally massive 2CD compilation fittingly titled March Of The Cadavers – 40 Years Of Death Metal From The Grave. Featuring nearly two-and-a-half hours of music, this compilation includes a “best of” selection across the band’s sizable & distinct discography – from the pivotal progression of their ’90s work on to the intermittent yet no-less-satisfying work in this millennium, with 2000’s Supernatural Addiction serving as the bridge between the two eras – every album and every recorded lineup (as well as crucial EPs like 1992’s The 13 Frightened Souls and 2001’s Behind The Mourner’s Veil) is represented here, providing a succinct-yet-expansive overview of the eternal Deceased aesthetic. As an exclusive bonus, included are two brand-new tracks, “Dusted” and “Cure For The Grieving Widow”; faithful & fun covers of Black Sabbath’s “Die Young” and Venom’s “Lady Lust”; and as the collection’s title hints, a re-recording of both “March Of The Cadavers” and “Sick Thrash” from their very first demo, The Evil Side Of Religion.

Completed by liner notes from founding frontman King Fowley, March Of The Cadavers – 40 Years Of Death Metal From The Grave is a crucial collection for Deceased fans old and new. Up The Tombstones!

In the meantime, stream all previously released tracks at Hells Headbangers’ Bandcamp. Pre-order info can be found here. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:



Disc 1
Fading Survival
Psychedelic Warriors
The 13 Frightened Souls
Robotic Village
Morbid Shape In Black
The Triangle
The Silent Creature
Fearless Undead Machines
The Premonition
A Very Familiar Stranger
It’s Alive
The Mausoleum
A Witness To Suspiria
Fright

Disc 2
Skin Crawling Progress
In The Laboratory Of Joyous Gloom
The Germ Of Distorted Lore
Pale Surroundings
Children Of The Morgue
Fed To Mother Earth
Dusted
Cure For The Grieving Widow
Lady Lust [Venom cover]
Die Young [Black Sabbath cover]
Sick Thrash
March Of The Cadavers

Following their extremely successful and trust-based collaboration of more than 25 years, southern German melodic metal act, Freedom Call, and their record label, Steamhammer/SPV, will continue to focus on joint projects.

Mastermind Chris Bay and his three bandmates have just renewed their contract with the Hanover-based label, which will also release their two upcoming studio albums. The band’s twelfth, as-yet untitled album is scheduled for a summer 2026 release, with the first of a total of four lead singles to be out in winter 2026.

Bay promises a number of surprises, saying: “The singles may vary slightly from their album versions, but will of course feature the same outstanding Freedom Call quality!”

The band is currently in the songwriting phase and, according to the musicians, around half of the songs have already taken shape.

Bay adds that the new material is stylistically “100 percent typical Freedom Call, but as usual with a few innovations thrown in.”

The planning phase of their 2026 headlining tour, scheduled for October and November 2026, is also under way. Dates will be shared once the complete itinerary is finalized.

Bay says about the continued partnership: “Trust and the certain knowledge that each party will deliver excellent and reliable work are the most important criteria in successful teamwork. Both have been the basis of our collaboration with Steamhammer/SPV for more than a quarter of a century, so the renewal of our contract was no more than a formality on both sides.”

Steamhammer label manager Olly Hahn also looks forward to the continued collaboration, stating: “Freedom Call have been with SPV/Steamhammer for 26 years now and have grown into one of the most popular power metal bands during this time. I’m really proud that we will continue on this successful path for another two albums. Many thanks to Chris Bay and the band for their loyalty and trust in us. Happy metal rules!”

Swedish melodic metal supergroup Cyhra (featuring Amaranthe co-founder Jake E and current The Halo Effect, Kamelot, The Crown, and Suburban Tribe members) have released a haunting acoustic rendition of their latest single, “Mark Of My Sins.”

Stream/download the single here, and check out a visualizer below:



While the group are composed of legendary musicians, “Mark Of My Sins” proves that Cyhra are no mere supergroup, but instead a band that produce music on par with anything they have previously released. A high bar, but one that they consistently meet. This is the sound of a band levelling up: Massive riffs, stadium-sized hooks, and a chorus that refuses to leave your head. Heavy, melodic, and packed with raw intensity, this song is built to be played loud.

Frontman Jake E commented: “‘Mark Of My Sins’ is one of the most powerful songs we’ve ever written. It’s raw, intense, and full of emotion – everything we love about Cyhra. This track dives deep into the struggles we carry and the strength it takes to rise above them. We couldn’t be prouder of how it turned out, and we can’t wait for you all to hear it.”

The song is accompanied by a powerful video directed by Patric Ullaeus who has produced videos for Arch Enemy, In Flames and won a Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannprisen) for directing “The Serpentine Offering” by Dimmu Borgir. A cinematic music video featuring the band navigating a tense, war-like conflict in an urban setting, where vocalist Jake E takes the lead in a quiet, determined struggle for control.