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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Matt Wells

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

France’s uncompromising death metal vets, Loudblast, have released a brand new single, “Born Of The Storm”, available on all platforms now. It is also available as a limited edition 7″ EP of 500 copies worldwide in transparent red vinyl with a scorching rendition of Slayer’s “Evil Has No Boundaries” on side B.

Watch the “Born Of The Storm” lyric video below.

By all accounts, a 40 year career for a music artist is quite of an achievement, notably for an extreme metal band travelling through all the evolutions as regards to music consumption and business in general, and who still sound undeniably as fierce, powerful and more ferocious than ever/

Loudblast recently celebrated such 40th anniversary by playing four legendary sold out shows in their native town Lille, in the north of France.

How many bands out there had been playing death metal for that long? How many have helped kick-start a whole movement and are still around to tell the tale? How many have put out such universally-praised albums in the 90s like Disincarnate or Sublime Dementia and are still active these days? You do the math. But while you’re at it, Loudblast and their indisputable leader Stéphane Buriez are keeping themselves busy moving forward, as ever. And their ninth full-length Altering Fates And Destinies issued in November 2024 saw them reaching another level of sophistication while, at the same time, returning more than ever at the very roots of their craft.



The limited edition “Born Of The Storm” 7″ in transparent red vinyl is available here (comes with a free patch). Save the digital EP here.

Thor, the strongman of rock and the only Asgardian deity with a 50 year career in hard rock and metal, follows the release last month of his Rock The Universe album with a new single, “Mama Let Him Play,” and a dynamite new video, shot at the bookstore launch of comedian/author Robert Dayton’s just-published (and hitherto untold) history of Canadian Glam, Cold Glitter.

It’s a unique, but wholly understandable tie-in. Thor naturally plays a large part in the story, while the venue for the book launch, Neptoon Records in Vancouver BC, has been a staunch Thor supporter for years.

In fact, Thor recorded the vocals for Rock The Universe in the rooms above the store, where Neptoon owner Rob Frith’s son Ben operates Waffle House Sound studios.

Author Dayton, too, is a part of the story, and the video – that’s him singing along with Thor and guitarist Frank Soda, and clowning around as well, a potent reminder of one of Thor’s most heartfelt maxims, that “Heavy Rock does not always have to be so serious. There should always be an element of fun to rock’n’roll.”



Dayton even gets to manhandle Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, for a while. Pretty impressive for a mere mortal. And there’s also a guest appearance from Canadian journalist and musician Nardwuar, the self-styled Human Serviette!

The second single to thunder out of Rock The Universe (following that devastating cover of The Sweet’s “Action”) back in May, “Mama Let Him Play” was a massive, platinum award winning Canadian hit for the band Doucette in 1977 – in fact, Thor was so impressed by it that he was performing it on his 1978-79 Keep The Dogs Away tour.

Thor continues, “Jerry Doucette was a stellar Canadian artist and I always loved this song. It never became a big hit outside of Canada, but I wanted to tribute Jerry and his band Doucette by giving it a re-charge with this single release and video.

“It’s a catchy and fun song, as you can see all the people’s smiling faces and those singing along in the video.”

Canadian power thrashers, Phear, performed the title track of their second full-length album, Save Our Souls, during their July 4 show at The Rockpile in Toronto, ON (Canada). The video, featuring footage by Dawn Faller, can be viewed below:



Save Our Souls was unleashed this past February via Golden Robot Records. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Jon Howard (Threat Signal), Phear’s sophomore album can be best described as their heaviest offering to date and follows the award-winning album Instanitarium (2019), and the critically acclaimed EP The Curse Lives On (2020).

Extremely passionate, and driven, along with their arena-caliber sound, Phear is always thinking of new ways to entertain its fans, and Save Our Souls is no exception. Mostly written during the dark times of COVID-19, the record has taken four years to complete. Led by Patrick Mulock and producer Jon Howard in the studio, each musician was pushed hard to get the best out of each of them and they delivered.

“We had a lot of time to craft these songs. We didn’t have any time restraints. We would go into the studio and do three songs at a time. We were very excited to work with Jon Howard (Threat Signal) again. Jon is the sixth member of Phear. The studio experience was great as we fed off each other’s ideas. We pushed each other to get the best performances we could. There are NO FILLERS here. Seven String guitars have played a big part in this. Our sound has grown. The bass guitar on this album is HUGE! The drumming from Mike Harshaw was also very aggressive. If you were to ask me now… This is the heaviest Phear has ever been… for now lol!,” adds Mulock.

A listening experience of thrash, prog, and classic metal elements, Phear offers a strong balance from infectious choruses to melodic and growling vocals for true heavy metal nostalgia. Their two previous singles, the album’s title track and “Snake” are sure to make fans throw up their hail horns and headbang with a sore neck. Plus the band offers up their cover version of Nevermore’s “Narcosynthesis”.

Pear features Patrick Mulock (Lead Vocals) (Eidolon, Rampage), Pat Rogers (Lead & Rhythm Guitars) (Profaner- 2016 Wacken Metal Battle Canada Champions), Alex Zubair (Lead & Rhythm Guitars) (Burn To Black, Nadar Sadek, Iomair, Nephelium), Andrew Suarez (Drums) (Fatality, The Slyde – 2023 Wacken Metal Battle Canada Champions) and Chris Boshis (Bass) (Conflicted).

Throughout their existence, Phear has had the honour of opening for German metal legend Udo Dirschneifer, The Dead Daisies, and Stryper, along with performing on a pre-show for icons and heroes Iron Maiden in 2019 in Toronto at Budweiser Stage.

Babylon A.D. isn’t sitting back on the success of their last album, Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day. They spent early 2025 in the studio recording their follow-up album, When The World Stops, and are now excited to announce they signed a deal with Kivel Records for the release of the new album before the end of 2025.

Derek Davis, lead singer, spoke about the new album and signing with Kivel Records, “We are so excited about this release, When The World Stops. This album is gonna blow people’s minds! There are so many different types of Babylon A.D. songs on this one, and signing with Kivel Records, we think is going to help us with the promotion structure and backing that we need for the album. The excitement and professionalism that the owner, John Kivel, has shown us, along with his belief in the band, really sold us on signing with his label. Our last album, Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day, really helped put the band back on the map. All the fan support, radio play and reviews we received from the album were so amazing. It really feels good to know… We Are Truly Back!”

“The first single / video, ‘When The World Stops’, will be released the first week of August in conjunction with our first show at the Whisky A Go Go on August 8th. We then play a couple shows the following weekend in Denver and Salt Lake City, and the band is very exited to take our Power of Music to the UK and Greece in September.”

“The band is firing on all cylinders, and we can’t wait to share this album on the road. The shows we have lined up this year are gonna be a blast for the band and the fans.”

John Kivel, President of Kivel Records, “I couldn’t be happier with this marriage of band and label. We have always prided ourselves here as being fans of the genre first and foremost. Babylon A.D. has been a favorite band of mine since day one. In fact, sometimes things are just meant to be. Back in the day as a young photographer, I photographed the band on tour. Years later, some of those photos made it into the band’s first live CD. Years (decades!) later, we are working together. How serendipitous if you ask me.”

“With that said, we couldn’t be more excited, as this album is a call to arms for Babylon A.D. and will certainly please fans of the band’s unique sound. A perfect blend of the first album and the more recent, Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day. A band that has walked a fine line of balance between maintaining their signature sound while expanding on it. However, not becoming something they are not. Undoubtedly no easy task, but most definitely a fantastic reward of music.”

“Babylon A.D. is a welcome addition to the Kivel Records family. We are planning to accomplish a lot together, and we have no plans of slowing down. Well, not until… ‘The World Stops’.”

German black/thrash conjurors, Desaster, have been churning out their unique and unholy blend of extreme metal since 1989, and in 2025 they return with their tenth studio album, Kill All Idols, set for release on August 22 via Metal Blade Records.

“While [last album] Churches Without Saints was a rather typical Desaster old-school black-death-thrash metal album, the new one is a bit more diverse,” enthuses founding guitarist Infernal. “Of course, Kill All Idols embodies our classical black/thrash metal approach and the epic parts Desaster is well known for are there as well. But on the other hand, there are parts on the album where our punk roots shine clearer than possibly ever before.”

With a four-year gap elapsing since they dropped Churches Without Saints, fans have had to be patient again but will find the results more than worth the wait. “It does seem to be every four or five years that we release albums now, but I won’t say that’s because of a lack of creativity, rather the obligations the members have outside of the band have grown over the years. But, when the forces come together there’s always magic in the air, which is needed to write strong new songs.”

On the title Kill All Idols singer Sataniac elaborates, “All ‘role models,’ regardless of whether they are politically, religiously, socially, economically, or otherwise motivated, only have their own agenda and their own ‘retention of power’ in mind. The album title is nothing more than an invitation to think for yourself. Or at least to try. Realistically speaking, money is the last remaining deity and the great ‘role model’ for at least large parts of our secular societies. This fact is profound. Money and linear greed are not good, goal-oriented, or even sustainable ‘role models.’ But what can you expect? After all, all of this was produced and churned out in just seven days. Perhaps the almighty creator should have taken a little more time,” he laughs sarcastically.

In advance of the record’s official release, today Desaster delivers the first single, “Towards Oblivion.”

Notes Sataniac, “It’s a general song of praise for homo sapiens, who leave no stone unturned in their quest to be ‘forgotten’ by destroying their own foundations. But we must not forget. We are not in a position to destroy the earth. We can only make this fine habitable zone uninhabitable for ourselves. Isn’t this arrogance that comes before the fall just wonderful?”

Adds Infernal, “‘Towards Oblivion’ was originally called ‘Stormbringers’ and was intended as a speed metal anthem for our fan club. The middle section is based on the song ‘Hellbangers’ from the 2007 Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate album, which also features the Stormbringers in the chorus. The idea of releasing the song in different versions as a 7″ single was not realized and in the end the lyrics and title were changed. ‘Towards Oblivion’ ended up being one of the best songs on the album for me!”

Listen to Desaster’s “Towards Oblivion” below.

Kill All Idols was tracked in the band’s rehearsal room together with their live mixer Jan “Janosch” Gensheimer and mixed and mastered by Greg Wilkinson of Autopsy at his own Earhammer Studio in Oakland, California. Infernal notes, “Greg managed to give our sound a new guise. The collaboration with him was absolutely perfect and we have rarely been so satisfied after an album production.”



Kill All Idols will be released on CD and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants:

– 180g Black
– Grey Marbled (500)
– White Blackdust (300)
– Red Black Splatter (200)
– White w/ Black Smoke (US – Ltd. 300)

Find all pre-orders here.



Kill All Idols tracklisting:

“Great Repulsive Force”
“Emanation Of The Profane”
“Towards Oblivion”
“Kill The Idol”
“Ash Cloud Ritual”
“Fathomless Victory”
“Throne Of Ecstasy”
“They Are The Law”
“Stellar Remnant”
“Idols’ End” (Outro)

Back on June 14, 1996, Ozzy Osbourne made a guest appearance on Late Show With David Letterman. Letterman has shared the throwback video below, featuring Ozzy’s performance of “I Just Want You”, from his 1995 album, Ozzmosis.



Billy Morrison and Ozzy Osbourne have released a stripped-down version of their epic track “Gods Of Rock N Roll”, available now across all streaming platforms, with a special vinyl limited edition double A side that features both versions of the song available via TLG|ZOID, distributed by Virgin Music Group.

The twisted, theatrical metal maestros, Raven Black, return with their most sinister sonic offering yet:

“This Little Piggy”, a blood-curdling single that drags listeners screaming through a chaotic swirl of power, vengeance, and grotesque reckoning. Out now on all streaming platforms,

“This Little Piggy” marks a vicious new chapter in the band’s macabre mythology. From the first guttural growl to the final haunting laugh, “This Little Piggy” is a razor-sharp anthem for the outcasts, the misfits, and the tormented. With blistering guitar riffs, hammering drums, and Raven’s signature blend of horror-inspired vocals—switching from haunting whispers to primal screams—the track conjures a sinister fairy tale gone completely off the rails.

This release marks a new chapter for Raven Black—a darker, more intense evolution of their already infamous sound. Produced by Ulrich Wild (Static-X, White Zombie, Deftones), the single showcases the band’s signature fusion of metal mayhem and circus macabre, with a cinematic flair that could summon the dead to dance.



Raven Black is a theatrical metal act originally from Los Angeles. Their unique brand of metal, influenced by gothic, classical, and heavy metal music, serves as the soundtrack to vocalist Raven’s duality as she shares her story of being a hybrid of both dark and light.

Drawing from a myriad of musical inspirations, Raven Black expertly blends elements from their favorite art forms, including movies, ethnic backgrounds, and personal life experiences. Each song is crafted to take fans on an adventure, offering new perspectives and understandings. Their sound ranges from melodic to dark, fun to raging and psychotic—yet every track tells a story.

At the heart of their narrative lies a comic book character: a girl whose innocence was taken at a young age. Overcoming her demons and cursed by her predators, she discovers she is half human, half doll. The doll within her is dark, and as she embraces her inner darkness, she travels with her demons who protect her from those seeking to steal her inner power.

Hailing as a “Dark Metal Carnival”, the band has released three albums since 2016 and toured rigorously since, supporting acts such as Cradle Of Filth, DevilDriver, Jinjer, Mushroomhead and Static-X. The band, previously managed by The Oracle (Dez Fafara of Coal Chamber and DevilDriver) and has worked exclusively with their producer Ulrich Wild (Grammy-nominated with works of Static-X, White Zombie, Deftones).

Slipknot drummer, Eloy Casagrande (ex-Sepultura), has shared drum-cam video from the band’s performance of “Scissors”, filmed at Olympiapark in Berlin, Germany on June 23. Watch below:



Slipknot performed at the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburg, Germany on June 6th. Pro-shot video of their entire set can be viewed below.

Setlist:

“(sic)”
“People = Shit”
“Gematria (The Killing Name)”
“Wait And Bleed”
“Nero Forte”
“Yen”
“Psychosocial”
“Tattered & Torn”
“The Heretic Anthem”
“The Devil In I”
“Unsainted”
“Duality”
“Spit It Out”
“Surfacing”
“Scissors”

According to a post on the Everything Jani Lane Facebook page, a special song late WARRANT frontman Jani Lane wrote but never completed has now been finished by WARRANT bassist Jerry Dixon and Frontiers Music Srl songwriters Giancarlo Floridia and David Julian, who have previously written for artists like LYNCH MOB, Ace Frehley, GIANT, Robin McAuley and more. The newly completed track will "get a worldwide release," according to the post, with more information to be made available soon.

In a February 2025 interview with Mark Strigl, Dixon spoke about WARRANT's plan to release new music. He said: "We're kind of thinking and probably implementing kind of like a box set of things we have with Jani, unreleased stuff. We have maybe a song from a demo. We've got, like, nine records that [the rights] have come back to us over the years. So we wanna do some sort of box set with some new music as well, but also include all of WARRANT — Jani years, Jaime St. James years, 'Born Again', 'Rockaholic', all of [it]."

Asked if there are "numerous tracks" with Jani Lane that have not been released, Jerry said: "There actually are hardly any, but there's a few that we got back that we're working on finding. There's a lot of things that happened with the legality of stuff, but there are a couple diamonds that we have found. But we released everything with him. We never did anything just to go do it. If we were gonna record, it was a purpose — it was for a soundtrack or a record. So, you pretty much have 99.9 percent of everything out that we've done."

Elaborating on what might be included on the aforementioned box set, Jerry said: "Like, say we're writing and we're recording with Jani and he's talking, but it's not a finished song yet. So it may be something that entails video. We're sharing all that stuff. The making of 'Dog Eat Dog', we have a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff of that record that nobody's ever seen."

Regarding WARRANT guitarist Joey Allen's comment from October 2024 that he and his bandmates were collecting footage for a possible documentary, Jerry said: "Yeah, we have that in the works too, but it's a lot of speculation and people have ideas, but who's doing the work? So we'll figure it all out. But, yeah, I think it's time to do that and not give everything away on social media for free and just let people steal it and take it and molest it. And it's disgusting. We wanna put something out that people can take home and enjoy, like the old days."

Lane died in August 2011 at age 47. Paramedics found his body in a Comfort Inn motel room in Woodland Hills, California, which is near Los Angeles. Lane had battled alcohol abuse for years.

Lane recorded several albums with WARRANT in late 1980s and early 1990s but left the group several times. The band's seventh studio LP, "Born Again", was released in 2006 and featured Jaime St. James as the lead singer. In 2008, Lane returned to WARRANT temporarily and toured with the group. In September that year, WARRANT announced that Jani had left again. The band replaced him with Robert Mason and released its eighth studio album, "Rockaholic", in 2011 and "Louder Harder Faster" in 2017.

Great news everyone ! A special song Jani never completed has now been finished by Jerry Dixon and Frontiers records...

Posted by Everything Jani Lane on Sunday, July 13, 2025

In a new interview with Australia's The Break Down With Nath & Johnny, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach once again spoke about the inspiration for the title of his latest solo album, "Child Within The Man", which came out in May 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't know what it is about music, but it definitely keeps you young in some weird way. I don't understand why or how, but when I look at Angus Young on stage with AC/DC in 2025 and he's banging his head, or I look at Mick Jagger [THE ROLLING STONES], who's in his eighties, and he's running out there and he this little — he's so skinny and he's doing all his Mick Jagger stuff… I don't know what it is, but there is something about rock music. It keeps you young… I don't know what the hell it is, but when I listen to an old album, like ROSE TATTOO 'Rock 'N' Roll Outlaw' or RUSH or any music I listened to as a kid, it makes me feel the same way as I felt when I was a kid. I don't know what the fuck it is. But that's the title, 'Child Within The Man'. Rock and roll makes me feel like a child. [Laughs]"

He continued: "Physically, mentally… I'm not a guy who goes to the doctor all the time, but my wife makes me go and get checkups all the time. And I've been rocking for 45 years straight and my doctor tells me, he goes, 'Sebastian, you are the healthiest person in your fifties that we have ever taken care of.' And my wife's, like, 'That can't be right. This is bullshit. There is no way.' They go, 'Your blood sugar, your heart rate…' The doctor said, 'The enzymes that are coming out of your liver could not be healthier.' And if you knew what I've done to my liver in 45 years — so, I don't know if that's part of rock and roll. I don't know. I do hot yoga, but, man, I love drinking red wine. I don't drink anything else. I don't drink beer. I don't do shots. But I love a glass of red wine with a great meal at a great restaurant. I'm just saying a lot of rockers die young, and I'm still rocking. I'm still here. And rock and roll, I think, keeps you young. I don't know what to tell you. [Laughs]"

Bach previously talked about the inspiration for the "Child Within The Man" album title in an April 2024 interview with "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie. He said at the time: "Well, my wife calls me man-child. That's kind of been a theme for me my whole career. I bring a youthful energy to the stage when I get up there. People are smiling and excited and hooting and hollering. But the line 'child within the man' is a line of one of the songs on the record. And I scream it like bloody murder. And it kept haunting me. "

Sebastian also talked about the "Child Within The Man" artwork, which holds special meaning since it was designed by Bach's father, noted visual artist David Bierk.

"I have a lot of my dad's artwork," Bach said. "He's no longer alive. And we all, all of his kids, we got a lot of his art when he passed away. And I unrolled a roll of paintings that I knew had the SKID ROW 'Subhuman Race' painting in it, and I wanna take care of it and make sure it's preserved. But in that roll was this painting that I remember my dad doing of me when I was 10 in a field next to this beat-up old Cadillac car in the field and then behind the car, it's Jesus ascending into heaven, and I'm running next to the car. It looks like an album cover. And then he also did a painting of me from Circus magazine, the first centerfold of me on stage at Giants Stadium. He did a gigantic painting of that, like 12 feet high. And so the cover is gonna be me running as a child into me on stage as a man, and it's child within the man. And it just reminds me of the '70s, like child in time, and it just reminds me of a good '70s album cover. And the fact that I can bring back a painting from the year 1978 and make it into artwork in 2023, 2024, that's really mind-blowing to me."

"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. The album was made available on jewelcase CD, cassette, and double LP in a variety of colour options.

The album's first single, "What Do I Got To Lose?", was co-written by Sebastian, Kennedy and Baskette, the latter of whom also served as the track's producer.

Bach performed "What Do I Got To Lose?" live for the first time during his February 24, 2024 concert at Palace Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Bach released the official music video for "What Do I Got To Lose?" in December 2023. The clip was directed by Jim Louvau and Tony Aguilera. For the video, which shows Bach cruising through the desert in a convertible and performing with a full band, Sebastian was joined by his former SKID ROW bandmate, drummer Rob Affuso. The clip also features an appearance by actor and comedian Craig Gass and Sebastian's wife Suzanne, who plays a scantily clad car wash attendant.

Prior to the arrival of "Child Within The Man", Bach hadn't released a full-length disc since "Give 'Em Hell", which came out in March 2014. Like its predecessor, 2011's "Kicking & Screaming", the disc was released through Frontiers Music Srl, the Italian label which specializes in what's commonly called AOR, a term that once signified a popular radio format ("album-oriented rock") but nowadays applies to acts whose airplay is marginal.

British heavy metal icons, Diamond Head, have released the animated video for “The Messenger”. The track is the second single taken from the upcoming live album, Live And Electric, out this week.

“’The Messenger’ (Live at the Cambridge Corn Exchange) Is a very powerful track. It started life in my head when I was watching Cradle of Filth live on the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise,” remarks founding member and lead guitarist Brian Tatler. “They played a song with a fantastic groove which reminded me of Tobacco Road by the Nashville Teens. I thought to myself ‘that’s brilliant, I will try and come up with a riff for a groove like that’ and so I came up with ‘The Messenger’ riff (everything comes from somewhere). We recorded it for the album The Coffin Train and played it live on the 2022 UK and European tour opening for Saxon. It always sounded good live, even next to classic Diamond Head songs like ‘The Prince’ and ‘In The Heat Of The Night’. We recorded all the shows on the UK tour and thought this version at Cambridge was the mightiest. Heavy Metaaaaaaaal!”

The video, by widely acclaimed visual arts icon, Costin Chioreanu, can be viewed below:



With a thunderous crunch and genuine ‘in-your-face’ production that places the PA up against your ears, British heavy metal icons, Diamond Head, are proud to announce the release Live And Electric, a live album that delivers every nuance of that four-letter word thanks to a song selection that covers Diamond Head’s seminal career, and a sound that leaves you breathless in the stalls and smelling the sweat and leather of a classic British Heavy metal night.

Recorded in 2022 on the band’s tour with Saxon, Live And Electric takes in performances from Aberdeen, Blackburn, York, Cambridge, Cardiff and Bexhill, creating in the process an unmistakably British energy which is superbly recorded and mixed by Jay Shredder, with singer/frontman Rasmus Bom Andersen mastering. By now, the rock and metal scene knows all about Brian Tatler, whose riffs have genuinely defined a genre as well as influencing one of the world’s biggest-ever rock bands, Metallica, but the contribution of Andersen to these Diamond Head performances is explosive as he bursts with power, presence and personality.

The seamless way in which old classics such as “The Prince” and newer stormers like “Belly Of The Beast” thunder down the tracks is a testimony to the lock-tight no-nonsense foundation that Paul Gaskin (bass), Andrew “Abbz” Abberley (rhythm and lead guitar), and Karl Wilcox on drums add to the alchemy and the balance of respect plus reinvigoration for treasures “It’s Electric”, “Helpless” and “Am I Evil?” is electrifying. Live And Electric is a true roots representation of Britain’s metal communities, and a wonderful live celebration of Diamond Head’s distinctly British heavy metal music which feels as fresh, vital, and important now as it ever has before.

Live And Electric is set for release on on July 11 via Silver Lining Music and it’s available to pre-order here.



Live And Electric tracklisting:

“The Prince” (Live At The Bexhill De La War Pavilion)
“Bones” (Live At St David’s Hall, Cardiff)
“The Messenger” (Live At The Cambridge Corn Exchange)
“In The Heat Of The Night” (Live At The York Barbican)
“Set My Soul On Fire” (Live At The Bexhill De La War Pavilion)
“It’s Electric” (Live At The Bexhill De La War Pavilion)
“Dead Reckoning” (Live At The Aberdeen Music Hall)
“Death By Design” (Live At The Aberdeen Music Hall)
“Sweet And Innocent” (Live At The Aberdeen Music Hall)
“Helpless” (Live At The Aberdeen Music Hall)
“Belly Of The Beast” (Live At The Aberdeen Music Hall)
“Am I Evil?” (Live At King George’s Hall, Blackburn)

Straight out of Las Vegas, The Nocturnal Affair are releasing their second single for the 2025 season. This time, a cover of Haddaway’s “What Is Love” as a standalone single. And just in time for their upcoming European tour later this month, opening up for Drowning Pool and Wednesday 13.

The band posted a casting call for the filming of the video for “What is Love” in June by reaching out for locals to take part in the upcoming recording. Filming was held at The Sand Dollar Downtown inside the World Famous Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas and directed and edited by Lawrence Hinson.

Vocalist Brendan Shane shares, “Haddaway wrote a song that is clearly timeless. No matter what generation listens to it, they make it their own. We brought people out to party with our reimagining of ‘What Is Love’ and by the time it was our turn to hit the stage, the crowd already claimed the song. It’s out of our hands now. We’ve revived a monster.”

BraveWords is premiering the music video for “What Is Love” – watch now!



“What Is Love” is out worldwide now on all music streaming services. Stream here.

The Nocturnal Affair are returning to the UK and to mainland Europe for the first time on a 14-city run alongside Wednesday 13 and Drowning Pool on selected dates. They are out in promotion of the last video “Benefit Of Doubt”, as well as their latest Radio Single “Cross Me Out” which reached Number 28 on the Billboard Rock Charts.

In a new interview with Steve Baltin of Forbes, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx confirmed that the band's collaboration with globally beloved superstar Dolly Parton on a fresh version of CRÜE's 1985 power ballad "Home Sweet Home" came about as a result of his involvement with Parton's "Rockstar" album. Parton was inspired to record a rock LP after being nominated for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2022.

"I loved that moment when I saw online where she said if she's going to be in the Rock Hall she's got to make a rock record," Nikki told Forbes. "And I remember I read that at like midnight or something online, and my very first phone call the second I could get a hold of my manager, was, like, 'I want to play bass on that record.' So, I was one of the first people that had reached out. They'd started reaching out, this whole concept, so they had a song ready to go, they sent it out, and I cut the song. I thought, 'Wow, how exciting that I get to be part of Dolly making a rock record. Me and probably 25, 30 other people that really respect her.' Then I got a phone call from 615 area code and I'm, like, 'I'm not answering if you're not in my contacts. I'm not going to answer the phone until I could listen to the voice message.' 'Cause we all get inundated with too many telemarketers and all this stuff. So, after the message was done, I pushed play and it was, like, 'Nikki, this is Dolly.' She went on to say how much she loved the bass on the record. So, I missed a phone call from Dolly Parton, I just pushed re-send and she picked up the phone. We had this sweet conversation about everything from songwriting to where she's at as far as touring. At the time she had no plans on doing any kind of live touring. That started this relationship, and my wife has a flower company called Bouquet Box. So, we sent Dolly these flowers from Bouquet Box and her and her friends and I believe her sister all got together and they did this whole DIY flower thing that my wife's been building. Then we started getting more thank yous and we had a great time, so by the time we got around to wanting to do something special with 'Home Sweet Home', and Dolly's name came up, I was, like, 'If all those other things had not happened, it could have been a shot in the dark.' It's like calling Paul McCartney. It's, like, hey, what are you doing, Paul? You feel like singing 'Home Sweet Home'?' But if you have a relationship with her. So, this relationship started to build in a friendly way. And they reached out and she was a hard yes. That was just a career high."

Nikki went on to say that "Home Sweet Home" was one of the favorite songs of Dolly's late husband Carl Dean, who was married to the 79-year-old country icon for 58 years before his death at age 82 in March.

"Dolly looked at me and said, 'I really love these lyrics,'" Nikki told Forbes. "And she goes, in her very sweet southern accent, 'When you're young, you want to get as far away from home as possible. You want to chase those dreams. You want to chase whatever you want to do. And then once you get there, it's the journey getting back to your roots.' I was, like, 'No one's ever explained my lyrics to me that clear.' That just touched me on so many levels."

Earlier this month, MÖTLEY CRÜE and Parton's version of "Home Sweet Home", released in June via BMG, debuted at No. 1 on the Mediabase Classic Rock Songs chart. The reimagined duet version coincides with the 40th anniversary of the original 1985 release of "Home Sweet Home", featured on the band's third full-length album, "Theatre Of Pain", and marks the first No. 1 for the song.

To drive home the song's positive message of hope, a portion of the proceeds from the single will benefit Covenant House, an organization close to the hearts of the members of MÖTLEY CRÜE. Covenant House provides safe shelter, meals, hope and more to help youth experiencing homelessness.

The achievement represents the second time members of MÖTLEY CRÜE and Parton find themselves atop the chart together with a No. 1 debut. MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx and guitarist John 5 appeared as special guests on Parton's song "Bygones" off her No. 1 gold-selling "Rockstar" album, released in 2023 via Butterfly Records/Big Machine Label Group. "Bygones" also featured JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford.

The reimagined version of "Home Sweet Home" featuring Parton is part of MÖTLEY CRÜE's forthcoming brand-new singles collection "From The Beginning", set to drop on September 12, 2025, the same day that the legendary rockers will kick off their highly anticipated 10-show residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The official video for the track, which pays homage to the classic original video for the song from 1985, surpassed one mllion views on YouTube.

Coinciding with the release of "Home Sweet Home" featuring Dolly Parton, a limited-edition Dölly Crüe merch collection is available now.

The members of MÖTLEY CRÜE shared in a joint statement: "'Home Sweet Home' was first released in 1985 as a single from our 'Theatre Of Pain' album. For an icon like Dolly Parton to sing on a song that has not only meant so much to us but to all the fans through the years, is a career high that means a lot to us. We couldn't be happier to celebrate the 40th anniversary of 'Home Sweet Home' in this special way, and we're excited to share this version of the song with all the Dolly and MÖTLEY fans around the world."

The members added: "That we were able to unite with Dolly to raise awareness for homeless youth and the amazing work of Covenant House, which provides them safe housing and care, makes it even more special. We hope you'll enjoy 'Home Sweet Home' featuring Dolly Parton as much as Dolly and we enjoyed creating it."

Dolly Parton offered: "It was an honor and a joy working in the studio on MÖTLEY CRÜE's 40th Anniversary re-release of 'Home Sweet Home'. I was so pleased that they would ask me to sing on such a classic."

"From The Beginning" will be made available on CD and vinyl via BMG. The collection spans four decades of CRÜE anthems, kicking off with their first global single and MTV video "Live Wire" and winding through the years to 2024's Top 5 Rock smash "Dogs Of War". In between are the hits and fan favorites that shaped the rock genre and a generation, including "Kickstart My Heart", "Dr. Feelgood", "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Shout At The Devil", "Smokin' In The Boys Room", "Wild Side" and many more.

The original studio albums that featured these tracks, including the decade-plus gold, platinum and multi-platinum run of classics "Too Fast For Love", "Shout At The Devil", "Theatre Of Pain", "Girls Girls Girls" and "Dr. Feelgood" combined have sold over 100 million albums globally, generated 10 billion streams, and dominated the charts around the world. MÖTLEY CRÜE's loyal fans have been there from the beginning, and their support remains as strong as ever. But with their music featured in video games, movie trailers, films, TV shows and sporting events daily, new fans continue to discover the band's amazing catalog.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's Las Vegas residency will run through October 3. These 10 shows at Park MGM will be the first and only chance for MÖTLEY CRÜE fans to see the band live in 2025.

The CD version of "From The Beginning" features 19 tracks, while the vinyl has been expanded to 21 songs, including "Afraid" and the title track of last year's "Cancelled" EP.

CD track listing:

01. Live Wire
02. Take Me To The Top
03. Shout At The Devil [remastered - 2021]
04. Looks That Kill [remastered - 2021]
05. Too Young To Fall In Love [remastered - 2021]
06. Smokin' In The Boys Room [remastered - 2021]
07. Home Sweet Home [remastered - 2021]
08. Girls, Girls, Girls
09. Wild Side
10. Dr. Feelgood
11. Without You
12. Kickstart My Heart
13. Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
14. Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)
15. Primal Scream
16. The Dirt (Est. 1981)
17. Saints of Los Angeles
18. Dogs Of War
19. Home Sweet Home (feat. Dolly Parton)

2LP track listing:

Side A

01. Live Wire
02. Take Me To The Top
03. Shout at the Devil [remastered -2021]
04. Looks That Kill [remastered - 2021]
05. Too Young To Fall In Love [remastered -2021]
06. Smokin' In The Boys Room [remastered -2021]

Side B

01. Home Sweet Home [remastered -2021]
02. Girls, Girls, Girls
03. Wild Side
04. Dr. Feelgood
05. Without You

Side C

01. Kickstart My Heart
02. Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
03. Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)
04. Primal Scream
05. Afraid *

Side D

01. Saints of Los Angeles
02. The Dirt (Est. 1981)
03. Dogs Of War
04. Cancelled *
05. Home Sweet Home (feat. Dolly Parton)

* LP-only tracks

John 5 joined MÖTLEY CRÜE in the fall of 2022 as the replacement for the band's co-founding guitarist Mick Mars. Mick announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues.

Last October, MÖTLEY CRÜE released the "Cancelled" EP, featuring the title track, MÖTLEY CRÜE's cover version of the BEASTIE BOYS classic "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" and "Dogs Of War". All three songs were recorded in April 2023 with longtime producer Bob Rock.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's deal with Big Machine sees the band and the label working together again after making the 2014 project "Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe", which featured CRÜE tracks covered by country stars RASCAL FLATTS, FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE, Darius Rucker and more. Big Machine also partnered with John 5 for the release of his 2021 album "Sinner".

MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.

In 2018, MÖTLEY CRÜE recorded four new songs for "The Dirt" movie, including the single "The Dirt (Est. 1981) (Feat. Machine Gun Kelly)", "Ride With The Devil", "Crash And Burn" and the band's own spin on Madonna's "Like A Virgin".