In a new interview with Gregg Bendian of The ProgCast, guitarist Mårten Hagström of Swedish progressive metal pioneers MESHUGGAH spoke about how he and his bandmates have managed to survive for more than three and a half decades despite consistently pushing the genre to dazzling new extremes. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're getting up in the ages now. We're getting older. We've been around for a while, been doing this for a long time. So, every once in a while, at least the last couple of years, we've kind of been reflecting on, or at least me, I've been reflecting on what our career has been.

"When you're in a musical project, and especially for us being glued together and pretty much all of us doing the same thing with the same people for a long time, it's been a really rewarding journey," he explained. "We're really grateful for the spot that we've been able to get to. But I also think that sometimes it's kind of hard to reflect, even though we maybe should. It's, like, you're so in the middle of it that sometimes we still see ourselves at as the upstart oddball band that we were as kids when everybody was side-eyeing us and going, 'What are you guys doing?' Even in the extreme metal genre or whatever, progressive genre, it was, like, 'Dude, what are you up to? What's going on?' Like Tosin [Abasi, founder and lead guitarist of the instrumental progressive metal band ANIMALS AS LEADERS] told me once, the first time he heard us, he said, 'This music is broken.'

"I guess us being stubborn and keeping true to our vision and grinding away at, well, our craft, or whatever you wanna call it, is a unique blessing, to be able to do that," Mårten added. "'Cause you can make up all the plans you want, but life gets thrown at you, and people go their different ways, you evolve in different directions. But even though we still have as musicians and individuals in the band, we still kept this a family thing and we still kept our joint vision in the forefront so that we've been able to do this for such a long time. And then, of course, having some moderate success has helped us as well. But we're truly grateful."

After Bendian noted that MESHUGGAH's success is "hard earned", Hagström reluctantly agreed. "Uh, yeah, I guess," he said. "It's hard to compare yourself to other [musicians]. A lot of times when I talk to other musicians, they've been in so many different settings. They might have been session musicians, they went to school, they've been in a bunch of bands, but for me personally, I got to know Tomas [Haake, MESHUGGAH drummer] in kindergarten. We were six, and we started playing at 11, 12 together. Jens [Kidman, MESHUGGAH vocalist] and Fredrik [Thordendal, MESHUGGAH guitarist] started playing [at] 13, 14 years of age together. Me and Tomas had this band. When MESHUGGAH's drummer left, the two other guys me and Tomas were playing with, they went their other way, they wanted to pursue other genres, so Tomas left for MESHUGGAH and then a year and a half after that I joined MESHUGGAH. So we've known nothing else. I mean, I know other musicians and you see other careers, but being so stuck in this bubble, so to speak, it's been… I think we've worked hard at our craft, but I don't know if it's hard earned. I think we're still just, 'Wow, are we able to do this with this?' This type of music and going outside of the box and still making a career out of it. 'Cause sometimes that's a hard thing. The mainstream's always trying to reel people in. And we've been lucky enough to resist that."

Regarding where he and the rest of MESHUGGAH are right now in their creative process, Mårten said:  "Well, at the moment I really think I'm in 'exhale' phase. 'Cause we've done this a long time, we've done this cycle and coming out on the back end of the touring for [MESHUGGAH's 2022 album] 'Immutable', I think I'm a bit — not like in a bad way, but creatively spent. And that's something that happens, 'cause first you write stuff and you record it, and then you go out and, almost like the crowd, you relate to it, you learn what you actually did. It's, like, 'Oh, I didn't realize it at the time, but this is this kind of song.' And 'this I thought would work well in a live environment and it doesn't, and it's obvious why it doesn't, but this works really well and I didn't think it would,' stuff like that. So you learn about your own music in many ways with going out and touring with it, 'cause it's a more visceral reaction to stuff. It's more straight from the heart. And you see it resonate in different ways, and then you get reactions."

He continued: "For me, I tend to, and this is mostly true, that as we've grown older, or as I've grown older, it takes a longer time for me to get up and running again, ball rolling for the creative process. So right now my ideas are few and far between comparatively. 'Cause what happens when we start a creative process, what happens when we decide to write an album and I sit down and I have a couple ideas that maybe were left over from the last time and I'm just picking things up, getting back into the groove of it. That sparks the imagination so that I get more ideas. But in order to have the energy to just feel like getting into a creative process, to shoulder that burden — it's not a burden per se, but to feel that you have the energy to go through the emotional gauntlet that a making of an album is, writing, rehearsing, debating, recording, all of that, you need that exhale. You need that downtime for the mind. And that's where I am right now."

When Bendian said that some musicians have three separate "modes" that they operate in — the " intake" mode, the "output" mode and the "off" mode, Hagström said: "Yes. And I think depending on who you are as a person and the way you're wired, those periods come in different order. Some people are just, like, 'All right, I had a week down. That's it. I need to get back into the swing of things.' And some people, I think, have to have more time to just recuperate and get that energy back.

"I hope I'm not a lazy person, 'cause I know that when I write, I work a tremendous lot, like many hours a day for months and months and months, and I'm just into the zone," he continued. "And having that bubble mentality, I think most composers do, I believe. It's like working out — you need to kind of get in shape in order to be able to do it for that kind of stretch of time, mentally get in shape. And that's where I am personally. But I know that Fredrik's working in his studio with his stuff and his projects and the bands that he and [producer] Daniel Bergstrand are working with producing, Most of us have stuff at home that we've been pushing to the side, 'cause we've been out touring, that we need to take care of practical stuff — renovating the house, stuff like that. But I know Dick [Lövgren, MESHUGGAH bassist] has started to fiddle around a little bit, just for fun. Not like seriously writing, but messing around with stuff. So I think it's a natural thing where there's a vacuum, and then you all of a sudden start feeling that maybe it's about time to [get back to work]. It's subconscious and it starts working and it tells you, like, 'Okay, now you need to do stuff. Here's an idea.'"

This past April, MESHUGGAH released the "Indelible Edition" of "Immutable", offering a fully immersive experience that extends over an hour of the band's meticulously crafted music. This special edition was made available in two exquisite formats: a two-LP gatefold vinyl and a single-disc digipak. Each format boasts a remastered audio experience, enriched by new artwork and layout. Notably, the inclusion of distinctive gold foil accents enhances both the tactile and visual appeal, making it a collector's gem.

The "Indelible Edition" arrived with a sonic enhancement, redefining the album's depth and clarity, and included three live tracks recorded during MESHUGGAH's world tours in 2023 and 2024.

Coinciding with the album reissue, MESHUGGAH kicked off a tour of the U.S. and Canada with support from CANNIBAL CORPSE and CARCASS.

The follow-up to 2016's "The Violent Sleep Of Reason", "Immutable" was recorded at Sweetspot Studios in Halmstad, Sweden; mixed by Rickard Bengtsson and Staffan Karlsson; and mastered by multiple Grammy Award winner Vlado Meller (METALLICA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, SYSTEM OF A DOWN). Visionary artist Luminokaya once again created the stunning cover artwork.

MESHUGGAH completed its first pandemic-era U.S. tour in September and October 2022.

To honor ten years since Scott Weiland's passing, "If I Could Fly", a previously unreleased track written in 2000 after the birth of his son, is out today on all digital streaming platforms via Primary Wave/Virgin.

This is the first unheard song from Scott's archive since he left us. It is personal, raw and a reminder of the heart that ran through all his work.

Scott's legacy spans STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, VELVET REVOLVER, a stack of awards, and more than 50 million albums sold. But it's songs like this that show why people stayed connected to him for decades.

"If I Could Fly" bridges two generations of listeners and gives back a piece of Scott that's been held close for 25 years.

Weiland was found dead on his tour bus in at the age of 48 from a toxic mix of drugs and alcohol. The vocalist was also dealing with self-medication, estrangement from his children, financial difficulties and a steadily increasing drinking problem. The singer was on tour with THE WILDABOUTS in Minnesota when he was found unresponsive on the group's tour bus shortly before 9:00 p.m. on December 3, 2015. They had been scheduled to perform that night at the Medina Entertainment Center in Medina, Minnesota. However, that concert was canceled more than a week earlier because of slow ticket sales, according to StarTribune.com. The group was set to perform in Rochester the following night (December 4) at the Wicked Moose.

A January 2016 report from Billboard revealed that Scott was dealing with hepatitis C, mental illness and the knowledge that both his parents had cancer in the final months of his life.

In addition to STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, Scott fronted VELVET REVOLVER from 2004 through 2008. He rejoined STP in 2008 after a six-year hiatus, but was dismissed from the group in 2013 due to his erratic behavior.

With VELVET REVOLVER, Weiland released two albums, 2004's "Contraband" and 2007's "Libertad".

Weiland's latest album and first with THE WILDABOUTS, "Blaster", was released in March 2015.

Scott's solo albums included 1998's "12 Bar Blues", 2008's "'Happy' In Galoshes", a 2011 collection of Christmas songs called "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year", and the aforementioned "Blaster", which is his final released work.

Arizona thrash metal veterans SACRED REICH have announced the addition of drummer Eduardo Baldo to the band's ranks. Baldo, the Brazilian drummer who most recently played with the Los Angeles-based band RED DEVIL VORTEX, sat behind the drum kit for SACRED REICH's European shows in November with HATEBREED.

Earlier today (Wednesday, December 3),SACRED REICH released the following statement via social media: "We would like to officially welcome our new drummer Eduardo Baldo to band. Baldo played the recent shows in Europe with us and crushed it! He's a great dude and fit right in with us.

"We are excited to move forward with Baldo behind the kit bringing his own style, enthusiasm and power. Welcome to SACRED REICH!

"As an added bonus, today is Baldo's birthday! Let's all wish him a very happy birthday!

"We are finishing up mixing our new album 'Into The Abyss' and making plans for July and August in Europe. Looking forward to forward to a killer 2026!"

In late October, SACRED REICH's longtime drummer Dave McClain commented on his latest exit from the band, explaining in a social media post that he "decided to move on" and adding that he would "still [be] 100% doing my thing, whether it's touring, recording, teaching or just playing in my home studio."

When SACRED REICH announced McClain's departure on October 20, the band wrote in a statement: "Dave McClain is no longer a member of SACRED REICH. We wish him the best.

"We are excited for this new chapter in SACRED REICH history."

McClain was originally a member of SACRED REICH from 1991 to 1995. He played on the "A Question" EP (1991) and the "Independent" (1993) and "Heal" (1996) albums before leaving to join MACHINE HEAD.

McClain rejoined SACRED REICH in December 2018 and recorded the band's first album in 23 years, "Awakening", which was released in 2019 via Metal Blade Records. The LP was produced by Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, POWER TRIP and CODE ORANGE, among others.

The now-60-year-old musician, who joined MACHINE HEAD in 1995, announced his departure from the California metal band in October 2018. McClain, along with guitarist Phil Demmel, went on to complete the Robb Flynn-fronted act's "Freaks & Zeroes Tour" before they both officially exited the group.

"Awakening" was described in a press release as "a timeless collection comprised of blistering thrash, crushing grooves, killer solos and socially conscious lyrics that demonstrate a true understanding of everything that matters most in the world today."

"Awakening" was engineered by John Aquilino and was mastered by Maor Appelbaum.

We would like to officially welcome our new drummer Eduardo Baldo to band. Baldo played the recent shows in Europe with...

Posted by Sacred Reich on Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Rufus Publications has announced the fully authorized "Pantera", a brand new PANTERA coffee table book from legendary rock photographer Ross Halfin.

Over the last few years Ross has had unrestricted access to the band on tour, backstage, days off and, of course, playing killer shows. This new, fully authorized book captures the current lineup in all its glory and Ross has also delved into his extensive PANTERA archive featuring stunning photographs of the original four including "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and Vinnie Paul Abbott, to produce a unique and often never-before-seen look at one of world’s most legendary metal bands. This is PANTERA in the raw.

This huge, A3 portrait coffee table book, with more than 300 pages, allows the images to breathe in a unique way and the edition comes in a distinctive, diamond plate style embossed slipcase. Only 666 numbered copies of the book are being made available and each copy is hand signed by PANTERA's current touring lineup of Philip Anselmo (vocals),Charlie Benante (drums),Rex Brown (bass) and Zakk Wylde (guitar).

PANTERA is one of the most successful heavy metal bands of all time. The lineup of Philip Anselmo, Rex Brown, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul recorded a series of ground-breaking albums before the band's 1994 LP, "Far Beyond Driven", debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, pushing PANTERA to sell more than 25 million albums worldwide! In 2022, Billboard reported that Brown and Anselmo were reuniting for PANTERA's first major tour in 22 years. The updated lineup of PANTERA played its first shows in 21 years in Latin America at the end of 2022 and has continued to tour the world.

"Pantera" by Ross Halfin can be pre-ordered from rufuspublications.com on Thursday, December 4 at 3 p.m. U.K. time. It sells for £250 plus worldwide delivery. The book is expected to ship in spring 2026.

This past summer PANTERA completed a U.S. amphitheater tour. Produced by Live Nation, the journey commenced on July 15 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania and wound its way through over two dozen cities, coming to a close on September 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Support was provided by Swedish heavy metal icons AMON AMARTH. The tour followed PANTERA's spring run of stadium shows with METALLICA and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES as well as a very special U.K. performance as part of BLACK SABBATH's and Ozzy Osbourne's historic final show alongside METALLICA, SLAYER, GOJIRA, HALESTORM, ALICE IN CHAINS, LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX, MASTODON and more.

Up until his passing in June 2018, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Vinnie, who was Dimebag's brother, and Anselmo had not spoken since PANTERA split in 2003. But the relationship got even more acrimonious when Vinnie suggested that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag's killer.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin (courtesy of Live Nation)

In a new interview with Kyle Meredith, former FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm spoke about his previously announced plan to release some new solo material. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have a friend of mine who was in my solo bands. His name is Bruce Turgon, and he eventually became the bass player in FOREIGNER for about 10 years. And he and I have been friends since we were teenagers. And he plays bass. He's played with a lot of great bands and musicians over the years, and we wrote songs together back in the day. And when I got him in FOREIGNER, he was a participating songwriter too. And I think that's when FOREIGNER sounded its best, actually. And so I'm still in touch with him, and he helped me write songs for my upcoming solo album, which is being released in March."

Asked what fans can expect from his upcoming LP, Gramm said: "Well, I've been working on this album for over two years, and I have been looking through my backlog of songs that were great songs but were unfinished and didn't make it to the cut on my records and went back and finished some of them, and they're awesome songs. So I'm taking some new songs that were written and some of the older songs that deserve to be on the album. I finished 'em up, polished 'em up, and they're on the album. So it's a little conglomerate of past and present."

As for a possible release date for the effort, Lou said: "March for the album. I think that the single's gonna be early February. It rocks hard, boy."

Back in 2019, Gramm told Kiki Classic Rock that his upcoming solo LP is based on a lot of the material from the "masters" from his solo albums. "'Cause my solo albums always had 10 songs on it, but we always recorded 12 or 13," he explained. "And the ones that didn't make the album weren't necessarily the weakest songs — a lot of 'em were very strong ideas, but they weren't quite finished. And I'm finishing them, and I'm gonna release them."

Regarding how the idea to revisit his unfinished material came about, Gramm said: "My son Matthew came up with the idea. He just asked me, 'How many songs were on the albums? And did you have any extras?' And I said, 'Always.' He said, 'Let's listen to those, polish 'em up, finish 'em, and put them out to be downloaded.' So we went back and we started listening, and there's those songs, not quite finished, that I hadn't heard in 30 years."

Lou added: "I'm so excited to release them, because, to me, they sound great."

Less than two years ago, Lou told Lee Richey about his plans to release new music: "It's song ideas and bits and pieces from my recording of my first [solo] album, second [solo] album and SHADOW KING [project]. Now, what I mean is when you put an album out and you have 10 songs, you might record 13 and pick the best 10. So then you've got three songs that you don't know what to do with. And the years go by. Or maybe they're not complete songs. Maybe you have 10 songs on your album and there's a couple songs that you started and once the album was released, you just forgot about them. So when I was looking to put out a new album, I had freshly written songs too, but I just started going through the tapes in my tape closet and listening to these things that were 25, 30 years old, and the ideas were awesome. So I started them that long ago and I finished them about two years ago."

By the time Gramm left FOREIGNER for the first time in 1990, he had already released two successful solo albums: 1987's "Ready Or Not" and 1989's "Long Hard Look". He went on to launch LOU GRAMM BAND, which released an all-Christian rock album in 2009. He followed it up with "My Baby" in 2015.

SHADOW KING was a collaboration between Gramm and current DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell. The group released a self-titled album in 1991 and performed live only once, at the Astoria Theatre in London, England on December 13, 1991.

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold as Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

FOREIGNER's ongoing tour features Gramm on guest vocals for some of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame group's biggest hits. Gramm is sharing the stage with Luis Maldonado, who replaced longtime FOREIGNER frontman Kelly Hansen on lead vocals.

FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Hansen in 2005. Guitarist Mick Jones, the only remaining original member of FOREIGNER, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012. In February 2024, Jones revealed on social media that he was battling Parkinson's disease, which explained his absence from FOREIGNER's live shows since 2022.

After a nearly five-decade career as one of his generation's defining rock bassists, time and space have finally allowed RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' Flea to work with a dream band of modern jazz visionaries, returning to his first instrument and musical love, the trumpet, for a new album that will be released in 2026 on Nonesuch Records. A preview, Flea's original song "A Plea" is now available. You can hear it below. Further details of the album will be announced in early 2026.

Written and performed by Flea, "A Plea" urges listeners to "build a bridge, shine a light, make something beautiful and see somebody, give it to somebody." Featuring Flea on electric bass, vocals, and trumpet, the ensemble also includes double bassist Anna Butterss and guitarist Jeff Parker, as well as drummer Deantoni Parks, percussionist Mauro Refosco, alto flutist Rickey Washington, and trombonist Vikram Devasthali. Chris Warren joins on vocals, as does the song's producer Josh Johnson, who also plays alto saxophone.

A music video, directed by Los Angeles-based photographer and filmmaker Clara Balzary, and featuring choreography by Sadie Wilking, is also available today. Check it out below.

Flea describes the song's lyrics, which reflect on the divisiveness in our country and our world, as "yearning for a place beyond, a place of love, for me to speak my mind and be myself. I'm always just trying to be myself." He continues, "I don't care about the act of politics. I think there is a much more transcendent place above it where there's discourse to be had that can actually help humanity, and actually help us all to live harmoniously and productively in a way that's healthy for the world. There's a place where we meet, and it's love."

Born Michael Peter Balzary, Flea rose to fame as founding member and bassist of the rock group RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS. In addition to his 30-plus-year career with the band, he's collaborated with musicians like Tom Waits and Johnny Cash, acted in numerous films, including "The Big Lebowski", "My Own Private Idaho" and "Boy Erased", and written a best-selling memoir, "Acid For The Children" (2019). In 2001, Flea, who lives in Los Angeles, co-founded the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a non-profit music school that aims to bring music education to as broad an audience as possible.

Flea has won six Grammy Awards, has twelve No. 1 singles, and has sold 80 million records with RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS.

With less than six weeks until the arrival of their eighth studio album on January 9, 2026, acclaimed rockers ALTER BRIDGE return with their brand-new single "Playing Aces". The track bursts open with the band's trademark dual-guitar firepower as Myles Kennedy (vocals/guitars),Mark Tremonti (guitars/vocals),Brian Marshall (bass) and Scott Phillips (drums) lock into the muscular groove that has defined their sound for more than two decades. The propulsive verses build into a soaring, unforgettable chorus, highlighted by Kennedy's declaration: "If I risked it all, I hope you’ll understand that I had to play my hand…"

"Playing Aces" is available now across all digital service providers. The accompanying music video — directed by J.T. Ibanez — is also out today and can be seen below.

Kennedy explains: "The term 'Playing Aces' ties in with the gambling analogy of risking everything regardless of how many times you've failed in life. It's a last-ditch effort to come out on top."

With more than two decades performing together, ALTER BRIDGE shows no signs of slowing down. Known for its memorable riffs, infectious vocal melodies and dueling guitar attack, the quartet has garnered massive critical and fan acclaim around the globe. The band looks to continue that trend with the release of its self-titled eighth studio album next year via Napalm Records.

"Alter Bridge" is comprised of 12 all new tracks from the band and features some of its most iconic moments on record. Songs like "Rue The Day", "Disregarded" and "Scales Are Falling" will fit alongside any of the classic songs from ALTER BRIDGE's catalog. "Trust In Me" shows Myles and Mark sharing vocal duties as Myles handles the verse duties while Mark takes the chorus. That strategy is flipped on "Tested And Able" as Mark handles the verses and Myles takes on the choruses behind one of the band's heaviest intros to date, giving way to an unforgettable melody. "Hang By A Thread" is sure to become a show favorite as it hints at some of the most popular songs in the band's catalog. The album closer "Slave To Master" is an epic track that ALTER BRIDGE has come to be known for and is the longest song the quartet has recorded to date.

"Alter Bridge" was once again helmed by the band's longtime collaborator and producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette and was recorded over two months this past spring at the legendary 5150 studio in California and Elvis's recording studio in Florida.

"Alter Bridge" track listing:

01. Silent Divide (5:06)
02. Rue The Day (4:46)
03. Power Down (4:08)
04. Trust In Me (4:48)
05. Disregarded (3:55)
06. Tested And Able (4:36)
07. What Lies Within (5:07)
08. Hang By A Thread (4:11)
09. Scales Are Falling (5:54)
10. Playing Aces (4:05)
11. What Are You Waiting For (5:00)
12. Slave To Master (9:03)

ALTER BRIDGE will be touring in support of the release. The band is heading out on the "What Lies Within" tour. The 31-date European leg of the trek will kick off on January 15 in Germany and will wrap on March 5 in Nottingham, U.K. Support on the tour will come from DAUGHTRY and SEVENDUST. The band also announced a headline U.S. tour featuring FILTER or SEVENDUST and Tim Montana as support in select markets. The tour kicks off on April 25 in Orlando, Florida and runs through May 24 where it wraps in Tampa, Florida.

Back in 2004, four lifelong musicians got together down in Florida. Even though they had traveled separate paths, similar lessons learned, wisdom earned and dues paid united these gentlemen — Myles Kennedy (vocals, guitar),Mark Tremonti (guitar, vocals),Brian Marshall (bass) and Scott Phillips (drums) — as ALTER BRIDGE. Over the ensuing two decades, the band endured countless trials and tribulations, defied every odd, and rose to the head of the pack as a hard rock juggernaut, cementing a singular legacy by selling out arenas, gathering nearly one billion streams, inciting international acclaim, and quietly attracting a diehard audience. Beginning with the Top 5 entry of 2004's gold-certified "One Day Remains", the band has scored six consecutive Top 20 debuts on the Billboard 200. Among a myriad of highlights, Guitarist magazine applauded "Blackbird" for the "Greatest Guitar Solo Of All Time," the "ABIII" single "Isolation" vaulted to No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, 2013's "Fortress" received rare perfect scores from Kerrang! and Total Guitar, and "Walk The Sky" shook the Top Rock Albums chart at No. 1. Beyond packing O2 Arena and Royal Albert Hall, Classic Rock hailed 2022's "Pawns & Kings" as "the Rolls-Royce of ALTER BRIDGE records" in a 4.5-out-of-5-star review. Plus, the latter LP garnered praise from American Songwriter, Guitar World and Loudwire, while Billboard christened them "one of America's premiere hard rock quartets." Channeling the same hunger, the band continue to push themselves on their self-titled eighth full-length offering, "Alter Bridge". It embodies everything they're known for such as the precise riffs, towering hooks, and solos that practically break guitar strings as they burst through the clouds.

Photo credit: Chuck Brueckmann

The Australian edition of Park Waves Festival, PARKWAY DRIVE's touring festival, has been canceled.

Organizers Destroy All Lines announced the cancelation, sharing a statement on social media in which they explained that the numbers behind the tour "no longer stack up".

"We're devastated to confirm the Park Waves Festival Australian tour will not go ahead," the statement read. "The cancellation is due to a combination of challenges, and ultimately, the numbers no longer stack up. With a heavy heart, we've had to make a difficult decision. We've tried everything. We're gutted."

In a separate statement posted to the band's social media, PARKWAY DRIVE said the decision to call off the tour was "a kick in the guts," noting the "rising costs across our entertainment industry".

"Another festival being crushed by the rising costs across our entertainment industry," the band wrote. "It hurts to be another casualty in this chapter of the Australian music scene. We've tried every possible option to keep this dream alive, but the reality of the circumstances won't allow for it."

Originally launched in Germany in 2024, Park Waves Festival was scheduled to take place in February and March 2026, with stops in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. In addition to PARKWAY DRIVE, the tour was slated to include THE AMITY AFFLICTION, NORTHLANE, ALPHA WOLF and STORY OF THE YEAR.

Tickets will be refunded, and ticketholders have been notified via e-mail.

Park Waves was set to be a 16-and-over event fusing heavy metal music, circus performers, carnival rides, sideshow alley and food trucks.

This past May, PARKWAY DRIVE dropped a new track called "Sacred". The single marked the band's first release since PARKWAY DRIVE's critically acclaimed 2022 album "Darker Still", and arrived alongside a music video directed by Third Eye Visuals.

Over the summer, PARKWAY DRIVE co-headlined the "Summer Of Loud" 2025 tour across the U.S. and Canada, which saw them playing some of their biggest North American shows yet. PARKWAY DRIVE served as a co-headliner on "Summer Of Loud" tour alongside BEARTOOTH, I PREVAIL and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE.

PARKWAY DRIVE's landmark year concluded with the band's 20th-anniversary arena tour across Europe. Joining them on this momentous fall 2025 tour were fellow Australians THY ART IS MURDER and THE AMITY AFFLICTION.

Photo credit: Third Eye Visuals

We’re devastated to confirm the Park Waves Festival Australian tour will not go ahead.

The cancellation is due to a...

Posted by Destroy All Lines on Monday, December 1, 2025

Posted by Parkway Drive on Monday, December 1, 2025

In a new interview with Australia's DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy spoke about the recent passing of original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, yeah, losing Ace is a big one. For me, I was a KISS fanatic back in the '70s. I saw them in '77 at Madison Square Garden. I saw 'em in 79 at the [Nassau] Coliseum, and Ace was my first real guitar hero. Even though I was a drummer, he was my favorite member of KISS. And my nickname in elementary school even was Ace. So, yeah, it's been tough one to process."

Mike continued: "I've been listening to a lot of old KISS stuff and revisiting some of the great old shows that are on YouTube. And I was fortunate enough to have played with both Ace and Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer] back in 2013 when I was the musical director at [SiriusXM radio personality] Eddie Trunk's 30th-anniversary concert. So, yeah, I have a lot of history as both a fan and a fellow musician with Ace, and it's a really difficult loss."

Two months ago, Portnoy was asked by PipemanRadio what prompted him to become a musician. He responded: "Well, it was probably seeing KISS at Madison Square Garden in 1977 on the 'Alive II' tour. I was only 10 years old, but being in that audience, even before the show started, and seeing the big KISS [logo] light up, whatever you would call that, the backdrop, seeing it not lit in the arena, smelling the pot smoke in the air and just the excitement of the lights going down and [hearing], 'You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest band in the world — KISS,' just that excitement and the bombs going off and the pyro, and that was it. From that point on, I knew that's what I had to do."

After interviewer Pipeman noted that the cover art of the first KISS album is what brought him to where he is now, Portnoy said: "It's so funny, because that album cover, for the first album cover, is so iconic, but when you think about it, it's really just an updated version of THE BEATLES' 'Meet The Beatles' album cover. So it was like taking the same album cover and just taking it for a decade later to a new generation."

Highlighting some of the other parallels between THE BEATLES and KISS, Portnoy added: "Paul Stanley is the Paul McCartney character. Gene Simmons was the John Lennon character. Ace Frehley was the George Harrison character. They align even. You had four guys that all sing and all create and contribute. When THE BEATLES came around, it was the first time there was a band of four characters. Up until then, you just had Elvis Presleys or Chuck Berrys, but when THE BEATLES came around, you finally had four distinctive characters. And it was the same with KISS, when KISS came around — you had four characters, and they were all bringing something to image of the band."

Five years ago, Portnoy talked about his love of KISS while going through his vinyl collection for a video on his YouTube channel. He said at the time:  "Yes, I still, to this day, am a KISS freak and a KISS fanatic. This just brings me back to my childhood. This is my childhood. I grew up with these albums. I have all the original ones in my collection still, but I had to rebuy the whole collection of all the early '70 stuff… Around '75, '76, '77, '78, they were my biggest heroes. I was the biggest KISS fanatic you could meet. I started with THE BEATLES. Late '60, early '70s, THE BEATLES, that was my thing — I was fanatical about them — but then, once I was around nine, 10 years old, whatever, KISS was like the new BEATLES to me. And there are a lot of parallels between THE BEATLES and KISS, believe it or not. I always pictured Paul Stanley as the Paul McCartney stereotype, Gene is the John Lennon stereotype, Ace is the George Harrison and Peter [Criss] is the Ringo [Starr]. So I think there was a lot of similarities between KISS and THE BEATLES when they came around. And like THE BEATLES, [KISS] had four very distinctive personalities. It was like four superstars, four superheroes in the same band. So very similar concept as THE BEATLES, but for a 10-year-old kid in the '70s, it was magical.

"The first KISS album [self-titled 1974 effort] — legendary. So many great songs: 'Strutter', 'Deuce'. The production was not so great. The production, I think, was even worse on [1974's] 'Hotter Than Hell' — the mix is really hard to listen to — but so many great songs. I love 'All The Way'. I still wanna cover that one these days. 'Watching You' and 'Goin' Blind', 'Got To Choose', 'Parasite'.

"[1975's 'Dressed To Kill'] is my favorite of the first three. I love 'Dressed To Kill'. I love the deep cuts. I love 'Room Service' and 'Getaway', 'Love Her All I Can', 'Anything For My Baby', 'C'mon And Love Me'. I mean, it is just song after song after song.

"Then [1975 live album 'Alive!'] was the big one. And I actually have my old 'Alive!' hanging on the wall, signed by all four of them through the years. But I bought the reissue, and it comes with all the same stuff and the booklets and everything from the original. But [it's] one of the great live albums of all time, which probably wasn't even recorded live, but it doesn't matter. This captured everything about the band that was great and all the best songs from the first three albums.

"[1976's] 'Destroyer' — probably their masterpiece of this era. Not my favorite, but probably the masterpiece. Produced by Bob Ezrin, who went on to do [PINK FLOYD's] 'The Wall'. Of course, 'Detroit Rock City'. I love 'Do You Love Me', I love 'King Of The Night Time World'. 'Beth' is on here, 'God Of Thunder', 'Shout It Out Loud'. So, a little bit of everything, something for everyone on this album.

"[1976's 'Rock And Roll Over'] is probably my favorite of the middle three. I would say 'Dressed To Kill' is my favorite of the first three, [and 'Rock And Roll Over'] is my favorite of the the next three. I love 'Rock And Roll Over'. I think it's one of the best-sounding of the old KISS albums. And once again, I love the deep cuts. I love 'Take Me'. I've always wanted to cover 'Take Me'. 'I Want You', 'Mr. Speed', 'Ladies Room'. 'Calling Dr. Love' — what a song. That came up on my iTunes shuffle a few months ago, and I was, like, 'What a perfect, perfect song.' Amazing.

"[1977's] 'Love Gun'. This was the tour that I saw them on for the first time. Actually, I saw 'em in December 77, so they were still touring on 'Love Gun', but I think 'Alive II' had just come out. And that's the first time I saw them — at Madison Square Garden, December 14th, '77. So, basically, this was the show I saw, the first time I saw KISS. And I remember they opened with 'I Stole Your Love'. Oh, it was just amazing to be in that room — even before the show started, to just see the KISS logo on stage all metallic, but not lit up yet, and to smell the pot smoke in the room. And it was just magical, incredible. And that was like one of those BEATLES 'Ed Sullivan' moments for me when I was a kid. And I taped it —I snuck in a tape recorder and taped it. And I have a bootleg of it somewhere on cassette still to this day.

"[1981's 'Music from 'The Elder''] is one of the most hated albums in their catalog, especially by Gene and Paul. I love this album. I think this is an incredibly underrated album. I know they looked corny at the time.

"When I fell in love with [early] KISS, by the time ['The Elder'] came out, I was moving on to other things and listening to stuff like MOTÖRHEAD and AC/DC. So my taste was changing, and all of their young kids were growing up, starting to move on to different things. But looking back now, I think this was a great album. I love the songs on here. It's Eric Carr on drums. I love 'Odyssey'. [That's] another song I've been wanting to cover forever. But I think there's great stuff on here. 'A World Without Heroes' is beautiful. 'Only You'. I mean, great stuff. So I'm still an 'Elder' fan."

In a new interview with Story Mode, former FEAR FACTORY drummer Raymond Herrera, who is also a composer and producer of music for video games, television, feature films and transmedia, spoke about his one-off collaboration with MEGADETH nearly two decades ago. He said: "That's actually a funny story. We [FEAR FACTORY] were on tour with MEGADETH in 2006, and I said to Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader], 'Hey, I'm working on this video game and the soundtrack is more on the electronic side, but I really want to get one of your songs on there. Could you get me the instrumental version or your recording sessions files?'. And he agreed. He said, 'Yeah, let's do it' and got me the files [for 'Symphony Of Destruction' from 1992's 'Countdown To Extinction' album] pretty soon after. And then we set about remixing it."

He continued: "So we mixed it over around two weeks and then met Dave. 'All right, dude, I got the remix. You wanna check it out?' I asked and played it for him. We were having lunch at catering before one of the shows and he listened to it and did not like it. I assured him that gamers would love it, and that I would cover the cost of mixing and recording it for the game. I even told him that if he didn't like the final version, we wouldn't use it. Eventually and surprisingly, he approved it, but, man, he did not like it."

In 1996, Raymond started to secure music licensing of FEAR FACTORY's music for dozens of video game titles, which allowed him to branch out and create Herrera Productions (which later became 3volution Productions) as a cross-genre composer-producer working on numerous video game projects. His experience writing and producing rock, metal, industrial and rap music, combined with orchestral, techno and other genres, led him to work on projects for many top video game publishers and developers in North America, Japan and Europe including Microsoft, SEGA, Sony, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, THQ, Midway, Capcom, Namco, Atari, Majesco and others.

Raymond's mechanically precise playing defined FEAR FACTORY's sound in the first 15 years of the band's existence. By the end of the 1990s, they had released three albums and played alongside BLACK SABBATH, SLAYER, IRON MAIDEN and MEGADETH, among many others. FEAR FACTORY split up in 2006 and a new version of the group was formed in 2009. Guitarist Dino Cazares is the sole remaining member of FEAR FACTORY's classic lineup.

Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, who contributed a cover of METALLICA's instrumental epic "(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth" to the recently released "No Life 'Til Leather - A Tribute To Metallica's Kill 'Em All", spoke to The Pipeman about his involvement with the project. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's some other riffs of Cliff that I think are very definitive. For me, of course it's 'Peace Sells'. That's my riff — that's my star that was blessed upon me. [BLACK SABBATH's] Geezer's [Butler] got 'N.I.B.', a bunch of stuff. [IRON MAIDEN's] Steve Harris has got 'Wrathchild' [off] 'Killers'. So we all kind of have our identified signature riffs. And so I thought about Cliff's signature riffs. And, of course, there's several inside of this piece of music with 'Anesthesia'. But I also thought, look, 'For Whom The Bell Tolls', that's his 'Peace Sells'. When you hear 'For Whom The Bell Tolls', that's really his riff. The other one that I really like is 'Orion'. I love that. And 'Master Of Puppets' is really one of my favorite metal records and one of my favorite METALLICA records.

"I got to talk with Cliff a bit," David continued. "They [METALLICA] were on tour with Ozzy [Osbourne in 1986]. Me and Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] went to go see them [with] Michael Alago, who had signed them to Elektra Records. We were in town. Michael was courting me and Dave to sign MEGADETH to Elektra Records. And it didn't go that way, but we went over to see METALLICA. It was a big tour — them supporting Ozzy on the 'Master Of Puppets' tour — and I got to chat with Cliff a little bit about some of his composing on 'Master Of Puppets'. And then, of course, sadly it wasn't but a few weeks or a couple of months later he was was gone. Cliff and I never sat down with basses in hand and sort of broed down or anything like that, but just chatting as fellow musicians, fellow bass players, et cetera, seeing him perform a bunch… And that's why I said in the little video that I shot when I did the playthrough, I said, 'This is my homage to Cliff.' So, to me, I kind of tried to make it even a little bigger than just '(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth'. I tried to make it really more of a salute to him as an artist, and tried to include a bunch of his music inside of that performance."

Ellefson and Dave Mustaine formed MEGADETH in 1983, after Mustaine got kicked out of METALLICA. METALLICA recruited Kirk Hammett and went on to record its debut album, "Kill 'Em All", later that year, while Ellefson and Mustaine began work on MEGADETH's first LP, "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!"

During a 2019 ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE conversation with moderator Ryan J. Downey at the MI Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Ellefson was asked if Burton was an inspiration on his bass playing during MEGADETH's formative years. Ellefson responded: " I met Dave [Mustaine] in June of 1983. He had just left METALLICA literally not more than eight weeks before that, in April. So I didn't know anything about METALLICA, didn't know who Dave was, heard nothing about Cliff Burton — knew nothing about it, coming from the Midwest. And I didn't know anything about Cliff. And because the only recording Dave had of METALLICA was 'No Life 'Til Leather', and that had another bass player on it named Ron McGovney. So when we did a cover of 'Mechanix', I played Ron McGovney's basslines."

He continued: "Really, quite honestly, my METALLICA bass player was Ron, believe it or not, and I kind of modeled what we did off of that 'No Life 'Til Leather' demo. And I remember the day when 'Kill 'Em All' and we sat… There was complete silence in the room, and we sat and we listened to the album. And the differences — tempos were pulled back. And obviously the bass solo, 'Anesthesia'. That was really my first experience hearing Cliff. And at that point, we were two months into… MEGADETH was well on its way.

"So, long answer to your short question is I didn't really have an influence [from Cliff]… That was not where my influence came from. And quite honestly, growing up in a rural area of Minnesota, bass players in rock and roll were cool, but when I started hearing some jazz players… Those guys were more of my influence, along with Steve Harris [IRON MAIDEN] and Geddy Lee [RUSH] and Ian Hill [JUDAS PRIEST] and the metal guys. But, for me, I went more into the jazz world… But those were the things that I brought in, and I think that made, me and Dave, our participation together with the MEGADETH sound something that was… And even then with Gar Samuelson and Chris Poland — they were jazz-fusion musicians. We really had a very different sound — different even from ANTHRAX, from METALLICA, from SLAYER — a very different sound. And I think that probably is what sort of set us apart as our own pillar of the 'Big Four.'"

"No Life 'Til Leather - A Tribute To Metallica's Kill 'Em All" is available on vinyl, CD, and digital formats.

"No Life 'Til Leather - A Tribute To Metallica's Kill 'Em All" track listing:

01. Hit The Lights - TAILGUNNER
02. The Four Horsemen - THE ALMIGHTY
03. Motorbreath - SOEN
04. Jump In The Fire - TYGERS OF PAN TANG
05. (Anesthesia - Pulling Teeth - DAVID ELLEFSON
06. Whiplash - MOTÖRHEAD
07. Phantom Lord - SAXON
08. No Remorse - DIAMOND HEAD
09. Seek & Destroy - TESTAMENT
10. Metal Militia - RAVEN

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", former ANTHRAX and current ARMORED SAINT singer John Bush spoke about the upcoming 35th anniversary of METALLICA's self-titled album (also known as the Black Album),which was the latter band's first LP to reach the top of the Billboard 200 chart. Released in 1991, it has since received a double diamond certification from the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales of more than 20 million copies in the U.S. alone. When MikeZ noted that the Black Album was very different from METALLICA's previous output, John concurred. "Yes, it was," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "But you knew that it just sounded so together. I think [producer] Bob Rock scared some people when he came aboard, but you heard it and you're, like, 'Wow.' Just the power of it and the production of it. It was very different from '…And Justice For All', let's face it. I think it was the right step, needless to say. It went on to be one of the biggest hard rock records of all time. So, it was the right move. They were ready to take that step. And I love that album. The Black album is incredible. James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] just took his vocal level to a whole another place and the songwriting was incredible. And 'Wherever I May Roam' and 'Sad But True' and '[Enter] Sandman', 'Through The Never', those are all killer tunes, amazing songs."

Addressing METALLICA's decision to embrace a more streamlined direction compared to the thrash metal overtones of the band's first four albums, John said: "Look, METALLICA was already playing arenas by that point. '…And Justice For All', they were playing arenas and they were already that band. And then 'Justice' is really cool; it's just a different album, with really long songs. Certainly the production... So I think that for them to repeat that would've been weird. I think it was time to do something else, and I think it was a natural progression.

"The thing I always say about METALLICA, and I mean this sincerely, is that they're always willing to take chances," John explained. "They really are — whether it's 'Turn The Page' or cutting their hair or 'St. Anger' or the album with Lou Reed. These are not sometimes things that you're gonna go, 'This is a sure shot. Everyone's gonna get it.' I don't think everyone got the Lou Reed record, but they did it. And to me, that's the thing I always say about bands is taking chances… ANTHRAX is another band that did that. I mean, come on — 'I'm The Man' was a big, big chance. And it was successful. Same with 'Bring The Noise' and then getting in a new singer and doing 'Only', which was very different from certainly anything on 'Persistence Of Time'. And I say the same thing about ARMORED SAINT. We're always willing to try different [things], bring in different instruments. We're a blues band at heart. We're really just a heavy metal blues band, a hard rock band, and we always are willing to do things. [ARMORED SAINT bassist] Joey Vera sings his ass off on this [upcoming ARMORED SAINT] record; there's a ton of really killer background vocals.

"I think the bands that stay the test of time are ones that are willing to take chances," he added. "Sure, you can make the argument, SLAYER stayed [the same throughout their career], but they're SLAYER. So, at the end of the day, I think ones that can make it a couple of decades have to be adventurous in the way they do things. And I think METALLICA did that, and I think that's why they're the biggest band.

"If you're around long enough, not everything is gonna work. It's just not. It's just a fact. I mean, it's just not. If you're around for five years and you had a couple great records, like, 'Hey, we went on a high note,' like George Costanza [fictional character in the American television sitcom 'Seinfeld']. But the reality is, is that if you're around for four decades of music, you're probably gonna do some things that maybe the fanbase is gonna be, like, 'Eh.' They're still gonna go see you at the SoFi Stadium [in Los Angeles]. But the reality is maybe not everything is gonna have the same impact as 'Master Of Puppets' did. But the reality is you have to be willing to branch out and try different things. 'Cause if you don't, you feel stale. And I could say that from the standpoint of a singer and a musician myself. I love [ARMORED SAINT's] 'March Of The Saint', but I don't wanna do it again. We did it. So it's important to take the origins of what you are, but always grow from that. I think that's real important."

This past July, Bush, who was offered an opportunity to join METALLICA in the early '80s but turned it down, reflected on his decision in an interview with Get On The Bus. He said: "That is real. That actually happened before ARMORED SAINT even started, really, for the most part. It was, again, back to Jonny Z [founder of Megaforce Records], who was the manager of METALLICA at first. Then he became the manager of ANTHRAX. And he contacted me, which is kind of funny. And then he contacted me again about [joining] ANTHRAX [in the early 1990s]. I'm, like, 'Wait, okay, this is 10 years later, and you're calling me about maybe joining this other band.' It was kind of funny.

"But, yeah, again, it was an honor to be asked to sing in METALLICA," Bush continued. "I mean, I never can imagine anybody singing other than James Hetfield for that band. Ironically enough, I just saw James Hetfield and Lars [Ulrich] and Robert Trujillo, 'cause we played the Sonic Temple festival in Columbus [Ohio] last weekend, and METALLICA was one of the headlining bands; they headlined two nights, actually. And those guys came and watched ARMORED SAINT. And we played at, like, three in the afternoon. And that was very, very cool that they did that. 'Cause I was, like, 'It's very nice you're here. I don't think I would be here at three in the afternoon if I was going on at nine.' But they did. And that shows that they still, to this day, kind of think highly of us and give us love. And it's really cool."

Bush added: "It was always an honor [to be asked to join METALLICA]. It just was not my fate to be in METALLICA. But I did the one show, which was the — we [played at METALLICA's] 30th-anniversary shows in the Bay Area. They played four nights at the Fillmore. And ARMORED SAINT actually opened one. And then I came out and sang 'The Four Horsemen' with them and they told the story about it and how, 'We were gonna maybe get this guy, but it didn't happen. But this is what it would sound like if he did join.' And so that was a really special moment in my life. And you can see it on YouTube. And it was great. It was cool.

"There's always a connection because ARMORED SAINT ended up going out and touring with METALLICA on 'Ride The Lighting' and 'March Of The Saint' for us," John said. "And we have a lot of history together as friends. And one of the funny things is James, during METALLICA's set [at Sonic Temple], said, 'I was stoked to see ARMORED SAINT today.' This is in front of 50,000 people when they were playing. 'We destroyed a lot of hotels together.' I could have ruined metal. And that's just too much, man — that's too much pressure.

"Like I said, it just wasn't my fate," Bush added. "And I could never imagine anybody [else] singing those songs or not having James Hetfield as a frontman. That would've been a big loss for heavy metal. He was meant to do that. And James became an incredible singer. If you listen to 'Kill 'Em All' to the Black Album, his progression was just off the charts. And he's still an incredible singer."

In July 2024, Bush was asked in an interview with The Dan Chan Show what he thought of METALLICA's recent musical output. He responded at the time:  "METALLICA is a band that never rests on the laurels of what they've done. They're always taking chances, they're always doing different things, they're always expanding on their style and pushing the boundaries of the listeners, whether it's doing the orchestra stuff or doing a record with Lou Reed or making just a metal, powerful, thrashing record. The live performances — I want to see him at SoFi Stadium here [in Los Angeles], and it was phenomenal. It was really cool how they have these four different sections — they actually took this arena and yet when they were all together playing, it felt like you were almost watching them in some small room. It was amazing.

"When you're a band like METALLICA, everybody's expectations are so grand all the time," he continued. "And the reality is you're not always gonna hit the bullseye on everything, especially if you're willing to take chances, which they are. And I really commend that, because it would be easy to just kind of play it safe. And they never do. So I really respect them on that level.

"When I heard 'Lux Æterna' [the first single from METALLICA's latest album, '72 Seasons'], it sounded rad," Bush added. "It just sounded like them. It was really powerful. It's a great tune. And I was, like, 'Wow, it's cool.' And it just sounds fresh.

"James is one heck of a singer and just an awesome vocalist. And so, what are you gonna do? They're METALLICA."

Bush previously spoke about his decision to turn down an opportunity to join METALLICA in a December 2021 interview with Waste Some Time With Jason Green. He said at the time: "I've been talking about this for many years now. I'm always gonna be completely super flattered about the fact that I was asked to join METALLICA back in the early '80s. It just was never meant to be my destiny, is what I always say. There's no other singer that should have been the singer of METALLICA other than James Hetfield. That was meant to be, and that's kind of the way I see it. Like I say, I'm always flattered that I'm always connected to the history of that band — it's a huge feather in my cap, so to speak — but at the end of the day, it just was not my destiny to be the singer of METALLICA. I had a different fate in store."

Bush also talked about joining METALLICA on stage on December 7, 2011 for the second of four intimate shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of the band's 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only. "Yes, that was very cool," he said. "That was an awesome experience. We did that at the Fillmore in San Francisco. It was the 30th-anniversary shows that METALLICA did, which were really, really cool. They had all these various guests coming on stage with them at the time — everyone from Ozzy [Osbourne] to King Diamond to Lou Reed to Marianne Faithful; a lot of people associated with METALLICA through the years. And ARMORED SAINT, we got to open for [METALLICA] that one particular show — one of the four — and then that was the day that I actually came on stage and sang 'The Four Horsemen' with them, which was an incredible experience. And the whole thing was really, really awesome — just a beautiful thing to be a part of. So I always have that as a great memory in my life. We had a couple of friends that were there that came with us, and my wife was there. And we had a lot of fun doing that. Like I said, I'm really flattered that METALLICA thought of me as a person that was good enough to be in their band. But, like I said, it just wasn't meant to be something that happened for the rest of the band's career."

Another singer who was being considered for the frontman position in METALLICA was Jess Cox of Newcastle, England's TYGERS OF PAN TANG.

Bush later said in an interview: "METALLICA did ask me to join, but I said no for all the right reasons. People must think that's crazy, but you have to remember the scene then. METALLICA was nobody. ARMORED SAINT was hot; you have to remember that. Also, I was very tight with the [ARMORED SAINT] guys, back to elementary school in fact. ARMORED SAINT was getting interest from all kinds of places, and we had a lot of people starting to turn up at shows."

He continued: "METALLICA came to see SAINT at a gig in Anaheim, at The Woodstock in 1982. I heard they were interested in asking me to join, which they did later. The thing was that METALLICA was this new kind of thing, and nobody back then. I don't care what they say now; nobody could have predicted what would happen. I didn't know the guys either, so there was no real interest. It was great to be asked — in fact, a lot of people asked — but ARMORED SAINT was really strong.

"Some time after 'Kill 'Em All' had come out, I heard the same thing again, but I never understood that because James was singing great then and he was doing a great job. I understood the lack of confidence back in '82 but not for 'Ride The Lightning'. James owns that record."

In a 1989 interview with Metal Forces, Ulrich talked about what METALLICA could have sounded like had Bush ended up fronting the group. He said: "Only a couple of days ago, we were actually sitting around talking about how it would be now if John Bush had joined the band. Obviously, it's impossible to know how different it would have been, but I can't imagine METALLICA without James Hetfield up there growling into the microphone, fucking curved over and everything. It's really weird to think about it. I mean, nothing against John Bush — I think he's a great vocalist — but ... Well, thank God it didn't happen."