Three days after MASTODON performed at Ozzy Osbourne's "Back To The Beginning" farewell concert — where the Atlanta progressive metallers covered BLACK SABBATH's "Supernaut" — MASTODON drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor took to his social media to share a few photos from the event, and he included the following message: "Such an unbelievable outpouring of love, friendship and gratitude. We were so honored to be asked to perform.

"For months I've been trying to conjure up in my mind what it was going to be like, but it ended up being unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life, a new feeling. It was such a beautiful experience. From the stage, the side stage, the dressing room and out in the audience, the love was just pouring out of everyone for the last time that we will all be able to let [BLACK SABBATH] and [Ozzy Osbourne] know just how very much they mean to every one of our lives.

"All the performers gave their all trying to make Dad SABBATH proud! When Ozzy hit the stage, there wasn't a dry eye in the stadium. It stayed like that until the fireworks went off after SABBATH.

"What an incredibly emotional day for everyone. I'll be riding this high for a long time and I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life. I'm so very grateful for this life experience.

"Thank you BLACK SABBATH for giving us a space to be creative and the greatest genre of music there is, heavy metal. Ozzy Osbourne, I love you, thank you for everything!! You mean the world to me. Also a major thank you to Mario Duplantier [GOJIRA], Eloy Casagrande [SLIPKNOT] and Danny Carey [TOOL] for jamming with me during 'Supernaut', three of the best drummers in the world and some of the finest human beings, you made the day even more special, I love you. Thank you Bill Ward for showing us the way. You're my greatest inspiration!

"What a day! Music never felt so powerful. Going to carry this into our next recording coming up soon!"

According to The Guardian, "Back To The Beginning" was livestreamed to more than five million fans worldwide (with peak audience of 5.8 million fans watching the livestream).

Ozzy played a five-song set with his solo band — consisting of guitarist Zakk Wylde, bassist Mike Inez, keyboardist Adam Wakeman and drummer Tommy Clufetos — before being joined by fellow original BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi (guitar),Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums) for four classic SABBATH songs: "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "N.I.B." and "Paranoid".

Ozzy's solo set consisted of four songs from Osbourne's 1980 solo debut album "Blizzard Of Ozz" — "I Don't Know", "Mr. Crowley", "Suicide Solution" and "Crazy Train" — along with his 1991 "No More Tears" ballad "Mama, I'm Coming Home".

The 76-year-old heavy metal singer, who has Parkinson's disease, sang while seated on a black throne and appeared overcome with emotion at times. "You have no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart," he told the crowd.

At the end of SABBATH's set, Ozzy said: "It's the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts." Osbourne was then presented with a cake, while fireworks lit up the stadium from overhead.

A message on screen then read, "Thank you for everything, you guys are fucking amazing. Birmingham Forever," before the sky lit up with fireworks.

More than 40,000 fans attended the event, which also saw performances from METALLICA, SLAYER, PANTERA, LAMB OF GOD and ANTHRAX, among others. Profits from the show will be shared equally between the charities Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice.

There was also an online auction benefiting those charities. Items up for bid included two Gibson guitars signed by performers, a GUNS N' ROSES pinball machine, several gold record and CD displays including BLACK SABBATH's "Paranoid", LED ZEPPELIN's "Physical Graffiti" and METALLICA's "Master Of Puppets", plus more than a dozen travel packages.

A livestream of the daylong event was announced in June. While it was called a livestream, the video was delayed two hours from the in-arena start time.

Livestream tickets were priced $29.99, which got you live viewing and access to video for 48 hours. The livestream and T-shirt bundle was priced $64.98. It got you event viewing and a "Back To The Beginning" T-shirt.

"Back To The Beginning" was captured, produced and distributed by Mercury Studios ("One To One: John & Yoko", "American Symphony", "Metallica Saved My Life"). Mercury has partnered with Kiswe — the global D2C streaming partner behind the record-breaking BTS concert livestream — to deliver this moment of music history to fans across the globe.

The all-day event at Villa Park, produced by Live Nation, was hosted and compered by American actor Jason Momoa.

Curated by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, the event featured arguably the greatest lineup of rock and metal bands ever assembled on one day.

Two hastily assembled supergroups — dubbed Supergroup A and Supergroup B — performed at the event, with EXTREME's Nuno Bettencourt taking part in a five-song set of covers, while ex-Ozzy guitarist Jake E. Lee made an appearance for covers of "The Ultimate Sin" and "Shot In The Dark". Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing joined Morello, Billy Corgan (SMASHING PUMPKINS) and Adam Jones (TOOL) for a rendition of PRIEST's "Breaking The Law", while LIVING COLOUR's Vernon Reid hopped onstage for a cover of Ozzy's "Bark At The Moon", with GHOST's Papa V Perpetua (a.k.a. Tobias Forge) handling lead vocals.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CD track listing:

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

2LP track listing:

Side A

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

Side B

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

Side C

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

Side D

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

* LP-only tracks

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

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

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

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

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

Hot on the heels of Ozzy Osbourne's farewell show with BLACK SABBATH, the Prince Of Darkness himself has teamed up with a different group of artists: ex-lab chimps who enjoy creating abstract art.

Esteemed rock royalty and national treasure Ozzy Osbourne may have hung up on his microphone and retired from his rock 'n' roll antics, but he's still monkeying around with his latest collaboration.

A talented artist in his own right, Osbourne has turned his brush to an important and brilliant collaboration with a chimpanzee sanctuary.

"I paint because it gives me peace of mind, but I don't sell my paintings," says Ozzy. "I've made an exception with these collaborations as it raises money for Save The Chimps, a sanctuary for hundreds of apes rescued from labs, roadside zoos and wildlife traffickers."

Ozzy painted intricate, multi-colored acrylic basecoats on five 20"x20" canvases, then the ape artists at the sanctuary added their own brushstrokes. The signed artworks are named after Osbourne's own songs or albums.

Fans can now bid on the paintings exclusively at Omega Auctions, a top auction house for music memorabilia, which donated its services for the project. Bids start at one thousand pounds and the auction closes on July 17.

"Chimps are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, and I'm really proud of Ozzy for helping look after them," says Sharon Osbourne. "These paintings will not only raise much-needed funds for the sanctuary, they'll help promote awareness to the public."

"Painting is just one of many enrichment activities we offer our residents," says Save The Chimps events director Dan Mathews, who previewed the paintings to the Osbournes in Birmingham just ahead of Osbourne's farewell performance. "Some really enjoy it, while others prefer food puzzles, foraging activities, or picture books."

Founded 25 years ago and situated on 150 acres in Fort Pierce, Florida, Save The Chimps is the largest privately funded chimpanzee sanctuary in the world. Supporters include Jane Goodall, Paul McCartney, Bryan Adams, Alan Cumming, Gillian Anderson, THE B-52S and the Arcus Foundation. Corporate sponsor FedEx provided free shipping of Ozzy's collection to and from the sanctuary.

Photo credit: Kamil Szkopik (courtesy of Aim Publicity)

ATREYU will release a new version of the band's 2004 gold-certified sophomore album "The Curse" next month. The LP was entirely re-recorded with MEMPHIS MAY FIRE's Kellen McGregor at the production helm and it does not feature former ATREYU singer Alex Varkatzas, who exited the group in September 2020.

ATREYU stated about the 2025 version of "The Curse": "Rebuilt with reverence — not to rewrite, but to reclaim. This is the album that shaped everything, re-recorded from the ground up with 20 years of perspective and precision. It's heavier. It's sharper. It's 'The Curse', fully realized."

Vinyl versions of "The Curse 2025" are available for pre-order at atreyumerch.com and are expected to ship around August 1.

Last October, ATREYU celebrated the 20th anniversary of "The Curse" by performing the LP in its entirety at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California.

In the fall of 2024, ATREYU released "The Pronoia Sessions", a collection of eight reimagined greatest hits and two nostalgic tribute covers. The digital release was made available on October 25, 2024 while vinyl and CDs hit streets on November 8, 2024.

In a new interview with Australia's Spotlight Report, ATREYU's former drummer Brandon Saller, who is now focusing completely on singing after previously sharing lead vocals with Varkatzas, confirmed that he and his bandmates are working on new music. "We have already begun writing what will be the next ATREYU offering," he said. "I would say we're already about 10 songs deep. We will finishing writing and recording it. You should start hearing new music from that maybe early 2026. We will spend most of this year doing shows and finishing writing songs. Our brains are gonna be half in the past and half in the future at the same time."

Regarding the musical direction of the new ATREYU material, Brandon said: "It's funny. We've been writing and I think the energy in the studio has been very much looking back to the music we were in love with as kids. It's been some of the heaviest music we've ever written, period. It will definitely shock some people, and we've just kind of broke the 'give-a-fuck' button."

2002's "Suicide Notes And Butterfly Kisses" established ATREYU as an influential force, while "The Curse" sold more than half a million copies as the group rose to global renown. 2006's "A Death-Grip On Yesterday" and 2007's "Lead Sails Paper Anchor" both bowed in the Top 10 of the Billboard Top 200, with the latter garnering a gold certification from the RIAA — a highly rare accomplishment for a 21st century rock band.

Following a hiatus post-"Congregation Of The Damned" in 2009, the musicians returned, firing on all cylinders with "Long Live" in 2015. It crashed the Top 30 of the Billboard Top 200 and earned widespread acclaim from Revolver, Loudwire, AXS and Kerrang!, who dubbed it "a hell of a return." Along the way, the boys sold out countless headline shows in addition to sharing the stage with everyone from SLIPKNOT and LINKIN PARK to Chris Cornell and AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

Back in December 2014, ATREYU celebrated "The Curse"'s tenth anniversary by performing the album in its entirety at the Observatory in Santa Ana, California.

Former HANOI ROCKS singer Michael Monroe joined GUNS N' ROSES on stage during the Axl Rose-fronted outfit's concert this past Monday night (July 7) at Ratinan Stadion in Tampere, Finland. The 63-year-old Finnish musician, who has been pursuing a solo career for the past four decades, came up four songs into GUNS N' ROSES set to play harmonica on the track "Bad Obsession" off the band's 1991 album "Use Your Illusion I". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

This past April, Monroe was joined by GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash on stage at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California for performances of the STEPPENWOLF cover "Magic Carpet Ride" and the Monroe song "Dead, Jail Or Rock 'N' Roll".

Back in December 2015, just weeks before the GUNS N' ROSES reunion was officially announced, Monroe said that a comeback of the classic lineup of GUNS N' ROSES "wouldn't make any sense" unless Slash and Axl Rose were able to "reconnect" on a personal and creative level first. He told Eddie Trunk's podcast: "Reunions suck. People ask me, 'Do you think GUNS N' ROSES will reunite?' It wouldn't make any sense unless Slash and Axl would reconnect and really get into a new kind of thing and start creating something new. Who wants to see guys put together forcibly and then go through the old stuff…? It doesn't make any sense to me."

Monroe went on to say that a GUNS N' ROSES reunion wouldn't be the same unless one key ingredient was involved in the mix. He explained: "One thing we must not forget was Steven Adler, the original [GN'R] drummer. The first album [1987's 'Appetite For Destruction'], there's a chemistry that is unlike anything they've done since. Because Steven Adler, he's maybe not technically as great as [his replacement] Matt Sorum, who is also brilliant, but he had a kind of vibe; he was pushing, and he was playing a bit ahead of the beat. He had a style that was part of the chemistry, to me. The sound, the original sound of the band, he was an integral part of that."

Even though HANOI ROCKS was formed in Finland, their trashy, hedonistic, decadent hard rock/pop-metal boogie influenced many Los Angeles acts, including GUNS N' ROSES and MÖTLEY CRÜE.

More than two years ago, Monroe released the video for the title track of his "I Live Too Fast To Die Young" solo album, featuring a guest guitar solo from Slash.

"Slash is one of the nicest guys that I know and one of rock's greatest guitarists as he's maintained the spontaneity, the human touch and the heartfelt kick-ass attitude in his playing," Monroe said at the time. "I figured this would be a good one for him to play a solo on. He said he loved the song and that it's super catchy."

Asked in a 2007 interview if he ever felt jealous of GUNS N' ROSES' commercial success, considering that GN'R openly cited HANOI ROCKS as a huge influence in the Axl Rose-fronted band's early days, Monroe said: "No, I never felt that! Not at all! I was always happy for their success and they definitely earned it themselves. I'm thankful for them recognizing the HANOI ROCKS influence and talking about it in the press."

He continued: "A lot of bands weren't really that talented and they sold a lot of records and really just deliberately tried to fake something out of it with the looks and not having much to back it up with. But GUNS N' ROSES really had their own thing and they were secure enough in themselves to quote HANOI ROCKS as an influence. Also, they released a lot of the old catalog in America with their Uzi Suicide label. So they were definitely paying homage to us and they were being very cool.

"I've never been envious of their success — quite the opposite; I've been very happy for them. I was part of it. I played on their records and I was happy to be part of it. It's always fun working with those guys. Slash played the right kind of guitar because he grew up with HANOI and mine and Andy's [McCoy] playing. I actually did something with him for the movie 'Coneheads'."

Asked if he remembered the first time he met GUNS N' ROSES, Monroe said: "I met Axl... he came to my video shoot in New York. I was shooting a video for 'Dead, Jail Or Rock 'N' Roll'. He showed up and just came to say hi and he introduced himself. I got to talk to him and he was a big NAZARETH fan and I was, like, 'Wow, a NAZARETH fan.' He didn't realize that 'Not Faking It' was a cover of a NAZARETH song. He had heard the record and he was really into it and he liked the song 'Dead, Jail Or Rock 'N' Roll', so I said 'Why don't you come up and do a couple of takes with us?' He came up on stage and he ended up in the video. I got along with him great and I always had a nice time with him. I never had a problem with him. I hear all these horror stories, but he's always been cool with me. It was fun working with those guys afterwards. Playing sax on their record and we did the duet 'Ain't It Fun'. That was magical and they have great star quality."

Former MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee performed some of the band's classic songs on July 7 at the Time To Rock festival in Knislinge, Sweden. He was joined at the gig by THE DRIPPERS members Viktor Skatt on bass and vocals, and Stig William Rickard on guitar. Fan-filmed video of the entire concert can be seen below.

Featured songs:

01. Iron Fist
02. Love Me Like A Reptile
03. The Chase Is Better Then The Catch
04. Killers
05. Shoot You In The Back
06. In The Name Of Tragedy
07. I Got Mine
08. Sacrifice
09. Born To Raise Hell
10. Shine
11. Killed By Death
12. Ace Of Spades
13. Overkill

In a December 2023 interview with Sweden's TellUs Rock, Mikkey spoke about his previous run of shows under the "Mikkey Dee With Friends" banner where he performed some of MOTÖRHEAD's classic songs. The 61-year-old Swedish-born musician, who has been a member of the SCORPIONS since 2016, said: "It's not a tour, but a few shows. It's only a tribute thing. And I do miss playing MOTÖRHEAD songs. I like to play my own songs. [Laughs] I wrote 12 albums with Phil [Campbell, MOTÖRHEAD guitarist] and Lem [MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister], so it's great to be able to go out and play some of these songs. And the audience has been hysterical — I mean, they cry, and it's a lot of feelings."

He continued: "It's very important to say, we're not going out as MOTÖRHEAD. I've been misquoted so much, it's ridiculous. I'm sick of it. What's so hard to understand that it's kind of a tribute deal? We break in the middle of the set. I do a little storytelling, I take questions from the audience. I mean, it's really cool little venues. So, it's been great to do it, and these guys are total rock and roll that I play with."

Regarding how Skatt and Rickard approach their parts in "Mikkey Dee With Friends", Dee said: "I told them, don't try to be MOTÖRHEAD. Just do your own thing, and we play the songs. And it's been great."

When TellUs Rock noted that this is a show that he could tour all around the world, Mikkey responded: "Yeah, but I don't wanna do that. I just wanna keep it a show here and there. Both me and Phil, we're not playing MOTÖRHEAD at all, really. He's doing his thing with his sons [in their band PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS], and I'm so busy with SCORPIONS that I really don't have time."

In a separate interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Dee reflected on MOTÖRHEAD's final tour, which concluded on December 11, 2015, just two weeks before the passing of Lemmy. Mikkey said: "[Lemmy] was very excited. He loved doing this stuff. And I do remember that we were having a pretty tough time. Lemmy was sick. He was tired. And we could not get him off the road. Both me and Phil said, 'Look, let's break.' … Let's go back to [Lemmy's hometown of Los Angeles], rest, eat and we pick up the European tour again. But he said, 'No, no, no, no, no. We've gotta play.' 'Okay.' So me and Phil were talking, and we said, 'Instead of argue with Lemmy, trying to get him off the road, let's just help him instead.' And I remember, the shows, we had to adjust a lot of stuff, but I think we and he did fantastic. I mean, the last show was 11th of December in Berlin, and then a couple of weeks later, the man is gone. So, trust me, me and Phil put in 150 percent and Lemmy must have put in 300 percent to get through the set."

Dee was also once again asked if he and Campbell would ever go out and perform MOTÖRHEAD music together, with someone else stepping in to play Lemmy's parts. He responded: "Well, you never know. I mean, me and Phil wrote great music. But he's fully involved with his boys. And I'm fully involved with SCORPIONS. We're touring a lot. Not right now, obviously, but we're on the road all the time with the SCORPS. So I don't say no; there's always possibilities. But, of course, as I explained in, I think a podcast, I said, and some people misunderstood this, or actually, they didn't — actually the press wrote the wrong things. I said, 'We will never, ever get back together and replace Lemmy. That's impossible.' I said, 'But doing little constellations, doing some tribute stuff, that's great.' That's very, very different. And I think they said something, 'Mikkey will never play MOTÖRHEAD again.' That was the main headline on Blabbermouth. I said that's not what I said at all. [Editor's note: Contrary to Mikkey's assertion, the actual headline for the February 2023 BLABBERMOUTH.NET story that he is referring to was 'MIKKEY DEE: 'We Will Never Tour' Under MOTÖRHEAD Name Again'.] Of course I will play MOTÖRHEAD. But I will never be a part of trying to put MOTÖRHEAD as a band out there again with some other fucking idiot supposed to take Lemmy's place. So that's all I said. But to do this ['Mikkey Dee With Friends' thing], [it's] fantastic. And, of course, we'd like to plan something bigger than this in the future, hopefully."

Lemmy died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy's poor health, although the band did manage to complete the aforementioned European tour a couple of weeks before his death.

In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, "Lemmy", will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, "Lemmy".

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

FOZZY, the band featuring wrestling superstar Chris Jericho and STUCK MOJO mastermind Rich "The Duke" Ward, has released the official Lawrence Hinson-directed music video for the group's latest single, "Fall In Line". The clip was filmed at HM Studios in Las Vegas, Nevada, based on a video concept by Hinson and Mark Willis.

"Fall In Line" was released in April via Madison Records. Fueled by razor-sharp guitars, thunderous drums, and Jericho's signature powerhouse vocals, the track is pure fire — a hard-hitting anthem that dares listeners to stand up, speak out, and never fall in line.

When "Fall In Line" was first made available three months ago, Jericho said in a statement: "'Fall In Line' is the most exciting and unique song FOZZY has recorded for so many reasons. It has the familiar FOZZY sound that's been our trademark for 25 years, yet sounds nothing like anything we've ever done. We feel its gonna be a massive addition to our catalog, and are stoked to unleash this tune to the world and play it live on our tour."

The 2025 leg of FOZZY's 25th-anniversary tour, dubbed "2025th Anniversary Tour", kicked off on April 17 in Springfield, Missouri and concluded on May 12 in Wyandotte, Michigan. The trek, featuring support from LILIAC and THE NOCTURNAL AFFAIR, included stops in 20 of the nation's most epic venues, bringing the band's electrifying live performances for fans in every city.

In a recent interview with Springfield, Missouri's Q102.1 radio station, Jericho was asked if there are any plans for him and his bandmates to release a follow-up to their 2022 album "Boombox". He responded: "It's interesting. So our last record, 'Boombox', we wrote it and recorded it basically during the pandemic. And then it took a couple of years to finally release it, because you didn't wanna release it with no radio playing new stuff and you can't tour on it. And that record, we spent so much time with it, I realized, and the rest of the guys did as well, maybe making a [full-length] record isn't the way to do it anymore. 'Cause we had three radio singles with it, three other songs that we play live, and then the other six songs just kind of go to the elephant burial ground where you don't really hear them ever again. And in our opinion, as you should think this way, every one of those songs could have been a Top 10 hit, like 'Sane' was and like 'Nowhere To Run' was and 'I Still Burn' was. So we're just releasing one song at a time for right now, which I think in the modern world, might be the way to do it."

Jericho continued: "If you're kind of old school, like METALLICA or [IRON] MAIDEN or something, albums still seem to be the way to go, but I think for us rock radio bands, one song at a time, because every song will get a chance to live or die on the radio and every song will get a chance to live or die live. And I think that's what we're gonna be concentrating on. So we released 'Spotlight' [in October 2023] that way. Now 'Fall In Line' [has just come] out [in April]. We're already working on the next tune, so that when this one starts to… Radio takes about a good five or six months to go through the cycle, and when it starts going down, we'll release another one. So I think that's gonna be kind of our M.O. for the next little while."

Chris went on to say that he likes releasing one song at a time as opposed to making full-length albums.

"I wanna give every song a chance at this point in time, 'cause, like I said, on 'Boombox', there was far too many great songs that just didn't get their chance," he explained. "And I think that's a shame when you spend so much time. And you know, like, 'This song is great.' We had a song called 'Ugly On The Inside' on 'Boombox'. As soon as I heard it, I'm, like, 'That's gonna be a Number One song.' We didn't even release it as a single. We never even played it live, 'cause other songs come out and the other songs work better in certain situations. So I think from now on, it's just one at a time. So we are working on the next one right now. ['Fall In Line'] just came out. So give it a chance first. But maybe in six months or so we'll release another one."

The first U.S. leg of FOZZY's 25th-anniversary tour ran through October 21, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. Support on the tour came from THE NOCTURNAL AFFAIR and CLOZURE.

"Fall In Line" is the follow-up to FOZZY's previous standalone single, "Spotlight", which was released in October 2023 via Madison Records/The Orchard. The track was helmed by FOZZY's longtime producer Johnny Andrews (THREE DAYS GRACE, ALL THAT REMAINS, HALESTORM) and sonically refined by mixer Jacob Hanson (VOLBEAT, AMARANTHE, ARCH ENEMY).

"Boombox" came out in May 2022 and featured "I Still Burn", which has more than three million views on YouTube. It also included the Top 10 singles "Nowhere To Run" and "Sane".

In the spring of 2023, FOZZY spent time on the road with UGLY KID JOE as part of the latter band's first tour of the United States in 27 years.

In January 2022, FOZZY parted ways with longtime drummer Frank Fontsere and replaced him with Grant Brooks (THROUGH FIRE).

Fontsere was a founding member of FOZZY, having formed the group in 1999 with Jericho and Ward.

When FOZZY announced Fontsere's departure, the band said that he was "stepping down to focus on his family and other projects."

FOZZY is Jericho, Ward, Brooks, Billy Grey (guitar) and P.J. Farley (bass).

ASHES OF ARES, the U.S. heavy metal duo featuring former ICED EARTH members Matt Barlow and Freddie Vidales, will release its new studio album, titled "New Messiahs", in Europe on July 18 and in North America on August 8, 2025 via ROAR!

The official music video for the LP's third single, "Keep On Walkin'", can be seen below.

Barlow comments: "'Keep On Walkin'' is a song I wrote about parenthood while considering my relationship with my sons. I was inspired after taking a walk one day and thinking of that walk as the measure of a lifespan. I wanted to start the narrative with my sons' first steps and end after I have passed away and they continue on their own path."

Formed in 2012 by Barlow and Vidales, alongside former NEVERMORE drummer Van Williams, ASHES OF ARES was born from a shared vision: to create a sound that reflects their personal influences, ideas, and visions. With their self-titled debut album released in 2013, the band quickly captivated audiences in the USA and Europe with their electrifying live performances.

In 2017, after Van's departure, Matt and Freddie continued undeterred, forging ahead with their creative journey. Their sophomore album, "Well Of Souls" (2018),showcased a more intense and expansive sound, cementing the duo's partnership in songwriting, followed by their third full-length, "Emperors And Fools" (2022),that marked a new milestone and evolution in the sound of ASHES OF ARES.

Now, ASHES OF ARES returns with "New Messiahs", continuing its relentless pursuit of sonic excellence and delivering a collection of 12 new tracks that push the boundaries of the band's signature sound. Featuring the blistering title track and standouts like "Two Graves" and "Wake Of Vultures", the LP brings an emotional intensity, sharp songwriting, and captivating melodies that reflect their journey as artists.

"New Messiahs" introduces notable collaborations, including Kyle Taylor on drums and guest appearances from Charlie Honig, Craig Blackwell and Todd La Torre (QUEENSRŸCHE). A surprise bonus track, featuring a powerful cover of Elton John's "And The House Fell Down", highlights the duo's ability to make any song their own. Recorded and mastered by Byron Filson at Villain Recording in Phoenix, Arizona, the album features stunning artwork by Kamil Pietruczynik, bringing a visual dimension to the sonic experience.

Spanning over a decade of evolution, ASHES OF ARES continues to honor their commitment to heartfelt, powerful music that transcends boundaries. With "New Messiahs", they solidify their place as masters of storytelling and architects of a sound that resonates deeply with fans worldwide.

"New Messiahs" track listing:

01. Novus Ordo
02. New Messiahs
03. Two Graves
04. Where You Go
05. Wake Of Vultures
06. Infection Deception (CD bonus track)
07. Atrophy
08. Keep On Walkin'
09. The Hawk And The Dove
10. Lust To Feed
11. From Hell He Rides
12. And The House Fell Down (CD bonus track)

Recording lineup:

Matt Barlow - Vocals
Freddie Vidales - Guitars, Bass
Guest drums by Kyle Taylor

As previously reported, ASHES OF ARES will celebrate the upcoming 30th anniversary of ICED EARTH's third album, 1996's "The Dark Saga", on a European tour in September/October 2025.

Vidales played with ICED EARTH from 2008 to 2012 and is featured on the band's 2011 album "Dystopia".

Barlow served two stints with ICED EARTH, from 1993 to 2003 and from 2007 to 2011.

Recorded in early 1996, "The Dark Saga" was a concept album based on the Todd McFarlane comic book character Spawn (who also appears on the album's cover). Upon its arrival, the LP was praised for Barlow's vocals, as well as ICED EARTH founder, songwriter, guitarist and producer Jon Schaffer and Randall Shawver's guitar playing. Eduardo Rivadavia called Barlow's vocal performance "impressive throughout", while Mike Stagno felt that "Barlow's deeper vocal style also helps the songs sound much more emotional". Rivadavia also named Schaffer and Shawver's interplay the highlight of "The Dark Saga".

Seven years ago, Barlow told "The Classic Metal Show" about ASHES OF ARES: "Sometimes it's hard to escape the comparisons [to ICED EARTH], because my voice is still my voice no matter what, and I'm still gonna deliver things emotionally like I have before, so people are always gonna draw comparisons with ICED EARTH, and that's fine; I'm completely cool with that. I'm proud of my time in ICED EARTH, proud of everything that I've done with them, proud of them right now, going on and kicking ass. So I don't have any problem with that whatsoever — the comparisons. But that being said, I want ASHES to have its own identity as well. I think, again, as my writing partner, Freddie deserves that — he deserves to have his own identity in ASHES — and I think that's really important; that's what we're striving to do."

ICED EARTH played its final show with Barlow at the 2011 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.

Barlow, who is married to Schaffer's sister, announced his departure from ICED EARTH in March 2011. In a heartfelt statement, he cited his commitment to his family and the need for ICED EARTH to tour more as the reasons for his retirement; however, he committed to performing with ICED EARTH on all 2011 European festival dates, including Wacken Open Air.

Back in late 2020, Barlow reunited with Schaffer to celebrate the holiday season with an EP called "Winter Nights". Released under the SCHAFFER/BARLOW PROJECT banner, the effort contained the duo's unique spin on five Christmas classics and two ICED EARTH songs.

Last October, Jon was sentenced to three years of probation and 120 hours of community service in connection with his involvement in the riot at the U.S. Capitol. He was also ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution and a $200 financial assessment. Schaffer later became one of about 1,500 people accused of crimes related to the riot who were pardoned by President Donald Trump.

This past April, Schaffer said in an interview that the legal issues and professional setback he faced as a result of his involvement in the Capitol riot have been "the biggest gift" of his life, in part because "it is what led" him "to [Jesus] Christ."

Southern California's DAYSEEKER — Rory Rodriguez (vocals),Gino Sgambelluri (guitar),Ramone Valerio (bass) and Zac Mayfield (drums) — will release its new album, "Creature In The Black Night", on October 24 via Spinefarm. Produced by Daniel Braunstein (SPIRITBOX, SILENT PLANET) and mixed by Zakk Cervini (BLINK-182, BRING ME THE HORIZON, LORNA SHORE),the LP is DAYSEEKER's most immersive and intentional record to date — eerie, cinematic, and threaded with a dark (and sexy) emotional current.

Today, DAYSEEKER has shared the video for the "Creature In The Black Night" title track. The song is a moody, dreamy anthem and it's everything fans have come to know and love about DAYSEEKER — stunning and dramatic vocal shifts, Rodriguez's DNA-distinct falsetto, rising sonic tension that escalates and then explodes, and downright pretty melodies co-exist alongside plate-shifting breakdowns. It follows the release of "Pale Moonlight", which arrived in late April and already accumulated 10 million streams.

"'Creature In The Black Night' is the darker part of your conscience overpowering you," reveals Rodriguez about the song. "It's about the rush you're addicted to that you can't ignore."

While not a concept album in the traditional sense, "Creature In The Black Night" exhibits thematic cohesion, from its shadowy visual identity, Grim Reaper iconography and ominous atmosphere to how its songs unfold like chapters.

"There’s a horror-inspired vibe that took hold early on," Rodriguez explains. "It wasn't planned. But once it started showing up in the songs, we leaned into it."

Fans expecting a sorrowful descent into depression might be surprised — "Creature In The Black Night" has sharper edges, heavier riffs, and a newfound sense of clarity.

"There was this idea that we'd get more and more commercial over time," Rodriguez says. "But I think the opposite happened — we're riffing more, I'm screaming more. And it feels good. It feels honest."

"Creature In The Black Night" track listing:

01. Pale Moonlight
02. Creature In The Black Night
03. Crawl Back To My Coffin
04. Shapeshift
05. Soulburn
06. Bloodlust
07. Cemetery Blues
08. Nocturnal Remedy
09. The Living Dead
10. Meet The Reaper
11. Forgotten Ghost

DAYSEEKER will spend the rest of 2025 on tour. They have a spate of headline dates, and will serve as support for both ICE NINE KILLS and IN THIS MOMENT through the fall.

Sad rock. That's usually how frontman Rory Rodriguez describes it to curious newcomers. But there's more to DAYSEEKER than melancholy. Formed in Southern California and forged in adversity, DAYSEEKER evolved from post-hardcore upstarts into one of the most emotionally resonant and stylistically agile bands in heavy music today. Their songs don't just process grief, heartbreak, and trauma — they transform them into something magnetic, powerful, and ultimately empowering. Since 2012, this spirit has defined the band, which prioritizes emotional truth over trends, connecting through authentic passion, sonic innovation, and lyrical vulnerability. 2019's "Sleeptalk" marked a creative turning point — a dreamy, immersive reintroduction that saw the band doubling down on melody, atmosphere, and introspection. That shift continued with 2022's "Dark Sun", a devastatingly personal album shaped by the death of Rodriguez's father. DAYSEEKER graced the cover of Outburn and drew enthusiastic praise from Alternative Press and alt-rock radio. The profound resonance of the band's music with fellow outsiders worldwide is evident in their 600 million+ streams. And it's palpable at every show, from sold-out headlining runs in theaters to tours with PIERCE THE VEIL, BAD OMENS and ICE NINE KILLS.

Photo credit: Max Baxter

Michigan metalcore titans WE CAME AS ROMANS will release their new album, "All Is Beautiful... Because We're Doomed", on Friday, August 22 via Sharptone Records. The announcement arrives alongside the release of the album's third single, "Culture Wound", and its accompanying official music video. Following the defiant anthems "Bad Luck" and "No Rest For The Dreamer", this latest track dives deep into the battle between our best and worst impulses.

"Culture Wound" confronts the fundamental question at the heart of human existence: are we inherently good or inherently bad? The track wrestles with the forces — both internal and external — that shape who we become, delivered through the band's signature blend of crushing riffs and soaring melodies.

WE CAME AS ROMANS comments: "'Culture Wound' is about taking a look inside and deciding which side of yourself is going to control your life. This song was written to question our human nature — is it inherently good or inherently selfish? Are we here to try and make something better for everyone or just survive for ourselves? All of the different 'sides of ourselves' that we've discovered, struggled with, or left behind is really what this album is about, and our journey through all of those experiences is written in every song."

"All Is Beautiful... Because We're Doomed" represents a profound creative evolution for WE CAME AS ROMANS. Born from introspection and shaped by the band's own journey through triumph and tragedy, the album explores themes of existentialism, gratitude, loss, and the perpetual cycles of life. The record's conceptual framework — inspired by philosophical notions of death and rebirth — manifests in its very structure, with the album looping seamlessly from end to beginning, symbolizing that endings lead to new beginnings.

The album emerged from an intensive creative process that saw the band turn inward, mining their shared experiences for authentic emotional truth. What began as a struggle to find direction after 2022's grief-stricken, highly acclaimed "Darkbloom" transformed into their most conceptually ambitious work to date. Each track ties to a specific moment or period in the band's history, creating a sonic autobiography that spans their entire career while focusing unflinchingly on the future.

"Culture Wound" serves as a centerpiece for the album's exploration of duality and self-examination. The track underwent extensive revision to achieve its final form — a testament to the band's commitment to getting every detail right on this deeply personal record.

"All Is Beautiful... Because We're Doomed" track listing:

01. Bad Luck
02. Lake Of Fire
03. Red Smoke
04. One By One
05. Culture Wound
06. Where Did You Go?
07. No Rest For The Dreamer
08. B2tm
09. Circling A Dying Sun
10. Knowing Pain
11. So Lost (Burning Flowers)
12. Because We're Doomed

WE CAME AS ROMANS will support the new album with their massive "Bad Luck" world tour, the North American leg of which kicks off on July 22 in Toronto and culminates in what is sure to be a historical homecoming when they play legendary venue The Fillmore in Detroit on August 23, the day after the album is released. The tour then heads to Europe in the fall. The band will also appear at major festivals including Warped Tour, Inkcarceration and When We Were Young.

WE CAME AS ROMANS continue to progress and evolve at lightspeed, maintaining a place at the forefront of heavy music and culture. Never content to follow, they seamlessly alchemize crushing groove-driven catharsis, spacey electronics, and arena-size singalongs into a sound that refuses to sit still — effortlessly moving between metal, alternative, metalcore, and rock.

The Michigan-born five-piece — Dave Stephens, Joshua Moore, Lou Cotton, Andy Glass and David Puckett — first broke through with "Tracing Back Roots" (2013),which cracked the Billboard 200 Top 10 and hit No. 1 on both the Independent Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums charts. Their self-titled 2015 album followed, debuting at No. 11 on the Billboard 200, cementing their status as modern metalcore royalty.

Following the tragic loss of original vocalist Kyle Pavone in 2018, the band has continued to honor his legacy with their 2022 album "Darkbloom", their highest-praised record to date. Kerrang! awarded it 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a carrier for a knot of emotion, and a tribute to their friend." It included career-defining tracks like "Black Hole" (featuring Caleb Shomo),now over 102 million Spotify streams, and "Daggers" (featuring Zero 9:36),which surpassed 32 million streams. Media outlets including Loudwire and Consequence praised the album for its emotional range, sonic heft, and unapologetic vulnerability.

WE CAME AS ROMANS is:

Dave Stephens - Vocals
Joshua Moore - Guitar
Lou Cotton - Guitar
Andy Glass - Bass
David Puckett - Drums

Photo credit: Jonathan Weiner

Legendary hard rockers AC/DC performed at Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany on July 8 as part of the summer 2025 leg of their European "Power Up" tour.

The setlist for the show was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. If You Want Blood (You've Got It)
02. Back In Black
03. Demon Fire
04. Shot Down In Flames
05. Thunderstruck
06. Have A Drink On Me
07. Hells Bells
08. Shot In The Dark
09. Stiff Upper Lip
10. Highway To Hell
11. Shoot To Thrill
12. Sin City
13. Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be
14. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
15. High Voltage
16. Riff Raff
17. You Shook Me All Night Long
18. Whole Lotta Rosie
19. Let There Be Rock (with Angus Young guitar solo)

Encore:

20. T.N.T.
21. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen below.

AC/DC kicked off the summer 2025 leg of its European "Power Up" tour on June 26 at Letiště Praha Letňany in Prague, Czech Republic. Around 60,000 fans reportedly attended the concert, including Czech president Petr Pavel. Pavel is an avid rock fan who also attended Bruce Springsteen and Alanis Morissette shows earlier in June.

The "Power Up" tour shares its name with AC/DC's 2020 album, which debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA chart in Australia and 20 other countries around the globe. "Power Up" notably notched the band's third No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 and exploded as one of the best-selling albums of 2020 worldwide. It closed out the year on Rolling Stone's "Top 50 Albums Of 2020" and Consequence Of Sound's "Top 50 Albums Of 2020." Plus, it garnered Grammy Award nominations in the categories of "Best Rock Album', "Best Rock Performance" and "Best Music Video" for "Shot In The Dark".

In 2024, the "Power Up" tour kicked off in Europe with a staggering 1.7 million tickets sold in the first days of sales, eventually surpassing 2 million tickets sold across 24 shows. The band just concluded 10 sold-out shows in North America and has 15 additional shows scheduled across Europe before returning to Australia.

AC/DC played its very first show on December 31, 1973 at Chequers Nightclub in Sydney, Australia. They are one of the most influential rock bands in history, with over 200 million albums sold worldwide. The band's "Back In Black" LP is the best-selling album by any band ever and the third best-selling album by any artist, with global sales of 50 million and counting.

AC/DC was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2003. The band continues selling out stadiums on multiple continents, selling millions of albums annually and generating streams in the billions.

The "Power Up" 2024 European tour marked AC/DC's first with the band's new touring lineup, consisting of longtime singer Brian Johnson, founding member and lead guitarist Angus Young, as well as rhythm guitarist Stevie Young (who officially joined the band in 2014, replacing his uncle Malcolm Young, who retired due to dementia),drummer Matt Laug (who joined in 2023, replacing longtime drummer Phil Rudd) and former JANE'S ADDICTION bassist Chris Chaney, who came on board in 2024 replacing longtime bassist Cliff Williams. Williams retired from AC/DC after the conclusion of the 2016 "Rock Or Bust" tour, although he did return to the fold briefly for the 2020 "Power Up" album and an appearance at Power Trip.

AC/DC's "Power Up" album came out in November 2020. The follow-up to 2014's "Rock Or Bust" was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked 2008's "Black Ice" and "Rock Or Bust".

AC/DC's current tour comes nine years after Johnson bowed out of a 2016 run of shows due to a hearing condition. He was replaced at the gigs by guest vocalist Axl Rose of GUNS N' ROSES.

On the July 8 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Tony Iommi reflected on last weekend's "Back To The Beginning" event which marked the original BLACK SABBATH lineup's first performance since 2005 and the quartet's final live appearance. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's been stressful for the last couple of months, really, thinking about it. And we went into rehearsals a month ago. But you never know until the day. I mean, we hadn't played on a big stage with [original SABBATH drummer] Bill [Ward] for 20 years, so it was wondering what's gonna happen. But no, it all went fine."

Asked by host Eddie Trunk if he thinks the SABBATH performance went fine, especially considering that Iommi had publicly expressed his reservations about playing the show due to the fact that they hadn't played together in so long, Tony said: "Well, yes. After it's happened, it's fine. Yeah, of course. I mean, it raised a lot of money for the charities, and that was the main thing. And it was great to see the guys and all be together again for a few weeks, really, while we were rehearsing and got to know each other again. It was good, yeah."

Iommi went on to clarify that the reason he hadn't seen the other members of the original SABBATH lineup in so long is "I live in England and the other three are in the States. So by everybody coming over, yes, we had time to talk and talk of old times," he explained. "And it just slotted straight back into like we hadn't left each other, which was great. And of course, a lot's happened in the last — whatever — 10 years or whatever it was [since] we'd done a show [with SABBATH], and, of course, as I said to you before, we hadn't played with Bill live for 20 years, so it was hairy wondering what's gonna happen, really. Because Bill, when he plays, he plays different things every time. So you just have to be on your toes. But no, it went well. I mean, it was strange for us going on a big stage in a big audience, and then also being streamed to millions of people. It's very nerve racking for a one-off show. Normally we would do a tour and we'd be rolling, but to get all worked up for one show and then — bang, it's over — seemed really strange."

Regarding the songs that SABBATH chose to perform on Saturday — "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "N.I.B." and "Paranoid" — Iommi said: "We worked out what we were gonna play, what songs we were gonna play. And it was really a case of how long Ozzy [Osbourne, BLACK SABBATH singer] could do it, really, because we didn't know — with him doing his own set [right before], which I said to him I didn't think he should do, because I didn't want him to get burnt out by the time he'd come with us. But he didn't, and he did his own set. We ended up doing four songs where we put aside sort of six or seven. But it worked out that we did four. So that was fine."

After Trunk noted that he was surprised to see Ozzy come back on stage so soon after performing with his solo band to sing the final four songs with SABBATH, Iommi said: "Yeah, that was my concern and that was all our concern, actually — Geezer [Butler, SABBATH bassist], myself and Bill. We thought that he should have a longer break. And we didn't really know how we were gonna do it, because the original plan was we'd get a curtain and the curtain was gonna be raised and we'd all be there. But of course, on the day — well, the day before, when went down for a soundcheck to the stadium — the curtain didn't work and they thought best not to use it 'cause it was windy. So then we had to figure out how we were gonna get on stage, which was a revolving stage, by the way. It was mainly getting Ozz on, because he's in his throne. And then Geezer and I walk on. And Bill was already on. So it was making it up as we went on, really."

Iommi added that SABBATH was ready to play more songs but that he and the other musicians had run out of time. "Well, we had seven songs that we'd gone through, and then it went down to six," he said. "And then, of course, there is a strong curfew at the Villa [Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom]. You know what, Eddie?! I'm surprised they managed to get all the bands in anyway — I really am — because the organization… How [RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist and event's music curator] Tom Morello had organized that was just incredible. He had really done a great job. But they were working to the minute, and it was touch and go. You couldn't go over your time span; otherwise I don't know what would've happened because they do work to a serious cut-off."

On the topic of which other songs BLACK SABBATH had rehearsed, Tony said: "Well, we started with 'Fairies Wear Boots', and then we'd done 'Black Sabbath'. And it was a little difficult for Bill 'cause he hadn't played them for so long. And Geezer and I, of course, we played them on the last tour. And, of course, Bill hasn't toured, don't forget, for a long time. So we could have done six [songs], but we ended up doing four."

Tony said that one of the reasons he was reluctant to play the Villa Park show was that SABBATH had already performed a final concert in Birmingham in 2017, which was filmed for a live DVD and Blu-ray called "The End: Live In Birmingham". "That's why I said in the first place I didn't wanna do it, because I said we'd already done the final show before — it was the end, and that's why it was called 'The End'," Iommi explained. "It was the end, and as far as I was concerned, that was it. And so I disagreed with doing this show for a while. And then, of course, the other three guys wanted to do it. And because it's for charity, it was a great reason to do it. But, of course, yes, Bill was on [the Villa Park show, where he wasn't on SABBATH's final tour]. And a lot of people said they hadn't seen Bill and why didn't we finish it off properly with Bill? And so here we are. We've done it, finished it off with Bill. And that's great. We've wrapped it now."

Asked what he thought of Ozzy and Bill's performances at the "Back To The Beginning" event, Tony said: "Well, I'm really a bit of a perfectionist, but they can only do what they can do, and you can't expect anything else. We're in our seventies and late seventies, so you can only do so much. And to expect perfection from everybody is just impossible at the moment. But they did what they could do, and everybody was fine about it. And I think the audience would know that and accepted that. They weren't expecting us to go on and be absolutely just brilliant players. We played as we played and as we are now."

When Trunk joked that he was "impressed that Bill took his shirt off" during SABBATH's performance, Tony said: "Oh my God. I'll tell you what, one funny story. When we had a break on one of the rehearsals, we went in to eat at the studio, and Bill got his shirt off, and Geezer was just about to have a sandwich. He went, 'Oh, Bill put your shirt on. You're putting me off the sandwich.' [Laughs] But it's typical Bill. He is always taking his shirt off every time. I mean, in the old days, he'd always take his shirt off. I said to Bill, 'Blimey, Bill, you look like [ancestral Hobbit] Gollum.' And I don't think he knew who Gollum was. He's always always been the same, Bill. He just doesn't care. He goes on and does what he wants, which is great. That's always been Bill. And immediately, of course, all the jokes started again as soon as we were together, having a go at each other. It was really fun, actually. It was great. The communication carried on from years ago."

According to The Guardian, "Back To The Beginning" was livestreamed to more than five million fans worldwide.

Ozzy played a five-song set with his solo band — consisting of guitarist Zakk Wylde, bassist Mike Inez, keyboardist Adam Wakeman and drummer Tommy Clufetos — before being joined by Iommi, Butler and Ward for the aforementioned four classic SABBATH songs.

Ozzy's solo set consisted of four songs from Osbourne's 1980 solo debut album "Blizzard Of Ozz" — "I Don't Know", "Mr. Crowley", "Suicide Solution" and "Crazy Train" — along with his 1991 "No More Tears" ballad "Mama, I'm Coming Home".

The 76-year-old heavy metal singer, who has Parkinson's disease, sang while seated on a black throne and appeared overcome with emotion at times. "You have no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart," he told the crowd.

At the end of SABBATH's set, Ozzy said: "It's the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts." Osbourne was then presented with a cake, while fireworks lit up the stadium from overhead.

A message on screen then read, "Thank you for everything, you guys are fucking amazing. Birmingham Forever," before the sky lit up with fireworks.

More than 40,000 fans attended the event, which also saw performances from METALLICA, SLAYER, PANTERA, LAMB OF GOD and ANTHRAX, among others. Profits from the show will be shared equally between the charities Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice.

There was also an online auction benefiting those charities. Items up for bid included two Gibson guitars signed by performers, a GUNS N' ROSES pinball machine, several gold record and CD displays including BLACK SABBATH's "Paranoid", LED ZEPPELIN's "Physical Graffiti" and METALLICA's "Master Of Puppets", plus more than a dozen travel packages.

A livestream of the daylong event was announced in June. While it was called a livestream, the video was delayed two hours from the in-arena start time.

Livestream tickets were priced $29.99, which got you live viewing and access to video for 48 hours. The livestream and T-shirt bundle was priced $64.98. It got you event viewing and a "Back To The Beginning" T-shirt.

"Back To The Beginning" was captured, produced and distributed by Mercury Studios ("One To One: John & Yoko", "American Symphony", "Metallica Saved My Life"). Mercury has partnered with Kiswe — the global D2C streaming partner behind the record-breaking BTS concert livestream — to deliver this moment of music history to fans across the globe.

The all-day event at Villa Park in Birmingham, produced by Live Nation, was hosted and compered by American actor Jason Momoa.

Two days after ALICE IN CHAINS performed at Ozzy Osbourne's "Back To The Beginning" farewell concert — where the Seattle grunge pioneers covered BLACK SABBATH's "Fairies Wear Boots" — ALICE IN CHAINS frontman William DuVall took to his social media to share a few photos from the event, and he included the following message: "What an event. Such an immense honor just to be there, let alone to play and reconnect with so many people I admire that I don't get to see nearly often enough. Endless thanks to Sharon Osbourne for inviting us. Deep love and gratitude to all the amazing fans who showed up and showed out! We owe everything to you. We showed up in Aston for the same reasons you did — because we're also fans!

"[ALICE IN CHAINS drummer] Sean Kinney and I were in the dressing room at Villa Park getting ourselves together to go onstage and, at one point, the DJ playing records for the crowd between bands put on the song 'Black Sabbath' — first song on their first album. It was blasting through the PA, reverberating throughout the stadium and through the walls of the dressing room. I looked at Kinney and we both just cracked up laughing at how insanely heavy it still is. Recorded in 1969, live in the studio on an 8-track tape machine — along with 7 other songs recorded the same day for a total cost of £600 — and it still sounds like the end of the world. Fifty-five years later, for sheer heaviness, nothing beats it.

"Like for so many of you, BLACK SABBATH is a cornerstone for me. Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward are masters who took the blues/jazz tradition and rewrote it into their own language — so heavy, so swinging, so funky. We all speak dialects of it. The conversation continues forever. And Ozzy Osbourne… the ferocity, the honesty, the humor, the LOVE. He's also one of the great singers and melodists of all time. I don't think he gets proper credit. But try singing those songs sometime. I guarantee you every singer at that #BackToTheBeginning concert felt rightfully daunted. The love Ozzy emanates is the main takeaway for me though — SABBATH in early seventies playing the loudest, most bludgeoning music to ever exist but then there's Ozzy smiling, throwing peace signs in the air with both hands, screaming 'WE LOVE YOU' into the mic. He MEANT that shit too. I felt the truth in it every time just like you do. His last performance was one of the most heroic things I've ever seen. All of the musicians around him — tremendous. Shout-out to Zakk Wylde and our man Mike Inez. What a beautiful full-circle moment. And Ozzy was incredible! Despite ALL the challenges, he was still THAT guy. The joy, the pain, the playfulness, the yearning, and the fucking FURY comes from so deep within him that it couldn't possibly be stopped. One last time he said, 'I love you all!' As always, we felt the truth of it in our very souls. We love you, too, Ozz. Forever. Inspirational to the very end.

"Here's a few snaps. So many more photos I wish I had gotten. No way to truly do the experience justice. The whole night was pretty unbelievable."

According to The Guardian, "Back To The Beginning" was livestreamed to more than five million fans worldwide (with peak audience of 5.8 million fans watching the livestream).

Ozzy played a five-song set with his solo band — consisting of guitarist Zakk Wylde, bassist Mike Inez, keyboardist Adam Wakeman and drummer Tommy Clufetos — before being joined by fellow original BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi (guitar),Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums) for four classic SABBATH songs: "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "N.I.B." and "Paranoid".

Ozzy's solo set consisted of four songs from Osbourne's 1980 solo debut album "Blizzard Of Ozz" — "I Don't Know", "Mr. Crowley", "Suicide Solution" and "Crazy Train" — along with his 1991 "No More Tears" ballad "Mama, I'm Coming Home".

The 76-year-old heavy metal singer, who has Parkinson's disease, sang while seated on a black throne and appeared overcome with emotion at times. "You have no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart," he told the crowd.

At the end of SABBATH's set, Ozzy said: "It's the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts." Osbourne was then presented with a cake, while fireworks lit up the stadium from overhead.

A message on screen then read, "Thank you for everything, you guys are fucking amazing. Birmingham Forever," before the sky lit up with fireworks.

More than 40,000 fans attended the event, which also saw performances from METALLICA, SLAYER, PANTERA, LAMB OF GOD and ANTHRAX, among others. Profits from the show will be shared equally between the charities Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice.

There was also an online auction benefiting those charities. Items up for bid included two Gibson guitars signed by performers, a GUNS N' ROSES pinball machine, several gold record and CD displays including BLACK SABBATH's "Paranoid", LED ZEPPELIN's "Physical Graffiti" and METALLICA's "Master Of Puppets", plus more than a dozen travel packages.

A livestream of the daylong event was announced in June. While it was called a livestream, the video was delayed two hours from the in-arena start time.

Livestream tickets were priced $29.99, which got you live viewing and access to video for 48 hours. The livestream and T-shirt bundle was priced $64.98. It got you event viewing and a "Back To The Beginning" T-shirt.

"Back To The Beginning" was captured, produced and distributed by Mercury Studios ("One To One: John & Yoko", "American Symphony", "Metallica Saved My Life"). Mercury has partnered with Kiswe — the global D2C streaming partner behind the record-breaking BTS concert livestream — to deliver this moment of music history to fans across the globe.

The all-day event at Villa Park, produced by Live Nation, was hosted and compered by American actor Jason Momoa.

Curated by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, the event featured arguably the greatest lineup of rock and metal bands ever assembled on one day.

Two hastily assembled supergroups — dubbed Supergroup A and Supergroup B — performed at the event, with EXTREME's Nuno Bettencourt taking part in a five-song set of covers, while ex-Ozzy guitarist Jake E. Lee made an appearance for covers of "The Ultimate Sin" and "Shot In The Dark". Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing joined Morello, Billy Corgan (SMASHING PUMPKINS) and Adam Jones (TOOL) for a rendition of PRIEST's "Breaking The Law", while LIVING COLOUR's Vernon Reid hopped onstage for a cover of Ozzy's "Bark At The Moon", with GHOST's Papa V Perpetua (a.k.a. Tobias Forge) handling lead vocals.

What an event. Such an immense honor just to be there, let alone to play and reconnect with so many people I admire that...

Posted by William DuVall on Monday, July 7, 2025

British singer, songwriter and musician Yungblud — whose real name is Dominic Richard Harrison — has posted a video capturing a tender moment between him and Ozzy Osbourne, taken ahead of BLACK SABBATH's farewell concert at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom, which took place on Saturday, July 5.

Speaking about the significance of the moment, Yungblud said: "Back in 2022 on the video shoot for 'The Funeral', Ozzy gave me his gold cross and said, 'I hope this brings you luck.' I thought, on this monumental moment for him and SABBATH, it was time for me to return the favor and let him know what he and the band means to me."

At Saturday's concert, Yungblud sang a version of SABBATH's "Changes", backed by EXTREME's Nuno Bettencourt on guitar, ANTHRAX's Frank Bello on bass, SLEEP TOKEN's II on drums and BLACK SABBATH/OZZY OSBOURNE touring keyboardist Adam Wakeman on keys. The original version of "Changes" appeared on SABBATH's fourth album, "Vol. 4", released in 1972.

Earlier this year, Yungblud spoke to Louder about the video shoot for "The Funeral", the lead single from his self-titled third album, which featured a cameo from Ozzy, as well as a guest appearance from Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne.

"A lot of people compare me and Ozzy," Yungblud said. "Not our music, 'cause that’s different, but I believe we have this unfiltered fucking thing that is hard to put your finger on.

"If you can be completely truthful, people aren't going to get it, and then they're gonna get it," he continued. "For a period you're gonna be loved, and for a period you’re gonna be hated. And Ozzy was, like, 'That's the journey. When you look back at it at 70, that's the fucking fun bit. You look back at it and go, 'Fucking hell, that was mad,' or 'that was a rough time', or 'that was a great time.' And he said, 'You don't want to live your life censoring it, or don't be a rock star.' He said, 'You get this opportunity because you are not afraid to say the things other people will be. So when you stop fucking doing that, you ain't a rock star anymore.'"

"That shit hit me like a ton of bricks," Yungblud concluded. "Because, fuck, yeah!"

As an artist and songwriter, Yungblud lives to stir up the raw energy of rebellion. With his frenetic take on alt-pop equally inspired by punk, hip-hop, and U.K. garage, Yungblud makes brilliant use of his breakneck flow and tongue-in-cheek attitude, delivering pointed lyrics without ever getting heavy-handed.

Born in Yorkshire, Harrison first picked up a guitar at age two and began writing his own songs when he was ten. At 16 he moved to London, then spent the next few years struggling to define his musical vision. But after reconnecting with the firebrand artists that first compelled him to make music — THE CLASH, ARCTIC MONKEYS, N.W.A. — he felt unstoppably inspired. That inspiration lead to the eventual release of his 2017 debut, "King Charles".

Since then, Yungblud has created his own blend of alternative rock: poetry, guitar-hooks and break-beats with a fierce determination to make a dent in pop-culture. Startlingly bold yet emotionally grounded, he drops a grenade on listeners and imprints himself in their minds.

Photo credit: Tom Pallant (courtesy of The Outside Organisation)

Tim Cronin, founding member of stoner rock pioneers MONSTER MAGNET, has died at the age of 63.

Bob Pantella of MONSTER MAGNET and THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX confirmed Tim's passing, writing in a social media post: "Words cannot express how great this guy was… You had to know him. Rest in peace Tim."

It was announced in March that Tim had been diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis),a progressive and incurable neurodegenerative disease that causes muscle weakness, paralysis, and eventual respiratory system failure. A GoFundMecampaign had been launched to help pay for the New Jersey native's care, and it raised over $100,000.

Cronin helped shape MONSTER MAGNET's early sound with contributions on vocals, bass, and drums after the band's formation in 1989. Outside the studio, Cronin had spent over three decades at the helm of Jack's Music Shoppe, a beloved independent record store in Red Bank, New Jersey.

In recent years, MONSTER MAGNET had gone through a number of lineup changes, leaving Dave Wyndorf (vocals and guitar) as the only constant member.

MONSTER MAGNET has released eleven studio albums to date, including the band's latest, a covers album titled "A Better Dystopia", which came out in 2021. They are best known for their 1990s hits "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" and "Space Lord".

MONSTER MAGNET has been credited for developing and popularizing the stoner rock genre, along with MASTERS OF REALITY, KYUSS, FU MANCHU and SLEEP.

Words cannot express how great this guy was… You had to know him. Rest in peace Tim.

Posted by Bob Pantella on Tuesday, July 8, 2025

So it's true. A great light in the Univese has indeed gone out. My bandmate, musical guide, and old friend has left us....

Posted by Seth Fineberg on Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Absolutely heartbroken to share the news that my friend Tim Cronin has left this part of the journey. He’s been a huge...

Posted by Luke Cantin on Tuesday, July 8, 2025

A sad goodbye to Tim Cronin, a long distance pal of many years, who encouraged my arts from the very beginning,...

Posted by Steven Krakow on Tuesday, July 8, 2025

RIP Tim Cronin, I first met you in the mid 90's on tour with Monster Magnet. You were a true legend. Mountain of...

Posted by Serge Defraene on Tuesday, July 8, 2025

The Royal Mint has today unveiled an eye-catching commemorative coin celebrating 50 years of IRON MAIDEN. The East London icons are joining the ranks of musical royalty in The Royal Mint's Music Legends series, which has previously celebrated the likes of QUEEN, Elton John and David Bowie.

Crafted with meticulous attention to detail by contemporary IRON MAIDEN artist Albert "Akirant" Quirantes, the design features the band's infamous mascot Eddie in a dynamic pose that will strike a chord with fans worldwide. The design features numerous hidden "Easter eggs" referencing the band's illustrious career, albums and world tours — giving collectors plenty to hunt for.

IRON MAIDEN, who formed in 1975, worked closely with The Royal Mint throughout the design process, ensuring the coin captures the essence of a band whose influence has spanned five decades and counting. With a global footprint that spans the planet, IRON MAIDEN are one of the biggest success stories in British music, and with the international nature of coin-collecting this new commemorative piece — the first official collectable product to bear the 50th-anniversary logo — is sure to delight and excite collectors and fans alike.

Rod Smallwood, IRON MAIDEN's manager, said: "Having Eddie on an official U.K. coin is a continuation of his incredible odyssey since we unearthed him back in 1980. We've been on stamps, beer bottles, plane tails and now legal tender! The detail Akirant has managed to pack into the design is superb — there are little nods to virtually every chapter of our journey as a band. We're truly honored that The Royal Mint has chosen to commemorate 50 years of IRON MAIDEN in such a unique way."

Rebecca Morgan, director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint, commented: "IRON MAIDEN have been fearless pioneers in music, flying the flag for Britain around the globe for half a century. Their creative vision, powerful performances and dedicated following have earned them a place as one of Britain's most influential bands. This coin is the perfect fusion of metal on metal and we expect it will prove to be a collector's piece that's highly sought after by both numismatists and passionate rock fans alike."

Quirantes said: "Designing the IRON MAIDEN coin has been one of the most thrilling projects of my career. As a lifelong fan of the band, and Derek Riggs's original creations in the '80s, I wanted to capture not just their iconic imagery, but also the rebellious spirit that has defined their music for decades. I've hidden several references within the design that true fans will enjoy discovering, including subtle nods to classic album artwork and their most beloved songs. It's my tribute to a band that has influenced generations of music lovers all over the world, and I hope fans will spend time exploring every detail just as passionately as they've analyzed the band's lyrics over the years."

Available in several editions, from standard brilliant uncirculated to limited edition precious metal proof versions, prices for the IRON MAIDEN coin start from £18.50. For more information about the IRON MAIDEN commemorative coin and to view the full range, visit www.royalmint.com/ironmaiden.

With a history spanning more than 1,100 years, The Royal Mint is one of Britain's oldest companies and the original maker of U.K. coins. Today The Royal Mint is a premium British maker, providing carefully crafted coins and precious metal products for the U.K. and overseas.

IRON MAIDEN was founded in 1975 by bassist Steve Harris and has grown to become one of the world's most celebrated bands. With a steady recording output beginning with their self-titled 1980 debut, they have released 17 studio albums, 13 live albums and 47 singles which have sold in excess of 100 million copies worldwide. They have played almost 2,500 live shows across 64 countries and were carried to some of these aboard Ed Force One, a Boeing 757 and then later a 747 piloted by singer Bruce Dickinson. They have been the recipients of a Grammy Award and a Brit Award among many other accolades, most recently joining THE ROLLING STONES and PINK FLOYD with their very own Royal Mail stamp set. Their beer, Trooper Beer, is now in its twelfth year and has sold in excess of 40 million pints and is distributed in 68 countries including six local variants in USA, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Sweden and Australia. 2025 marks the band's official 50th year and is being celebrated by a two-year world tour titled "Run For Your Lives" and a range of events and products including a coffee-table visual history book and a feature film documentary.

In a new interview with Cassius Morris, HATEBREED drummer Matt Byrne was asked about the recent departure of the band's founding bassist Chris Beattie. Chris, who had been pursuing a career in real estate, confirmed his exit from HATEBREED in February, just days after the group announced SHADOWS FALL guitarist Matt Bachand would play bass for the Connecticut-based hardcore/metal act "for the foreseeable future." Byrne said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, [I] can't talk too much about it, 'cause there's lawyers involved and things have to be settled, 'cause [Chris has] been in the band since day one. I've been in the band with him for more than half my life, so, yeah, this is going into a major change for me. I mean, I love the guy. We're just here now and we're going down different paths and he's not here anymore and it's gonna take some getting used to. Technically, our road crew, they're just on it. They're great. So there's no really missteps there. It's really just getting into a head space where he's not gonna be there anymore and continuing on and still giving the best show that we can, that we've always given. We're we're jamming with Matt Bachand from SHADOWS FALL, who we've known forever anyway. We all came up together in the music world here. He's a great player. He proves he's a great player by typically being the guitar player of a shreddy band like SHADOWS FALL, and he is jumping over on to bass for us. So, his performance is unquestionable. And we're just moving on in a different era of HATEBREED.

Asked if he and his HATEBREED bandmates wish that it could have ended differently between them and Chris, Byrne said: "Well, you could say that about anything — anything could have been handled differently, whether good or bad. I don't know. I can't talk much about it."

This past May, Chris opened up about his departure from HATEBREED, telling Drew Stone of The New York Hardcore Chronicles Live!: "Obviously, the last year was the 30th anniversary of the band, so we had big stuff going on for that, which was all completely amazing. We had a great year. Tours, shows were successful, and then we jump to right now where I'm not in the band anymore."

Chris went on to say that his exit from HATEBREED was "completely unexpected. We had just celebrated 30 years," he explained. "It was awesome. Successful tour. Left on a high note. We did great stuff. And like I said before publicly, it was not my decision to leave the band. Someone saw an opportunity to get me out of the picture, and that's where I am now."

Beattie continued: "Everything went really well that year, but there was stuff going on behind the scenes, and it became a chore to get in touch with anyone. And I was the middle man, basically, for bandmembers and crew members, and that became a chore for me. And I had started asking a lot of questions, and it became problematic. I became a problem within the [organization]."

Regarding where he stands with HATEBREED right now, Chris said: "We're trying to work it out. There's attorneys involved now. They're spending a lot of time having to deal with that and all the details of that. And I've gone back and forth.

"Obviously, when something like that happens, you're upset," he continued. "You go through all these crazy emotions. You put 30 years into something like that. But I don't wanna shit on the legacy of what I did. And I could be that guy. I could come out here and I could talk all kinds of shit, but I don't want [to]… I don't wanna be that guy. We made good music. We had great times together. Things changed. Dynamics changed.

"It's hard to be away from your family when you're touring. Everyone understands that. And the feedback from people when you play, you inspire them, you touch their life, you have a positive, lasting impact on someone, that always kept me in the game. And when shit wasn't going right in the band and whatnot, you look at that man that's the realest shit you could possibly get. People would come up to us all the time and be, like, 'Man, I was ready to kill myself. And your music changed me.' How do you respond to that? It's real deep shit.

"So I'm just hoping for the best," Chris added. "Hopefully we'll be able to sort this out. I don't want us to go down some shitty road. We've all seen bands do that, so hopefully it could end on decent terms and be able to move ahead."

Asked if he thinks there is any chance of him being able to work things out with HATEBREED and return to the band, Beattie said: "My time is done with HATEBREED… It's done. My family comes first. I'll leave it at that. I can't go back to that. But there is a legacy. With all the time that I haven't been in the band now, which, it's weird to say, but people know me from that band everywhere I go. You can't shake that kind of shit. The identity is still there. So it's good. It's hard to talk about too, but here we are. New doors open."

On the topic of new music projects, Beattie said: "It's kind of crazy when that happened [with HATEBREED]. A lot of people hit me up from other bands, big bands, touring bands, friends I've had. I'm not gonna name everyone. I respect their privacy and all that. But so much love to everyone that reached out to me. But that aside, my great friend Scott Vogel [TERROR] hits me up one day, and he's, like, 'Let's do a band.' I'm, like, Are you fucking serious?' 'Cause I'm not even looking for anything, really. All this shit just happened and I'm kind of sorting it out. And Scott's, like, 'Yeah, you get Sean Martin,' ex-HATEBREED guitar player, and he is gonna get Jamie Pushbutton, that played on [HATEBREED's debut album, 1997's] 'Satisfaction [Is The Death Of Desire]'. And I'm, like, 'Get the fuck outta here. This is fucking crazy.' So he hits up Jamie Pushbutton, and I hit up Sean. And yeah — so that's one of my new projects that's in the works. I skipped this week, but I go to Sean Martin's house every Friday, man. We're fucking working on music. And it's crazy, man. It's like the door opens. It would've never been there. So I can't wait to jam with these dudes and get us all in a room and do that. It's gonna be fucking awesome. I am thrilled to announce that and to let everybody know."

Beattie went on to say that he has "another project in the works" featuring Karl [Buechner] from EARTH CRISIS, and my buddy Anders [Löwgren] from AKANI. I think he did some stuff with Jorge [Rosado of MERAUDER]. I'm gonna be jamming with those dudes. They have music written. It's already done. I'm gonna play bass on it. But I look forward to doing that too.

"So I have multiple projects in the works right now," he added. "It's awesome to write new shit, still be able to jam with friends. Me and [former HATEBREED drummer] Dave Russo talked about jamming together, doing something."

When Beattie went public with his departure from HATEBREED less than three months ago, he wrote in a statement: "I just want to take the time to let everyone know that I am doing just fine and I sincerely appreciate everyone who has reached out.

"I was under the impression a joint announcement would be agreed upon in advance, but since that was not the case I wanted to address your concerns in my own post.

"At this time I am unable to discuss the specifics surrounding my departure from HATEBREED on November 13, 2024. However, I want to clarify that the decision to leave the band was not mine and that my departure was uncalled for and based on misleading and wrongful statements that will be subject to future actions."

HATEBREED celebrated its 30th anniversary with a North American tour last fall. The trek kicked off on September 26, 2024 in Portland, Maine and concluded on October 27, 2024 in Norfolk, Virginia. Support on the tour came from CARCASS, HARMS WAY and CRYPTA.

Over the course of its career, HATEBREED has gone from playing basements and backyards to being a featured attraction on countless festivals like Graspop Metal Meeting, Ozzfest, Warped and Download, alongside massive high-profile tours.

Described by Forbes as "more relevant than ever in the metal and hardcore community," HATEBREED celebrated a milestone with its track "Looking Down The Barrel Of Today", which surpassed 75 million global streams on Spotify alone while generating over 600,000 global equivalents across all digital service providers, making it the band's single biggest career streaming track of the modern era. To date, HATEBREED has sold over 1.5 million albums in North America alone.