In a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, Fred Coury was asked if there could ever be a CINDERELLA reunion of all the surviving members of the band. (Guitarist Jeff LaBar died in July 2021 at his apartment in Nashville. He was 58 years old.) The CINDERELLA drummer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's not… We were asked to do a big tour next summer, a huge tour, and it's just not gonna happen."

This past August, Coury was a little more open to the prospect of a CINDERELLA reunion, telling Waste Some Time With Jason Green: "Well, we all still play our instruments. So, Tom [Keifer, CINDERELLA frontman] is out touring. Eric [Brittingham, CINDERELLA bassist] is doing a benefit — Rock For Hope, I believe it's called — he's doing that next week. I'm right now playing on Billy Morrison's record. So we're all pretty active in playing. We have our chops up. So if something had to happen, if it was, like, 'Oh my gosh. You guys can save the world. We need to have you play,' there's no reason we couldn't."

Coury went on to say that he is still in contact with Keifer and Brittingham. "I just talked to Eric this afternoon," he said. "And I speak to Tom quite often. Yeah, we're brothers. I mean, first of all, I owe everything to those guys."

He continued: "I walk every day in the morning and at night. That's how I unwind… That's the time that nobody's around. The streets are dark and I just get to walk. And the other day I listened to [CINDERELLA's third studio album, 1990's] 'Heartbreak Station' for the first time in 20 years. I hadn't listened to it from top to bottom. And I forgot some of the songs. I was, like, 'I don't even remember this song.' And it was so refreshing to go, 'Oh my gosh. I've completely forgotten about this.' And I loved it. It was so cool. And that's when I called Eric yesterday, and I spoke to him again today for something else, but I called him yesterday and I was, like, 'Dude, when was the last time you listened to one of our records top to bottom?' I was, like, 'It was amazing.' All the memories started flooding back. So yeah, it was pretty cool. I feel like I'm a very lucky person."

In a separate interview with the Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley, Eric was also asked about the possibility of the surviving members of CINDERELLA playing together again. He responded: "Early on, right after Jeff passed, [the idea of doing a tribute concert] was kind of floating around. I think our old manager was trying to get something together. But it would never be the same without Jeff. And I see so many bands that it's like watering down a drink. And I really don't want to… I mean, I love KISS — I grew up with them and I don't wanna knock them — but it's not the same. 1975 KISS is not like KISS with Eric Singer. And I love those guys too, but it's not the same."

When interviewer Izzy Presley brought up the idea of CINDERELLA playing a one-off concert with Jeff's son Sebastian LaBar, who has played guitar for both SALIVA and TANTRIC, stepping in for the late CINDERELLA guitarist, Eric said: "Yeah. I would be open to it, and I'm sure Fred would too. Tom, he's been with his solo career for — what? — 13 or 14 years now, and he's really vested in that. And that's where his heart is. So I don't know if he would really wanna do it. But I would be open to it [and] Fred would be open to it, but I don't know if it would ever happen. Sebastian's a great player, he's a great guy. That would make sense, but I don't know if that would ever happen. I wouldn't wanna go out and do a tour or anything like that. If it's a one-off thing for a good reason, I would be open to it. Otherwise, remember the band how the band was."

For his part, Keifer confirmed to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station that he is "still in touch" with his longtime CINDERELLA bandmates. He said: "Fred is really talented…He's just really, really found a niche that he loves. He's got a beautiful studio out there, and he's done a lot of really great work. He and I are in touch a lot… He does TV music. He does stuff with sports. I mean, he's a busy guy. Eric, the last I'd heard, he had a couple of different projects that he was involved in musically, and he played with Bret Michaels for a while. I don't think he's playing with Bret anymore. I'm not sure. He's played with a couple of different artists and done some session work here in town."

Back in June 2022, Coury was asked by the "Talk Toomey" video podcast if there could ever be a CINDERELLA reunion without Jeff LaBar. "We always said that it's the four of us," the drummer said. "That's why you don't see Tom out there touring as CINDERELLA. Because it's really his band — he can say what he wants. He can say [his current solo band] isCINDERELLA, but it's not — it doesn't feel like it, it doesn't sound like it, it doesn't look like it. And we always said it's the four of us.

"So, could there be something without Jeff? I don't know," Fred continued. "I think it'd be weird. We always say 'never say never.' But why? Why go do it? For who? The fans would like to see it, but then they're all gonna miss Jeff. We're gonna always look over at that side of the stage and we're gonna miss Jeff. Our keyboard player Gary [Corbett] died on the same fricking day. So stage right — gone. You look over and it's just so… so wacky.

"So, I don't see it," Coury added. "If something miraculous happens and Slash [GUNS N' ROSES] was, like, 'I really like you guys and I wanna do something with you guys and it would be cool to do and let's do a tribute [to Jeff]' type of thing, sure. But I don't think anybody has the time as well."

Asked about the possibility of CINDERELLA carrying on with Jeff's son Sebastian LaBar, Fred said: "People bring that up all the time. He plays like him and he looks like him and we've all watched him grow up. He's like all of our illegitimate stepchild. And we love the guy; he's really salt of the earth, as they say."

In early 2022, Keifer publicly discussed LaBar's passing for the first time during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". At the time, he said: "I've gotta tell you, you're never really ready for that kind of loss; you're not prepared to hear that kind of thing. And everyone is still trying to grieve and process it. It's an emotional topic. Jeff was just such a passionate, amazing person, musician, human. He had a huge heart. And it was a tough one, man. It still is, for everybody."

Tom continued: "Jeff and I had a really good relationship throughout out career. Obviously, in bands there's times when you have differences; that's part of being in a band. It's true what people say about bands — that they're like a family, but, honestly, it's like that and even more intense, because there's so many different facets that inform the dynamics between bands; everything from business to creativity and everything in between. But despite any differences that we've had over the years, and the band in general, as I've always said, we've never aired anything like that.

"Jeff and I had a great relationship," Keifer repeated. "I loved Jeff — I really did — and have so many great memories of our journey together. He was amazing, and not just what he contributed to the music. Jeff had such a great sense of humor, and some of my favorite memories with Jeff are just kind of cutting up together on the bus. We were both big movie fans and could quote pretty much all our favorite movies. And we'd sit in the front lounge and quote 'Arthur' and 'The Big Lebowski' and 'Caddyshack'. He was just a really passionate, really fun guy to be around, and obviously, an amazing performer. He was a huge part of CINDERELLA.

"Like I said, you're never ready for that. And everyone is really honestly… I'm in touch with Eric and Fred regularly — everybody close to him — and we're still trying to process it. We really are."

When host Eddie Trunk noted that CINDERELLA fans were very supportive immediately after LaBar's passing, Tom said: "That's all I saw online — was really, really positive, because he projected that. He was a good soul and a good friend to me. Obviously, when you're in a band, you try to hold each other up. And anything that Jeff was going through in his life I would try to have his back on, and he did the same for me. Especially when I had my voice challenges," referencing his early '90s battle with vocal cord paresis, a neurological condition on the left side of his voice box that almost put an end to Keifer's career, "he was really supportive. There was a point where I was just at an all-time low before I met [vocal coach] Ron Anderson. And I was so self-conscious about my voice that I didn't want anyone in the rehearsal room when I was trying to work through it. And I asked Jeff if he would just come in and play guitar and let me sing, 'cause there was so much brain power [required] just trying to work through the vocal issues that I couldn't even play the guitar and sing at the same time. And he came every day. It was just me and him, and he just played the guitar and I sang the songs. And he heard a lot of really bad things come out of my mouth [laughs], and he would just always look at me and say, 'You're doing great.' And I always tried to return and have his back on… He had his challenges too."

With his voice cracking with emotion, Keifer continued: "We had a good relationship. We really did. I loved him, and I know in my heart he loved me. And in the end, that's what's most important. And I have great memories of him and they're forever in my heart. And I cherish them."

Although CINDERELLA hasn't released a new studio album since 1994's "Still Climbing", the band started playing sporadic shows again in 2010 but has been largely inactive for the past decade while Keifer focused on his solo career.

Back in 2016, LaBar accepted blame for CINDERELLA's prolonged period of inactivity, explaining that his "drinking problem" caused a rift between him and his bandmates. He told "Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley": "I can only speculate, but I believe it's all my fault. It's no secret that I've had a drinking problem. And it showed its ugly face on one of those [cruises that CINDERELLA played]. I guess that's what caused a rift… When I fell out on one of those cruise ships in front of everybody — like, basically O.D.'d — that's when the band, and mostly Tom, took notice and was, like, 'What the fuck?'"

Asked if he was sober at the time of the interview, LaBar said: "No, I'm not. Which is the problem. Which is probably the problem. Like I said, I can only speculate, because I don't talk to the other guys anymore. I talk to Fred every now and then. Eric [Brittingham, bass] lives 20 minutes from me. We haven't talked lately, but Eric and I have been the most consistent of all my bandmates throughout the past 32 years. It's just Tom and I that don't talk anymore. And I can only speculate that he's very disappointed and doesn't wanna see me die. He doesn't wanna witness me dying."

LaBar went on to say that the touring lifestyle "fed [his] appetite for partying… all the way back to the '80s." He explained: "I have a history. It's not just these past issues. I have a history of drinking and cocaine… In the '80s, it was cocaine abuse. In the '90s, it was heroin. I went through every cliché phase that a rock star could go through. It just wasn't highly publicized. I was arrested, I went through rehab, I did all the things MÖTLEY CRÜE did. I just didn't publicize it. I was MÖTLEY CRÜE and GUNS N' ROSES all wrapped into one. As a band, we tried to hide our dirty laundry, and most of our dirty laundry was me. We didn't try to hide it; we just didn't publicize it. We just didn't tell people. 'Oh, yeah, Jeff's in rehab. Jeff's in jail. Jeff's in… whatever.' We just didn't publicize it. We actually kept it to ourselves. It was our family. It was our family business, and that's how we treated it."

Despite the fact that he hadn't spoken to Keifer for a couple of years prior to the "Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley" interview, LaBar said that he didn't hold a grudge against his longtime friend and bandmate. "I understand why he doesn't return my calls, and I don't blame him," he said. "I understand. And hey, you know, he's been the major talent of CINDERELLA all this time, and he deserves to be solo. Not deserves to be solo, but, you know, it was inevitable for him to go solo. He's just one of those guys — lead singer, main songwriter. It's inevitable that he should go solo and basically dump [laughs], dump the dead weight."

In a new interview with Booker and Stryker of ALT 98.7 FM, Josh Homme of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE reflected on how he was battling mounting illness related to surgery for his 2022 cancer diagnosis in the lead-up to the band's July 8, 2024 performance in the tunnels of the famed Catacombs Of Paris. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think what's interesting is that place, because it's so dominating, and because it felt like we were there to serve the place, it's not depressing or sad, but it's not happy either. It's just intense. And I think the fact that I was having some health struggles… I feel great, and I was told that I would be out of commission for a while, and I'm not. And so I'm thankful. And I think the fact that I was dealing with some serious health things, at the end of the day, it actually makes it better. It's better. Because things that are good are not simple. And also the pain side of that, the physical side of that, is momentary because I never think about that anymore. And even in the moment, it's, like, 'So what? So it hurts. So what?' I wanted it so bad. I'd been working on it so long. And we were so close. And I'm gonna turn and I'm gonna quit because it hurts?! What would I do then, if I quit? What am I supposed to do? Like, get up in the morning and fucking make coffee and… What do I do?"

Homme continued: "It doesn't always come up that you get to show what you're made of and who are you, what are you willing to do. And so I do think that it makes it more intense and it makes it worth it. And I know that there's people that care about you, and it's wonderful to have them say, 'We shouldn't do this, and we should go.' And I understand that. But I'm just sort of, like, 'No, we're here.' I like moments where it's, like, 'Are you gonna fucking do it or not? No more talking.' It's very much, like, 'Shut up and fuck me.' Like, , are you gonna do it or not? And actually, I sometimes I long for moments like that where it's, like, 'Are you gonna do it or not?' I just think they're important… It's okay that things are difficult sometimes. And I had a number of moments where I just was, like, 'I'll be back in a minute. I have to just like walk off.' But also I enjoyed being there. And I think it's okay those things exist at once."

Josh added: "I think the main part of this isn't if I was ill or not feeling well or not. It's that there's this moment that's up for grabs, and it's kind of like I've been dreaming about this. It's been a dream of mine for years, and actually I'm thankful that I was not well because I learned so much. We came together. We got closer because of it. And it had strange benefits. We just agreed, because it was just this type of environment. 'Let's not say anything.' He'll say, 'Action,' and we'll just sit there for 30 seconds. And you're listening to the ceiling drip and you're looking at everybody. And I just remember thinking, like, 'I'm fucking do this. This is the moment.' And I wasn't thinking about anything else. There was nothing else. And that moment of being present is a good moment. So I'm glad to have moments like that because that's what I'm looking for. I'm looking for that."

"Alive In The Catacombs", an audiovisual document of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's Catacombs performance, was made available earlier in the year. This utterly unique once-in-a-lifetime experience features a carefully selected setlist spanning the QOTSA catalog, each song chosen and epically reimagined for the Catacombs. The result is an unprecedented incarnation of QOTSA at their most intimate, yet surrounded by literally millions of human remains — "the biggest audience we've ever played for," Homme previously said.

The Catacombs Of Paris is a sprawling 320km (200 miles) ossuary beneath the surface of Paris. With a foundation of several million bodies buried in the 1700s, skeletal remains are largely exposed, with much of the walls built of skulls and bones.

Homme had dreamt of staging a QOTSA performance in the Catacombs since his first visit nearly 20 years ago. The city of Paris, however, had never granted permission to any artist to play within the sacred tunnels. QOTSA, being law-abiding citizens, waited until their vision was sanctioned.

Hélène Furminieux (Les Catacombes de Paris) said: "The Catacombs Of Paris are a fertile ground for the imagination. It is important to us that artists take hold of this universe and offer a sensitive interpretation of it. Going underground and confronting reflections on death can be a deeply intense experience. Josh seems to have felt in his body and soul the full potential of this place. The recordings resonate perfectly with the mystery, history, and a certain introspection, notably perceptible in the subtle use of the silence within the Catacombs."

"Queens Of The Stone Age: Alive In The Catacombs" was produced by La Blogothèque and directed by Thomas Rames, and was released by QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and Matador Records. The film is available to rent or purchase via qotsa.com.

Legendary German power metallers BLIND GUARDIAN kicked off their fall 2025 North American headlining tour Wednesday night (November 19) at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The band is performing across the United States and Canada, bringing its celebrated album "Somewhere Far Beyond" to life on stage.

The tour will make additional stops in major markets, including New York, Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles and more, before concluding on December 13 in Los Angeles, California at the Wiltern.

Support for the tour is coming from special guests ENSIFERUM and SEVEN KINGDOMS, offering fans a full evening of epic metal performances.

BLIND GUARDIAN's setlist for the Fort Lauderdale concert was as follows:

01. Time What Is Time
02. Journey Through The Dark
03. Black Chamber
04. Theatre Of Pain
05. The Quest For Tanelorn
06. Ashes To Ashes
07. The Bard's Song - In The Forest
08. The Bard's Song - The Hobbit
09. The Piper's Calling
10. Somewhere Far Beyond
11. Nightfall
12. Blood Of The Elves
13. Lost In The Twilight Hall
14. A Past And Future Secret
15. Valhalla

Encore:

16. War Of Wrath
17. Into The Storm
18. Violent Shadows
19. Mirror Mirror

Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen below (courtesy of the AIE TUBE channel on YouTube).

Last month, BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch spoke to Canada's The Metal Voice about the band's plans for the follow-up to 2022's "The God Machine" album. After co-host Jimmy Kay noted that BLIND GUARDIAN's sound and overall production approach can't get "much bigger" than it was on some of the group's most recent efforts, Hansi concurred. "Yeah. That was my feeling after '[Twilight Orchestra:] Legacy of The Dark Lands', and I was happy when we went into a direction which we have taken with 'The God Machine', though from the basic songwriting, it was not too far away from 'Beyond The Red Mirror'," he said. "The way we treated it during the production and in the mixing has transformed it into something like a hybrid. This is what I meant when I said, well, 'The God Machine' has a bit of references of what we did in the past. So .. my impression [is that] we shouldn't go further down the road when it comes to orchestration. There will be classical composing, I'm pretty sure, in the future, but we won't take it as far as 'Legacy Of The Dark Lands', at least not in a long time. And, yeah, you know how long it took us to produce and accomplish 'Legacy Of The Dark Lands'. So, I doubt there will be anything like that, but we all feel it is time for the let-your-hair-down stuff. Even though I have to say once we're in the studio, we do not have that much control where the journey is finally leading us. So, that is open to a certain extent, but the passion for, I'd say, easygoing music is there in the band. And we felt encouraged by that also by the touring we did for the last now almost three years. That also fills us up with energy. And once we finish all this touring and we get back to the songwriting, usually there is a bit of this [same kind of] sense in the new songwriting. So I'm quite confident it will be more into such a direction."

Asked if the next BLIND GUARDIAN album will arrive sometime after the completion of the band's fall 2025 North American tour, Hansi clarified: "There won't be a new album coming out after the tour directly because we have to compose the album. We will take that momentum after North America and do the break, which everyone in the band is desperately looking for. We traveled around the world twice, I think, and it is about time now to really keep our focus on songwriting and on family life. We all want that privacy back for a while — not for too long, but I think give us a year, maybe one and a half, and then you'll have your new album As said, I believe it's in the tradition of what BLIND GUARDIAN stands for and maybe has a bit of the more melodic, old-fashioned style, but I cannot promise it. It's just a feeling."

Regarding a possible release date for the next BLIND GUARDIAN album, Hansi said: "[It will be] 2027, I'd say. Give us 2026 to compose songs. We go for quality. I mean, we could technically do an album, including production, within nine months. We did that in the very early stages of the band, but I wanna take my time, and so want the other guys. So give us the beginning of 2027 for maybe finishing the production and releasing the album, and then another tour hopefully at the end of 2027."

In the summer of 2024, Kürsch told MetalMasterKingdom.com about the progress of the songwriting sessions for BLIND GUARDIAN's next studio album: "We started songwriting a while ago, but I think we skipped all the ideas we've had. We do that from time to time, because if the span in between the real songwriting and the ones we did before is so big, then it doesn't make sense to keep on working on these songs because you do not get back into the mode, and so it's better to just put them aside. And some of this stuff really got forgotten over the years, and we never touched it again. So, we will start from scratch zero right now. We are still in the mode of 'live band' [due to all the touring we have done]. So I would expect the next songs to be heavy — heavy and aggressive."

Asked if the next BLIND GUARDIAN album will be musically similar to "The God Machine", Hansi said: "That's difficult to say, because 'The God Machine' is more of a production result than it is in the songwriting itself. The songwriting is not too different from what we did on [2015's] 'Beyond The Red Mirror', but the way we treated the songs in the studio is so different. So the result turns out to be, obviously, differently impressive to people. I would say, yes, we go for individual [songs]. With the lyrics, I am more focused on this than having a conceptual album. When having a conceptual album, you may go musically in one direction also. So we go freestyle."

In February 2024, Hansi was asked by Australia's Metal Roos if he thinks there will be "a shorter turnaround time" for the band's next studio album, considering that "The God Machine" was the first regular studio LP from BLIND GUARDIAN in seven years. He responded: "I'm pretty sure it's going to be…. I'm not sure how it will look like exactly. We did the re-recordings for 'Somewhere Far Beyond' for the anniversary album, and we did the live recordings in 2022, so this is something certainly to come up very soon. But we're talking about new material. That is still on hold then, because after that we do some acoustic playings, which we also worked on because we had to kill some time. And then, yeah, after Wacken [Open Air] and after these shows we're going to play within this year, we keep our focus on regular songwriting. And I don't know — I would be very surprised to find out that there's no new BLIND GUARDIAN album before '27, which is an accomplishment already, but I'm hoping for either late '25 or '26."

Asked how he and his BLIND GUARDIAN bandmates keep their songwriting fresh after all this time, Hansi said: "You gain a bit of expertise over the years. This is helpful. And then in addition, it's a passion on one hand, it's a profession on the other hand, which makes it a bit easier. And the excitement is still there. I believe maybe that's the central point in BLIND GUARDIAN. Everyone is feeling completely relieved because we have accomplished so much. But everyone is also focused because we build up a market in [a country like] Australia and we still see a development into the right direction. So that's encouragement, motivation, and we have plenty of that. What I have to say is I don't see the moment where we are running out of ideas."

BLIND GUARDIAN's "The God Machine" North American 2024 tour commenced on April 18, 2024 at The Fillmore in Silver Springs, Maryland and made its way to Dallas, Seattle, and Toronto before the final performance at Milwaukee Metalfest on May 17, 2024. Joining the band as support was NIGHT DEMON.

"The God Machine" was released in September 2022 via Nuclear Blast. The cover artwork for the CD was designed by Peter Mohrbacher.

Prior to "The God Machine"'s arrival, BLIND GUARDIAN's latest release was the all-orchestral album "Twilight Orchestra: Legacy Of The Dark Lands", which came out in November 2019 via Nuclear Blast. To create the concept, lead guitarist André Olbrich and Kürsch worked alongside German bestselling author Markus Heitz, whose novel "Die Dunklen Lande" was released in March 2019. The book is set in 1629 and contains the prequel to "Legacy Of The Dark Lands".

BLIND GUARDIAN's previous "regular" studio album, "Beyond The Red Mirror", was issued in 2015. It was the band's first LP since 2010's "At The Edge Of Time", marking the longest gap between two studio albums in BLIND GUARDIAN's career. It was also the group's first album without bassist Oliver Holzwarth since 1995's "Imaginations From The Other Side".

BLIND GUARDIAN's core trio consists of Kürsch, lead guitarist André Olbrich and rhythm guitarist Marcus Siepen. Drummer Frederik Ehmke has been with the group since 2005, while Dutch bassist Johan Van Stratum joined in 2021.

Drummer Thomen Stauch played on BLIND GUARDIAN's first seven albums before being replaced by Ehmke. Frederik made his recording debut with BLIND GUARDIAN on 2006's "A Twist In The Myth".

Brazilian metallers ANGRA will stage a reunion of the band's "Rebirth" lineup at the 2026 edition of the Bangers Open Air festival on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at Memorial da América Latina in São Paulo. In addition to a performance by ANGRA's current lineup, fans will witness the long-awaited reunion of the lineup that recorded the "Rebirth" (2001) and "Temple Of Shadows" (2004) LPs, featuring the return of guitarist Kiko Loureiro, singer Eduardo "Edu" Falaschi and drummer Aquiles Priester.

ANGRA comments: "Being the headliner of a major festival in Brazil, as a Brazilian band, carries enormous meaning for us, especially in the year ANGRA celebrates 35 years of existence. It proves that the metal made here has strength, history, and relevance."

The Bangers organizers added (translated from Portuguese): "Having ANGRA, and specifically the legendary 'Rebirth' lineup , as the headliner for Bangers Open Air is a historic milestone for Brazilian metal. In the year that a national metal festival reaches its fourth edition, an unprecedented feat in the country, this encounter consecrates the strength, trajectory, and relevance of the music produced here."

Loureiro left ANGRA in 2015 to join MEGADETH and toured and recorded with the Dave Mustaine-led group for more than eight years before his exit from that band in September 2023.

Falaschi appeared on four ANGRA studio albums — "Rebirth", "Temple Of Shadows", 2006's "Aurora Consurgens" and 2010's "Aqua" — before quitting the band in May 2012, explaining in a statement that "there comes a moment in a man's life when it is necessary to make a radical decision in order to move forward with dignity and renewed energy." In 2006, Falaschi established his own band, ALMAH, and garnered international success. Following Falaschi's departure, there were discussions within the band's management about the possibility of original ANGRA singer André Matos returning to the fold. ANGRA eventually enlisted Italian-born Fabio Lione, formerly of LABYRINTH and RHAPSODY OF FIRE, as its third vocalist.

Falaschi later revealed that he was threatened with a lawsuit by ANGRA guitarist Rafael Bittencourt when he announced plans in 2017 to launch a tour under the banner "Edu Falaschi Angra Years". Edu stated in an interview that he was "sad" and "upset" to receive such a letter from someone who could have personally called him and resolved the issue without the need to involve lawyers. Falaschi ended up changing the name of the tour to "Rebirth Of Shadows".

In 2020, Falaschi released a DVD, Blu-ray and live CD called "Temple Of Shadows In Concert", recorded in 2019 at Tom Brasil, in São Paulo featuring material from "Temple Of Shadows" performed with an orchestra. The band that backed Edu at the gig consisted of Aquiles Priester (drums),Fabio Laguna (keyboards),Roberto Barros (guitar),Diogo Mafra (guitar) and Raphael Dafras (bass). Initially the product was only in Japan due to "bureaucratic problems" in Brazil, with Priester later claiming in an interview that "the songwriters in ANGRA" didn't want it released in Brazil due to the high "quality" of the product. Bittencourt denied those claims, telling the Heavy Talk channel that he never prevented the material from being released and criticized Falaschi, calling the vocalist "naive," "paranoid," and "unprofessional". Bittencourt also ripped Priester as a "liar" and accused the drummer of having "a very weak character".

Priester was a member of ANGRA from 2001 to 2008 and he played on the "Rebirth", "Temple Of Shadows" and "Aurora Consurgens" albums.

In a 2010 interview with Metal Shock Finland, Rafael stated about Aquiles's departure: "Aquiles has preferred to dedicate himself 100% to his own band. During the troubled times with the previous manager, he had an attitude of not caring about helping us out; he turned his back to us. That wasn't cool. So when things started to soften, there was a common decision between him and us that he should spend his energy only to the band he truly believes. And that was not ANGRA."

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Brazilian metallers ANGRA have announced the departure of their frontman of the past 13 years, Italian-born singer Fabio Lione (VISION DIVINE, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, KAMELOT).

Earlier today (Sunday, November 23),ANGRA released the following statement via social media (translated from Portuguese): "It is with deep gratitude and admiration that ANGRA officially announces the departure of vocalist Fabio Lione.

"Fabio is an extraordinary singer and an unusual human being, who marked our history with his delivery, his artistic sensitivity and a voice capable of moving and impressing audiences around the world.

"Over 13 years, Fabio devoted a huge part of his life to ANGRA, often away from his home in Italy, his family and his routine. This constant effort, always carried out with professionalism, passion and generosity, is something for which we will have eternal admiration. There were countless trips, exhausting tours, hours and hours in the studios and moments that will remain forever in the memory of the band and fans.

"Over time Fabio ended up becoming a bit Brazilian too. Embedded our culture, our language, our humor and our way of seeing life. He became part of our musical family and gained a special place in the hearts of the fans who always welcomed him with immense affection. He is very dear to us all and his presence made a profound mark on all who had the chance to work with or interact with him. [His] legacy within ANGRA will be remembered forever through the music we made together and our time sharing the road and life.

"We wish him all the success and happiness in the next chapters of his journey. We are sincerely grateful for each year of dedication and the memories we made together. Our admiration remains intact and the doors will always be open to him.

"Fabio will bid farewell to ANGRA at the Bangers Open Air show [in April 2026].

"Thank you, Fabio!"

Lione officially joined ANGRA in early 2013 as the replacement for Eduardo "Edu" Falaschi.

As previously reported, ANGRA will stage a reunion of the band's "Rebirth" lineup at the 2026 edition of the Bangers Open Air festival on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at Memorial da América Latina in São Paulo. In addition to a performance by ANGRA's current lineup — including Lione — fans will witness the long-awaited reunion of the lineup that recorded the "Rebirth" (2001) and "Temple Of Shadows" (2004) LPs, featuring the return of guitarist Kiko Loureiro, Falaschi and drummer Aquiles Priester.

Loureiro left ANGRA in 2015 to join MEGADETH and toured and recorded with the Dave Mustaine-led group for more than eight years before his exit from that band in September 2023.

Falaschi appeared on four ANGRA studio albums — "Rebirth", "Temple Of Shadows", 2006's "Aurora Consurgens" and 2010's "Aqua" — before quitting the band in May 2012, explaining in a statement that "there comes a moment in a man's life when it is necessary to make a radical decision in order to move forward with dignity and renewed energy." In 2006, Falaschi established his own band, ALMAH, and garnered international success. Following Falaschi's departure, there were discussions within the band's management about the possibility of original ANGRA singer André Matos returning to the fold. ANGRA eventually enlisted Lione as its third vocalist.

Priester was a member of ANGRA from 2001 to 2008 and he played on the "Rebirth", "Temple Of Shadows" and "Aurora Consurgens" albums.

🇧🇷 É com profunda gratidão e admiração que o Angra comunica oficialmente a saída do vocalista Fabio Lione. Fábio é um...

Posted by Angra on Sunday, November 23, 2025

Ignacia Fernández, a 27-year-old model who is also the vocalist and founder of the Chilean progressive death metal band DECESSUS, spoke to host Jose Mangin of SiriusXM's Liquid Metal about being crowned Miss World Chile 2025 (Spanish: Miss Mundo Chile) during the November 9 finals of the talent competition. Fernández, who went viral for performing a death metal song during the Miss World Chile semifinals, beat out 19 other finalists to be named Miss World Chile. She will now prepare for next year's Miss World competition.

Regarding her decision to sing a DECESSUS song during the Miss World Chile competition, Ignacia said: "When the option to enter the contest came, they were, like, 'Okay, but we have the sport competition, we have the talent competition and everything, so you have to do them.' I was, like, "All right. But I was suspicious about making the music because I was a little bit afraid and everything. I was, like, 'Okay, this is my only talent. I'm going to sing and I'm going to sing a song from my band to at least show what I do.' Because then if I did another song from, I don't know, ARCH ENEMY, I didn't want them to be mad at me because a beauty contest kind of thing, like, I was like, 'Okay, if I'm going to fuck it [up], I'm going to fuck it [up] with my music at least.'"

Ignacia went on to say that she wasn't afraid to show who she is as a metal vocalist, despite the fact that her connection to death metal challenged the traditional standards of beauty pageants.

"I've been working as a model since I'm very young," she explained. "The 'Miss' kind of side is completely different than the modeling job. It's two separate worlds. But now I entered this, I saw this as an opportunity because Miss World has… I don't care about winning a crown because of being the most pretty girl whatever. I don't care about that. Miss World, for me, is important because it gives you a platform to work on something you are passionate about, to have a voice. It's called Beauty With A Purpose. So you have to have a social project. You have to do something real. You know, in my case, I'm very passionate about animals and animal rights. So I wanna work on that. So now with the whole music kind of part, that is part of the competition because there is this talent side. They are trying to find this like complete woman. And I'm trying to show myself as I am. Of course, I know it's not common to have a metal vocalist in a beauty contest. I am absolutely aware of that, but it is what I am, so I'm not afraid to show how I am, even though I know lots of people doesn't like that I will go and sing metal vocals at Miss World."

Miss World Chile is a national pageant selecting representatives for both Miss World and Miss Universe, with traditional categories alongside a talent segment.

Fernández represented the Las Condes district in this year's pageant, choosing to sing one of the original songs from DECESSUS, wearing a ball gown and accompanied by her bandmate, guitarist Carlos Palma.

Both the audience and the judges were taken aback during the first few seconds of the performance. That surprise quickly turned into a standing ovation: one of the judges said he had never seen anything like it in a beauty pageant.

Formed in 2020, DECESSUS, which also features drummer Martín Fénix and bassist Jaime Pepe, has opened for such international acts as INSOMNIUM and JINJER. They have also performed at festivals in Finland and Germany, and in September 2024 they opened for EPICA in Santiago.

Fernández was born and raised in Santiago, Chile, where she combines her modeling career — which she began in 2013 — with her other great passion: extreme music.

As she has shared on her social media, metal "has been a fundamental part" of who she is as a person and of her life. For her, it represents "a refuge, a source of strength and purpose."

The appearance of a death metal singer in a global beauty pageant has not only generated curiosity, but has also sparked a debate about the stereotypes that persist in these types of events, according to the El Independiente newspaper. Fernández stated that this performance was a great opportunity to break down barriers, asserting that one shouldn't fear the prejudices of others.

Former ARCH ENEMY singer Alissa White-Gluz has released "The Room Where She Died", the first single from her upcoming debut solo album.

The music for "The Room Where She Died" was written by KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai, while Alissa performed, recorded and wrote all the vocals for the track. White-Gluz also came up with the script for "The Room Where She Died"'s accompanying music video, which was created by Serbian video production company iCODE Team.

Alissa comments: "I hope you love this first offering from my upcoming solo album.

"'The Room Where She Died' is a song that feels truly satisfying to me; like I get to express myself in so many ways that have been dormant for years.

"This upcoming album is diverse; and I love the idea of opening up this new chapter with this song and video, which I wrote the script for.

"Can't wait to share more with you!"

Earlier today (Sunday, November 23),ARCH ENEMY announced it had parted ways with White-Gluz, writing on social media: "ARCH ENEMY have parted ways with singer Alissa White-Gluz. We're thankful for the time and music we've shared and wish her all the best.

"Wherever there is an ending, there is also a beginning.

"See you in 2026."

Alissa added in a separate statement on her Facebook page: "After 12 years in ARCH ENEMY, we have parted ways. I am forever thankful to the thousands of amazing fans I have met along the way. Thank you, Beastlings!

"I can't wait to share what I have been working on with you all (with some big surprises in store). Stay tuned for big news in 2026 and see you very soon."

White-Gluz, former vocalist of Canadian extreme metallers THE AGONIST, joined ARCH ENEMY in 2014 as the replacement for Angela Gossow. Angela, who joined ARCH ENEMY in 2000 and made her debut on the now-classic "Wages Of Sin" (2001),stepped down as frontwoman and is now focusing on management, while Alissa took her place.

ARCH ENEMY released four studio albums with White-Gluz on vocals: "War Eternal" (2014),"Will To Power" (2017),"Deceivers" (2022) and "Blood Dynasty" (2025).

Throughout her career, the now-40-year-old Alissa has consistently used her music as a vehicle for social change, addressing pressing issues such as environmental conservation, veganism, and the ethical treatment of animals.

During a March 2022 appearance on the "Vox&Hops" podcast, White-Gluz spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for her long-in-the-works debut solo album. She said: "What happened was it was announced [in September 2016] that I signed [with Napalm Records] for a solo album. All I did was sign to do one, but I think a lot of people interpreted that I had an album that I was ready to put out. So, basically, when the news came out about this solo album, the only thing that happened at that point was that I just agreed to do one. And then I was on tour for, like, three hundred days of the year up until 2020. And so now it's done, because now I've actually been home long enough to write the songs and get them done. And it's awesome and I love it."

Regarding a possible release date for the effort, Alissa said at the time: "There's nothing holding it back — it's done — but I need to be careful with how I release it, because now there's so many releases happening that I wanna make sure that the music gets the attention it deserves. So it's not gonna come out at the same time as an ARCH ENEMY album, for sure, because that's just not a good idea, but I will find a time to release it in a way that makes sense."

As for the musical direction of her solo material, Alissa said: "It doesn't really sound like ARCH ENEMY, actually. It's still me, so it's gonna sound a little bit like ARCH ENEMY, but it's kind of different. I feel like it's kind of an amalgam of that really interesting place that you're at when you're a beginner musician, because although I'm not a beginner vocalist or songwriter, I am a beginner guitarist — I'm very bad at guitar. So when I'm writing songs on guitar, I have an approach that is probably totally wrong, and that's what, I think, makes it cool. It's different — it's an unorthodox approach. I mean, I can still play it, but it's not my main instrument, so when I'm writing riffs on a guitar, I'm writing like a vocalist writing riffs on a guitar. Some could argue that that's kind of how Michael [Amott, ARCH ENEMY] writes too, actually, because his riffs are so 'sing-songy.' But, yeah, so I wrote a bunch with Jeff [Loomis, now-former-ARCH ENEMY guitarist] and I wrote a bunch with a lot of other people, actually, which I don't wanna spoil and announce them all now. But there's clean singing, there's growling, of course, and other interesting vocal techniques with the note screaming and some operatic stuff. It's a heavy album. I don't know what genre to call it. It's totally self-produced in that sense. It's honest. It's exactly what I just felt like writing for this. So there's some prog elements, there's some rock and roll elements, there's a lot of metal in it, obviously. But, yeah, I'm really happy with it. So I hope that other people like it too, basically."

Back in 2017, Alissa said that her debut solo album would feature collaborations with a member of KAMELOT and at least one of her now-former bandmates in ARCH ENEMY.

The now-ex-ARCH ENEMY frontwoman said that the idea for a solo project came about as a suggestion from Gossow, who had been managing ARCH ENEMY's career for more than a decade and also oversaw Alissa's personal affairs.

"[Angela] was, like, 'Well, you need something. You need something that you can do, because I know you're a workaholic and you're not gonna be able to just sit there like this waiting for the next ARCH ENEMY tour,'" Alissa told France's Duke TV. "And she's totally right — I needed something else to be able to work on. And also, I have a lot of ideas that maybe don't sound like ARCH ENEMY and it would be kind of silly to just force them into ARCH ENEMY."

According to White-Gluz, her debut solo album will be released under the ALISSA banner because she wanted to "keep it simple" and "make it very clear who it is and what it is." In order to make the disc, Alissa "did a huge life overhaul," which included building a studio and investing a lot of time and money into learning how to engineer and record, program drums and improving at playing guitar. "Of course, on the album itself we're gonna have real musicians playing all of these things, but in terms of just getting the style down and the songwriting, it's something that I need to start on my own," she explained to Duke TV.

At the time of the Duke TV interview, half of Alissa's solo effort had been written, and it contained some musical surprises. "It doesn't really sound like ARCH ENEMY — it's pretty different — but I think it's pretty cool," she said. "For example, a song that I'm writing with Oliver from KAMELOT doesn't sound like KAMELOT and it doesn't sound like ARCH ENEMY, but it's members of both."

Loomis, who joined ARCH ENEMY in late 2014 and left in December 2023, didn't have any of his songwriting ideas included on the latter band's "Will To Power" and "Deceivers" albums, but will apparently play a prominent role on Alissa's upcoming disc.

"Jeff didn't write with Michael, because Michael was already writing so well with Daniel [Erlandsson, ARCH ENEMY drummer] that we just actually had too many ideas," White-Gluz told France's Loud TV in a separate interview. "But all of Jeff's ideas are really good and I've heard them and they're gonna be released, so people will hear them… Jeff is gonna be one of my collaborators on my solo project, because how can you say no to that? [Laughs]"

ARCH ENEMY played the final show of its European "Blood Dynasty" 2025 tour with AMORPHIS, ELUVEITIE and GATECREEPER on November 15 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

ARCH ENEMY has parted ways with its singer of the past 11 years, Alissa White-Gluz. No reason was given for her departure.

Earlier today (Sunday, November 23),the veteran extreme metallers released the following statement via social media: "ARCH ENEMY have parted ways with singer Alissa White-Gluz. We're thankful for the time and music we've shared and wish her all the best.

"Wherever there is an ending, there is also a beginning.

"See you in 2026."

Alissa added in a separate statement on her Facebook page: "After 12 years in ARCH ENEMY, we have parted ways. I am forever thankful to the thousands of amazing fans I have met along the way. Thank you, Beastlings!

"I can't wait to share what I have been working on with you all (with some big surprises in store). Stay tuned for big news in 2026 and see you very soon."

White-Gluz, former vocalist of Canadian extreme metallers THE AGONIST, joined ARCH ENEMY in 2014 as the replacement for Angela Gossow. Angela, who joined ARCH ENEMY in 2000 and made her debut on the now-classic "Wages Of Sin" (2001),stepped down as frontwoman and is now focusing on management, while Alissa took her place.

ARCH ENEMY recorded three albums with vocalist Johan Liiva — "Black Earth" (1996),"Stigmata" (1998) and "Burning Bridges" (1999) — before Liiva was replaced by German singer Gossow.

ARCH ENEMY released four studio albums with White-Gluz on vocals: "War Eternal" (2014),"Will To Power" (2017),"Deceivers" (2022) and "Blood Dynasty" (2025).

Throughout her career, the now-40-year-old Alissa has consistently used her music as a vehicle for social change, addressing pressing issues such as environmental conservation, veganism, and the ethical treatment of animals.

Back in 2016, it was announced that White-Gluz had signed a deal with Napalm Records for the release of her debut solo album. The following year, she said that her solo LP would feature collaborations with a member of KAMELOT and at least one of her now-former bandmates in ARCH ENEMY.

The now-former-ARCH ENEMY frontwoman said that the idea for a solo project came about as a suggestion from Gossow, who has been managing ARCH ENEMY's career for more than a decade and also oversaw Alissa's personal affairs.

As for the musical direction of her solo material, Alissa told the "Vox&Hops" podcast in a March 2022 interview: "It doesn't really sound like ARCH ENEMY, actually. It's still me, so it's gonna sound a little bit like ARCH ENEMY, but it's kind of different. I feel like it's kind of an amalgam of that really interesting place that you're at when you're a beginner musician, because although I'm not a beginner vocalist or songwriter, I am a beginner guitarist — I'm very bad at guitar. So when I'm writing songs on guitar, I have an approach that is probably totally wrong, and that's what, I think, makes it cool. It's different — it's an unorthodox approach. I mean, I can still play it, but it's not my main instrument, so when I'm writing riffs on a guitar, I'm writing like a vocalist writing riffs on a guitar. Some could argue that that's kind of how Michael [Amott, ARCH ENEMY] writes too, actually, because his riffs are so 'sing-songy.' But, yeah, so I wrote a bunch with Jeff [Loomis, ex-ARCH ENEMY and current NEVERMORE guitarist] and I wrote a bunch with a lot of other people, actually, which I don't wanna spoil and announce them all now. But there's clean singing, there's growling, of course, and other interesting vocal techniques with the note screaming and some operatic stuff. It's a heavy album. I don't know what genre to call it. It's totally self-produced in that sense. It's honest. It's exactly what I just felt like writing for this. So there's some prog elements, there's some rock and roll elements, there's a lot of metal in it, obviously. But, yeah, I'm really happy with it. So I hope that other people like it too, basically."

In a February 2020 interview with Metal Hammer, White-Gluz was full of praise for her then-ARCH ENEMY bandmates, saying: "It's a really good environment on tour with ARCH ENEMY: we all hang out and get along well. It's not like we just hired some guy to do sound or lights. We roll like a family. I go hiking with my guitar tech, canoeing with my front-of-house engineer, bike riding with my monitor guy whenever we can. We discuss things every day on how we can improve our show, I talk to our lighting guy about what colors he's feeling for each song. I say I'm thinking of making a jacket in a certain color and ask how it would look on stage with this light setup. We really go into detail and I love every aspect of it."

ARCH ENEMY's latest studio album, the aforementioned "Blood Dynasty", was originally released in March of this year via Century Media Records. The "Blood Dynasty (Deluxe Edition)" was made available October 10, and it came with three bonus tracks, one of which, "Lachrymatory", was previously unreleased.

ARCH ENEMY played the final show of its European "Blood Dynasty" 2025 tour with AMORPHIS, ELUVEITIE and GATECREEPER on November 15 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Photo credit: Patric Ullaeus

In a new interview with Mark Strigl, veteran hard rock drummer Johnny Kelly — best known for his work with TYPE O NEGATIVE and DANZIG — spoke about the status of the unreleased song recorded by the surviving members of TYPE O NEGATIVE and legendary BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wanna say at this point, maybe it was eight years ago, something like that. The foundation of it is, at the time, when Peter [Steele, TYPE O NEGATIVE frontman] had passed away, Bill had written a song in tribute to Peter. And he wanted to get the rest of us to play on it — Kenny [Hickey, TYPE O NEGATIVE guitarist], Josh [Silver, TYPE O NEGATIVE keyboardist] and myself. So Kenny and I went out to California. We did the drum tracks, did the guitar tracks for it. I think Kenny's singing on it a little bit." Referencing vocalist Jason "Dewey" Bragg, who played with Kelly in KILL DEVIL HILL and with Ward in DAY OF ERRORS, Johnny continued: "I think Dewey may be singing on [the song], 'cause through that friendship of Bill and I, Dewey became friends with Bill Ward, and then Bill would have Dewey sing a lot of the stuff. Bill's always working on music, so he's always writing and recording and stuff like that. And he grabbed Dewey. So we did the song. Josh actually did a keyboard track on it and stuff. He didn't go to California; he did it in New York. And that was it. We recorded the song, and for a long time I wasn't really sure what's going on or whatever. But the last time I spoke to Bill, he was talking about getting the song finished… That was this year. It was after [the] 'Back To The Beginning' [concert in early July]. He said that he was gonna start working on that and get it wrapped up."

Asked if the song is musically heavy, Johnny said: "Uh, yes, it's heavy, melancholy. I'm trying to remember it. It was eight years ago. [Laughs] As it was happening, I was just like… Bill Ward was my hero growing up, so to sort of become friends with him… And now I'm in a room recording with him. And I was just in awe of the whole experience. So I'm sitting there on the kit, and Bill is in front of me like a maestro, pointing, telling me where to go and what to [play]. I'm just, like, 'Deep breath.'"

After Strigl noted that he would love to hear the song, Kelly said: "I wanna hear it too. And it's cool in the sense where you have the three surviving members of TYPE O actually playing music together, which is cool in itself to me. And then, throw on top of it, you're working with people from BLACK SABBATH — like, O.G. BLACK SABBATH. So it's pretty cool in that sense. But, yeah, hopefully it comes out soon. I guess we'll all know when it comes out."

Johnny first mentioned his collaboration with Ward during a June 2024 appearance on the "Sh!t Talk Reviews" podcast. He said at the time: "[Bill] wrote a song a few years ago. He wrote it after Peter died. And he wrote it as a tribute to Peter, and he got me, Kenny and Josh to play on it. I don't know when it's coming out or anything like that. Bill operates on his own plane, and he does his own thing. But, yeah, it was cool. Kenny and I, we went out to L.A. for — I don't know — like, five days or whatever. We worked on the song. And the best part of the whole experience was driving to and from the studio with Bill. We would sit there and we would trade war stories. Bill's actually a really big TYPE O fan, so he loved hearing the stories, with me and Kenny telling war stories and stuff like that. And then Bill would say, 'Oh, yeah, there was this one time in SABBATH.' And it would just completely blow our minds. These guys [in BLACK SABBATH] created this [genre of music]. [Laughs] It was one of those surreal moments where you meet one of your heroes and they turn out to be really amazing people. And he really is — he's one of the sweetest people I've ever met."

Back in 2017, Ward named TYPE O NEGATIVE's 1996 album "October Rust" one of his favorite metal LPs of all time, telling Rolling Stone magazine: "The reason why I picked 'October Rust' is, number one, I'm a huge fan of TYPE O NEGATIVE and have been since I first heard them. But one of my favorite songs on this particular album is one that we play every Christmas on our radio show. It's called 'Red Water (Christmas Mourning)', and it's just a fucking brilliant arrangement. It's got everything in there. Kenny and Johnny and Josh sound absolutely formidable on this track. The way that they put it all together with the sound effects, you can feel the coldness and the chill when you listen to the song. It's conveyed perfectly. It's just a very well-orchestrated piece of music. Then, Peter's lyrics are, I think, absolutely outstanding. I think he nailed everything in this song. As he did in a number of other songs, too. There's something about it that's really chilling and it has a complete ring of honesty about it. Sometimes, TYPE O will come out with something completely unbelievable, and this is one of their unbelievable tracks. So that's particularly why I picked 'October Rust'."

Ward added: "The first time I heard them, I was attracted to them immediately. When I first heard them, it was almost like, 'Oh, I feel like I've been in this band.' Or I feel like this would be a band I could play in, which is no disrespect to Johnny. Johnny and I are pretty good friends, to say the least. But when I first heard it, I thought, 'Oh, my God, there's something about this band which is really, really cool.' At the time, I didn't know that they were huge SABBATH fans. I found out later.

"There's something very magnetic; they have something that draws you in. I think it's one of those bands where you either love them 120 percent or you kind of go, 'Eh, I'm not sure.' Kind of like SABBATH, actually. … Very loud, extremely powerful. They have all the same things: they leave everything out on the stage and they leave everything out when they record. They've definitely got a sense of humor throughout the band. There's no question about that. I think it [gets] missed and it's misunderstood. [There was] a lot of humor in SABBATH. We were falling over ourselves sometimes. [Laughs]

"When Peter died [in 2010], that one kind of knocked me about a lot. … It was unexpected because the path that Peter was on was an upswing and it's like, 'Oh, man, what's happened?' Yeah, I built a bonfire for Peter and I said some prayers, basically letting him know that the bonfire was to light his way to a new path. I loved him, very much. I admired him. There's nobody else on earth like Peter."

TYPE O NEGATIVE effectively broke up after the passing of Steele in April 2010 from heart failure at the age of 48. Born Petrus T. Ratajczyk on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York, he stood 6' 7" (201 cm) tall, and had a low, bass-heavy voice, which was one of the most recognizable features in TYPE O NEGATIVE's music.

Before forming TYPE O NEGATIVE, Steele played for the metal group FALLOUT and the thrash band CARNIVORE.

In a new interview with Levi Buckley of Sticks For Stones, legendary rock singer Graham Bonnet (RAINBOW, ALCATRAZZ, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the next studio album from his group, the GRAHAM BONNET BAND. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[English rock singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer] Russ Ballard has written three songs for us, two of which I think are definites [to go on the record], and we might even do the third. But the third one he sent me recently is a little bit too poppy, possibly. But, hey, [the Ballard track] 'Since You Been Gone' [which RAINBOW recorded during Graham's time with the band] was a fricking pop song. What can you say? I mean, it was a pop song."

Asked about the song on GRAHAM BONNET BAND's upcoming album which will feature a guest appearance by IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson, Graham said: "Yeah, Bruce has done his bit. What happened was we wanted him to do the last verse and the last chorus kind of thing, and then take it out with ad libs or whatever he wants to do. So he's got the last part of the song. And I haven't done my bit yet, which is the first verses, whatever, and chorus and pre-chorus. So it'll be half and half, both of us."

Asked if he thinks he will be able to make a music video for the song with Bruce making an appearance in it, Graham said: "Yeah, I do. We'll do that. I'm thinking about it now. I think probably at the end, or even at the beginning, Bruce could sing with me on the first verse. I don't know. But he's done all his [parts], and it sounds great. And so I think I'll leave it as it is."

Regarding how the collaboration with Bruce came about, Graham said: "I've known him for — God — a long time, but I haven't seen him every day. He's not my best friend or anything…. He said to somebody — in his [solo] band, I believe — 'I never do this for anybody,' do a [guest] appearance on [somebody's] album. 'But I'll do it for Graham.' That's how much of a friend he is. And I thanked him very much for being so generous and going out of his way to do this with us, 'cause he does like the band and everything. He's with us all the way, and we've been to see a lot of his shows recently."

GRAHAM BONNET BAND will release a new live album, "Lost In Hollywood Again", on December 12, 2025 via Frontiers Music Srl. The LP was recorded on August 29, 2024, at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles, California.

The GRAHAM BONNET BAND's third studio album, "Day Out In Nowhere", came out in May 2022 via Frontiers Music Srl. Graham was joined on the LP by longtime bandmates Beth-Ami Heavenstone (bass) and Conrado Pesinato (guitar),as well as keyboardist Alessandro Bertoni and drummer Shane Gaalaas. "Day Out In Nowhere" also saw performance and co-writing guest appearances from Jeff Loomis (ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE),John Tempesta (THE CULT, WHITE ZOMBIE),Mike Tempesta (POWERMAN 5000),Roy Z (HALFORD, BRUCE DICKINSON) and Don Airey (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW).

Bonnet is a hard rock legend with a pedigree to back that statement up. His solo offerings and stints with RAINBOW, MSG, ALCATRAZZ and IMPELLITTERI prove he is one of the finest rock vocalists and songwriters of his generation. From his late 60s into his 70s, Graham has written and recorded some of the best albums he's ever done, including a reunion album with GRAHAM BONNET'S ALCATRAZZ called "Born Innocent" in 2020, along with three records with his GRAHAM BONNET BAND: 2016's "The Book", 2018's "Meanwhile, Back In The Garage" and the aforementioned "Day Out In Nowhere".

In 1979, Bonnet auditioned for the frontman position in RAINBOW. With his James Dean image, the choice of Bonnet to replace Ronnie James Dio was subject to some questions. However, once the band heard Bonnet sing, they knew they had their man. With Bonnet at the mic, they recorded the "Down To Earth" LP, which became one of RAINBOW's most successful releases.

Graham moved on from RAINBOW in the early '80s to work on his solo career. He also played with MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, recorded several albums with ALCATRAZZ and had a short stint with IMPELLITTERI.

BLKIIBLK has announced the signing of Greek power metal band FIREWIND.

Led by guitar virtuoso Gus G., FIREWIND has evolved into a powerhouse band with a devoted international fanbase and a string of acclaimed albums.

As the band enter this exciting new era, FIREWIND also announce major lineup updates. After his departure in late 2019, powerhouse vocalist Henning Basse is officially returning to the band. Basse's history with the group goes back to 2007, when he first stepped in as a touring vocalist on the "Allegiance" tour, and later became a defining voice during FIREWIND's post-hiatus era from 2016 to 2019, leaving a lasting imprint on the acclaimed album "Immortals". At the same time, FIREWIND has announced that Herbie Langhans is stepping down from vocal duties.

FIREWIND said: "We 'borrowed' Herbie from AVANTASIA for as long as we could, but our schedules and needs kept clashing, with all the increasing touring obligations. We understand Herbie's situation and we thank him for his time in the band, the awesome music we made together and wish him all the best."

Gus G. expressed his enthusiasm for this new chapter by saying: "We're all very excited, as we commence work on the upcoming concept album that will be the biggest and most epic thing we've ever done. And for this, we couldn't have imagined a better label partner other than Frontiers Records' new imprint label BLKIIBLK. We're honored to be label mates with metal titans such as MEGADETH and BIOHAZARD and we can't wait to unleash the new music to the world. Please stay tuned for more details on that and we will be seeing you on the road in 2026!"

Aldo Lonobile, head Of A&R Europe at Frontiers Label Group, added: "We are truly excited and proud to welcome FIREWIND to BLKIIBLK. Over the years, I've crossed paths with Gus G. on several occasions, and now we finally have the opportunity to work more closely together. Beyond being one of my favorite guitar players, he is a brilliant songwriter, and FIREWIND have firmly established themselves as one of the most exciting metal acts in the scene. We can't wait to be part of the next chapter in their career!"

Blazing a trail across the global metal scene for over two decades, FIREWIND stand as a pillar of modern melodic power metal. Combining anthemic choruses, dazzling guitar work, and soaring vocals, FIREWIND bridge the gap between classic heavy metal and modern power metal sensibilities. With influences ranging from RAINBOW and JUDAS PRIEST to HELLOWEEN and SYMPHONY X, their sound is as timeless as it is energetic.

The band's discography includes standout releases like "Allegiance" (2006),"The Premonition" (2008),and "Immortals" (2017),each demonstrating FIREWIND's knack for fusing melody and technical mastery. Their 2020 self-titled album marked a rebirth of sorts — introducing Langhans (AVANTASIA, SINBREED) and delivering a heavier, more aggressive edge without sacrificing the band's signature hooks.

At the center of it all is Gus G., whose explosive yet lyrical guitar style has earned him global recognition and endorsements, from playing stadiums with Ozzy Osbourne to headlining clubs with FIREWIND. Known for his precision, tone, and deep-rooted love for heavy metal, Gus G. is both the heart and architect of FIREWIND's sound.

FIREWIND's latest album, 2024's "Stand United", featured nine brand new songs produced with Dennis Ward (MAGNUM, UNISONIC),as well as a cover of the 1980s pop rock classic "Talking In Your Sleep", originally recorded by THE ROMANTICS but given a metal twist in the style of FIREWIND.

FIREWIND released a concert album/Blu-ray, "Still Raging", in September 2023 via AFM Records.

FIREWIND continues to tour worldwide, captivating audiences with their electrifying live performances and unwavering dedication to the genre. With new material on the horizon and their legacy firmly cemented, Firewind remain a vital force in the metal world — bold, melodic, and unstoppable.

Photo credit: Akis Douzlatzis

In a new interview with the "Iron City Rocks" podcast, QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's upcoming follow-up to 2022's "Digital Noise Alliance" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, we've started the writing process. We've got a good bunch of songs. And it's doing this in pockets of time. All bands are touring, so you find a week where you can go record. And producers are [now becoming] used to this. Long gone are the days where a band has three months to record an album."

Asked if he and his QUEENSRŸCHE bandmates are once again working with Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who previously worked with the group on 2015's "Condition Hüman", 2019's "The Verdict" and "Digital Noise Alliance" LPs, Wilton said: "Oh, yeah. We're already working with him. We built such a relationship, and when he hears my ideas and my riffs and everything, he knows, and I trust him with his decisions. And we just have a great relationship with Zeuss."

Earlier this month, QUEENSRŸCHE bassist Eddie Jackson told J.J. Caithcart of Different Stages Radio that he and his bandmates were "still in the writing process" for the upcoming LP. "We actually started it last January, beginning of this year, before we embarked on a month tour over in Europe," he explained. "And then last summer we got together again. And we're just continuing to write now that we have [fall 2025 North American] tour with ACCEPT. We won't be able to get together as a band in one location. We will be on tour, but it's not like a studio. But we still kind of bring our little recording devices with us to come up with more ideas."

Jackson added: "We're hoping to get in the studio sometime, maybe beginning of spring next year, and hopefully we'll have a late fall release. And that would be nice."

Eddie also talked about QUEENSRŸCHE's relationship with Zeuss, saying: "Yeah, he's just awesome. He's great to work with and bounce ideas with. He's a great guy, and he's actually a good musician too; he plays guitar and all that. But if it's still working, why not continue working with him?"

As for QUEENSRŸCHE's touring plans for the coming months, Eddie said: "Well, that's an unknown, but I know for now we're locked in with [ACCEPT] for this fall tour. But there are some dates being scheduled for European festivals end of spring, early summer of next year. So there's actually some dates already scheduled, but that's kind of what the schedule is for now. Once the year is over, we're really gonna try to focus on the new album — get the songs ready to record, record them, get 'em mixed, released and follow it up with a tour."

This past April, QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre was asked by Brazil's Monsters Of Rock which "unexplored musical directions" he would like to see the band go in on its next LP. He said: "[We're] kind of [doing] the same thing as what we've been doing. I mean, we don't go in writing a record with a preconceived idea. We just get in a room and [go], 'Hey, show me your guitar parts. What do you have in your mind?' And we kind of all get together in a room and just see what happens in real time. So as far as unexplored musical directions… Personally, I'd love to hear more clean guitar on the next record, maybe some more spacious stuff, some more clean guitar. Orchestration is always fun to work with. It's very huge and cinematic sounding. So those are fun things to play with. Maybe some different percussion things would be interesting to play around with again.

"But, gosh, after 40-plus years, I think without completely changing the band, the band's style of music, I don't know that there's really any too much unexplored musical directions," he continued. "I mean, QUEENSRŸCHE's kind of done a lot within the large space that QUEENSRŸCHE has to run around in. I mean, if we were to do something — we wouldn't write a hip-hop song, we wouldn't write a death metal song. So within the confines of what QUEENSRŸCHE kind of is, as diverse as it as it is, I don't know what kind of unexplored musical directions there would be. On the next one, I mean, I would love to, like I say, play around with some other clean guitar sounds, maybe some more interesting percussion things — like the song 'I Am I' had some really neat percussion things going on."

Guitarist Mike Stone, who rejoined QUEENSRŸCHE in 2021, contributed guitar solos to the band's latest studio album.

Since late May 2021, Stone has been handling second-guitar duties in QUEENSRŸCHE, which announced in July 2021 that longtime guitarist Parker Lundgren was exiting the group to focus on "other business ventures."

Stone originally joined QUEENSRŸCHE for the 2003 album "Tribe" and stayed with the band for six years before leaving the group.

For the past eight and a half years, drummer Casey Grillo has been filling in for original QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Scott Rockenfield, who stepped away from the band's touring activities in early 2017 to spend time with his young son.

In October 2021, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against Wilton and Jackson, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge. A few months later, Jackson and Wilton filed a countersuit against Rockenfield, accusing him of abandoning his position as a member of the band and misappropriating the group's assets to his own personal benefit. That dispute has since been settled out of court.

In a recent interview with The Joel Martin Mastery Podcast, Wilton stated about QUEENSRŸCHE's next studio album: "We do have one record left with our contract with Century Media and Sony. And yeah, we're putting together demos right now. So, when will it get done? I don't know. QUEENSRŸCHE has a lot of touring to do, and you've gotta schedule with your producer. But yeah, we've started writing demos, and we've got a good bunch of tunes."

Wilton also talked about the QUEENSRŸCHE songwriting process, explaining: "Well, the last few albums we've kind of wanted to write fresh, so kind of on the spot. So I'm not looking at anything I've done in the past. I'm looking at just the inspiration of the day and getting something recorded and live with it for a couple of days and then come back and go, 'Okay, yeah, this is pretty cool,' or, 'Nah, I'm gonna delete this.' But I think it's something that is special to a group of guys that everything that you create is new or kind of new. We're probably ripping ourselves off blind with all the riffs and melodies, but that seems to be the fresh approach. I mean, the stuff that goes by the wayside, that's stuff that goes on solo albums. [Laughs]"

Wilton previously discussed the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to "Digital Noise Alliance" in February in an interview with Marko Syrjala of Metal-Rules.com. Michael said at the time: "We're currently working on demos for the next album, which is really important for us.

"The thing is, to do a proper QUEENSRŸCHE album, we need about six weeks of uninterrupted time," he added. "But it's harder now because we have to juggle these gigs — weekends here and there — before coming back to focus. Zeuss has had to adapt; he's very mobile now. He's learned to be because we’re not the only band that does this; all bands do. He works with Rob Zombie — 'Hey, come on over for the weekend. Let's work on some stuff.' Or with SHADOWS FALL — 'Let's work on some stuff.' So, he's used to it. It's just a matter of someone organizing it all."

Wilton went on to say that he and his QUEENSRŸCHE bandmates are "following the same process" this time around as they did for "Digital Noise Alliance". "With ['Digital Noise Alliance'], the recording and writing sessions were meant to feel fresh — nothing was e-mailed back and forth," he said. "Everything was built during the writing process. In that sense, it was about going back to the days when we'd be in a room writing the [debut QUEENSRŸCHE] EP in the morning. Back then, we didn't have technology like we do now. No cell phones, no computers — maybe, if you were lucky, you had a four-track recorder. The way we worked was simple: 'Hey, Chris [DeGarmo], you got a riff?' And I'd say, 'Okay, I like that. Let me add something to it.' It was a real band effort because everyone was in the room, giving input. That's exactly what we did with ['Digital Noise Alliance']. Everyone was involved — 'Oh, I like that,' 'Oh, I don't like that' — and the songs evolved a little more each day. Some songs we dissected and reworked completely. Take 'Tormentum', for example — that's like four songs merged into one! [Laughs]"

Asked if it's "correct to say" that recording the "Digital Noise Alliance" album was "a fresh start" for QUEENSRŸCHE, with Grillo becoming a permanent bandmember and Stone returning to the fold for the studio sessions, Michael said: "Yeah, I think so. This next one will be even better because, with ['Digital Noise Alliance'], Mike didn't come in until the end of the process. But now, he's here from the beginning of the process. He's writing with me, and I'm writing with him, so it should be a bit more cohesive, I think… He knows the ways of the RŸCHE. He knows the guitar style and how to stay within that area. But, like I said, the stuff we've written so far sounds pretty cool."

U.K. alt-rock shapeshifters DON BROCO continue their 2025 streak with "Euphoria", an electrifying new single and their fourth release this year on Fearless Records.

Equal parts seductive and explosive, "Euphoria" opens with an electronic, vocal-driven tease before dropping into heavy guitars, driving drums, and a deliciously funky bassline. Its energy twists through dance-floor grooves and an anthemic, shout-along chorus ("Gonna live forever!"),capturing the bold, unpredictable sound defining the band's next era. "Euphoria" lives up to its name — a rush of sound and feeling that lingers long after the final hit.

When asked about the inspiration behind the song, the band shared, "'Euphoria' is about chasing that rush of the first time, trying to recapture that brand new magical feeling again and again for the rest of your life."

Building on the momentum of the previous singles, "Euphoria" finds DON BROCO refining the chaos, emotion, and experimentation that define this next chapter. Each new release has carved out its own distinct corner of the band's sonic world — from the nu-metal ferocity and swagger of "Cellophane" to the explosive, hook-laden energy of "Hype Man" and the emotional weight of "Disappear". Together, they trace the shape of a band unafraid to evolve — pushing harder, thinking bigger, and delivering some of the most dynamic and ambitious music of their career.

Having just wrapped the first leg of their U.S. tour with an incendiary show in New York City, DON BROCO is riding unstoppable momentum into the next chapter. Known for their high-octane, genre-blurring performances, the band will return to stages worldwide in 2026, bringing their boundary-pushing sound and infectious live energy to fans across the globe.

Always unique, and forever pushing boundaries, DON BROCO have cemented themselves as one of the U.K.'s most dynamic and forward-thinking rock bands. Fusing elements of rock, metal, pop, and electronic music, the Bedford quartet — Rob Damiani, Matt Donnelly, Simon Delaney and Tom Doyle — have earned critical acclaim and commercial success with albums like "Automatic" (U.K. Top 10),"Technology" (U.K. Top 5),and "Amazing Things", which reached No. 1 on the U.K. official albums chart.

Garnering nothing but praise for their relentless high-octane performances, DON BROCO have previously sold-out arena shows across the U.K., headlining Wembley Arena after selling out Alexandra Palace as well as festival performances around the world including Download, Reading and Leeds, Slam Dunk, Vans Warped Tour and more. They have also toured with the likes of Mike Shinoda, STATE CHAMPS, DANCE GAVIN DANCE and OUR LAST NIGHT in the U.S. as well as selling out their very own debut U.S. headline tour.

Now signed to Fearless Records, DON BROCO are kicking off their next chapter with their dynamic new singles "Cellophane", "Hype Man", "Disappear" and "Euphoria" — offering a fresh glimpse into what's coming next — more bold moves, big riffs, and boundary-pushing anthems that only they could deliver.

Photo credit: Bethan Miller

15 years into their career, VOLUMES have weathered ups, downs, time, trends, and everything else life could throw at them only to come out stronger on the other side. Against all odds, a devout audience has ridden shotgun and grown with them every step of the way, waiting for this moment.

The Los Angeles quartet — Michael Barr (vocals),Raad Soudani (bass),Myke Terry (vocals) and Nick Ursich (drums) — recently announced their fifth album, titled "Mirror Touch". It will be released digitally on December 12 via longtime label Fearless Records. The physical album will arrive on February 27 of next year.

Today, VOLUMES have shared the video for "Bad Habit".

Here, VOLUMES take a stunning sonic left turn. While the track has the guitar girth and grit that is familiar to loyal VOLUMES fans, the band leans into its melodic sensibilities and synths, trading its usual heavy dose of screams for fully clean verses and choruses. The result is a gorgeous and unexpected alt metal song that will turn heads — both new and old.

"'Bad Habit' is a song about identifying that habits that are deemed bad for you or unhealthy are sometimes the only thing getting you through life," shares Barr. "Is there a balance that can be achieved? Typically, no."

"Mirror Touch" track listing:

01. Sidewinder
02. Bottom Dollar
03. Bad Habit
04. California
05. Adrenaline
06. Stitch
07. S.O.A.P.
08. Dream
09. Worth It
10. Suffer On (feat. Black Sheep Wall)

Through a decade and a half, VOLUMES' quiet impact has been felt, with over 167 million streams in the U.S. alone, widespread acclaim, and sold-out shows. They've carved out their own corner of heavy music with an inimitable hybrid of head-crushing polyrhythmic prog-spiked metal, hardcore spirit, and unbridled attitude. They have assuredly leveled up over the course of albums such as "Via" (2011),"No Sleep" (2014),"Different Animals" (2017) and "Happier?" (2021). Kerrang! hailed the latter as "an album that gives a nod to the band's past while still bringing in new ideas." Meanwhile, the group shared stages on tour with everyone from ICE NINE KILLS and BORN OF OSIRIS to DANCE GAVIN DANCE and COUNTERPARTS. The Los Angeles group continues to fortify a full-on sensory assault with thick riffing, chilling soundscapes, and the venomous bite of its incomparable two-headed vocal hydra.

Photo credit: Lindsey Byrnes

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

Plant and SAVING GRACE perform "Gospel Plough" to "It's A Beautiful Day Today" by Moby Grape, along with a version of "Higher Rock" by the singer-songwriter Martha Scanlan and LOW's "Everybody's Song". They close with a new arrangement of "Gallows Pole", another traditional Plant first reinterpreted for the "Led Zeppelin III" album in 1969.

Robert Plant and SAVING GRACE's setlist was as follows:

01. Gospel Plough
02. Higher Rock
03. Everybody's Song
04. It's a Beautiful Day Today
05. Gallows Pole

Musicians:

Robert Plant: vocals, harmonica
Suzi Dian: vocals, accordion
Matt Worley: guitar, banjo, cuatro, background vocals
Tony Kelsey: guitar
Barney Morse-Brown: cello
Oli Jefferson: drums

Robert Plant and SAVING GRACE's debut album was released on September 26 via Nonesuch Records.

The genesis of "Saving Grace" began during the lockdown in "The Shire", when Plant's customary wandering was all but forbidden. While his recent adventures have centered around Nashville, having reunited with Alison Krauss for 2021's chart-topping, multi Grammy-nominated "Raise The Roof", it was in the English countryside that Robert Plant connected closely to this diverse group of musicians, who through their own experiences had a shared lean towards his much-loved corners of evocative song. Together, Plant and SAVING GRACE — vocalist Suzi Dian, drummer Oli Jefferson, guitarist Tony Kelsey, banjo and string player Matt Worley, cellist Barney Morse-Brown — spent the past six years growing into a wide-ranging workshop of styles and personalities, weaving through time and circumstance with joy and abandon.

"We laugh a lot, really. I think that suits me. I like laughing," Plant said. "You know, I can't find any reason to be too serious about anything. I'm not jaded. The sweetness of the whole thing…These are sweet people and they are playing out all the stuff that they could never get out before. They have become unique stylists and together they seem to have landed in a most interesting place."

Following his previous acclaimed releases on Nonesuch Records — 2014's "Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar" and 2017's "Carry Fire" — "Saving Grace" brings yet another chapter of Robert Plant's ceaseless roar into the daylight. Produced by Robert Plant and SAVING GRACE — and recorded between April 2019 and January 2025 in the Cotswolds and on the Welsh Borders — "Saving Grace" breathes fresh life into a collection of century-old music. A treasury of songs featured back in time by Memphis Minnie, Bob Mosley (MOBY GRAPE),Blind Willie Johnson, The Low Anthem, Martha Scanlan, Sarah Siskind, and Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk's LOW.

Plant told Rolling Stone magazine about the creation of "Saving Grace": "Well, we began with one microphone on a mic stand in a field adjacent to Matt Worley's place. We had a little desk set up. And we would get nowhere nearer than about four yards away from each other, and one by one go up to the microphone, and spray the microphone. On the last track on the record, you can hear some birds singing because we’d individually play a part and come away from the mic. It was an experiment that took me back to 'Physical Graffiti' with LED ZEPPELIN when I did quite a few vocals outside. I really enjoyed the whole idea of being out there rather than in the constraints of a studio. It began with 'Higher Rock', I believe, and maybe even 'Chevrolet'. That was probably about 2019 or '20. And then I'd go off somewhere else, and then we'd come back to it.

"A friend of Steve Winwood's got an old farm down in Gloucestershire, and he used to be quite involved with the very early days of TRAFFIC. And so as the conditions changed [after the pandemic] and the world started to open up, occasionally we'd go down to his barn and see what we would do there. It's really great, very pastoral.

"I think maybe we made one sojourn to Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios to try and see how we would get on with a different drum sound or whatever it was. But it's been pretty organic all the way through. I know that's a very overused word, but that's how it is. Nothing was riding on it, nobody was thinking beyond maybe putting this record out. Some shows in the U.S. later in the year might be about the zenith of anything that anybody ever imagined, really. There's never any sort of aspiration.

"Whereas when I came back after the demise of LED ZEPPELIN, I was in a different place, a different headspace, a different time in my life. I was really quite determined to take my music with a lot more drive, whereas this seems to be, it seems pretty pastoral, really.

"In SAVING GRACE, I don't think any of us live more on about eight miles apart. It's a very familiar combination of people in every respect, because I guess we've come out of the same area completely. There's a coherence even in our humor. We've got a good thing going on without where there's no huge imperatives. It's just really nice."

After touring extensively across Europe in recent months and years, Robert Plant and SAVING GRACE are performing for the first time in the U.S. this fall.

In a new interview with Jono and Nats of Dubai 92's "The Big Breakfast", DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan was asked if there is "an end in sight" to the hard rock legends' six-decade career or if he and his bandmates just plan to "keep on rocking". Ian responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, no one's really thought it through. We don't talk about it that much. And as life gets on, the end is nearer than the beginning, that's for sure. We all know that. But at the moment we're getting a lot of joy from what we're doing. I think the band is rejuvenated since Simon [McBride, guitar] joined us. And so we're looking a long way ahead. And you don't make long-term plans if you're thinking of stopping. So, we'll see what the future holds. I think probably human dignity is gonna be the deciding factor. Once you start going out and embarrassing people with your inability to do what you've done all your life, then it's time to stop. But until that moment arrives, then we're going good. And the band is hard and mean and hungry at the moment. I've never felt it so tight."

Earlier this month, DEEP PURPLE announced a U.K. tour for November 2026, including shows in Newcastle, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, and London.

The 80-year-old Gillan recently admitted to Uncut magazine that he was unsure how much longer he and his bandmates would be able to keep performing live.

"It's one of those things," he said. "I've only got 30 percent vision. That won't get better. It makes life mysterious. The hardest thing is working on my laptop. I can't see anything on the screen unless I use my peripheral vision; I pick up a line by looking at it sideways. But you find a way. You adapt. But it's achingly tiresome. It takes a long time to do the work."

Ian went on to say that he is grateful he still has his sense of humor.

"It's hilarious this growing old thing. It's a laugh a minute," Gillan said. "Well, sometimes yes and sometimes no. I walk down the road and hear something drop off — clang, there's something else gone. Nothing's changed really apart from I can't pole vault any more. Other than that, things move a little more slowly. But nothing's changed."

Contemplating the possibility of retirement, Gillan said: "I think if I lose my energy I'm going to stop. I don't want to be an embarrassment to anyone. We're not far off that. It creeps up on you — you don't really notice."

In August 2024, Gillan was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if retirement was out of the vocabulary for him and his DEEP PURPLE bandmates, more than eight years after they launched "The Long Goodbye" tour. He responded: "I think it is. That was a joke, actually, because it was the promoters. And someone said, 'We've gotta sell some more tickets.' And it's the good old standby, the farewell tour. So I said, Okay, we'll call it 'goodbye' tour, but let's call it 'the long goodbye', and let's make the emphasis on the word 'long',' so it's kind of an enigmatic phrase."

He continued: "There's no intention to stop. At the moment… I spoke to my manager the other day. I've got some solo project. He said, 'You're gonna have to put 'em back,' and I'm putting them back years. We're already booked to the end of '26, in the planning stage, in the diary, with all the projects we've got for DEEP PURPLE. So, yeah, years to come, hopefully."

Earlier in August 2024, Gillan was asked by Ultimate Classic Rock how close the end of the road — and, perhaps, DEEP PUPRLE — feels to him, the singer responded: "As soon as you start feeling unable to deliver at that level — of course, you adjust, of course, you adapt and make do the best you can. But when the energy level goes, that's time to stop because then it gets embarrassing and nobody wants that. But so far, so good."

In December 2023, DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice, who turned 77 in June, was asked by Zoom when he and his bandmates will eventually retire from performing live. He responded: "We have never planned a date to stop working. We are realists. The guys are getting older, and there's gonna come a point where maybe one or two of us don't want to do it anymore or [it's] not physically possible for them to do it. But we don't think about that. We're still having a great deal of fun. A lot of people still enjoy what we do, and so long as those two things stay in harmony, we'll continue.

"I don't think we'll ever know what the last gig, what the last tour is," he continued. "I think it'll come and just smack us in the face. Unless there's a definite plan, which there isn't, to do something as a final bye-bye, I just think we'll just go, 'Sorry, guys. We're finished. We can't do it anymore. It's been wonderful.' But even then, I think if we stopped touring, there's no reason why we couldn't make more records. That's the easiest thing in the world. All you've got to do is have the ideas. That's the hardest thing in the world. But physically making a record is easy."

Paice added: "Touring only works if you enjoy it. You can't just enjoy the two hours a night when you're playing. You've got to be able to deal with the whole thing. You've got to be able to deal with a ten-hour flight, a hotel which is less than perfect, transportation which goes wrong. You've gotta deal with all that. And if you can, and still enjoy it, then why would you stop something that you got into as a kid 'cause it made you happy? And if it still makes you happy, why would you stop it?"

Paice's PURPLE bandmate Roger Glover expressed a similar sentiment about the band's final tour in a June 2023 interview with Rock Hard Greece. The bassist, who will turn 80 later this month, said: "I don't like the idea of announcing the last show: 'And here they are. This is their last show.' I mean, the stress involved in that would be ridiculous. Where would it be? When would it be? For me, the ideal ending for PURPLE is that we just carry on until it stops. No announcement. We're not gonna announce, 'This is the last one.' People would buy tickets: 'Oh, this is the last one.' It's an exercise in making money. It's not very good. I've never liked it. I'd rather go and play and play and play and play, and one day when something happens and one of us drops dead or gets really ill or whatever, [we say], 'Well, that's that.' And leave it at that."

In 2022, DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Don Airey, who turned 77 in June, told Rolling Stone magazine that there was no concrete plan for him and his DEEP PURPLE bandmates to stop playing live shows.

"We started the farewell tour in 2017. It was due to end in 2019," he noted. "But the thing is, when you're a musician in a band, you think you're in control of it, but you're not. The business is running you.

"Of course, there was so much demand for the band to continue from the promoters and agents that we said, 'Okay, we'll do one more year.'"

Regarding when he thinks DEEP PURPLE will finally call it quits, Don said: "The words of T.S. Eliot [the greatest English-language poet of his generation] come to mind: 'This is the way the band ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.' I think we won't know it's the last gig. We won't have a clue that this one is going to be the last one. That's how it's going to end. It's going to be no big scenario.

"I like what Buddy Guy said. He said, 'Musicians don't retire. They drop.' You do have thoughts about being in the garden and bouncing the grandchildren on your knee, but it's part of your blood system, playing and touring. It's an addiction. I hope I keep playing for a while yet."

In July 2022, guitarist Steve Morse officially left PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who was battling cancer. He has since been replaced by Simon McBride.

DEEP PURPLE's latest album, "=1", came out in July 2024 via earMUSIC.