VAN HALEN's "Balance" turns 30 this year, and Rhino is celebrating with an expanded edition of the band's multi-platinum tenth studio album. It follows last year's successful reissue of "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (Expanded Edition)" and concludes Rhino's spotlight on the band's classic albums from the Sammy Hagar era.

Arriving August 15, "Balance (Expanded Edition)" will be available as a 2LP/2CD/Blu-ray deluxe set including the original album, remastered for 2023's "The Collection II", along with a selection of audio and video rarities. The collection also contains several unreleased live recordings from the "Balance" tour, including "The Seventh Seal", which is available today digitally.

Standalone versions of "Balance" will also be available the same day, including a 2CD set with the album and rarities, and a 2LP black vinyl and 2LP orange vinyl pressing that presents the full album on vinyl for the first time in 30 years. Here, the complete album spans three sides, for optimal audio quality, with a "Balance"-era etching on the fourth.

"Balance (Expanded Edition)" pulls together a selection of non-album tracks from the period, including the B-side "Crossing Over", along with "Humans Being" and "Respect The Wind" from the "Twister" soundtrack. Also featured are eight standout performances from the band's 1995 Wembley Stadium appearance, which was broadcast by the BBC. The recordings offer rare live versions of "Balance" tracks like "Feelin'" and "The Seventh Seal".

The Blu-ray features several restored promo videos, including "Can't Stop Lovin' You", "Amsterdam" and "Not Enough". It also includes a previously unreleased live clip of "The Seventh Seal", filmed at the Target Center in Minneapolis in July 1995.

Originally released on January 24, 1995, "Balance" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA. The album produced rock radio hits like "Can't Stop Lovin' You" and "Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)", and introduced deeper cuts like "Big Fat Money" and "Aftershock". It marked the final studio album recorded by the lineup of Sammy Hagar, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony.

In celebration of their sixth decade as a band, German hard rock legends SCORPIONS will release "From The First Sting", a thrilling collection showcasing the raw energy, unforgettable anthems, and iconic moments from their illustrious career. "From The First Sting" will be available on a deluxe 2LP and 2CD bookpack and 2CD format for European and rest-of-the-world fans, as well as 2LP vinyl and 1CD format for fans in the Americas.

During their career, the SCORPIONS viewed their music as a bridge between cultures. They performed in the former Soviet Union, China, and Southeast Asia, thereby fostering international understanding. Commercially, the band are also one of the best-selling hard rock and heavy metal bands of all time — with over 120 million album sales to their name.

"From The First Sting" is a sonic journey through the band's timeless hits, from "Rock You Like A Hurricane" to "Wind Of Change", showcasing SCORPIONS' evolution while honouring the spirit of their classic sound.

"From The First Sting" features two previously unreleased tracks, "This Is My Song" and "Still Loving You", the latter of which features British violinist Vanessa Mae. The physical for European and rest-of-the-world fans comes housed in a carefully crafted 2LP colored vinyl and 2CD 40-page deluxe edition bookpack, comprehensively illustrating the enduring influence of the pioneering masters of their genre.

Perfect for die-hard fans and newcomers alike, "From The First Sting" delivers the ultimate SCORPIONS experience — a blistering ride through 60 years of hard-hitting, heart-pounding rock that continues to leave its mark on the world.

2LP and 1CD track listing

01. In Search Of The Peace Of Mind
02. This Is My Song*
03. Speedy's Coming
04. In Trance
05. Pictured Life
06. The Sails Of Charon
07. Top Of The Bill (Live)
08. Always Somewhere
09. The Zoo
10. No One Like You
11. Rock You Like A Hurricane
12. Big City Nights
13. Wind Of Change
14. Still Loving You (feat. Vanessa Mae)*
15. Humanity
16. Rock Believer

* Bonus tracks

2CD track listing

CD1

01. In Search Of The Peace Of Mind
02. This Is My Song
03. Speedy's Coming
04. In Trance
05. Pictured Life
06. The Sails Of Charon
07. Top Of The Bill (Live)
08. Holiday
09. Always Somwhere
10. Lady Starlight
11. The Zoo
12. No One Like You
13. When The Smoke Is Going Down
14. Still Loving You
15. Rock You Like A Hurricane
16. Big City Nights

CD2

01. Rock You Like A Hurricane (Live)
02. Believe In Love
03. Send Me An Angel
04. Wind Of Change
05. Under The Same Sun
06. Still Loving You (feat. Vanessa Mae)
07. Mind Like A Tree
08. You & I
09. Wind Of Change (Moment Of Glory)
10. Always Somewhere
11. Maybe I Maybe You
12. Humanity
13. The Best Is Yet To Come
14. House Of Cards
15. Rock Believer

Photo credit: Marc Theis (courtesy of Wilful Publicity)

LIVING COLOUR delivered a five-song set as part of National Public Radio's (NPR) popular "Tiny Desk" concert series, which sees artists play in the open office for a small crowd of mostly NPR employees. Check out video of the performance below.

LIVING COLOUR's setlist was as follows:

01. Cult Of Personality
02. Pride
03. Love Rears Its Ugly Head
04. Time's Up
05. Solace Of You

NPR is honoring classic albums' major anniversaries with the 246-station network's Black Music Month celebration. In addition to LIVING COLOUR's "Time's Up", which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, "Tiny Desk" has recognized Keyshia Cole's "The Way It Is", E-40's "In A Major Way", CeCe Winans's "Alone In His Presence", Wiz Khalifa's "Kush & Orange Juice" and Beenie Man's "Art And Life".

In a recent interview with "The Plowzone" video show on RokuTV, LIVING COLOUR bassist Doug Wimbish was asked if he and his bandmates are working on fresh music. He responded: "We are. It's interesting because [when people ask], 'Are you in the studio writing some stuff?' Well, we're going in the studio in a couple of weeks, and we've been in the studio actually creating some ideas. So, to be honest, yeah, we're in the process of making a new record. I'd like to say we're in the process, really, of collecting the material to get to that point where we can actually go in and have enough music or enough ideas to start to really build out songs."

He continued: "That's how we work. We're a band where [we work best when you] get us all in the room, turn it on and let's all play at the same time. That's when the magic happens. And to not overthink it. Just get in. Let's go. Take a break. Play some more. Make sure that you can actually document the stuff. Go home. Sleep on it. Come back and do the same thing the next day. And if you can get into that kind of routine, then things start to happen. Or you can wait for that magic moment, and you'll be waiting on Godot. So we're in that flow vibe, and I'm looking forward to going in the studio and chopping it up."

In May 2024, LIVING COLOUR singer Corey Glover told Robert Cavuoto of Myglobalmind that he and his bandmates were "still in the writing stage" for the follow-up to 2017's "Shade" album. He said at the time: "I think we're in search of a voice at this point. I think it's important that we have something to say that's sort of poignant, particularly in and around this time. If everything was right, this record would have come out this year. But I think scheduling was not in our favor. But I don't think the world is going to change significantly. And if it does, we'll talk about it. But for the most part, we're trying to figure out what our mission statement is for this. And we're writing it in that regard to sort of jumpstart that process."

In September 2023, Corey expressed hope that LIVING COLOUR would have some new music ready to release soon. He told May The Rock Be With You at the time: "We really, really take our time making records, because when you have musicians of the caliber of Vernon [Reid, guitar] and Will [Calhoun, drums] and Doug — and myself, I guess — we get kind of precious about our thing. We want it to be right. We want it to be exactly the way we want it to be as it occurs, what it is and how it is. So it takes a minute."

He continued: "Making records is simpler technically, but a lot more difficult in terms of living your life. We're a lot older. We've got a lot more responsibilities. We've got kids. We've got college. We've got high school. You've got all this other stuff that you gotta think about — and write a song. [Laughs] So it's a two-sided coin in terms of having the wherewithal to make music and live the rest of your life."

Asked what the process is like writing music now compared to, say, 1988, Corey said: "Well, you can get the information out to people a lot quicker. You can say, 'I've got this groove.' Back in the day, you played it on the phone or you made a recording, and then you physically brought it to them. Now I can hum a thing on my phone and say, 'Here. I'm sending this to you. What can you do with this?' And then they send me something back, and we can go back and forth with that in real time as it occurs. And that makes the process that much simpler."

LIVING COLOUR disbanded in 1995 but reunited in 2000. (Original bassist Muzz Skillings left the group in 1992 and was replaced by Doug Wimbish.)

In June 2020, LIVING COLOUR released a video for its classic song "This Is The Life" featuring footage of the peaceful protests that swelled across the U.S. and around the world over the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. The original version of "This Is The Life" appeared on LIVING COLOUR's 1990 album "Time's Up".

"Shade" was released in September 2017 via Megaforce Records.

Glover and ADRENALINE MOB guitarist Mike Orlando recently launched a new project called SONIC UNIVERSE. The group, whose lineup is completed by bassist Booker King and drummer Taykwuan Jackson, released its debut album, "It Is What It Is", in May 2024 via earMUSIC. The 10-song effort was produced, engineered, and mixed by Orlando at his Sonic Stomp Studios.

Glover's other side projects in recent years have included some acting, touring as a member of jam band GALACTIC and, more recently, forming the jazz-rock supergroup ULTRAPHONIX with legendary DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch. Reid, for his part, has released solo albums and been involved in side projects with Masque and YOHIMBE BROTHERS; collaborated with Mick Jagger, Bill Frisell, Jack Bruce and Ronald Shannon Jackson, among many others; produced albums for Salif Keita and James Blood Ulmer; and composed film scores.

Riding the massive wave of their hit single "Hollywood Forever", HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD return with their most emotionally raw offering yet. Titled "Savior", the track is out now via Sumerian Records and showcases a darker, more vulnerable side of the band — one that trades swagger for soul- searching and resilience.

Built on a gargantuan guitar riff, a haunting vocal hook, and lyrics soaked in regret and revelation, "Savior" explores the psychological wreckage of trauma, fame, and fractured identity. "You say that I'm your savior, but there's no saving me," the chorus confesses. True to form, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD delivers a track that is brutally honest, anthemic, and still undeniably catchy.

Speaking on the new release, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD shares: "We're all excited to follow up 'Hollywood Forever' with our newest track 'Savior'. This song is special to us so we can't wait for the Undead Army and beyond to hear it."

"Savior" lands in the midst of what is shaping up to be an explosive year for HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD. Their 2024 single "Hollywood Forever" — their first with new label home, Sumerian Records — not only reintroduced their iconic masks to a new generation, to date it has racked up over 20.3 million cross-platform streams, peaked at No. 18 at Active Rock radio , held strong in the Top 20, and inspired a remix hailed as a "genre-killer" collaboration between some of L.A.'s fiercest underground voices.

Most recently, the band wrapped the spring 2025 leg of the "Hollywood & N9ne" co-headline tour with Tech N9ne, performing to thousands across the U.S. and Canada, and played incendiary mainstage slots at Sonic Temple, Welcome To Rockville, Louder Than Life, and is set to play Aftershock festival this fall. They will be joining FALLING IN REVERSE on their "God Is A Weapon" tour this August/September.

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD is currently recording its ninth album, with more details to be announced soon.

Since the release of its RIAA-platinum-certified 2008 debut "Swan Songs", HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD's distinctive and infectious music has incited a global cult audience, sold-out shows across continents, and earned praise from Consequence Of Sound, Billboard, Revolver and more. With over 3.2 billion cross-platform streams, over 1 billion YouTube views and 4.1 million monthly Spotify listeners, they remain one of modern rock's most influential and enduring forces. Now signed to Sumerian Records, they continue to push boundaries and reshape alternative culture.

Photo credit: Anabel DFlux

HALESTORM has released the official DJay Brawner-directed music video for "Darkness Always Wins", a slowly building, cinematic hard rock anthem that marked the Grammy-winning band's first release of 2025. The song, helmed by Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb, was the first to be revealed from HALESTORM's sixth album, "Everest", due on August 8 on Atlantic Records.

"'Darkness Always Wins' is not a song of hope, nor is it a song of despair," said HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale. "It is reality. History repeating. Evil prevails and the good depart first. But we are not doomed as long as we persist and keep our fires burning. The war may not be won in this lifetime. But our mission is to pass the torch so that those who follow have a light to fight with."

In a social media post, HALESTORM guitarist Joe Hottinger wrote about "Darkness Always Wins": "We wrote this down in Savannah, GA. It was the first song we wrote for what became the album. It was like a test session… we went down there to see how it was working with Dave Cobb. Wrote and recorded this in two days at his then new studio. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship that turned into a beautiful album."

In late May, HALESTORM released the official music video for the "Everest" title track, consisting of a variety of clips of humans on the brink and imminent explosions, both literal and metaphorical. Interspersed with the vignettes is a rage-fueled, passionate performance by the band.

"Our song 'Everest' is the summit of everything we've fought for — every scream, every scar, every triumph," Lzzy stated at the time. "This album is us, louder and bolder, and more brutally honest than ever, standing tall in the face of the storm."

Last month, HALESTORM kicked off a tour in Europe supporting the legendary IRON MAIDEN. Following that run, HALESTORM will perform at BLACK SABBATH's final show on July 5, and then they'll travel back to the U.S. to tour with VOLBEAT. In September, they'll kick off the "nEVEREST" North American tour with Lindsey Stirling and APOCALYPTICA.

Produced by Grammy winner Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell),"Everest" dives deeply, both lyrically and sonically, into the band's mountainous climb over the last couple decades.

"Our album 'Everest' is a story of our journey as a band, full of beautiful endings and new beginnings," Lzzy previously said. "We weave a tangled web of melancholy, frustration, anger and the vast purgatory of love and love lost. It is a rollercoaster of epic musical detours, great songwriting and completely unhinged twists and turns. 'Everest' is an auditory representation of the four pillars of HALESTORM. Let us reintroduce ourselves and invite you into our world…if you dare."

Rolling Stone said of "Darkness Always Wins", "What the song has going for is its catchy, brooding, and dramatic in all the ways we love HALESTORM songs to be," and Revolver noted "The arrangement remains lean even as the amps begin to crank into the red, though 'Darkness Always Wins' still sports some exquisite minor-key melodicism, a metal-chunked bridge, loud-as-hell requiem bells and a classically rippin' rock guitar solo."

"Everest" track listing:

01. Fallen Star
02. Everest
03. Shiver
04. Like A Woman Can
05. Rain Your Blood On Me
06. Darkness Always Wins
07. Gather The Lambs
08. WATCH OUT!
09. Broken Doll
10. K-I-L-L-I-N-G
11. I Gave You Everything
12. How Will You Remember Me?

In a recent interview with Cutter's Rockcast, Lzzy spoke about HALESTORM's songwriting and recording sessions with Cobb, known for his previous collaborations with the likes of Sammy Hagar, Slash, GRETA VAN FLEET and RIVAL SONS. Regarding the musical direction of the band's follow-up to 2022's "Back From The Dead", Lzzy said: "It's really hard to describe this one. We did the record with Dave Cobb, which is a new producer for us. His ADHD mixed very well with our ADHD. But we didn't do it traditionally the way we always do these albums. First day, we walked in and I always have, like, whatever, a ton of half-written songs or full-written songs, or, 'Here's a riff or whatever' — you come in with your bag of tricks. And Dave Cobb says, 'Oh, we're not gonna do any of that.' And I'm, like, 'What do you mean?' He's, like, 'We're not doing demos. I hate demos. What we're gonna do is we're gonna start and we're gonna write, and as we're writing, we're recording at the same time.' So that's what we did. The first day we actually ended up writing our first single that'll be coming out soon. But, yeah, we started, like, 'Okay, who's got a line?' 'Oh, I have this that I thought of yesterday.' 'Cool. That'll work. Let's go.' Set up the drums, set up the guitar, here's the vocals. And so we would be recording while we were writing it, and then we would get done and we would move on to the next day. And so there are songs that don't even have a click track to them or a guide because we forgot."

Lzzy continued: "There's so many different elements of songs that we used to write when we were kids, but, obviously, as adults — a lot of that feeling. It was kind of an emotional rollercoaster. There's also, I think, some of the heaviest songs we've ever written on there, some really beautiful mid-tempos. A lot of personalities that I've always wanted to kind of put on a record, but I never really had the freedom or time to, because usually when we do a HALESTORM record, it's, like, 'Okay, we have to have all the songs picked. We have to have them rehearsed.' We go in and kind of do it like an assembly line. Like, 'Okay, you do the bass, do the drums, do the guitar, do the vocals, and we're good.' So there's no time to really like sit with things before they're, like, 'Okay, we've already decided we're gonna do that.' And so the freedom and kind of the nerve-racking kind of element of the fact that there wasn't really a plan ended up being the special sauce on this album, because we were just chasing everything that got us excited. And if it wasn't a 'hell yeah', it was a 'hell no'. So there's nothing on there on this album that we don't feel complete ownership over. There's nothing on this album that anybody forced us to do. There's nothing on this album that isn't part of our personalities."

Elaborating on why the new HALESTORM album feels like it is a return to the band's roots in a way, Lzzy said: "My bass player said it yesterday. He's, like, 'It's kind of like this long road to the beginning,' 'cause all of the guys at one point in time said this really feels like we're back in our parents' basement again and we're hustling and we're trying to figure out how to write songs on the radio. But we have all this knowledge now. So everything ended up coming together so incredibly well. But it was almost like the reverse, that the music was telling us what to do and not us trying to like shoehorn anything in.

"I'm telling you, man, — it is the most HALESTORM record we've ever done," Lzzy added. "It is the first time in the 20 years we've been on Atlantic Records that we have not felt lorded over in regarding to making records, because usually it's time crunch. Somebody's always there being, like, 'Oh, we can't do that.' 'Oh, you probably shouldn't say that.' 'What about this thing?' And that kind of thing. So it usually becomes like a project, like a group project.

"We didn't do it in Nashville — we did it in Savannah, Georgia, locked in a house in the middle of nowhere, next to a river," Hale revealed. "The guys and I would wake up like around 11:30 a.m., we would start recording and we wouldn't stop until 4:00 a.m. And then we would annoy the hell out of the engineer who was trying to sleep with playing on the proper keyboard and coming up with weird stuff. But we were unsupervised in the best way, and it was all about, who are we now? Who were we then? This is our story. For me, when I listen to this album, it's my personal opus — all the things that I've gone through in my life, both dark and not. There's more questions than answers. It's not just me giving myself a pep talk, like 'I'm the fire', 'I'm back from the dead.' It's like I'm dealing with a lot of my reality and a lot of the reality of the world in my own way. And then it's also our story as a band, and you can really hear it in the music and in the lyrics. So I'm so excited for people to hear it. And it's to the point where it's, like, I don't even really care if anybody likes it because all four of us are, like, 'This is our favorite album we've ever done.'"

Fronted by Lzzy with drummer Arejay Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger and bassist Josh Smith, HALESTORM's music has earned multiple platinum and gold certifications from the RIAA, and the band has earned a reputation as a powerful live music force, headlining sold-out shows and topping festival bills around the world, and sharing the stage with icons including HEAVEN & HELL, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett and JUDAS PRIEST. Additionally, Lzzy was named the first female brand ambassador for Gibson and served as host of AXS TV's "A Year In Music".

Veteran Swedish hard rock and metal drummer Mikkey Dee (MOTÖRHEAD, SCORPIONS) recently sat down with Roxie from Rock Kommander for an interview about his music journey, major life decisions, and why he chose Rock Kommander over every other game offer that came his way.

Asked how his drumming technique and playing style have evolved throughout his career, Mikkey said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's a good question, because it has gone very natural. And let me start by saying that when you're young, when I started off on the bigger stage, you wanna have a world record in being the best drummer and you wanna do most drum fills and licks and complicated stuff. At that time, I actually played then with KING DIAMOND, so my drumming style and development worked really well with that band. When we wrote songs, they were supposed to be complicated, they were supposed to have a lot of backbeats and weird drum fields. And it worked perfect. But after playing several years with KING, and we were touring a lot, I felt like a shitty drummer because I was lacking other parts of playing drums. I wasn't very solid. I was not a steady drummer, and I wasn't very solid, so I kind of panicked about, 'I can only play all these technique shit.' I couldn't sit with a nice calm feeling and not stressing my heart and play just a simple beat and rock out. I had to do all this complicated stuff. And so when I joined [Don] Dokken, that was the perfect way. That was simple rock and roll. And after several years with Don, which was much more melodic hard rock — kind of what I'm playing now with SCORPIONS, which is great — but at that time in my career, in my life, I wanted the harder stuff. And so when I finally joined MOTÖRHEAD after Lemmy asking me three times since 1986 to join the band, and when I finally joined end of '91, that was perfect for me because this was meat-and-potato, black-and-white, hardcore heavy rock, blues and rock and roll. So that was perfect. But then we moved forward 25 years, unfortunately, Lem passed away, but already before that, I felt like I wanted to play something else. I wanna move on. And when Lemmy passed away, unfortunately, because I think we had many, many more years [left] with MOTÖRHEAD, but then SCORPIONS came about, and that fitted perfectly for me to move from maybe the harder stuff into a little more wide, diverse music. There's some hard, hard stuff with SCORPIONS, but it's also a lot of more melodic, and it's another way of working in the studio. It's another way of playing live. And so it all [came] at the right time. If you took these bands around a little bit and moved them around, it would not have been so good. So for me, every time I started feeling that I wanted to do something else, something else had happened and it came in the right order, if you will. It really came naturally."

Mikkey added: "I'm very happy with how it turned out. But then again, it's all always up to you to make those [correct decisions about which direction to go]. Because the road will end, and you have to make a decision to [take] a right turn or a left turn. And sometimes I made the wrong decision. And then it's up to you to realize that quick enough so you can turn around and run the other way. In the end, it's up to you. But with a little bit of luck and timing, which you have to deserve — I mean, you can't just think that luck is gonna come to you; you have to earn it. Then you'll get a little bit of good timing and a good bit of luck, and you get what you deserve."

A Swede of Greek descent, Mikkey has been known for his speed and precision since his mid-1980s stint with KING DIAMOND. After moving to Copenhagen to play with GEISHA in 1985, Dee joined KING DIAMOND, who were looking for additional members to complete their lineup. Dee played on the KING DIAMOND recordings "Fatal Portrait" (1986),"Abigail" (1987) and "Them", and continued to play as a session drummer for the recording sessions of the "Conspiracy" album (1989),after which he was replaced. He joined Don Dokken for his solo album, "Up From The Ashes" (1990),with the music videos for the songs "Stay" and "Mirror Mirror" receiving airplay on MTV's "Headbangers Ball". The band headlined their own tour, as well as opened for JUDAS PRIEST. During this time, Dee also filled in a short time playing for WORLD WAR THREE (WWIII).

Lemmy had been repeatedly asking Mikkey to join MOTÖRHEAD since 1985, and in 1992, when asked once again, Dee accepted the offer, replacing Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. Dee's first gig with the band was on August 30, 1992 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

Dee has been a member of the SCORPIONS since 2016, having joined the band in the wake of MOTÖRHEAD's untimely dissolution following Lemmy's death. To date, Dee has only played on one of the band’s albums, 2022's "Rock Believer".

In a new social media update, LAST IN LINE singer Andrew Freeman commented on the status of the songwriting sessions for the band's fourth studio album. Freeman is joined in the group by DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell, bassist Phil Soussan (OZZY OSBOURNE) and drummer Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO). Andrew said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "LAST IN LINE, as previously reported by one of the members of the band, he said we have a whole record done. Well, we don't have a whole record done. We have four songs that we've done. I know that we don't have a whole record done because I haven't fucking wrote it yet. So, yeah, we have four songs done. We're working on an album."

Andrew continued: "Obviously, Viv was sick for a while [battling Hodgkin's lymphoma] and recovering from his bone marrow transplant and all of that stuff. So he is a hundred percent now, from what I understand, and is going to be going back out with DEF LEPPARD. And we had decided that we were taking a break and his health was the most important thing — obviously — which I fully support. So the guy needs to be better and well, and we are obviously a side project to his bigger job, which is why I am doing a lot of other things. So, when those guys are ready to go and make it happen, I'm in. But, obviously, the man's health comes first, and we're not gonna rush it."

Freeman added: "That's the beauty of LAST IN LINE, is that we can do it whenever we want. It's a cool gig and I'm really happy to be a part of it and proud to be a part of it, to be able to enable that thing to happen with those dudes. They're the classic [DIO] lineup. This thing has roots way back into some of the greatest bands in rock history, so it's an honor for me to do it. But we don't have much happening. As far as [LAST IN LINE] gigs, there's not gonna be any gigs this year, and there might not be any next year. But, again, working on an album, and when those guys are ready to go, I'm ready to go. So we'll keep you posted on that."

During a June 11 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Vivian confirmed that he and LAST IN LINE bandmates were working on material for a possible fourth studio album. Asked what was going on with LAST IN LINE, Vivian said: "Not a lot, actually. There hasn't a lot been going on. Our last show was the first week of May last year at the M3 festival in Baltimore. Then right after that, I went touring with LEPPARD all through the summer, and, obviously, right after the summer tour with LEPPARD, I was dealing with [undergoing a bone marrow] transplant [as part of Vivian's battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma] and the chemo and stuff. So it's basically my fault [we haven't done more]. [Laughs] I've gotta kind of schedule things and get us back up and started again."

He continued: "But the short answer is we probably won't do anything this year. We're working on a record. We actually wrote the songs so long ago, I've practically forgotten them, but we do have an album written. We have four master tracks that we're currently working on. And the ball is in my court. I've gotta do guitar on those tracks. I've only done one so far. So once those four are finished, we'll probably release 'em, actually. I mean, we did write an album's worth of music, but I'm not sure if we'll put it all out as one thing. We might release it piecemeal, because getting back to albums and stuff, when you put out a record, it's just got such a short shelf life nowadays. So maybe it might be more beneficial for us to release two, three or four tracks at a time. And hopefully next year we'll get back into doing some shows. But it's been rough since our last show. We lost our road manager, roadie guy. It's not like DEF LEPPARD. We travel in sprinter vans and we have one roadie. And his name was Mark Weber, and, unfortunately, he passed away last July. And so next time we do go play, we'll be playing without Mark."

Campbell added: "It's been a rough ride with LAST IN LINE with the attrition rate. We lost [original LAST IN LINE bassist] Jimmy Bain to cancer on the eve of the release of our debut album. And we lost our manager, Steve Strange, three years ago to cancer. And now we lost Mark. But having said all of that, it is very, very cathartic for me to play on stage with LAST IN LINE. It really exercises the muscle of guitar playing furiously. It keeps me sharp and on top of my ga.me And the travel's hard, back-to-back shows, five or six hours every day in a sprinter van, cheese sandwiches, no sleep, but when we're on stage, it is just electrifying for me to play. It just kind of recharges my batteries. And then when I go back to DEF LEPPARD, I feel so, so confident about my playing again. So, yeah, I'd like to get back at it. I do miss it, to be honest. And there will be new music."

LAST IN LINE's third album, "Jericho", came out in March 2023 via earMUSIC. The LP was helmed by Chris Collier, who has previously worked with KORN and WHITESNAKE, among other bands. LAST IN LINE's first two albums were produced by former DOKKEN and current FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson.

In 2022, LAST IN LINE surprised fans by releasing a unique version of THE BEATLES classic "A Day In The Life", which was made available on the limited 12-inch silver collector's EP with the same name.

Formed in 2012 by Appice, Campbell and bassist Jimmy Bain — Ronnie James Dio's co-conspirators and co-writers on the "Holy Diver", "Last In Line" and "Sacred Heart" albums — LAST IN LINE's initial intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio's early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein.

LAST IN LINE's debut album, "Heavy Crown", was released in February 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl, landing at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Initially, the release had been preceded by tragedy when Bain unexpectedly died at the age of 68 on January 23, 2016. LAST IN LINE, honoring what they knew would be Bain's wish to keep the band moving, brought in Soussan and committed to sustained touring in support of the album before beginning work on the follow-up release, 2019's "II", which was also made available through Frontiers Music Srl.

Last fall, Soussantold Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of Rock Interview Series about the progress of the songwriting sessions for LAST IN LINE's fourth studio album: "We had got together, and in the crazy way that we do, we usually get together and get into a room. And we don't really bring in ideas. We just get into a room and plug in and start banging around and seeing what comes out, seeing what sounds cool. And we've got a whole bunch of embryonic ideas, and so we're working that at the moment. We do have to work around the DEF LEPPARD schedule, obviously; that's part of the parcel of what we do, and it's fine. And Viv has some personal things that he has to do as well, which is not my business to talk about. So that's going to mean where it's gonna be a little hard for us to get together as much to do this record. However, the 'Jericho' album, we got together and recorded half of those ideas just before the pandemic. It wasn't a plan. We found ourselves in L.A. 'Let's go into a studio and let's just do that.' And it turned out to be somewhat prophetic because of what happened with the pandemic. At least we had half an album to work on. But in the process of doing that, we found that we were able to work on a record remotely, using file transfers and doing things. So, half of 'Jericho' was done that way. And a lot of this album is probably going to be done in a similar kind of way as well. And the plan is probably to get back out on the road again after the summer of '25."

Asked if there has been any thoughts of maybe going out on a tour opening for a bigger band and getting more exposure to LAST IN LINE, Phil said: "It would be great, if it would work out and if everything made sense. Just prior to the pandemic, we were really on a good roll, and we had been going to Europe quite a lot and we had done tours opening for SAXON, for example, that was just terrific. It was a lot of fun for everyone on the tour together, and we had a great time. When that whole period came along, it really disrupted a lot of our plans. We had plans to go to South America, to Japan and back to Europe, a bunch of festivals in Europe, and all of that vaporized. And it's been hard trying to get that impetus back on track again. Not for any crazy reasons. One of the reasons, which is no secret, it's extremely expensive to try to get to Europe now, what with the kind of costs involved in touring — the fuel costs and the transportation costs and the way that the exchange rates have been, it's almost been a little prohibitive. And we've sort of been waiting for an opportunity to be able to go there and do that. We'd love to, sooner rather than later, I hope. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed."

Regarding how difficult is it for a band at the level of LAST IN LINE to make a profit going out on the road, Phil said: "It's not really about making a profit. It's about, basically, being able to cover everything, cover all the expenses. We're very passionate about what we do, and I think I am personally, and that's always been my mantra, is to be passionate about what I'm doing and let the money take care of itself. So it's not just about trying to make money, but sometimes it's just cost prohibitive to be able to do something. I mean, if you figure the expenses of — I don't wanna get into details, but once you start adding these numbers up, then you realize it's going to be really in the whole to do a tour. But if we can cover it and get close to covering it, then that's fine. I mean, thank God that we don't all live paycheck to paycheck and we're able to be able to do these things and get together with our fans in a way that works for everyone. I mean, that's the most important thing, is getting the music in front of the people who love our band and being able to find a way to do it."

In 2023, Vivian told Classic Rock magazine about the "Jericho" songwriting process: "One thing we insist on in LAST IN LINE is that we have to be in the room together when we cut the tracks, old school, because that's how we did the early DIO records with Ronnie [James Dio]. We started this record in January 2020 in L.A., intending to finish it that April, and then obviously COVID happened and things got… discombobulated. It wasn't until February 2022 that we were able to get back into the studio, but that break only made the record stronger."

Photo credit: Jim Wright (courtesy of earMUSIC)

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In a new interview with El Estepario Siberiano, DREAM THEATER's Mike Portnoy spoke about some of his early drumming inspirations. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I often say Keith Moon [THE WHO]. But there's a bunch of guys. Ringo Starr [THE BEATLES] was a huge, huge one for me. Neil Peart [RUSH] was a huge, huge one for me. But seeing the type of drummer Keith Moon was made me want to be an animated drummer, 'cause somebody like Ringo and Neil Peart, as much as they're my heroes, on stage, they're very subdued, whereas when I saw Keith Moon just bouncing sticks off and throwing and twirling, you couldn't take your eyes off him. I knew I wanted to be that kind of a drummer. And another one who gets such a beating, his reputation, but Lars Ulrich [METALLICA], believe it or not, was a big influence for me. And a lot of people give him a hard time over his technique and everything, but, to me, he was an influence for me because it was more than just drums. He was the leader of the band, he would write the setlist, he would deal with the fan clubs and the merchandise, and he was co-producing the albums and co-writing the music. He, to me, was a role model. And even to this day, he still is. I went and saw METALLICA a few weeks ago, and more than just the drumming, his personality and his presence, he was so important for METALLICA's success that, to me, that was the thing. And Neil Peart too — Neil wasn't just the drummer; he was the lyricist and he would oversee the artwork. So, it's drummers like that, that do more than just play the drums. Those are my role models."

Elaborating on Ulrich's influence on his drumming style, Portnoy said: "[Lars] was a pioneer for the style of music that METALLICA plays. When they came out in 1983 or whatever it was, that was a game changer. They were inventing an entire style of music, and he was at the forefront of it. So, you've gotta give him credit for that. And those first four albums, his drumming was very progressive — very aggressive and progressive. It wasn't until the 'Black Album' where he started to pull it back a little bit, but those first four albums I learned so much about metal drumming from those albums. And not just Lars, but also Dave Lombardo [SLAYER], Charlie Benante [ANTHRAX], Vinnie Paul [PANTERA], Mikkey Dee with KING DIAMOND — those were all big ones for me in in that kind of time period."

Back in 2016, Portnoy told Classic Rock magazine that the best lesson he learned from another musician was something he observed from Ulrich. He said: "Lars and I were doing an autograph session together for Tama drums, as we both had signature snare drums coming out at the same time, and he's in one of the biggest bands of all time, so I figured he'd be the type that wouldn't even look up and push the line along as quickly as possible, but he was actually the total opposite. He was so completely gracious with each and every person, and he'd look every single one of them in the eye and spend a few minutes asking them questions. That was a tremendous lesson for me. I've done signings with guys that are in one-hundredth of the band that METALLICA is, and they've had attitudes and wouldn't give fans the time of day. But watching one of the most famous drummers in the world have that kind of attitude, even after all these years, was really inspiring to me."

Portnoy told Sticks For Stones in 2015 that had "a tremendous amount of respect for Lars" as a drummer "even though [Ulrich] takes a beating in the drum community." He explained: "To me, his value is not necessarily in drumming, but it has to do with him being a part of a musical revolution that he was a huge, huge part of starting. He's been a tremendous asset to METALLICA, not only as a writer, but as a businessman and his abilities to market things and his ability to arrange music and his performance on stage — he's a very animated player on stage. And to me, I would rather watch somebody like Lars Ulrich on stage than one of these technical drummers that can do quadruple paradiddles at 240bpm. To me, that's boring. Who cares about that?"

He continued: "I'd rather be entertained and go to a show and watch a drummer and have somebody that makes me actually smile. So I don't judge drummers based on their technical ability; I judge them based on the overall package and what they bring to the music they're part of. And what Lars brings to the music of METALLICA is absolutely invaluable. So I could care less if his meter might be slightly up and down, or if his fills are slightly sloppy; I don't care about that. To me, there's way more to being a good drummer than precision and technique."

Mike Portnoy photo credit: Travis Shinn

Frank Bello, best known as the bassist of New York's legendary thrash metal pioneers ANTHRAX, joined forces with Spector basses to develop an all-new instrument. Dubbed the NC-4 Frank Bello, this bass is inspired by both Spector's rich history and iconic American bolt-on bass design. With its refined shape, radiused top, and uniquely contoured neck heel, the NC-4 is a player's dream, offering a nimbler and more playable approach to the classic bolt-on platform. Carefully designed with Frank, his NC-4 showcases a stunning metallic purple finish named Tina Rose, in honor of his mother and grandmother who supported his dream of playing music for a living. It is completed with a matching head­stock and complimenting purple acrylic block fingerboard inlays.

The NC-4 Frank Bello is crafted from the combination of an Alder body and a 1-piece Maple neck with a Maple fingerboard. When combined, these timeless tonewoods offer the perfect blend of warmth, brightness, and clarity, making it the perfect choice for Frank's massive and memorable bass lines. The neck itself offers a slim, yet comfortable profile modeled after some of Frank's most cherished vintage instruments for a "just right" feel. When it comes to electronics, Frank prefers to keep it simple with his signature EMG P/J set and a straightforward control layout with two volume controls and a master tone control. This effective control set allows players to blend and taper their tone quickly and easily. Finished off with vintage-inspired chrome tuners and a modern fully adjustable bridge, the NC-4 Frank Bello is ready to bring the noise on the world's biggest stages.

Speaking about the fact that ANTHRAX is one of the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal, along with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH, Bello said: "That was great, to be a part of the 'Big Four', to celebrate this great thrash thing. We all toured together for so long back in the day. And look, [playing] the Yankee Stadium [in New York with the 'Big Four' in September 2011], [that was] one of the highlights of my career. Four thrash bands playing Yankee Stadium. As a Yankee fan, a Bronx guy who grew up 10 minutes from the stadium, celebrating the music that I — let's face it — gave my life to, so to celebrate it like that… It was also the last show my grandmother saw ANTHRAX. We got my family a booth up in the Yankee Stadium, one of those booth things up there with the glass and stuff. I remember seeing her after the show, and she came with a wheelchair. We put her back in the car and stuff, and that was great. I still have her face saying that to me. 'That was so great, Frank. I loved it.' That's the woman, her and my mom, she's the one that started me and Charlie [Benante] — Charlie, the drummer of ANTHRAX — she's the one that said, 'Go do your thing. And never think about it. Just go be happy.' That's why she deserves to have a tribute through this bass. That color is her and my mom [who was Charlie's older sister]. My grandmother's Tina. And my mother's name is Rose. So it's Tina Rose. And that's the ultimate tribute. So wherever I go with this bass around the world, they're always gonna be there."

Frank played his first show with ANTHRAX in nearly a year and a half on October 12, 2024 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

Bello and ANTHRAX were supposed to perform at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky on September 27, 2024, but their show ended up being canceled due to severe weather.

Prior to Aftershock, Bello last played with ANTHRAX in May 2023 at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In April 2024 and early May 2024, Bello sat out ANTHRAX's South American tour as well as two U.S. festival dates due to "personal reasons." Filling in on those shows was ANTHRAX founding member and original bassist Dan Lilker, marking his first appearance with the band in 40 years. Lilker, who co-wrote and played on ANTHRAX's debut album "Fistful Of Metal", was also a member of STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH with Benante and ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian.

Bello played bass for Norwegian black metal veterans SATYRICON for the band's summer 2024 European festival appearances, including Hellfest in France and Tons Of Rock in Norway.

Frank released a memoir, "Fathers, Brothers, And Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, And Anthrax", in October 2021 via Rare Bird. The foreword to the book was written by KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons.