In a new interview with Soundterror, VENOM INC. bassist/vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan spoke about the circumstances that led to Jeff "Mantas" Dunn's announcement last December that the guitarist was officially out of the band. Tony said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "Mantas, he'd had a heart attack about four or five years ago and died. They brought him back to life, and about 11 weeks later, he was out touring again. But then he took a second heart attack, and then he was, like, 'My mind's fucked. And I don't wanna travel,' so he just stopped. He didn't wanna play any more live shows. So I was, like, 'Oh, shit. Well, what do I do? I've still got an album to do with Nuclear Blast. I've still got shows coming up that I could do, offers.' And I thought, 'Okay, well, I'll just carry on.' And I got Curran Murphy, who was with ANNIHILATOR and NEVERMORE, and his band had opened for me on a tour, and I thought, 'That's the guy [who can fill in for Mantas].' So I approached him, and that's who's now playing guitar. And the idea was originally that Mantas would get better and return, but he decided not to."

Dolan also addressed Mantas's comment from this past February that the guitarist was "fucking done with" VENOM INC. and that he would " never speak" to Dolan again. Asked if he has had any contact with Mantas since then, Dolan said: "Not after [that] statement. No. I was, like, 'Okay. Well, I don't get.' He was saying that there was no communication, but I have all the communication. Even my drummer was talking to him… And he was the one telling me, 'I'll talk to you next week. I'll talk to you next week.' I sent him a whole list of American dates and I said, 'I know you said you didn't wanna tour, but just let me know. You don't have to do all of them. You could come and do some of them. You come and play New York and then go home.' But he didn't wanna travel, so he wouldn't respond. He kept putting me off saying, 'I'll talk to you next week, I'll talk to you next week.' And then, all of a sudden, he was releasing videos and music… And I'm in the press telling everybody I'm waiting for him to come back and all the time he's recording new music. And then he blames me. It's, like, well, you left. You've just left. You recorded new music. You just done your videos. And now you blaming me. For what?

"He knew that Curran was covering for him, and Curran Murphy, every time anybody said to him, 'What's it like being in the band?', [he always said] 'I'm only here until Mantas gets better and comes back. That's all I'm here for.' He never committed to being in the band," Tony explained. "I never said it in the press. And they kind of were pointing at me as if I'm doing damage management. It's, like, what damage management? You were sick' You'd said you don't wanna tour. I'm hoping you want to, so I'm just waiting for you to come back.' And he never came back. So, for me to see the third time he did that to me, made statements in the press about what he was going to do… I get sent screenshots. People were going, 'Oh my God. I can't believe what he just said.' And I said, 'Neither can I.' And they're going, 'Well, did you talk?' I said, 'No, I'm still waiting for him to talk'. So I was just as shocked as everybody else.

"But at the end of the day, he's not dead," Tony continued. "And he's my brother and I love him, regardless of what he says about me or anything else. I couldn't love him for four years and then not like him in a week. So he's still my brother. When he [nearly] died, I was the first one there. I looked after him and his wife, and I was driving her to the hospital twice a day. And I bought him coffee machines and I was supporting them. And as soon as he could get out to earn money, I got out there to earn the money so they could be okay. So to then be like I didn't give a shit… And he was, like, 'Well, he was always working.' It's, like, well yeah, because I have to earn money, 'cause I live in London and I have to pay my rent. The band doesn't pay me enough. I have to have a job and I have a very demanding job, and so I do my job. So it wasn't that I didn't care and it wasn't that I was not communicating. He was not communicating, but blames me, of course. And it's, like, okay, well, he can blame me. But at the end of the day, I want him to not be dead and I want him to be at peace and not have another heart attack. And if this is how he is gonna survive, then great. That's good. It's better than not being here."

Asked if he thinks it's possible that one day he will sit down with Mantas and work things out between them, Dolan said: "Not now. He said too many bad things about me that are untrue, and it's not fair. And I just think, hang on. I'm the same person that I was back then, the same person that VENOM tried to destroy my band, the same person that they stole all my money, the same person that they embezzled and they didn't give me my publishing and I didn't get any money from advances, and I didn't get paid for any tours, and I never got paid for any albums. And they took my publishing money off my records, including [VENOM frontman] Cronos [Conrad Lant], and then laughed about it in public. It was, like, 'We get his money.' Now I go out and play shows. If I play 10 VENOM songs in a tour on a show, I don't get the money. They get the money. It's their royalties. So I'm still making that money for them, but I don't care about that.

"I brought Abbadon [original VENOM drummer Antony Bray] back [to play with VENOM INC.] after everything he did because I didn't care. Mantas was, like, 'Don't bring him back after everything he did.' And I was, like, 'But it's not important to me.' Money's not important to me. I mean, if I can eat and sleep and I have a house and I have a car that works and I have food and clothes and everybody's okay, that's all right. I don't need more than that. But what I do wanna do is play music and meet people. That's why I'm doing this. So I don't care. And I thought in the back of my mind, [Abaddon] changed. He'd grown up. And he's in his sixties. He's not gonna be the same. But I was wrong. And Mantas said to me, 'I told you. I told you he wouldn't change.' And I was, like, 'Okay.' And so they wanted him not to be in the band anymore. And I fought for several months to keep him in the band. And eventually [Abaddon] walked away and then blamed me. I was, like, 'Okay. Right.' So, they all blame me for their own demise. And it's, like, 'Well, I'm just doing what we set out to do, what we agreed to do, and I haven't changed my mantra, and I'm not going to change it. This is what we decided to do, and I wanted you to be part of it, not not to be part of it.'"

As for the possibility of Dolan, Mantas and Abaddon ever playing together again, Tony said: "No, never. No. No. And I don't think [there is any chance of the original VENOM reunion either]… Well, that's up to Cronos, but that's never gonna happen either, because they did the same thing to him. They said so many bad things about him and did so many bad things towards him. And now because they haven't got VENOM, they wanna [say], 'Let's forget about all that.' Well, he doesn't need to, does he? He's still VENOM. He still plays his shows. He's still making albums. He's signed to Spinefarm. He doesn't need them. He has a band. So I don't know, but I can't see that happening. But certainly for myself, no. I'm much happier not being oppressed by them. I don't have to deal with any of the bad politics or any of their bullshit. I don't have to. I can just be free and just play music, and that's all I wanna do."

Dunn formed VENOM INC. nearly a decade ago with two other former VENOM members, Dolan and Bray.

In his announcement that he was leaving VENOM INC., Dunn said that his "health and wellbeing are of paramount importance to myself and my family," but added that "there are also more personal issues which have influenced my decision."

Mantas sat out VENOM INC.'s fall 2023 U.S. tour after revealing that his wife had been diagnosed with cancer. He was replaced on the trek by Mike Hickey, known for his work with VENOM, CARCASS, CATHEDRAL and CRONOS.

VENOM INC. is not to be confused with the Lant-fronted version of VENOM, which is continuing to tour and make albums under the VENOM moniker. Joining Cronos in that group are Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums.

VENOM's classic lineup trio of Dunn, Lant and Bray recorded four studio LPs, "Welcome To Hell" (1981),"Black Metal" (1982),"At War With Satan" (1984) and "Possessed" (1985),and live album, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" (1986). Often cited by bands such as METALLICA, BEHEMOTH, CELTIC FROST and MAYHEM as major influences, they are one of the most revered bands of their generation. VENOM is still fronted by Cronos and headlines festivals all over the globe and continues to release new music while Dunn and Dolan had joined forces in the similarly named VENOM INC.

In a new interview with Tom Wilson of Australia's Sense Music Media, Sebastian Bach reflected on SKID ROW's 1992 tour with PANTERA as the support act. The former SKID ROW singer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, it was wild. I remember being on the bus pulling into Philadelphia, and we got a call and they go, 'We've been kicked out of the hotel.' I go, 'What do you mean? I'm not even fucking there yet. How can I get kicked out if I'm not there?' And they go, 'Well, Dimebag [PANTERA guitarist Darrell Abbott] and Snake [SKID ROW guitarist Dave Sabo] did acid' — I mean, this is going way back; hey, kids don't get any ideas; it was a different time — but they go, 'Yeah, Dimebag and Snake did acid and Dimebag got a knife out and stabbed the couch in the lobby of the hotel.' And I go, 'Holy fuck, man.' So there's a couple stories that are pretty crazy like that. But he didn't stab any people — just the couch."

Asked if he thinks there are any modern rock stars out there, Bach responded: "Well, you might not be anticipating this, but I think Liam Gallagher from OASIS is completely hilarious. When I watch his interviews [laughs] — he is, to me, a rock star. When he said, 'Look,' he goes, 'Look, all I wanted out of life was a large-screen HDTV and a fit bird,' which is a hot chick. That's all I fucking want — that's all I want. Hey, Liam, you're speaking for me too. And I got a bunch of HDTVs, and my chick is fit as a fiddle. [Laughs]"

Back in 2015, Bach told Australia's "The Morning Show" that PANTERA was the "craziest" band to tour with. "I warm up my voice doing scales — all this boring vocal stuff — and they would warm up by doing 14 shots of Crown Royal [whisky]," he said. "'We're ready! Let's go!'"

After Dimebag was murdered on stage in December 2004, Bach released a lengthy message in which he said that "it was an absolute dream to stand on the side of the stage every night witnessing PANTERA's rise to fame, night after night, city after city," when SKID ROW and PANTERA toured together in 1992. "To have those crazy fuckers as my friends was something I will never forget," he said.

Bach is continuing to tour in support of his "Child Within The Man" album, which came in May 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music.

"Child Within The Man" — Sebastian's first album in more than 10 years — was well received, with Associated Press saying, "It shows a fierce performer in prime fighting form… his vocals remain sharp and his songwriting talents as cunning as ever," while Ultimate Classic Rock noted: "Bach's voice has lost none of its rage or range, even in the highest registers…" In addition, the album's "(Hold On) To The Dream" track was included in Consequence's "30 Best Metal & Hard Rock Songs Of 2024" which described the song as "a late-career masterpiece from the former SKID ROW singer. Baz hits some of the highest notes of his career on the sweeping ballad, an inspiring anthem about perseverance."

On the touring front, Sebastian performed a record 91 shows in 2024. The dates included two successful North American tours — one around the release of the album, followed by another leg of fall shows — and a series of overseas appearances just before the album's release.

This past January, Sebastian was back on TV when he appeared on Food Network's "Worst Cooks In America Celebrity Edition: Heroes vs. Villains". In addition, in June 2024 Sebastian was the subject of an A&E "Biography: Rock Legends" special. This followed his 2023 appearance as "Tiki" on Fox's "The Masked Singer".

"Child Within The Man" was recorded in Orlando, Florida; produced and mixed by Michael "Elvis" Baskette; engineered by Jef Moll, assistant engineered by Josh Saldate and mastered by Robert Ludwig of Gateway Mastering. Bach wrote or co-wrote all the album's 11 tracks and sang all lead and backing vocals.

"Child Within The Man" features guest appearances from John 5 (MÖTLEY CRÜE, ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON),Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) and Orianthi (ALICE COOPER, MICHAEL JACKSON) — who all co-wrote their respective tracks with Bach — and two tracks co-written with ALTER BRIDGE's Myles Kennedy ("What Do I Got to Lose?" and "To Live Again"). Devin Bronson (guitars),Todd Kerns (bass) and Jeremy Colson (drums) round out the players on the album.

Prior to "Child Within The Man"'s arrival, Bach hadn't released a full-length disc since "Give 'Em Hell", which came out in March 2014.

Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE were rejoined by their former singer Howard Jones on Sunday, June 22 at the second show of the "Summer Of Loud" tour at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida. Jones made an appearance for the song "The Signal Fire", sharing the lead vocal duties with KILLSWITCH's longtime frontman Jesse Leach. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

In a January 2025 interview with Nik Nocturnal, Leach spoke about KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's status as one of the leaders of the so-called New Wave Of American Heavy Metal scene, alongside such acts as SHADOWS FALL, LAMB OF GOD, UNEARTH and GOD FORBID. He said: "I think I'd be remiss not to mention the behemoth that is Howard Jones as well. Him at the helm really took what we started out as sort of, like, I'd say fairly underground. That first record is not commercially viable. [2002's] 'Alive Or Just Breathing' was when we started to lean into that, but [2004's] 'The End Of Heartache' [which was Howard's first album with KILLSWITCH], to me, is when that band just blew up into the stratosphere. So I can't not mention that legacy. And to be able to be part of the legacy with rotating members and we're still at it, that's unreal. On paper, it shouldn't work, but it does somehow."

Regarding how KILLSWITCH ENGAGE ended up inviting Jones to make a guest appearance on "The Signal Fire", a song on the band's 2019 album "Atonement", Leach said: "I felt it was important in my heart. Those guys had to work some stuff out internally between them and Howard — a lot of unspoken stuff, which I respect highly that they kept it out of the public eye. They had to just settle some things. Once that was done and he started up again with — it was DEVIL YOU KNOW at the time, which turned into LIGHT THE TORCH, I'd always admired him. I always thought he was an incredible vocalist. I would even take it back to even before BLOOD HAS BEEN SHED, he was in a band called DRIVEN. And his band used to play with my band CORRIN, and I remember the first time seeing him sing and scream, and being, like, 'This guy, he's different. He doesn't sound like anybody else' that was doing it at the time. And back then, you're young; we didn't really know each other that well, and respecting him as a vocalist, but not really knowing him. So when it was water under the bridge and he started to show face and he came out to a show in Canada, it was the first time I got to hang with him and actually talk to him, which led to an entire evening of us hanging hard. He doesn't drink, but I was drinking. And I got enough liquid courage in me to sit him down and look him in the face, like, 'Dude, you know what, man? I've gotta tell you this. Out of respect for you, I've never had to sing anyone else's material. I was reluctant to do that when I rejoined the band. I was, like, 'Oh, this is awkward. I didn't write these lyrics.' I didn't know how I was gonna connect with them, but it became such a huge inspiration to me. And 'The Arms Of Sorrow' was the first song that really hooked me in. And I told Howard, I was, like, 'That song is what brought me in. You are great at what you do and I need to tell you to your face. People have tried to divide us and compare us and I have so much respect for you.' And then, within a half hour, he's, like, showing me LIGHT THE TORCH demos. And I'm, like, 'Dude. DEVIL YOU KNOW was good, but LIGHT THE TORCH, you're shining in this. This is really cool.' And then, at the end of the night, we're arm and arm singing old-school hip-hop songs together. We became friends. And then from there, it was, like, okay, so he's back. He's part of the legacy. He's part of the family."

Leach continued: "[In August 2018, Howard] was in London doing press while we were opening for IRON MAIDEN, and I knew he was gonna be around. So, of course, we invited him out, like, 'Let's just hang with Howard.' As we were walking to the arena in London, I looked over and was, like, 'Dude, you should do 'The End Of Heartache' tonight on your own. Are you cool with that?' He's, like, 'Yeah. Let me just listen to it 'cause I haven't listened to it for years.' I was, like, 'Cool. You've got a couple hours, man. Just get up on that stage and do what you do. It'd be good for everybody.' So there's a picture of him online with us. And the wheel started turning. And as I was writing 'The Signal Fire', which comes from the scene in 'The Lord Of The Rings' where they're lighting the fires on top of the mountain; to me it was like this call to arms and it was a song about unity. I'm, like, 'Dude, why don't we get Howard? It's perfect. The song is about unity. It's about asking for help.' And the back end of this story is this is pre-vocal surgery. I was having a hard time because I was singing on polyps for about 10 years, according to the doctors. I was singing on broken vocal folds for 10 years. Making of 'Atonement' was when it all went to shit. And I was having a hard time hitting simple notes. And Adam's [Dutkiewicz, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist and producer], like, 'Something's not right with you, dude.' So within two days of that, we had Howard flown out. And he jumped in the studio. I had to be quiet. I sat there and listened to him record 'The Signal Fire'. I went home, went to see the doctor. The doctor's, like, 'Bad news. Put the tour on hold, album on hold. You need to sit and be quiet. We're gonna pump you up with a bunch of drugs. Hopefully there's something we can do for you, which led to me three months of complete silence and vocal surgery and total, like, 'I don't know if I'm gonna be able to do this anymore.' So, interesting timing of him coming in… And in my mind, it was, like, worst-case scenario, I'm done. He's already on the record. Maybe he just finishes the record up and I passed the torch to him. So that's the backstory to it all. But thankfully I was able to continue on."

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's latest album, "This Consequence", came out on February 21, 2025 via Metal Blade. "This Consequence" is KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's ninth album overall, and sixth with Leach, who rejoined the band in 2012.

During the latest episode of "The David Ellefson Show" podcast, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson reflected on the 2010 Jägermeister Music Tour featuring the original 1991 "Clash Of The Titans" lineup: MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That [2010] tour, technically it was kind of a 'Clash Of The Titans' — it was ANTHRAX, SLAYER and MEGADETH. It didn't have a rotating lineup. It was just that lineup the whole tour. But we couldn't use the name 'Clash Of The Titans'. Apparently they had done another [action fantasy] movie [using that title] since 1991, and so we couldn't get the name. So Jägermeister was the sponsor, so it just became the Jägermeister tour featuring SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX."

Ellefson continued: "I remember that was always such a thing. Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] hated playing before SLAYER. We've always played before SLAYER, even when we went out and did L'Amour and City Gardens in Trenton back in 1985. And just because SLAYER was a band before we were, they kind of naturally would be given that closing slot. But I tell you what, even though [we] were always co-headliners with SLAYER, I felt like… that middle slot is always the best slot, because, to me, I feel like, look, ANTHRAX fans are gonna stay, especially if they're SLAYER fans. All the MEGADETH fans, of course, are gonna stay. The SLAYER fans have to stay 'cause they're waiting to see SLAYER. So it's like, we got everybody. It was the creamy center, because after we played, sometimes the venue — it didn't clear out 'cause it's SLAYER playing, but if you're a MEGADETH [or] ANTHRAX fan and you're not a SLAYER fan, you might not stay. So, to me, being in that middle slot was always the best position."

The so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX — played together for the first time in history on June 16, 2010 in front of 81,000 fans at the Sonisphere festival at Bemowo Airport in Warsaw, Poland and shared a bill again for six more shows as part of the Sonisphere series that same year. They reunited again for several dates in 2011, including the last "Big Four" concert, which was held on September 14, 2011 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Since then, METALLICA, SLAYER and ANTHRAX have played a number of shows together, including the 2013 Soundwave festival in Australia. They also performed at the 2014 Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Back in 2018, Mustaine said that he would love play a "Big Four" show where all the bands "got treated fairly" instead of METALLICA performing a longer set and getting more stage space than the other groups on the bill. "It always kind of soured to me when you watch [METALLICA guitarist] Kirk Hammett say on the DVD ['The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria'], when they're praying, and he says that 'we're the Big One,'" Mustaine told SiriusXM. "That just kind of shows you how the mentality was there — that it really wasn't the 'Big Four'; it was METALLICA and then the three of us."

Mustaine added: "I would love to see it done in a way where we all got treated fairly and we all played together, same amount of time, same kind of stage situation, but I don't think that's gonna happen. And it's cool, because SLAYER's gonna down in history, and they don't need the 'Big Four' to make them any more legendary than they already are. Nor do I."

Twelve years ago, SLAYER frontman Tom Araya said that the only thing that was standing in the way of further "Big Four" shows was "the politics of character in one particular band," with some fans speculating that he was talking about Mustaine and MEGADETH.

In his autobiography, "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir", Mustaine addressed the issue of where his band fit in the "Big Four" order. According to The New York Times, he assured the reader that he was not offended by being put behind SLAYER. But he added an interior monologue: "O.K., we'll play ahead of you guys on this trip, and God willing we'll do it again sometime in the near future and we can flip things around."

Mustaine was a member of METALLICA for less than two years, from 1981 to 1983, before being dismissed and replaced by Hammett. He went on to form MEGADETH and achieve worldwide success on his own.

Mustaine feuded with the members of METALLICA for more than two decades before finally patching things up over the last few years. He has jammed with his ex-bandmates on several occasions during "Big Four" shows and at METALLICA's 30th-anniversary concerts in 2011.

In a new interview with Mandy Malon of Germany's Rock Hard magazine, drummer Fred Estby of long-running Swedish death metallers DISMEMBER spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's long-awaited new studio album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a little bit problematic. I live in the U.S. Richard [Cabeza, bass] lives in Belgium. The other three live in Sweden. So it's very hard to… And I'm, like, 'Okay, let's not do anymore shows for next year.' And then we're, like, 'Yeah, okay. Let's start working on the album for real,' like planning on what studio we're gonna record it in and all that. And then suddenly it's like, oh, we've got 10 to 15 more shows next year. So we're kind of, like, oh, we can't just say no to shows either. So it's kind of, like, 'All right. We have to do the shows.' Now we have to prioritize to play the shows. But it will come."

Asked if he already has a "vision" for how he wants the next DISMEMBER album to sound, Fred said: "Yeah. I do not want it to sound modern. We all agree on that. So, actually, what I would like to do, if possible, is to record it the way we did back in '91 — reel-to-reel tape and old microphones and all that. So that's what we're gonna try to do, I think."

He added: "I think it's gonna be good. We just need the time to plan it out, 'cause we don't wanna release something that is not a hundred percent either."

Last November, Estby told Mark Kadzielawa of 69 Faces Of Rock about how he and his DISMEMBER bandmates decided to return to playing live shows after reuniting seven years ago: "I moved to the United States in 2016. I toured — I'm a sound engineer, so I did a lot of front-of-house jobs for other bands, touring with other bands. And people sometimes came up to me and would be, like, 'Are you Fred from DISMEMBER?' I'm, like, 'Yeah, why?' 'You guys should tour again. You guys should play again.' And I'm, like, 'Yeah, whatever.' People say that and they don't really mean it. But after a couple of years, like around 2017, I was, like, 'Oh, maybe there is a real interest that is big enough for us to maybe think about playing together.' And we were not all on the same page then, but we let it go. So we kind of forgot about it. But then around 2018, we started getting real offers to do festivals and so on. And people were actually saying that, like, 'Whatever you want, whatever you need within reason, we want you to play.' So, we finally got on the same page, all of us, and we were, like, 'Yeah, let's do it again. Let's see how this goes.'"

Asked what he and other members of DISMEMBER are doing differently now that they didn't do before, Fred said: "We do not do any long tours. We don't do more than two shows in one weekend. If we start touring again, you're gonna start seeing the bad sides of being away from your family and your home and your work, and you can't take off from work. We all have careers that we don't wanna give up. So, that's number one. Number two is that we promised each other that any show or any decision that we do for the band is gonna be — everybody has to be in, all five of us. If that's not happening, then it's not gonna happen. And number two was that we said that if it's not fun, we shouldn't do it. We need to know that we're having as much fun as we did when we started out, so that we're laughing, there's more positivity than negativity around the shows we're doing. That was really important to us. And that's why we keep it like this. People are, like, 'Oh, you should come tour.' Or, 'If you could be on the road instead, we could pay a little less for you guys to come play. And then you can play more shows and all that.' Yeah, but that is the problem. Then you start compromising on your own terms. So we're never gonna do that. We're never gonna tour. If we play more than two shows in one week, that's gonna be very rare, and it has to be very special. Otherwise, we keep it like this. And that makes it fun for us, for the audience, and we also know that there's gonna be good quality for all the shows that we're playing."

In a May 2024 interview with Hells Headbangers' Justin Horval, DISMEMBER vocalist Matti Karki spoke about a possible follow-up to the band's 2008's album "Dismember". He said: "I know we have to do something. First of all, we need to, or we want to, keep our style, but still it has to be different in a way, because there's a lot of bands who does the old stuff. So we have to find our new niche, what we're doing. But at this moment, I think we have a couple of riffs. The guys have been writing at home. We haven't heard it. We haven't done anything. The only thing we've been talking about, yeah, we need to do a new album. And we have to find a way to make songs across three different countries — Fred in the States, three of us in Sweden, and one in Belgium… We'll see what happens since we only talked about it."

Earlier in May 2024, Cabeza was asked by RichardMetalFan if there is any possibility of fans getting some new music from DISMEMBER soon. He responded: "For sure, man. It's happening. When, I can't tell you right now. But we have talked about writing new music. We are writing new music individually, but we haven't started to write music together as a band. We have been so busy with playing shows the past couple of years and doing all this other stuff. But I think we're getting closer and closer. Let's see what happens next year in 2025. Maybe we'll actually start putting some songs together. But a hundred percent, a new DISMEMBER album will happen. No doubt, no doubt. But we have very high expectations on ourselves as a band to release a new album."

In August 2023, Estby was asked by Arto Lehtinen of Metal Rules if it is harder to write new songs because DISMEMBER has a huge legacy. Fred responded: "It's not hard at all. So the thing is, we have a license deal with Nuclear Blast. We have an option to do one or two more albums. Great. We can do whenever we want, which is even more perfect for us. So we can take our time and we're going to take our time because we're not going to release something that is half-assed. We're going to be very critical about [it], especially since it's been such a long time since the last album. And I love the DISMEMBER album that I'm not even on that was released in 2008. It's a great album. If you're going to release an album now as a reunited band in two thousand and fucking twenty-three, twenty-four, you're going to have to try to match like ever before. You cannot be shy of that. We're going to be very critical about it and that's going to take some time because we don't live in the same cities like we hang out every day."

In July 2022, it was announced that DISMEMBER had once again partnered with Nuclear Blast Records, the label that released the band's 1990 demo, "Reborn In Blasphemy", their 1991 debut album, "Like An Everflowing Stream", as well as the four records that would follow. In celebration of this announcement, a fully remastered version of "Like An Everflowing Stream" was made available on streaming services worldwide after it had been absent for quite some time.

"Like An Everflowing Stream" — hailed by many as one of the best death metal albums of all time — was the first entry in a reissue campaign of the entire DISMEMBER back catalog, which was recently remastered from the original albums.

Between 1988 and 2011, DISMEMBER earned a notorious reputation as the "MOTÖRHEAD of death metal", through eight classic albums and furious live shows around the globe. The band was formed by Robert Sennebäck, David Blomqvist and Fred Estby in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1988 and has long since been regarded as one of the originators of the trademark Swedish death metal sound, next to other pioneering bands such as ENTOMBED, GRAVE and UNLEASHED. DISMEMBER recorded a couple of independently released demos before their 1990 demo cassette, "Reborn In Blasphemy", with Matti Kärki on vocals and ENTOMBED's Nicke Andersson taking over most lead guitar parts, got picked up for a wider release by Nuclear Blast Records. In 1991, "Like An Everflowing Stream" saw the light of day, which was recorded by Tomas Skogsberg at the now-legendary Sunlight Studios, and featured Richard Cabeza (UNANIMATED) on bass. DISMEMBER released its acclaimed sophomore album, "Indecent & Obscene", in 1993, which to this day remains their most successful output. Three more albums would follow on Nuclear Blast, "Massive Kiling Capacity" (1995),"Death Metal" (1997) and "Hate Campaign" (2000),until the band decided to switch labels. They released two more albums, "Where Ironcrosses Grow" (2004, Karmageddon Records) and "The God That Never Was" (2005, Regain) before Estby announced his departure for family reasons in 2007. Their last album, "Dismember", followed in 2008 and the band officially broke up in 2011. After an eight-year hiatus, the band's original lineup reunited for a 30th-anniversary gig at Scandinavia Death Fest in October 2019, performing together for the first time in over 20 years.

DISMEMBER is:

Fred Estby (Drums)
David Blomqvist (Guitars)
Robert Sennebäck (Guitars)
Matti Karki (Vocals)
Richard Cabeza (Bass)

Photo credit: Nathaniel Shannon

Chris Adler has once again opened up about his departure from LAMB OF GOD, explaining that it was "as big of a shock" for him as it was for the fans for him to be fired from what he considered to be his "identity".

LAMB OF GOD officially parted ways with the drummer in July 2019. He was replaced by Art Cruz, who had previously played with PRONG and WINDS OF PLAGUE, and filled in for Adler on several LAMB OF GOD tours in 2018 and early 2019.

Adler, who has also played drums with a number of metal artists, including MEGADETH, NITRO, BLOTTED SCIENCE and PROTEST THE HERO, spoke about the circumstances that led to his exit from LAMB OF GOD in a new interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET. He said: "People are interested in, 'What the fuck happened?' There was an incident in 2018 when I had a motorcycle accident on an island outside of Thailand that really messed up my shoulder, but that was resolved quickly. I had a great surgeon who works for the Indianapolis Colts, who got me up and running. In three or four months, I had as much motion and strength as before. That wasn't an issue.'

He continued: "First of all, I'm doing great, but it took a long time to get to this point. Right around the time I left, there were a lot of things going on. My mother was very sick. She ended up passing. I was going through a really terrible divorce. If you've been a fan of LAMB and followed us from the beginning, there are enough stories to go around. Number one, I really put all of myself into this project. Two, we were, in general, a very dysfunctional family that was rolling around, trying to figure it out. In many ways, that worked well for us. It pushed us to push each other to be better. It wasn't something that anybody wanted to walk away from. We knew we might not always be best friends, but in pushing each other, we made something fairly unique.'

Chris added: "Right at the same time, it was around 2003, I started noticing something with my right foot doing weird things when I didn't want it to be doing weird things. It wasn't too often, and it didn't mess up anything for a long time. Slowly, it got worse. By around 2016, I was touring with LAMB and MEGADETH, and it was making a difference in the show in that there were points where I felt like I couldn't control it. I started going through all sorts of physical and occupational therapy. Working out, not working out, yoga — whatever I could do to figure out what was going on. I ended up in a place in Richmond called Neurological Associates, which, because of the symptoms, had me bring in my pedals to solve what was going on. They sent me to the neurological center at VCU, which is a big school here that has connections with Johns Hopkins. They put me through a battery of tests, and I was diagnosed with a thing called musician's dystonia."

Adler went on to say that it took him a long time to be willing to publicly discuss his battle with musician's dystonia, which is described as "a task-specific movement disorder causing involuntary muscle contractions and impaired motor control while playing a musical instrument." He explained: "I haven't wanted to talk about it before now. It's really a death sentence in many ways. But Alex Webster [bass, CANNIBAL CORPSE] had brought it up, and I'm friends with him. I recently saw the NICKELBACK documentary. I'm not the biggest NICKELBACK fan, but it's a great documentary. Their drummer [Daniel Adair] went through the same thing. He had the same issues as I, where it's a death sentence. It's called 'task-specific focal dystonia.' It's in my foot in this case. It happens to people who perform a repetitive motion for an extended amount of time, like quarterbacks, golfers, first-chair violinists and a lot of guitar players. It's not as common for drummers, but I know a few people who have the symptoms but never got diagnosed. I'm pretty sure it's more common than they are aware of. The nerves that are telling my foot to do this are worn out. Eventually, it stops doing what you want it to do. In the case of dystonia, it causes things like depression, but the nerve gives your foot the signal. At the same time, it misfires. It uses the muscles that would go opposite to the intended motion. If I were trying to depress my right foot, often it would lift or shoot to the side or shoot back. It kept getting worse and worse. That happened at the same time that all this stuff did. I took the medical work to the band. They knew I was in the middle of a big divorce."

Chris continued: "Like I said, we were dysfunctional. We weren't always best friends. It was strained. Whoever was not in the room was getting picked on. I was the guy out of the room. I think one of the things that, from my perspective, and I don't mean to speak for anybody, I think when I took the MEGADETH gig, that really strained things even further. Nobody said, 'We don't want you to do it,' or 'You're cheating on us.' That was still the vibe, then when MEGADETH won a Grammy, that pushed it further. I won a [Juno, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy] with the other band that I joined, PROTEST THE HERO, a couple of years prior. It just snapped, and that was it. I went to them and said, 'This doesn't happen all the time. It happens on these particular songs. Can we work around it? We have a pretty large body of work.' Nobody wanted to do that. There wasn't anything I could do about it.

"That was very difficult for me," Chris added. "In many ways, that band was my identity. It's everything that I worked for. I spiraled. My mom passed, divorce — it was a messy, messy time for me to try to pull myself up and try to feel 'I'm going to be okay.' It did take a while, to be honest. Maybe about a year into that, I was just trying to find myself and even define what chapter two would look like; the only way around dystonia is to re-learn how to play. In that case, your right foot as a drummer is your lead foot. I worked out and talked to the doctors and specialists about changing it. Now, I lead with my left foot, which throws the right foot in a loop mentally. I have to build a different connection for it to work. That connection is now strong. I'm able to do it well, but not some of the things I was doing in LAMB. It's a relief not having to do those things because I was coming offstage really depressed about the shows we were having."

When interviewer David E. Gehlke noted that "it was a surprise" to the fans when Chris left LAMB OF GOD, considering how involved he was in the band's activities, Adler said: "It was as big of a shock to me. It was, 'I don't know how to make this work.' I wasn't given much of a choice. It was one of those e-mails: 'Services no longer required.' It took a while to dig out of that. I'm happy I did. It could have gone a different way. Today, I'm grateful and happy for where I am. Like I said, my home life is awesome, and I'm looking forward to doing some shows with these guys [in the FIRSTBORNE project], having more fun and feeling a lot less pressure."

Asked if he is still in touch with his brother, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Willie Adler, Chris said: "I guess the best way to put it is that I was sideswiped with the whole thing. I wish him all the best; I'm wishing them all the best, and I think about him all the time, but I would say we are estranged. Since that e-mail that I got, where he was not even willing to talk to me about it, we haven't spoken."

Chris added: "At this point, I've got to work through resentments and regrets and all that stuff. I'm happy where I'm at. I hope he's happy where he is. Everything is cool with me."

Chris Adler's full interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET will be published later this week.

Back in September 2020, Willie was asked in an interview with "The Vanflip Podcast" how his brother was doing. Willie said at the time: "You would have to ask him… I would like to think that he's doing well, and I really want him to be doing well. I just haven't talked to him. I really want him to be doing well."

Willie also talked about the emotional complexities of playing in LAMB OF GOD without his brother, who had co-founded the band more than three decades ago.

"I mean, he's my brother, so we have shit that nobody else has," Willie said. "And till the day we both die, we'll always have that bond. But at the same time, LAMB OF GOD is bigger than any one dude, and to do what's best for LAMB OF GOD and where we are now, I think we did what's best for LAMB OF GOD and where the band is currently."

Last month, Chris Adler was asked by Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio if he would ever rejoin LAMB OF GOD. Chris responded: "Um, would I step in to do it again? Oh, man. I don't know that I would. It feels like it would be like, would you go on a date with your ex-wife that you still kind of pine for? And I don't think that would be a very good idea for either of us. I'll take the memories and the plaques and Grammys that I can show my parents or whatever, and we'll let it rest."

Adler previously addressed his departure from LAMB OF GOD in June 2020, saying that "everybody parted on good terms. I left my drum throne in good hands with Art, who has been a friend. I think I met Art when he was 17 years old — I've got a picture of me and him standing outside the bus when he stood there waiting for an autograph. So he and I have been friends for a long time. And, obviously, the guys in the band are not only family," referring to the fact that his brother Willie plays guitar for LAMB OF GOD, "but became great friends over 25 years. And it was quite a career that we had. It didn't end — I don't think anybody from either side would say it ended really particularly well in that I think we all hoped and dreamed and wanted all the same thing but just couldn't seem to get ourselves on the same page, for whatever reason.

"As much as I loved doing what I was doing, it certainly seems like it was kind of a good time to maybe step away," he added. "And I think everybody wins in that regard. And I wish the best for them, and I'm sure they do… You have to speak to them — I'm not sure — but I hope they do for me.

"I didn't leave because I didn't want to be involved with music or play the drums. [And] I didn't leave the band because I was wanting to do something too heavy or too light or anything like that. It was just kind of a mutual crossroads… The shoe didn't fit anymore on either side.

"I'm happy to have had been a part of it. I think if I was [still] in that band, I would be pushing even further than what we've ever done before."

Chris's new band FIRSTBORNE, in which he is joined by guitarist Myrone and vocalist Girish Pradhan (GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES, THE END MACHINE),will release its debut full-length album, "Lucky", on July 18 via M-Theory Audio. The LP was recorded with acclaimed producer Eugene "Machine" Freeman (CLUTCH, KING CRIMSON, CROBOT).

In a new interview Terrie Carr of WDHA-FM 105.5 FM, the rock music station licensed to Dover and Morristown, New Jersey, EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee spoke about the band's plans for new music, less than three months after releasing the "Afterlife" single from the Netflix series "Devil May Cry". Amy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We had just gone into the studio for the first little bit right before recording 'Afterlife'. So it was in between the end of… We sort of finished our main tour last year, at the end of the year. So we went in between with [producer] Nick [Raskulinecz] and did a few songs, went back on the road. And then 'Afterlife' was happening. So we came back and did that really fast and went back on the road. It's been just a lot, but really invigorating and really fun, and I'm just having a 'YOLO' [acronym that stands for 'You Only Live Once'] moment. I have no time to waste. Let's do this."

She continued: "Ever since last time, we started thinking about things differently in terms of, like, you have to make a whole album, put it all out at once. The pandemic hit and we had four songs recorded and we weren't finished making songs for our album. And so we just started putting them out, 'cause at that time it was, like, 'Well, who knows when this is ever gonna end, if it ever does? So let's put out our music.' And that felt so good, to be able to have the satisfaction of the engagement and the release of songs when they're still fresh and we're still working on the album and it's happening in real time that I want this year to feel like that. I wanna be just releasing things, whether it's for our album or some kind of cool side project thing. Just doing that throughout the year and then probably full release will be early next year."

Lee also talked about EVANESCENCE's touring plans for the coming months, saying:  "We've got a show with MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE in September. A random one-off. Super cool. And we've got a stadium tour with METALLICA in Australia in October. Several radio shows. Fun, just cool [events]. [We're playing with] Poppy, who I love and am friends with as well. So, just fun things only this year. Tons of creation stuff going on — that's the main gig — but in between really fun, worthy, little one-off shows."

"Afterlife" was co-written by critically acclaimed producer, songwriter and musician Alex Seaver, professionally known as Mako, and Lee and co-produced by Raskulinecz and Seaver.

"Afterlife" is featured in Netflix's adult animated urban fantasy action television series "Devil May Cry", which debuted at No. 4 week of release. The series, a critical darling in the adult animation genre, was recently renewed for a second season.

The video for "Afterlife" was shot in a historic (and supposedly haunted) house in Tennessee, and features some easter eggs that fans of "Devil May Cry" are sure to enjoy.

Earlier this month, EVANESCENCE and alt-rock visionary K.Flay teamed up for their first-ever collaboration on the song "Fight Like A Girl" (BMG). The track is featured as the first end title song in "Ballerina", the film set in the world of John Wick. Both the song and the film came out on June 6.

Co-written by Lee, K.Flay, Dylan Eiland and "Ballerina" film composer Tyler Bates, who also produced the track, "Fight Like A Girl" follows the release of Halsey and Lee's track "Hand That Feeds", the first original song recently revealed from the film in early May.

EVANESCENCE will kick off a run of live shows later this fall, making stops on "My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade" tour and Louder Than Life festival before joining METALLICA on their "M72" world tour.

In 2003, when the rock charts were dominated by predominantly male nü-metal and post-grunge acts, a young female-fronted band from Arkansas stood out from the crowd, offering something entirely new. They were EVANESCENCE — and with their debut album, "Fallen", they transformed the rock landscape. Led by Lee, EVANESCENCE's cinematic blend of metal and symphonic, piano-driven melodies captured a generation, while "Fallen" set the band on a path to global superstardom, earning them multiple Grammys, and becoming one of the highest-selling albums of all time.

Released in the spring of 2003, "Fallen" resonated deeply with fans, selling more than 141,000 copies in its first week and peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, where it spent an astonishing 43 weeks in the Top 10. Within a month, "Fallen" was certified platinum by the RIAA, while it was a Top 10 hit in more than ten countries, reaching No. 1 in the U.K., Canada, Australia, and across Europe. Much of the album's initial success can be attributed to its stratospheric singles, including "Bring Me to Life", which broke the Top 10 in more than 15 countries and topped Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 and Alternative Airplay charts. "My Immortal" was a Top 10 hit in over ten countries, including the U.S., U.K. and Australia.

At the 2004 Grammys, EVANESCENCE received five nominations, including "Album Of The Year", "Best Rock Album", "Best Hard Rock Performance" for "Bring Me To Life", and "Best New Artist", taking home the latter two. The following year, "My Immortal" received a nod for "Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals".

Today, "Fallen" holds steady as the sixth best-selling album of the 21st century (ranking just behind Lady Gaga's "The Fame" and ahead of COLDPLAY's "A Rush Of Blood To The Head") and remains one of the best-selling albums of all time, with more than 17 million copies sold worldwide. In 2022, "Fallen" received a rare diamond certification from the RIAA, which recognizes 10 million units in U.S. album sales. As a testament to the album's enduring appeal, the video for "Bring Me To Life" surpassed 1.2 billion views on YouTube, making it one of the most-watched rock videos of all-time while "My Immortal" follows close behind.

To date, EVANESCENCE has released a total of five studio albums, including the multi-platinum "The Open Door" (2004) and "Evanescence" (2011),both of which topped the Billboard 200. In 2021, the band thrilled fans with their first album of new material in a decade, "The Bitter Truth". Now 20 years on, EVANESCENCE continues to scale new heights. Featuring a lineup of Amy Lee (vocals, keyboards),Tim McCord (guitar/bass),Will Hunt (drums),Troy McLawhorn (guitars) and Emma Anzai (bass, backing vocals),the band continues to travel the globe, staging some of the most successful shows of their career, including Allianz Parque, a soccer stadium in Sāo Paulo, Brasil, which was the biggest headline show of EVANESCENCE's career to date, drawing 40,000 fans. EVANESCENCE's most recent single, "Afterlife" from the Netflix series "Devil May Cry", has had great success, with over 20 million streams and over 10 million views on YouTube in just the first few weeks. "Afterlife" is the fastest-moving single of the band's career.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

In a new interview with Graspop Metal Meeting, UGLY KID JOE vocalist Whitfield Crane and guitarist Klaus Eichstadt were asked about a possible follow-up to the "Rad Wings Of Destiny" album, which came out in October 2022. Crane responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've just basically finished tracking a full-length record with [UGLY KID JOE guitarist] Dave Fortman producing. It's getting mixed right now… So, we'll have a new album out, let's say within a year. And then hopefully we'll get some cool tours. And we'll share new music."

Eichstadt added: "The new record is basically in the can. We have a couple of little things to sprinkle and about five to seven songs to mix still and then we'll be ready."

"Rad Wings Of Destiny" saw UGLY KID JOE re-teaming producer Mark Dodson who was behind the desk for the band's debut album, "America's Least Wanted", which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022.

UGLY KID JOE will support LIFE OF AGONY on the European leg of the "30 Years Of Ugly" tour in November 2025.

In the spring of 2023, UGLY KID JOE completed its first U.S. tour in 27 years.

After a 15-year hiatus, UGLY KID JOE reformed in 2012 and has toured extensively throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

The band released the EP "Stairway To Hell" in 2012 and the full-length "Uglier Than They Used Ta Be" in 2015.

Five years ago, Crane told Eonmusic about UGLY KID JOE's huge success on the back of single "Everything About You" in 1991: "'Eye of the storm' is a good way to put it, because it just was all happening at a deadly fast gait. And it was a lot — it was beautiful and also very challenging, because there's a lot of people that surround the business of music that are full of shit. But when you're 23 [or] 24, you don't know how to negotiate that, so on one hand, it was super fun and we did all the things you should do at that age, and on the other hand, it was too much for me. But we survived it, and I can deal with it all now."

Image and live video credit: parpiperkele

DEF LEPPARD performed last night (Saturday, June 21) at the 6,500-capacity Lucas Oil Live at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of Fake Fan).

The veteran British rockers played their first concert of 2025 on January 18 at Feria Estatal De León in León, Mexico. As was the case with the band's October 14, 2024 private show in Nashville (as part of the Daimler Truck Customer Appreciation Event),DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell was unable to join his bandmates at the León gig and was replaced by John Zocco, who is Phil Collen's guitar tech. Campbell has since rejoined DEF LEPPARD on the road and played with his bandmates in May in San Juan, Puerto Rico and at the Boardwalk Rock festival in Ocean City, Maryland and on June 19 at the Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Late last year, Vivian underwent a bone marrow transplant as part of his treatment plan for Hodgkin's lymphoma, with which he was diagnosed in 2013.

Earlier this month, Campbell revealed that he is "completely in remission" from the cancer of the lymphatic system.

This past January, DEF LEPPARD released a cover of Ben E. King's 1961 classic "Stand By Me". All proceeds from the song are going to FireAid, which raises money for those impacted by the fires that swept through Los Angeles early this year.

DEF LEPPARD's version of the song is featured in the Netflix film "Bank Of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger", which was released on January 10. The band can be seen performing the track before the credits.

Campbell — who before joining DEF LEPPARD in 1992 was well known for his work with DIO and WHITESNAKE — went public with his Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis in June 2013.

Vivian underwent three separate spells of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, only for his Hodgkin's lymphoma to return.

Six years ago, Campbell underwent spine surgery.

Vivian and his DEF LEPPARD bandmates were finally inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2019 — 14 years after the British rockers first became eligible.

DEF LEPPARD's latest album, "Diamond Star Halos", arrived in May 2022 via UMe.

In a new interview with Evropa 2, LINKIN PARK bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell spoke about the band's current lineup, also including vocalist Mike Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, and DJ Joe Hahn, alongside new co-vocalist Emily Armstrong (of critically acclaimed band DEAD SARA) and drummer Colin Brittain. Regarding LINKIN PARK's decision to come back seven years after frontman Chester Bennington died by suicide, Farrell said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "In the history of the band, the most tragic thing for sure was losing Chester. There's nothing that would even come close, in the process of what we've been through. So to the effect that me, Brad, Mike and Joe, from that point forward, it took us years before we were even kind of comfortable getting back in a room and sitting down together and saying, like, do we wanna try to start writing again? Or do we even wanna do the band anymore? Do we wanna make music together? Is it called LINKIN PARK? My brain shut off to all of that and just said, 'I'm just gonna go be with my family. We're gonna do that.' Kind of like, 'I'll check in with you guys when I see you, but for right now, a bomb has just gone off and I need to kind of recover and figure that out.'"

Farrell continued: "I think it's like the cliché of time heals all wounds. It doesn't heal the wound, but it does give you an opportunity to try to look at things through a different lens and see what you can do or where you can kind of move forward or at least moves. I don't know if that makes any sense, but that's what I've learned in a couple different instances of dealing with tragedy is that it doesn't leave you — it stays with you — but you do figure out a way to, what is tomorrow? You do figure out a way to step into that. What are you gonna do? How are you gonna move? What's that gonna look like? And kind of try and take it one step at a time."

During the same chat, Brittain spoke about his approach to playing with LINKIN PARK as the replacement for the band's original drummer Rob Bourdon, who is not part of LINKIN PARK's comeback. Colin said: "Well, it's always a huge challenge with the band, with so much respect that we all look up to. You wanna do the best you can to represent Rob's creative and Chester's creative roles in the band. But I think for me, it was more about… I was thinking about it less about like filling shoes and just sort of stepping into a place as myself. And then also, yeah, of course paying homage to exactly what he was doing and where he was going. But if you think about it too much about trying to be someone else, that's never, I think, a good way of looking at it. It's more of, like, okay, where are we at now and how can I contribute to this process as myself? And not trying to compare, but, obviously, yeah, I have huge respect for Rob and his playing. He was big influence on my playing early on, so it's been kind of a dream scenario for me to pick up where he's left off and do my best."

In 2024, LINKIN PARK returned to the top of the charts with its latest album, "From Zero", the band's first new release in seven years. The critically acclaimed album features No. 1 single "The Emptiness Machine" and propelled the band to be the only rock band in 2024 to exceed two billion streams. LINKIN PARK is currently on tour in support of the album, with dates planned throughout North America, Europe, and South America. "From Zero (Deluxe Edition)" was released on May 16.

Regarding how "The Emptiness Machine" ended up being the first single from "From Zero", Farrell told Evropa 2: "There are a lot of earlier things and ideas or whatever that just ended up not making the album. You go through a process of working a ton of stuff up. 'The Emptiness Machine' was in the earlier set of things, but as we got later in the process… For us, every time we're working on an album, there starts to be certain tracks or songs that start raising their hand and that we're, like, 'Oh, this is gonna be an important track. We can now start figuring it out what the album's gonna look like around it.' It's like a tent post, and then you start building the rest of it around what that is. And then when you've got like three or four songs that are kind of like that, where you're automatically, like, 'I know this is gonna be on the record. We're gonna keep working on it, but it's gonna be there.' 'The Emptiness Machine' then turned out to be — Mike has described it, which I love, as this thing of, like, when you go to a party and you're bringing a new person, you kind of say, 'Hey, how's it going? Good to see you,' whatever. 'Have you met my friend Emily?' And that song does that. It starts on Mike's vocal, he sings through the first verse and chorus, and then Emily gets introduced into it. And it just happened kind of that way with the writing of the song. And eventually we're, like, what an interesting thing for the first time back when we come back, with the fans, it's kind of like a sonic version of, like, 'Have you met my friend Emily?'"

Delson contributed to "From Zero", but hasn't been part of LINKIN PARK's live shows in support of the LP. The live guitar position has instead been filled by Alex Feder.

Last September, more than seven years after Bennington's death, LINKIN PARK debuted Armstrong and Brittain on a livestream.

LINKIN PARK kicked off its North American tour on April 26 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

"From Zero (Deluxe Edition)" 2CD is a limited pressing. It features a four-panel softpak packaging with 16-page booklet and showcases three new songs, five live tracks recorded around the world and all new, expanded packaging.

LINKIN PARK launched the 2025 leg of its "From Zero" world tour on January 31 at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City, Mexico.

In late January, LINKIN PARK released an a cappella/vocals-only version of "From Zero", dubbed "From Zero - A Cappellas".

The original version of "From Zero" marked LINKIN PARK's first full-length effort since 2017's "One More Light", which was the last LINKIN PARK album before Bennington's death.

Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine

The Tom deBlonk channel on YouTube has uploaded video of NIGHT RANGER's June 18 performance at Count's Vamp'd in Las Vegas, Nevada. Joining the band on stage for a cover of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" were special guests Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW),Joey Allen (WARRANT),Chris Kael (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) and Danny Koker (Count's Vamp'd owner). Bach also performed the DAMN YANKEES cover "High Enough" with NIGHT RANGER, while KISS drummer Eric Singer came up for "Sister Christian".

Count's Vamp'd is closing on June 28 after a 16-year run. Koker is selling the club, with an asking price of $4.3 million.

NIGHT RANGER released its 12th studio album, "ATBPO", in August 2021 via Frontiers Music Srl. "ATBPO" stands for "And The Band Played On", an ode to making music during the COVID-19 era.

NIGHT RANGER is Jack Blades (vocals, bass),Kelly Keagy (drums, vocals),Brad Gillis (lead and rhythm guitars),Eric Levy (keyboards),and Keri Kelli (lead and rhythm guitars).

In a 2023 interview with Ralph Rasmussen of Radio Bypass, Blades spoke about what keeps him and his NIGHT RANGER bandmates motivated to make new music more than 40 years after the group's formation. He said:  "You know what? We're just gonna keep creating and coming out with albums and doing stuff until somebody says we can't. But right now people are letting us do what we wanna do and we're just gonna keep having a blast doing it. That's the way to do it.

"You've gotta keep creating," he explained. "You've gotta keep moving. We're like sharks — if we stop swimming, we die, just sink to the bottom. So we're just gonna keep creating and rocking and rolling and touring and doing it and doing it and doing it. That's what we wanna do."

Blades, who was promoting NIGHT RANGER's live album and concert film "40 Years And A Night With Contemporary Youth Orchestra", was also asked if there are any plans for him and his bandmates to write and record a follow-up to "ATBPO". He said: "Yeah, we're pooling ideas together right now. We're coming up with stuff and thoughts and everything like that. Like I said, you can't stop us. I mean, we just keep going and going and going. And somebody will send me a track or I'll send somebody a track, this and that. 'I've got an idea.' 'I've got an idea.' 'How about this idea?' 'How about that idea?' You never know. And then suddenly, the next thing you know, we're making a record. So, I don't know. I mean, we'll see what happens."

Four years ago, Blades told NBC 15 News about NIGHT RANGER's mindset while making "ATBPO": "With 'ATBPO', I really feel like we've gone back to our roots of who we are as a band. Even though this album was a challenge to make, it was all us together. Every song is all our heart and soul and what's coming from us. These songs are directly who we are. That's why we're so stoked to get this album out to the fans so they can experience the whole picture and not just a few singles. They get to experience what NIGHT RANGER is all about."

"Sister Christian" was NIGHT RANGER's biggest hit, having peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984 and staying on the chart for 24 weeks. The track was inspired by Keagy's little sister Christy.

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, CREED singer Scott Stapp was asked if there has been any talk of him and his bandmates working on some fresh music. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're talking about it. We're taking things slow. We're rebuilding, we're relearning about each other. We're reconnecting. I think this experience has been kind of like a — it's putting on an old glove, but we've all changed. We're all older, we have kids, we have different responsibilities and priorities in life. And we're all extremely focused. And I think that when that day comes when we decide to make a CREED record, I think it'll be probably, if not on par, better than anything we've ever done. Just based upon the life experience that we have, everything we've done the last two years of playing together, I think that sets the stage that when it's the right time, it's gonna be incredible."

Stapp also talked about what it has been like for him and his CREED bandmates to reunite last summer for the "Summer Of '99" tour, joined by the likes of 3 DOORS DOWN, FINGER ELEVEN, SWITCHFOOT, FUEL, BIG WRECK and DAUGHTRY. The band then headed into arenas last November and December on the "Are You Ready?" tour with 3 DOORS DOWN and MAMMOTH WVH in the U.S. and MAMMOTH WVH and FINGER ELEVEN in Canada. "Man, it's hard to put into words," Scott said about returning to playing arenas. "Of course, the cliché word would be it's surreal. But, man, it was exciting. There was just so much energy and connection between the band guys. We were having a good time, and I hope the audience saw it. And we're fired up up there. I mean, we're soaking it all in, we're all present, we're all in the moment. And we all know what it's like to have that and then not have that, so there's a new level of appreciation for those moments. And I think that that motivates us to play every show like it could be our last, because we've been in that situation where we had that last show and then everything went away. So I think that gives us a new sense of urgency, energy and passion for every show. And to hear the fans sing every song and the energy that's in the room, man, it's a dream come true, and we don't take a moment of it for granted."

In the summer of 2023, after an 11-year hiatus, CREED announced their long-awaited reunion — returning to the stage for the first time at the sold-out Summer Of '99 cruise and Summer Of '99 And Beyond cruise. In May 2024, meanwhile, the band's multiplatinum-selling "Greatest Hits" collection made its wide debut on vinyl (via Craft),landing the collection back into the Billboard Top 200, as well as hitting Top Hard Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Alternative Albums, and moving up the Top Hard Rock Albums rankings. Originally issued in 2004, the 14-track compilation spans the band's first three albums (1997's "My Own Prison", 1999's "Human Clay" and 2001's "Weathered").

CREED kicked off its first tour in 12 years, "Summer Of '99", on July 17, 2024 at Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

With more than 53 million albums sold worldwide, CREED remains one of modern rock's most successful acts. Now, 30 years into their incredible journey, CREED is bigger than ever. In late 2023, the Texas Rangers made "Higher" their unofficial anthem, as it spurred them to their first World Series win. In early 2024, the song appeared in a high-profile Paramount+ Super Bowl commercial, while a NASCAR Daytona 500 campaign also incorporated the hit single. Along the way, CREED has gained a new generation of fans, thanks to countless TikTok videos that feature their songs.

This past January, Stapp was asked by Sylvia Alvarado of the Las Vegas radio station KOMP 92.3 what the conversation was like about getting CREED back together in July 2023, initially for two different "Summer Of '99" cruise festivals in April 2024, followed by two separate U.S. tour legs last year. Scott said: "There was a time that I didn't think that things would come together. We began having conversations, I think, in 2020 when we started to notice this kind of viral thing happening organically online. And so conversations were had about potentially doing something. And I just felt at the time — I didn't wanna rush it. I didn't wanna just throw something together, and I wanted it to be real. I wanted it to be authentic. I wanted it to be where everyone's heart was in it."

He continued: "I can't really say it was one person or the other [who initiated the discussions]. We all kind of were feeling it. Calls were made. Then management was talking. And we all just kind of migrated to each other organically, kind of the same way we did in 1994 when we started the band. And then when we got together and started rehearsing, the energy within the band — there was so much love in the room, so much support in the room. We all kind of went from back in 2001, [200]2 and [200]3, when we kind of ended our run there, doing multiple nights in the same city and sold-out arenas, having stadiums on hold, we all went our separate ways and started over with our solo careers and our other projects and were back out there [sweating] it out in clubs and bars. And I know it's kind of probably hard for people to believe, but it's true. The other guys did, and I did as well. And it was quite the contrast to what we had just experienced in CREED, but I think it was a necessary thing for us to grow as individuals and human beings, but also to really appreciate what had happened to us between '96 and 2000, into 2003, 2004."

Scott added: "I think everything happened so fast and so quick on our first three CREED records and the rise to arenas was, like, 12 months. I think that's not typical. It's unheard of. And I think when it happens like that, you miss out on what paying your dues does to you in terms of your level of appreciation, your level of maturity, your ability to handle the growth at such a rapid pace when it happens, your gratitude, your gratefulness, your maturity, your understanding of the big picture and your impact. And so I think we kind of did that in reverse. So we had it all and then went back and paid our dues in reverse. I went back to playing clubs, they were playing clubs, and then here we are all these years later bigger than we were when we went away in 2004. And so I think all of that contributed to our gratitude and how we walked in, because we're all much more mature and have a deeper appreciation. And it definitely had an impact on me in my solo career, because I was out there slugging it away on my first three solo records, wondering, 'Should I continue?' I love playing music. I love doing this. It didn't happen like CREED, so initially I was kind of, like, 'What am I supposed to do? I love making music.' But I just kept at it, kept at it, kept at it. And here we are with [my solo single] 'Higher Power' breaking the Top 10 and now 'Black Butterfly' Top 5 and with more music to come. And so it's really been just a complete full-circle experience with CREED and my solo career all kind of peaking at the same time."

Asked what it is like seeing the love that CREED is getting all over again, and a whole new generation is learning about the band, Scott said: "It's probably one of the most gratifying and humbling experiences you can have as an artist, especially where we all are in our hearts and in our minds and in our spirits today. To see a whole new generation that never saw a CREED show — most of them weren't even born when we broke up. I mean, I think the numbers, if I'm quoting them correctly, I think over 80 percent of our tickets sold out of the near-million tickets we sold last year were between [people between the ages of] 18 [and] 35. We have a whole new generation of fans. And all I can say is I'm grateful, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I understand how rare this is. I have an appreciation for it, and I just wanna do it right. And I want to give the fans what they deserve. I wanna represent my children and my friends in the best way that I can, so they're proud of me, and leave a legacy that they're proud of, because it's no secret I went through my struggles, and they were very public and at times very humbling. And so this is an opportunity to kind of end the movie the right way. But I still think the movie's being written. But I think you get what I'm saying by that."

On Wednesday, June 11, the four members of METALLICA attended the premiere of their new documentary, "Metallica Saved My Life", at the 2025 Tribeca Festival at at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York City.

The film documents the incredible stories of family, identity, redemption, loss, and salvation that make METALLICA's fans perhaps the most recognized example of why music matters to the world, and of why METALLICA is the kind of band that can literally save lives, including their own.

Filmmaker Jonas Åkerlund, who previously directed METALLICA's music videos for 1998's "Turn The Page", 1999's "Whiskey In The Jar" and 2016's "ManUNkind", interviewed fans from 23 different countries for the documentary, which is slated for release later this year.

Speaking on the red carpet of last night's "Metallica Saved My Life" premiere, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield stated about how the idea for the film came together (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It all started with a friend of ours, Jim Breuer, who is a comedian that was opening up for us in the arena tour, and he was traveling around with a lot of these fans and just kind of got to know them staying in the Airbnbs with them. And he says, 'James, you have got to hear these fricking stories. They're unbelievable — where these people came from, how they got into music and why.' … Such deep emotional human stories. So he's the one that inspired this in a way. We didn't know what to do with it at first. What? Do you just do a podcast or blah, blah, blah? It's, like, no. Let's get together. And everyone knows our bio; we wanna get the fans' bios out there."

Regarding why Jonas was the right person to helm "Metallica Saved My Life", Hetfield said: "He's our kind of favorite go-to guy, and he gets us. He's done a couple of our just song videos and whatnot, and he totally gets us. He gets that world. He grew up in a metal band himself from Sweden. He's a big fan of metal, so we knew he was the guy."

James went on to talk about how the METALLICA members' personal stories are intertwined with those of the band's fans. He said: "It's not like we clock in at eight and clock out at five. Our job, it kind of… It's, like, we're leaving home for a month and a half. There's an anxiety, there's a weirdness, there's a ritualistic psycho-ness in our heads that happens. And the winddown after that too. How do you get back into regular life? And, hey, I'm not objectified by my neighbors now. I'm just a dude, which is great. I'm taking the garbage out in my underwear, being a regular guy. And that's what we are at the end of the day. And this is all just wonderful dust. It's not real out here, essentially. So we try to stay as grounded as possible, and I think this movie really shows how we are the same as our fans, and we've got, and they've got, a great story to tell."

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was equally excited about sharing the fans' stories, saying:  "This is a celebration of the diversity of our fans. I've said for years, for decades, if you line up 10 METALLICA fans, you get 10 different stories. If you line up a hundred METALLICA fans, you get a hundred different stories. This is 10 to 15 of those stories. We're turning the spotlight away from us and on to the fans and celebrating how unique our fanbase is and all those great human beings. And this is really ultimately about trying to break down that barricade that separates a band from its audience and trying to celebrate the oneness of all of it and how we're all in it together and how we all are METALLICA together."

In a statement announcing "Metallica Saved My Life" in April, the band said: "As a few of you may know, we've been working behind the scenes the last couple of years on a new film that will be released later this year starring you guys! 'Metallica Saved My Life' explores our world through the lives of fans who have supported each other through highs, lows, trials and triumphs for over four decades. And yeah, we're in it a little bit too."

Back in July 2023, METALLICA put out a casting call for "superfans" of the band to possibly appear in an upcoming documentary. The filmmakers were looking for "big personalities, unique characters and unexpected stories from METALLICA fans who consider METALLICA to be their favorite band, real 'Fifth Member' types. All stories and walks of life" were "welcome and encouraged to reach out."

The documentary was produced by METALLICA and Mercury Studios, powered by Universal Music Group.



Metallica Saved my Life Film Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Got Lars to sign my poster! #Metallica #Tribeca #tribecafilmfestival #metallicasavedmylife

Posted by Kevin Shanley on Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Enjoyed seeing the Metallica documentary and listening to the panel afterwards at Tribeca Festival. Loved it! #metallica #tribeca2025

Posted by Judith E. Davis on Thursday, June 12, 2025

In a new interview with Jai That Aussie Metal Guy, UNLEASHED bassist/vocalist Johnny Hedlund was asked what keeps him and his bandmates motivated to keep making new music, having recently announced the Swedish death metal veterans' fifteenth studio album, "Fire Upon Your Lands", which will be released on August 15 via Napalm Records. Johnny said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I don't know how to stop. [Laughs]. It's strange because I've gotten this question many times, and I still don't know really the answer.

"The thing is that when we started this band, I was a young guy," he continued. "We started it in 1989, and I had played in NIHILIST for two years, so I started playing death metal in '87. Now that's, like, 400 years ago [laughs] — at least it feels like it. So the thing is that everything that we spoke about way back then was mostly, 'Let's go out on fucking tour and bang heads together and drink some beers.' There was no plan to release 15 albums way back then, but as the years kept rolling, and we realized, 'Man, we might actually be good at this' [laughs], we just kept on going. And we still do. And Anders [Schultz, UNLEASHED drummer] used to tell me, 'Well, what the hell should I do if I didn't do this?'

"First of all, it's very inspiring to make music and lyrics, and we love it," Johnny added. "And, of course, going out to meet people and still bang heads and drink beer and meeting all the friends I've been seeing for all those years, that's the thing, man. There's nothing better. So, yeah, we just keep on rolling."

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for "Fire Upon Your Lands", Johnny said: "This is the sixth album now on the same storyline from the book that I wrote many years ago. And, well, we just keep on doing that too, because I keep translating the chapters into songs, and it seems that people like it and it seems that we kind of do it pretty well, so we just keep on going with that. And, obviously, the story isn't over yet, so, well, at least since everybody seems to like it, then we just keep doing that. So this one, of course, starts when the previous one left off, so to speak, so it's the exact same events that just keep on going to the next chapter, so to speak."

Earlier in the month, Schultz told RichardMetalFan about the songwriting and recording process for the follow-up to 2021's "No Sign Of Life": "We've been writing since the last [album] came out. It's an always-ongoing process. So it's just been — I don't know when ['No Sign Of Life'] came out; it's been a couple years, I guess, maybe three. But, yeah, as soon as we do something, we keep writing. So it's always kind of ongoing. So there's stuff that's at least three years old or whatever on the new one. And we played a lot of shows and stuff as well, so it's not like we have a certain period of time we're gonna write stuff and do stuff. We'll just keep doing it until, 'All right. The stuff is ready,' and then we start putting the last bits together and then we do the record. And sometimes it takes longer, 'cause you've got other stuff to do. Sometimes it comes quicker, whatever. So that's kind of how we're used to doing it. And it's good. And then, I guess after a couple years, it's always like, 'Oh, you know what? We should start [recording].' Cause if you don't plan for something, it's never gonna happen. So you just keep writing stuff and then, like, 'The stuff is ready.' It's, like, 'Okay, now we've gotta set a date and we wanna do this.' [Then we] talk to labels or whatever. And then they're, like, 'Okay, we wanna have it done by a certain date.' And then we start really doing like the last bits, [and that's] when it gets a bit intense, because the whole time before that, it's just been kind of mellow, writing, putting stuff together, and then towards the end, it's, like, 'Okay, now we've gotta get this shit in gear and make sure everything is perfectly put together and then set the studio times and then go for it.' It's how we do it [and] always have, I guess. It's comfortable."

Anders continued: "We actually went into the studio a while ago to start [recording the new album], 'cause I think actually it was supposed to have an earlier release date. So we were a bit pushed: 'Okay, it's gotta be done by a certain date.' So we had to get on it. And then, actually, the date got pushed back a bit. So it's, like, 'Oh, shit.' We didn't need to… We didn't rush it. It's always good to have a positive stress kind of thing. So it's good to have a date so you get it done. But we would've had more time, but it doesn't matter. So it's actually been done for a while. So it's just the release date that got pushed back until kind of the end of the summer instead of the beginning, I think. For whatever reasons, I don't know."

Asked if UNLEASHED went into the songwriting and recording process this time around with a desire to try something new or different that he and his bandmates hadn't done before, Anders said: "Well, the thing with this band is it's always kind of a constant.. But you've always gotta hear that it's UNLEASHED. If you put the record on, it's gotta be noticeable that it's an UNLEASHED record, so you can't really sway too much and go crazy on weird shit, which is something we don't [do anyway]. But it's still gotta be progress. So it's still in the same vein, but, of course, you try to progress a bit. But there's, of course, not major [stylistic] turns. This band from the start has been said to be what it is. So there's no going off and doing rock and roll stuff or whatever. But we try to make progress within what we are and what we do. It's a strong record. It's got good songs on it. But it's probably pretty similar to the last one. But then again, the last one is kind of similar to the one before, but you just kind of veer off a little bit and progress. So that's what we try to do."

Anders added: "We said that, actually, from day one when we started this band. It's, like, 'It's gonna be death metal.' Because there was a lot of bands that after a few records, they start veering off somewhere else, incorporate a bunch of… [it's] not necessarily bad, 'cause if that's stuff you wanna do, that's what you wanna do. But we always said it's gotta be UNLEASHED. And if you wanna do something different, then you've gotta be in another band. From the first [album] and the last one, there's a big difference, but you can still tell it's UNLEASHED. And that's kind of the point — there is progress. It's just that you kind of get progress within what you do. And that was always important to us. And we said it from when we started the band: 'This is what it's gonna be.' Of course we didn't think we were gonna do this like 36 years later, but there was never anybody that was, like, 'Shit, you know what? I wanna put some jazz in here. I wanna do some rock and roll stuff.' It's, like, it's gotta be death metal, it's gotta be UNLEASHED."

The official music video for the first single from "Fire Upon Your Lands", a song called "War Comes Again", can be seen below.

UNLEASHED previously stated about "War Comes Again": "When your enemies do their best to take everything away from you and things look as bad as they can get, you prepare for battle and face the enemy head on! This is fundamentally what being a warrior is all about. You know it's inevitable that war will come again… and again."

"Fire Upon Your Lands" track listing:

01. Left For Dead
02. A Toast To The Fallen
03. The Road To Haifa Pier
04. War Comes Again
05. Fire Upon Your Lands
06. Loyal To The End
07. Midjardarhaf
08. Hail The Varangians!
09. To My Only Son
10. Hold Your Hammers High!
11. Unknown Flag

In addition to Hedlund and Schultz, UNLEASHED's current lineup includes guitarists Tomas Måsgard and Fredrik Folkare.

Photo credit: Jens Rydén