During a November 15 panel discussion at the "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" event at the Virgin Hotels resort and casino complex in Las Vegas, longtime KISS manager Doc McGhee discussed the status of the upcoming full-length documentary about the band's five-year, 250-date "farewell" tour, "End Of The Road", which came to an end in December of 2023 with two shows at New York City's iconic Madison Square Garden.

"We've always tried to capture what we're doing," McGhee said (as transcribed by Clay Marshall for BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We had to do the fly-on-the-wall [approach], because if you don't, everybody becomes actors, and it gets boring. You have to really find a way, and the only way to do it is to have people with you that you trust that sit there and film you all day long. We did this for five years — we started this [in] '19 — so it was important to us to not have the usual KISS/WWE kind of thing. KISS is like WWE in a certain way — they're always on, and all this. We wanted to catch all the moments that were inspiring, that you could see the heart of KISS. It took us a long time, and we have thousands of hours of this stuff. We've been editing this for two years to find the right thing, and I think we've got a great mix. I think when you see it, you'll see a whole different side of KISS than what we're used to seeing. You'll see that tie together. I think it will be a great ride that will then bring us into the biopic [the forthcoming feature film 'Shout It Out Loud'], and then into the avatar show. I think right now we have the tentpoles set up to set us up for the future."

The documentary doesn't yet have a release date. McGhee explained: "One thing we've always tried to do is, we don't release anything until it's right. Whether it's the avatar show [or whatever], if it takes longer, it takes longer. If this takes longer, it takes longer. If the movie takes longer… we've been doing this movie for seven years. We don't need to make a movie, and we don't need to make a documentary. We need to make a phenomenal [documentary], a phenomenal avatar show and the best movie out there, and I think we have the best team to do it."

Although the band is no longer an active touring entity, McGhee says projects like the documentary, avatar show and biopic demonstrate that the true "end of the road" for KISS is nowhere in sight. "In today's world, the technology that we have, with the team of people we've assembled, it actually, where I thought I was starting to slow down, I'm just working a lot harder," he said with a laugh. "I believe that what we have at our fingertips to give to the world as far as KISS is concerned is going to go on way beyond all of us."

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

McGhee managed BON JOVI from 1984 through 1991, an era when they achieved their biggest commercial successes with "Slippery When Wet" and "New Jersey". He also managed MÖTLEY CRÜE throughout the 1980s and helped to create the Moscow Music Peace Festival in 1989, which was attended by 100,000 people and broadcast in 59 countries.

In 1995, McGhee began managing KISS by oversaw the band's subsequent reunion with Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, which would yield the top-grossing tour of 1996. 2025 marks his 30th year as the group's manager.

KISS's final show at Madison Square Garden was accompanied by the news that the four members of the band intended to live on as digital avatars after their split. The group made the surprise announcement at the end of the show, with vocalist/guitarist Paul Stanley telling fans "your love, your power, has made us immortal. The new KISS era stars now," he added. The 23-song concert was also streamed live via PPV.COM.

KISS undertook a previous "farewell tour" more than 25 years ago. After a brief hiatus, the band started touring again on and off in 2003.

"KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" is taking place November 14-16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

This special KISS Army fan event, co-produced by Pophouse, Topeka and Vibee celebrates the band's five-decade career and the 50th anniversary of the KISS Army. In addition to KISS's "unmasked" performances, the weekend includes appearances from QUIET RIOT, Stephen Pearcy and Warren DeMartini performing the music of RATT, Bruce Kulick, Sebastian Bach, BLACK 'N BLUE, KUARANTINE, School Of Rock and more.

KISS had previously set a 12-show residency at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas in 2021 and 2022 but ultimately canceled all of the dates.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons told Rolling Stone in a November 2023 interview that the second Madison Square Garden "End Of The Road" concert would mark "the final KISS-in-makeup appearance."

In a new interview with Dan Shinder of Drum Talk TV, IRON MAIDEN's longtime drummer Nicko McBrain reflected on his last-ever gig with the British heavy metal legends, which took place nearly a year ago in São Paulo, Brazil. The now-73-year-old British musician, whose real name is Michael Henry McBrain, announced his retirement on December 7, 2024 in a statement on MAIDEN's web site and social media. He also said that night's concert at Allianz Parque would mark his final show with the legendary rock band. Nicko said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "It was a very mixed-emotions show. Obviously, I had 50,000 kids chanting my name and [they] gave me a fantastic, emotional welcome. And then also when I got up the front of the stage at the end of the night — I've always gone and been the last guy to come off stage, to be able to say good night and thank you to all the fans and stuff. And this night was unbelievably special. I remember I thought to myself, 'I'm gonna burst out in tears here in a minute.' I felt that emotional, and I thought, God's saying to me, 'Look, it's okay, Nick, if you wanna cry. That's why we gave you tears and emotion.' Anyway, so I thought, 'No, maybe stay strong. Do your weeping offstage.'"

McBrain continued: "But the most important moment that I felt from the whole thing was not only the love of the fans and the adoration that they showed me and the love, was when I went to go on stage, all the backline, they gave me a salute and a farewell. That was their last time they would actually be with me on an IRON MAIDEN show, with me performing. So that was a terrific emotion. And there were some tears, I gotta admit — some of my truly dear friends on the tour for many years had a tear in their eye."

Asked if he had already put himself "mentally in the space" of being retired before he even played his last show with MAIDEN, Nicko said: "I certainly was in the mental space. To be honest with you, when we made [the] 'Senjutsu' [album in 2019], I was thinking, 'All right, after the 'Senjutsu' tour, I'll hang it up.' I had made it my mind up, because I was feeling, my body was feeling like, well, I was 70 years old or 69, 70. As we know, the pandemic hit. Everybody experienced it. We all lived through it, and God bless those that that did, and, unfortunately, there were a lot of folks that didn't make it. Anyway, that kind of put us back by two years, 'cause we couldn't release that album once we'd got it finished. And so then you have to have your album out for a little while and then you plan a tour around it. So we did the 'Legacy Of The Beast' tour. And that 'Legacy Of The Beast' tour was in four parts over two years. And it was, like, 'Okay, well, I think I'm gonna hang it up after this.' My mindset was always to think about, 'It's time for me to step down and give it to a younger fellow.' … So, yeah, I had my mind set, even back then, of thinking about, 'I'll make this the last tour.' But then it went into 'The Future Past Tour'."

Referencing the fact that he suffered a stroke in January 2023 at his home in Boca Raton, Florida, which left him "paralyzed" down one side of his body and "worried" that his career with the band was over, Nicko said: "I was very blessed that the band would stick behind me and take that journey that I took in my recovery and the fact that I have a handicap, 'cause I can't play 16th-note rolls [anymore]… So I had to compromise with drum fills. And the band stood by me for almost two years. It was a year and a half of touring. We did the end of the 'Legacy [Of The Beast]' tour and then 'The Future Past'. And you are going into the 50th anniversary, which is obviously a massive tour for the band to celebrate. But I knew I couldn't have opened with [the 1981 IRON MAIDEN song] 'Murders [In The Rue Morgue]'. I mean, that drum fill at the beginning was just… I could have scratched through and done something else and changed the intro. But this is a celebration of those records, the first nine albums. So, that then, on the back end of having that decision in the back of my mind a couple or three years [earlier], it made it easier. And I sat with Steve [Harris, MAIDEN's founding bassist] in L.A. and we talked and discussed that very thing, and the things that I couldn't play against the things I could. And we were outweighing my health issue, and they were all very worried about me. They didn't wanna see me — and I didn't wanna see myself drop dead on stage. But mind you, having said that, if the good Lord calls me up, I would prefer to do it on a gig."

Regarding how he presented his decision to retire from touring with MAIDEN to the rest of the band, and how MAIDEN decided to announce Simon Dawson as the band's new touring drummer, Nicko said: "Obviously, I was talking with Rod [Smallwood] and Andy Taylor, our managers, and Dave Shack, who's been part of the MAIDEN family for many years now. And he's like Rod's left-hand guy or right-hand guy. He's kind of taken over the everyday running of things with MAIDEN. And we talked about it. And when I was with Steve, we were talking about Simon doing a rehearsal with the band in Portland. We had a couple days off there. Well, here's the thing — a travel day and a day off after that. That's really nice. We talked about that, and [Steve] said, 'Are you okay with it?' I said, 'Of course I am.' I said, 'If, God forbid, anything happened to me in the next, say two weeks or the next week or the next gig, Simon will be able to cover for me, and you don't lose the rest of the tour.' I mean, it would be how we would deal with that if any one of us fell ill. I mean, there have been the times when we've lost shows because Bruce [Dickinson, MAIDEN singer], he's got laryngitis or something. But if you get the flu [as a non-singing musician], you go on stage; you just have to muscle through it, as a pro musician. As they say, the show must go on. So, yeah, I understood that and I gave that my blessing, and Simon went in. And then after that we all had a meeting. Simon wasn't there. It was myself, Rod and the band. And we all talked about me retiring after the tour. So the band were aware of it prior to Simon going in to do the rehearsal. So there was no skullduggery involved. It was all talked about prior to the announcement. I personally asked the management and the band to leave the announcement till after the gig, to January this year. I wanted to spend Christmas without having everybody and their mum sending me texts and my phone ringing off the hook: 'Oh, what's this? You've left the band.' But Andy Taylor turned around to me. I remember the conversation like it was yesterday. Again, we were in L.A. And he said, 'Nick, by the way, what's this about you not wanting to make an announcement on your last show? You need to go out in a blaze of glory. You don't want to go out on a wimpish whim.' And I went, 'You're right. I'm being selfish.' I didn't want it because I didn't want all my mates and family phoning me up or whatever. So, we talked about that there and then, and he convinced me that it was the right thing to do, because the notion I had was, 'Yeah, let's tell everybody in the new year. Let's get Christmas and new year out the way.' And it was a lovely way to announce it. The only thing I got a little upset about was I did ask them not to announce Simon until the Monday. 'Cause on the Sunday I was traveling home from São Paulo to Florida. And they were gonna make the announcement almost immediately, and I said, 'Give it a day or two.' Well, they gave me 24 hours. Not even that — they announced it the next morning, that Simon was gonna go and be my replacement, which really doesn't matter when they did. But I did ask them to leave it an extra day. And I must admit I was a bit miffed off about that. I went, 'Oh, they could have left it another 24 hours.'"

Two months ago, Harris told Rock Candy magazine editor Howard Johnson about MAIDEN's first lineup change in 25 years: "To be honest, we didn't really have a choice and had to make the change after Nicko suffered his health issues. It was what it was, and we had a decision to make as to whether we wanted to carry on or not. Obviously we had a tour booked at the time that it happened, and the rest of us all wanted to continue. But ultimately, after we got through all that, it was Nick's decision to step away and we all respected the fact that he'd decided to do that."

This past July, Nicko told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about his exit from MAIDEN: "I had my health issues, which was one of the primary reasons that I decided to hang it up with the guys. And I wasn't doing the songs justice because of the handicap that I had. And it wasn't fair on everybody else either in the band. They supported me 100 percent through the 'The Future Past Tour', and that was fantastic. I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of brothers to support me through my darkest hour."

Elaborating on the physical ailments which contributed to his decision to retire from touring with IRON MAIDEN, Nicko said: "Primarily, I was fed up with touring in terms of the travel and not having days to recoup my body… I wasn't so much slowing down, although we did play the songs that… I got told off at rehearsals last year because I was playing the songs too fast, 'cause I'd been playing with [my Florida-based side project] TITANIUM TART [which plays MAIDEN songs] before I went off and did the rehearsals in Australia with MAIDEN. And I actually got told off for playing too quick. So it wasn't a question of not being able to drive the band. It was just not being able to drive the band with the drum fills that I'd been used to playing for 42 years. So the question mark was raised about the performance side. And that's quite right…So that was part of the decision that I made."

Five years ago, McBrain was diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer and opened up about it in a single interview in 2021 but otherwise kept it mostly under wraps.

McBrain officially joined IRON MAIDEN in December 1982 for the 1983 "Piece Of Mind" album and tour, replacing Clive Burr, after McBrain's previous band TRUST had supported IRON MAIDEN during the U.K. leg of the "Killers" tour in 1981. McBrain brought a degree of finesse and technicality that was largely missing from IRON MAIDEN's early output. Whereas Burr was often lauded for his heavy-handed, punk-oriented style, McBrain was largely the opposite, playing with a degree of dexterity and flair that helped primary songwriter Harris take MAIDEN down more adventurous paths. He eventually became the third longest-tenured member of MAIDEN, behind Harris and guitarist Dave Murray.

Veteran German metallers RUNNING WILD are continuing work on their new studio album for a tentative summer 2026 release.

Earlier today (Monday, November 17),RUNNING WILD leader Rolf "Rock N' Rolf" Kasparek took to the band's social media to write: "Dear fans, It's been a long time that you haven't heard something about the development of the new studio album. In the beginning of this year I had to prepare everything for the summer festivals we played during June, July and August. Some unforeseen problems arose which had to be solved. Then we played the 5 successful summer festivals and after finishing these I felt ill and got corona. This all set me back in finishing the new album. But since the end of September I was able again working on the songs and I hope that everything is finished before Christmas and that the actual recordings can start in January. The goal is to release the album before our gig at the Wacken Open Air next summer.

"I know you are all waiting for new music and I can assure you that it will be worth the wait. I will get back to you with some actual news before the end of this year. Until then hoist the sails......a storm is coming!"

RUNNING WILD's latest album, "Blood On Blood", came out in October 2021 via Steamhammer/SPV. At the time, Kasparek said that the LP was "probably the best in RUNNING WILD's career to date. Every one of the ten songs sounds exactly as I had it in mind when I composed it," he added. "I've never been happier with a RUNNING WILD record before."

Rolf described "Blood On Blood" as the most diverse offering he had released so far, not only in terms of the compositions but also as far as the production is concerned. The cover artwork was once again designed by Jens Reinhold (VIRGIN STEELE, FREEDOM CALL, among others).

In addition to Rolf, RUNNING WILD's current lineup includes guitarist Peter Jordan, bassist Ole Hempelmann and drummer Michael Wolpers.

RUNNING WILD was formed back in 1976 as GRANITE HEARTS, before changing its moniker, named after the JUDAS PRIEST song, three years later.

Kasparek has led RUNNING WILD since the very beginning and has been the sole founding member of RUNNING WILD since 1984.

RUNNING WILD's current lineup has been stable since 2015.

"Blood On Blood" was RUNNING WILD's seventeenth studio album, and the band's first since 2016's "Rapid Foray".

➡️ Message from our Captain:
"Dear fans, It's been a long time that you haven't heard something about the development of...

Posted by Running Wild on Monday, November 17, 2025

In a new interview with Brazil's 89 A Rádio Rock, SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine spoke about his decision to alter the lyrics to "Wind Of Change", an anti-war anthem the West German rock band put out after performing at 1989's Moscow Music Peace Festival. In March 2022, at the opening concert of SCORPIONS' "Sin City Nights" residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino In Las Vegas, Nevada, Meine and his bandmates debuted the song's revised lyrics, which now say: "Now listen to my heart / It says Ukrainia / Waiting for the wind to change."

Meine told 89 A Rádio Rock (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, basically we're not a political band, but SCORPIONS, we're always a band building bridges between cultures, between countries. And maybe it's because the way we grew up in the shadow of the Berlin Wall, we grew up in times of the Cold War, and we always wanted to bring people together with music in a peaceful way. And so, yeah, I changed the lyrics a couple of years ago when Russia invaded the Ukraine and I turned it into a statement into a piece of solidarity with the Ukraine."

Three and a half years ago, Meine explained to "Loudwire Nights" the thought process behind changing "Wind Of Change"'s lyrics. "Before we came [to Las Vegas to begin the residency], I was thinking about how it feels to play 'Wind Of Change' the way we used to play for so many years, and I thought, it's not the time with this terrible war in Ukraine raging on, it's not the time to romanticize Russia with lyrics like, 'Follow the Moskva / Down to Gorky Park,' you know?" he said. "I wanted to make a statement in order to support Ukraine, and so the song starts now with, 'Now listen to my heart / It says Ukraine, waiting for the wind to change.'"

Back in 2015, SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker stated about the inspiration for the original version of "Wind Of Change": "We wanted to show the people in Russia that here is a new generation of Germans growing up. They're not coming with tanks and guns and making war — they're coming with guitars and rock 'n' roll and bringing love!"

"There were so many emotional moments in Moscow," Meine added. "I guess it could have been BON JOVI or MÖTLEY CRÜE, any of these guys who had gone home inspired by what they saw, but for them it was like, 'Hey! We rocked the Soviet Union, dudes!' For us, maybe it was different. We saw so many changes from Leningrad in '88 to Moscow in '89. That was the inspiration for 'Wind Of Change'."

Last month, SCORPIONS uploaded a "track-by-track" video in which Meine opened up about what "Wind Of Change" has meant over the years — from its first notes to its enduring legacy. The singer said at the time: "Well, it was the end of the '80s when we played for the very first time in Leningrad [now Saint Petersburg] in the USSR, and it was amazing after all the success we enjoyed throughout the '80s, especially in the United States. But it was always part of our dream to go east. And since we never played in the former DDR [Deutsche Demokratische Republik, German Democratic Republic, commonly known as East Germany], we never had a chance to play there, we never had a chance to go behind the wall. So this was in the spring — I think it was April '88 when we played 10 shows in Leningrad. And it was amazing, because we said, 'Our parents came with tanks. Here's a new generation. We come with guitars. We bring love, we bring music. We don't shoot each other. We wanna sing together.' And it was a very inspiring moment. And only one year later we finally played Moscow at the Moscow Music Peace Festival, and it was obvious. There was a man in the Kremlin, Mikhail Gorbachev. There was a big change in the air, and when we played at the Moscow Music Peace Festival, we stormed out like crazy playing 'Blackout' and all those songs. The Russian audience, the fans were singing along. The security, which were mostly soldiers from the Red Army, they were throwing their caps in the air. They were going totally crazy and they enjoyed the music like the fans. They were supposed to be there being security, but they turned around, they wanted to see the show, they didn't wanna miss a thing. And it was so inspiring. It was like the whole world was changing in front of our eyes. And when I came back home, I think I reflected [on] this moment in time and I reflected [on] the changes I saw between '88 in Leningrad and one year later when we played in Moscow. And it was really like it was a new moment, a new time, a new future, a more peaceful future was in the air. And this was all what the song was all about. And it became something like a peace anthem. And after all these years, after 30 years and even more, this song has a billion clicks on YouTube. And it seems like, especially in those very difficult times we are now, the song is very relevant, especially with the young audience, with the young kids who sing this song in every show with so much emotions coming out. And people are crying. And it really shows that after all in very difficult times, this song is still a very strong peace message, and we hope the window for a peaceful world will be open soon again, and the wind hopefully will change one more time."

SCORPIONS' latest album, "Rock Believer", was released in February 2022. The album was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

Wendy Dio, widow and longtime manager of Ronnie James Dio, is the latest guest on Billy Corgan's podcast, "The Magnificent Others". In this powerful and emotional conversation, Wendy joins Billy to share the brilliance of her late husband, Ronnie James Dio — from their first meeting at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood, California to the creation of Ritchie Blackmore's RAINBOW, replacing Ozzy Osbourne in BLACK SABBATH, and Ronnie's breakthrough with his own band, DIO. Wendy reveals how Ronnie stayed true to his vision, refusing to chase hits, and how his humility, brilliance, and devotion to fans made him a legend. She and Billy discuss the origins of the devil horns, the making of the classic DIO songs "Holy Diver" and "Rainbow In The Dark" and the enduring legacy Wendy continues through the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund.

Ronnie lost his life to stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer, in 2010. The disease often does not cause symptoms until its later stages. Usually, by the time stomach cancer is diagnosed, the prognosis is poor.

Reflecting on how the singer was first diagnosed, Wendy told Billy (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "About five years before he passed away, [Ronnie] was complaining of indigestion. I took him to a very famous Beverly Hills doctor who gave him heart tests and all kinds of stuff and just said, 'Oh, don't worry. It's gas, just gas.' … And he always had indigestion. He would eat [over-the-counter chewable antacid] Tums all the time. He had indigestion, indigestion. But you see, with things like stomach cancer, gastric cancers and pancreatic cancer, there's not really any signs until it's too late.

"So we found out that he was not feeling good," Wendy continued. "He finished a tour with [BLACK] SABBATH [offshoot HEAVEN & HELL]. That was my happiest memory that I have now, is that he went back with SABBATH and did that HEAVEN & HELL tour, the last thing. And everybody loved each other. Everybody was back to loving each other, having fun, really enjoying themselves, everybody pushing each other to the limit, because they were all such good musicians. And they created 'Bible Black' — all those songs are really good songs and [they had] a great time and [they] had a really fun time. [They were] gonna go out and do another album."

Wendy added: "They stopped [touring] then because Vinny [Appice, HEAVEN & HELL drummer] had something wrong with his hand or something, had to do something — I don't know, whatever. They took a break. And Ronnie wasn't feeling good at all. And that last tour he wasn't feeling good at all. And so I took him to my just local doctor, actually. He did a blood test and he called me back and he said, 'Wendy, it's not good news. I think we need to do an ultrasound and a colonoscopy.' We did all that. Ronnie didn't know. And [the doctor] said, 'He's got stage four cancer.' And I said, 'Don't tell him. Don't tell him.' So I spent the whole weekend trying to find out the best oncologist I could find at what hospital, and they said MD Anderson [Cancer Center in Houston, Texas], but I couldn't get him into MD Anderson. I was trying everything. And then somebody said, 'Go to the Mayo Clinic.' So we flew to Minneapolis, went to the Mayo Clinic, and the guy, a horrible doctor, he said, 'Well, you're gonna die. So, just go back and put your life together. You've probably got six months.' So we went and stayed in the hotel. We cried all night long; I remember that. And then I got a text from MD Anderson that we could get in there with T.J. Martell [Foundation, the music industry's largest foundation for leukemia, cancer, and AIDS research], [through founder] Tony Martell, who we'd done some, stuff for him before and given him money and stuff. So we flew from Minneapolis to Houston to see this doctor, this doctor Johnny, and he said, 'Look, I'll do the best. There's some trials out there that we can try. I can't promise you anything, but nobody can tell you except God when you're gonna die.' He said, 'That [other] doctor should be struck.' Anyway, he started doing the treatment. We used to go every two weeks. We'd go fly to Houston for six hours. He would do chemo. And you know what?! There was a kid there, 19 [years old], [who] was there, and Ronnie spent more time caring about him than caring about himself. And we used to skip down the halls, going, 'We're gonna kill the dragon.' We called it 'killing the dragon'. And we never, ever, either one [of us], thought that Ronnie was gonna die, because he did very well. He did very well. Three weeks before he passed away, he was getting an award from [Revolver Golden Gods in Los Angeles]."

Wendy also talked about her decision to start the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, which was established after Ronnie's death as a privately funded 501(c)(3) charity organization dedicated to cancer prevention, research and education. The Dio Cancer Fund has raised nearly $3 million to date through its various annual events and direct support from the vast community of Dio fans worldwide. It is their mission to help eradicate this disease through education and via Wendy's mantra: early detection saves lives.

"I just feel sometimes they don't wanna find a cure because they make too much money with things [various treatments]," Wendy explained to Billy. "Because I know for a fact that at one point Ronnie lost his eyesight of his eye because it had metastasized up there and his hand was [shaking]. And I took him to an optician, a specialist, and he said, 'Well, there's nothing we can do about it,' he said, 'but there's another specialist. Let me see in a couple of weeks.' I said, 'Okay.' So we went to Houston again, and they tried a new drug called Avastin. I'll never forget the name of that. We got off the plane and Ronnie said, 'I think I can see better in my eye. My hand stopped shaking.' And we went to the optician, and he said, 'I can't understand this. Your sight's back. I cannot understand this.' And then the next time we went there, the Avastin was taken off the market. But, anyway, we did that last award thing, and three weeks later [Ronnie] passed away. He wasn't feeling that good. He was feeling really in a lot of pain. We went to the hospital, and Gloria [Butler, wife and manager of SABBATH bassist Terry 'Geezer' Butler] and Terry were with me. And he passed away."

Wendy added: "Everybody was saying [they] wanted to give money for cancer [research]. And IRON MAIDEN sent me $10,000 and said, 'Where do you want it to go?' And I said, 'Well, a lot of big organizations, they have so much administration costs. I would really like it to go right where it should go.' And so we formed the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund. And 14 of [Ronnie's] good friends are on the board… and we've raised almost three million dollars for research. And we support T.J. Martell. We support a lot of other cancer things. And we've actually been supporting Dr. [David] Wong from UCLA with a cancer test from a swab. Because men, a lot of times, don't get checked out 'cause they don't want a finger up the butt. This would be a swab in the mouth, and it could [provide] early detection if you've got stomach cancer or pancreatic cancer. Those are the two killers. And they just named one of the labs at UCLA after Ronnie."

Dio replaced Osbourne in BLACK SABBATH in 1980, recording the "Heaven And Hell" and "Mob Rules" albums, plus "Live Evil", before leaving in 1982. He rejoined the group 10 years later for an album called "Dehumanizer", and again teamed with the group under the HEAVEN & HELL banner. HEAVEN & HELL released an album called "The Devil You Know" in 2009.

Ronnie passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer was diagnosed with cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

Ronnie's autobiography, titled "Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography", was released in July 2021 via Permuted Press. It was written with longtime friend of 30 years and esteemed music writer Mick Wall, who took up the mantle after Ronnie's passing.

"Dio: Dreamers Never Die", the first-ever, career-spanning documentary on the life and times of Ronnie James Dio, was released in September 2023 worldwide by Mercury Studios.

The "Bowl For Ronnie" celebrity bowling party, the annual event benefiting the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, will take place on Thursday, November 13, 2025 at PINZ Bowling Kitchen + Bar in Studio City, California. The event will once again be hosted by television and radio personality Eddie Trunk, who is heard on SiriusXM's 103 Faction Talk channel. "Bowl For Ronnie" will feature a celebrity bowling tournament and a raffle drawing for prizes and memorabilia. Last year's bowling event sold out well in advance and brought in more than $70,000 for the charity.

After the completion of his "Cooking With Paul Stanley" seminar at "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" — where KISS played an "unmasked" set Saturday night (November 15),the band's first full electric performance since the completion of KISS's "End Of The Road" farewell tour in 2023 — KISS vocalist/guitarist Paul Stanley took part in an impromptu question-and-answer session with audience members. Some select responses appear below.

On late KISS guitarist Ace Frehley:

Paul: "It's no secret — we had lots of differences with Ace, lots of differences with [original KISS drummer] Peter [Criss]. But that's family. This whole KISS monument was built with a foundation of those guys. We couldn't have started it without them, and we couldn't continue it with them, but it doesn't change [their contributions]. [Ace] was so thrilled with the idea of going to the Kennedy Center… We miss him, and I hope he lived the kind of life he wanted to. He was one of a kind and he was wild, and he did say if his life ended tomorrow, he'd have no regrets because he lived the kind of life he wanted to. That's all we can expect from any of us — when it's over, hopefully we've had the kinds of lives that we wanted. That's what I wish for all of you — just don't go too soon."

On his 2006 solo album "Live To Win":

Paul: "That tour with that band was fantastic. We had a great time. 'Live To Win' was an interesting album for me because I wanted to do something different than I would normally do, as opposed to just doing another version of the first [solo] album. But if I went back in the studio, I'd definitely want to pick up where the first album left off. Of those two solo albums, that's my favorite."

On whether he will release new music in the future:

Paul: "You didn't hear it from me, but yeah, there's some new stuff [in the works]. I think you'll be pretty excited and surprised."

On whether KISS will ever perform at Las Vegas's Sphere venue:

Paul: "From the time the Sphere opened, people would say to us, 'You guys are a natural for the Sphere.' I'm not really so sold on the idea, because KISS has always been about being larger than life, and at the Sphere, the band is on a postage stamp. For my money, I think you don't even need a live band there. People are watching the screens, which are amazing — what's being programmed, the content, is incredible, but I want the band to matter. You forget that there's a band on that little stage, so I'm not really sure how we would do it."

On why KISS shies away from performing "deep cuts," and whether they would play anything unexpected Saturday night:

Paul: "Let's talk about deep cuts for a minute. Deep cuts appeal to two people… I once went to see a very, very big band, and what they were advertising for this particular show was [that] they were going to play all deep cuts. It was the most boring fucking thing I'd ever seen in my life. Honestly, the reason cuts are deep is because they're not popular, and they're not as good. Do we take out 'Detroit Rock City'? Do we take out 'Love Gun'? Do we take out 'God Of Thunder' to play some [lesser-known] song? I don't think you'll be disappointed [with Saturday night's set list], but if you're expecting deep cuts, I'll see you next time."

On whether fans can expect additional KISS "kruises" in the future:

Paul: "We're doing our best to get a ship for next year."

"KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" is taking place November 14-16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

This special KISS Army fan event, co-produced by Pophouse, Topeka and Vibee celebrates the band's five-decade career and the 50th anniversary of the KISS Army. In addition to KISS's "unmasked" performances, the weekend includes appearances from QUIET RIOT, Stephen Pearcy and Warren DeMartini performing the music of RATT, Bruce Kulick, Sebastian Bach, BLACK 'N BLUE, KUARANTINE, School Of Rock and more.

KISS had previously set a 12-show residency at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas in 2021 and 2022 but ultimately canceled all of the dates.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons told Rolling Stone in a November 2023 interview that the second Madison Square Garden "End Of The Road" concert would mark "the final KISS-in-makeup appearance."

In a new interview with Anthony Bryant of The Hair Metal Guru, POISON drummer Rikki Rockett spoke about the status of the band's previously proposed 2026 tour to commemorate the 40th anniversary of POISON's debut album, 1986's "Look What the Cat Dragged In". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "At this moment, it's no different than it was a few months ago where we got an awesome offer from Live Nation, and C.C. [DeVille, POISON guitarist], Bobby [Dall, POISON bassist] and I agreed to it, talked about it. It went in Bret's [Michaels, POISON frontman] lap, and it hasn't moved. Now we're at a point probably where I don't think we can get that tour to happen now. If by October you're not moving on a tour of that size [for the following summer], it's really, really hard to shoehorn that thing in and get it to happen. It's not impossible, but it's super, super hard."

Asked if he still talks to Bret regularly, Rikki, who has spent the last few months playing sporadic shows with his new band THE ROCKETT MAFIA, said: "We don't too much. We're cordial. We've had some road crew guys pass away, different friends pass away or some developing thing in our lives, and we'll exchange texts and say, 'Hey, did you know this happened to so and so?' Or there's been, unfortunately, a couple of tragedies have brought us together a few times. But C.C. I talk to all the time. But you have to realize that C.C.'s mom and my mom were best friends. They talked twice a week at minimum, sometimes every day, and they helped each other through cancer and different things. And C.C.'s fairly close — I mean, he's in Orange County; it's an hour — but he's shown up. He showed up to the BLUE ÖYSTER CULT [November 1] gig [in Anaheim where THE ROCKETT MAFIA was the support act]. He wanted to play. But he's got this hammer finger thing going on, which should be cleared up in a few weeks. But he couldn't play."

Regarding why he can't just text Bret directly and try to get him to give a final answer regarding touring with POISON in 2026, Rikki said: "I have thrown out a text to all four members and said, 'Hey, let's figure this out. Let's do it.' And it was tumbleweeds. That's the kind of thing that is much bigger than just me throwing it out there on a text, 'cause there's a lot of money involved and stuff. And I think the reason he doesn't wanna talk to me is because he knows I'll probably bring it up and say, 'Hey, what's up?', because we have been friends for so long. If anybody's gonna say it to him, it's gonna be me. A lot of the people that he has around him may not say things like that. And I don't go outta my way to be — I mean, I'm a nice guy too, but I have boundaries. So, there's nothing super… Uh, how can I say it? There's not all this hate going around POISON; it's not that. It's frustration. 'Hey, we wanna do this.' 'You wanna do this then.' 'You wanna this now.' It's that kind of stuff. But on the flipside, if we go back to earlier in the conversation, when you do commit to a tour, three months, you are taking that summer and that is a touring period of time— the spring and summer — that will take your spring and summer, and it's gone. Not to say you couldn't do other shows on the third and fourth quarter, but they're not as big. So, I get that. And it is a commitment, when you make that commitment. And it is harder, because every night you have to be up there doing it. On [2022's] 'The Stadium Tour', not one of us ever went out there half-assed; we always went out there a hundred percent. We get together. It doesn't matter, with our band, no matter how upset or weird something might be, when it comes to that 15 minutes before we're supposed to go on, we get together, we connect, we make sure everything's good, we go out there and we do the very best we can for the fans, give it every bit of energy that we have, and that's always been our commitment. So that's what keeps this band relevant in the, in the rock world, is that when you do get us, at least you get a hundred percent. And one day that a hundred percent might be me coming out with a cane. You know what I mean? But I'll still give you that a hundred percent. [Laughs]"

On the topic of whether there was a point where he thought a POISON tour for 2026 was "close" to becoming a reality, Rikki said: "I thought it was a done deal. Seriously, I was just waiting for the contract to come to me and say, 'Hey, sign on the dotted line. Let's start putting it together.' And that day has not come. And I would love to get out there. I have a blast on tour. I'm not one of these people, like, 'Oh, God, the road.' I really enjoy it. Of course I miss my family, but I fly 'em out. I could tour every year, many months out of the year, as long as I could see my family, because it's so ingrained in me after 40 years. To this point, it's hard to understand myself without that."

Rockett also addressed a recent comment from Pete Evick, who is best known as music director and guitar player for Michaels's solo band of the last 21 years, where Evick suggested that Bret gets the "lion's share" of the touring revenue from POISON. Rikki said: "The reason that this contract [for a POISON 2026 tour] has not gone through is because Bret wants more than the lion's share. The amount of money he wants would make it where it's pretty much impossible to run the production of the band. And he knows that, and I think the reason he's saying that is because he just simply doesn't wanna tour with us this year. He must have some ideas about what he wants to do with Bret Michaels [solo] band this year. I'm assuming — I don't know, because we don't talk. I would love to talk about it, but at this point in time, it's just not a deal. So we're not gonna do that. I'm not gonna go out there and play for peanuts or wind up upside down, so he can make all this money because he's out playing POISON songs with another band. I mean, really, if you think about it, does any of that make sense? I'm gonna ask for more money because I play POISON songs with other people. That's not carrying the torch [for POISON]."

Asked if there has ever been times where he was really concerned that POISON was over, Rikki said: "Oh, yeah, many times. Yeah, of course. Anytime you get into something like [a heated confrontation], especially if it gets sort of physical. Then, yeah, you cross a line and all that kind of stuff. But we've usually been able to work it out. The thing is, is that we really do love this. Bret and I talked about this a long time ago. A lot of people said, 'Oh, do a farewell tour at some point in time. Talk about when you're gonna retire.' Why ever talk about that? I mean, sure, maybe that could happen, but not for me. I don't see any reason to throw in the towel, just because one day you decide, 'Hey, it's time to throw in the towel.' I'm gonna throw in the towel when I can't do it anymore. That's when to throw in the towel. Or the band's dysfunctional to the point where you can't do it anymore. Otherwise, I don't see any reason. Why would you break up the band? I don't see any reason to do that. And I don't think we're gonna do that."

Rockett previously talked about the status of POISON's 2026 tour earlier this month in an interview with Robert Edwards of Talkin' Bout Rock. He said at the time: "I'm not trying to bash Bret. I'm not trying to start any fights… But one thing you have to understand is, for instance, the Bret Michaels [solo] band tours very differently from the way POISON tours. POISON tours the way DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE and Luke Bryan or whoever [tours], where we basically kiss our families goodbye for three-plus months, or however long it's gonna be, and go out on a tour bus and trucks, and we're playing five nights a week, sometimes six nights a week. And that's not how Bret tours [with his solo band]. He does weekend-warrior stuff, which there's nothing wrong with that at all. Joan Jett does it — I mean, tons of bands do this. THE ROCKETT MAFIA does it. We can't play in Omaha, Nebraska on a Tuesday night and make any money. We'll be upside down. But at the level we've managed to get to [with POISON], and DEF LEPPARD and bands like this, you can play on a Tuesday night and people will come, at the right time. You still have to manage it correctly."

Asked if POISON's long-delayed North American trek with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS — which was originally planned for 2020 and later moved to 2021 and then to 2022 — was a "good experience" for him, Rikki said: "Oh, it was great. Look, it's so funny, because people go, 'Man…' You would think that in these stadiums, there would be so much room to do everything you want. It's weird, because it's set up for sports. It's not set up for a bunch of trucks and buses and all that stuff. So most of the time our bus would be two miles away in a parking lot somewhere and we'd have to take a golf cart or an Uber or a van or something like that to get to the venue. And then you get to the venue and it's, like, MÖTLEY and DEF LEPPARD got all the nice dressing rooms and we're in the electrician's room or something. [Laughs] So from that standpoint, it wasn't as nice as when we headline. But we were playing these massive places for amazing fans. I mean, it was literally a once-in-a lifetime experience.

"We've played some big shows — we've done Donington, we've done a lot of these… Texas Jam, a lot of these things like that — but to do it kind of on that level, or close to that level, for 40 nights, or whatever it was, that was amazing," Rockett added. "And it keeps you on your toes, man. You can't go out there half cocked. I mean, we don't ever do that anyway — I don't think any of us ever go out there on stage nonchalantly. We're a band that pride ourself in giving it everything we got. Even if everything that we have isn't as good as it was the night before, I'm still gonna give it everything that I have, you know what I mean? And I know the rest of the band's like that. Bret's like that, C.C., Bobby, We never half-ass anything."

This past May, Rikki told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that POISON "got a great offer" for a tour in 2026 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of "Look What The Cat Dragged In". He said at the time: "To be honest with you, it's in Bret's lap right now — honestly. So, we're good to go, and hopefully we can make a deal and do it. I think it would be a shame not to do it, because this is our 40th anniversary — all original members. We're not getting any younger. We can tear it up. We've still got it. Let's do it. That's how I feel about it."

Rockett went on to say that the offer he and his bandmates received was for a "headlining" tour and that most of the POISON members had already agreed to do it. "I'm good to go, [and so are Bobby and C.C.]. It is [up to Bret at this point]. And that's just being truthful… I mean, as far as I know, we're good to go. There just hasn't been anything solid. I haven't signed anything or anything like that. But it's more than a year away, or about a year away, so we have time. But hey, with the economy, who knows? [Laughs] I just wanna get out there while we can."

Last December, Michaels told Ethan Dometrius about POISON's 2026 touring plans: "So here's the deal. I go through '25. We're doing a bunch of these big festivals [with my solo band] … So I'm doing a bunch of those. And then 2026, C.C. and Bobby and Rikki, I'm here because of them, because of us having each other's back in the beginning, through the middle, through right now. And it'll be four years since we've toured, since 'The Stadium Tour', together, and we're just hoping to make this absolutely 40 awesome dates, and just putting every, as we do, putting every ounce of energy on that stage and just bringing an absolute party."

Regarding POISON's mindset when performing live, Bret said: "POISON just goes out there. And I say this, that stadium tour, I was so grateful to be on it. And I just hit that thrust and I couldn't stop… I told 'em, I said, 'I can't stop smiling right now. It's ridiculous.' And we just went out there, and we play real live music. We don't mess around. We just give it, thrills and frills and good times."

In September 2024, Bret told Arizona Republic about POISON's plan to tour in 2026: "Yeah, that would be incredible. We've just got to work out all the moving parts. But all original members. There's so much planning goes behind that. When I'm out as Bret Michaels, it's simpler because I'm making all the end decisions. When you're in a band like POISON, it's a committee. You go in there, and you figure it out together. You make sure everyone's good. And hopefully, we can make that work in '26."

Asked if things were "good" between him and his POISON bandmates during "The Stadium Tour", Bret said: "Absolutely. I want to be very clear. Other than an occasional throwdown fistfight — I'm not making this up — we're like best friends. But there's no gray area. All of a sudden, we'll get in a fistfight. But the next day, we'll go out and play. We'll work it out like a band of brothers. 'The Stadium Tour' was amazing. We were having fun. We didn't get too many soundchecks. We just dealt with what we were given and were grateful to be there. DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY, they were amazing. They played great. But we just came out, and we knew we had one hour at 6 o'clock to go out there and give it everything we had. And it was one of the only stadium tours that from Live Nation's lips to everyone's ears, it was 98 to 100% filled when POISON went on."

Earlier in September, Michaels released a statement via social media in which he said that he was planning to "perform limited shows" in 2025 to focus primarily on his health, "starting with my diabetes which needs a tune-up, not to mention a little R&R." He added that 2026 "would be the perfect" time for a POISON 40th-anniversary tour, "with 40 awesome limited dates to go out, play real live hit songs, and rock the world."

Bret's explanation came two days after Rockett revealed on social media that Michaels was no longer interested in touring with POISON in 2025.

On September 10, 2024, the POISON drummer took to his official Facebook page to write: "I keep getting asked multiple times a day, 'Why isn't POISON touring in 2025 now?' Super simple answer, Bret doesn't want to." The following day, Rikki clarified: "People, I never said that Bret is cancelling the 2025 tour. It didn't get booked. I said the reason POISON isn't touring in 2025 is because Bret doesn't want to. Doesn't matter what the reason for him is as far as what I said. I'm simply telling you why so that CC, Bobby or myself doesn't get blamed. It isn't dirt. It isn't a fight. Just the facts, ma'am. Surmise what you want from it. You will anyway!"

In 2018, POISON completed the "Nothin' But A Good Time" tour with CHEAP TRICK and POP EVIL.

POISON's last album of new material was 2002's "Hollyweird". An album of covers, "Poison'd", followed in 2007.

In an interview with George Dionne of The Rock Is George podcast, Lorraine Lewis was asked about a possible new full-length album from her long-running band FEMME FATALE, after the recent release of two singles, "Bad Love" and "Living Like There's No Tomorrow", via Cleopatra Records. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes, actually, that is the plan. Next year we gather everything up. Look, we could have done it a bunch of different ways. We could have done it old school, recorded an album and released it, and then you've got, like, four to six weeks to make a splash and hope that something catches fire. So, the way we are doing it, [TRIXTER guitarist/producer] Steve [Brown, who is producing the FEMME FATALE album] and I, we decided, and Cleopatra agreed, is that we just kind of stay in the news. So every eight to 10, 11 weeks, we drop a single and a video, and it's, like, 'Oh, there's FEMME FATALE again.' … We have another single to drop, close to Christmas time, that is ready to go, which actually… I'm gonna say what it is. It's the FEMME FATALE 'Falling In And Out Of Love' that has been re-recorded. And it's in the same key. It's badass. Steve just brought it. It's so huge sounding. It's massive. And I do wanna say Bruno Ravel has mixed and mastered all of the tracks. And I was thinking about that this morning. I was on my walk this morning, and I was thinking about the mixes and how they're mastered. And Bruno just has this thing that they're crunchy. The traps are crunchy and there's this frequency that sounds so radio to me. No matter what the tracks are, there's this thing that he does. I don't know how he does it. I just know when I listen to 'Bad Love' or 'Living Like There's No Tomorrow', it's there, this crispness, and it's yummy. It's radio to my ear, and I just want more of it. So shout-out to Bruno — great at mix and master."

She continued: "So that is the plan — dropping this stuff so that I stay in your face, if you will, as we go along. And then we gather everything up, and we'll drop an album next year. We have about — I wanna say we have six tracks in total that are 'done done'. There's also a duet that is coming out next year. And I will say originally it was [supposed to be] with [former FOREIGNER singer] Lou Gramm. And then Lou got super busy. We had recorded a song together, 'Heroes', and then Lou got really busy — [taking part in the FOREIGNER] Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and now he's on tour with FOREIGNER and doing all of these amazing things. So instead of just kind of waiting and sitting on it, we've made some other arrangements, and the vocals are done with another heavyweight artist that I think people are gonna be kind of blown away that I recorded this song with this badass that is iconic — honestly, iconic. And I can't wait for people to hear the track. So, it is 'Heroes', but it is with someone special. And I am going to have Scott Gilman put some saxophone on the track, and then Steve and I will be putting some backup vocals on it. But I'm hoping that will come out in February."

The official music video for "Bad Love", which was directed by Vicente Cordero and shot by David Hernandez, can be seen below.

Written by Lorraine, Brown and guitarist David Julian, "Bad Love", she previously said, "is about that magnetic kind of connection you know isn't good for you, but you keep going back anyway. It's messy, it's addictive and it's real. I wanted to capture that push-and-pull between desire and self-preservation. We've all been there. We see the red flag and still jump in headfirst... but if that red flag's on fire? Baby, that's your cue to run."

"Bad Love" also features the rhythm section of Joey Cassata on drums and Sean McNabb on bass, plus what Lorraine described as "a slaying guitar solo" from former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal.

Regarding her collaboration with Brown, Lewis told Rev. Tom Brice of Sportzwire Radio: "A lot of people are working with Steve, because Steve is an amazing producer. It was last year that Steve reached out to me. He was just coming off the success of [Ace Frehley's] '10,000 Volts' album. [The '10,000 Volts' title track is a] great, great song. That and 'Cherry Medicine' I loved off the album. Classic Ace but in 2024. It was great."

She continued: "I'm just so lucky that Steve reached out to me. Steve and I were labelmates back in the day on MCA. We've also done the cruises together. We've known each other a long time. And so he reached out to me and said, 'Hey, let's do an album.' And I said, 'Let's go.' So the first song was 'Living Like There's No Tomorrow'. He had the chorus ready to go. I immediately was, like, 'Oh, this is such a great anthem.' And it just spoke to me then with everything that had gone on in the previous months before we started working together."

"Living Like There's No Tomorrow" was written by Lewis and Brown, who also produced the song at his Mojo Vegas 6160 studio in New Jersey. The track was engineered by Brown and Scott Gutierezz and was mixed by Bruno Ravel.

"Living Like There's No Tomorrow" features Brown and David Julian on guitars, with the guitar solo played by R.J. Ronquillo, and drums played by Kent Slucher.

FEMME FATALE released a self-titled MCA album in 1988 which produced two big rock singles and MTV videos: "Waiting For The Big One" and "Falling In And Out of Love".

The 67-year-old Lewis reactivated FEMME FATALE after a nearly six-year run as the lead vocalist of VIXEN, whom she was invited to join in 2019. Lorraine has also been recording with Lou Gramm, the original FOREIGNER lead singer and Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer. They have recorded an interpretation of David Bowie's "Heroes".

Lewis was fired from VIXEN in May 2024 and was replaced by Rosa Laricchiuta.

In January 2019, VIXEN recruited Lewis as its new lead singer following the departure of Janet Gardner.

Lewis had already performed with VIXEN in March 2018 in Durant, Oklahoma while Gardner was recovering from surgery.

A collection of demos for what was supposed to be FEMME FATALE's second album, "One More For The Road", was released in 2016 via FnA Records. The demos were recorded back in 1989/1990 with the original bandmembers and had never seen the light of day until more than a quarter century later.

"One More For The Road" contained 14 tracks, including a version of Janis Joplin's "Piece Of My Heart".

FEMME FATALE released a live album in April 2024, "Demos + Live", that also included five demo tracks and a cover of AC/DC's "It's A Long Way To The Top".

In a recent interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com, Lewis stated about the current FEMME FATALE lineup: "Well, it's all guys, for one thing. I've had a wonderful time being with the ladies of rock and roll — do not get me wrong — I've had a major blast. But FEMME FATALE originally was myself and four rocking guys, and we're getting back to the roots of that.

"Look, we can't go back to the '80s — I don't wanna do that — but I do want to be the front person, the leader of the pack that has these great rocking guys in back of me," she explained. "And so we're getting back to that look, getting back to that sound."

U.K. thrash metal pioneers ONSLAUGHT played their first concert with returning vocalist Sy Keeler on November 9 at the U.K.'s Damnation Festival at the BEC Arena in Manchester.

Prior to the gig, ONSLAUGHT guitarist Nige Rockett was asked by Stewart Lucas of Rockflesh if ONSLAUGHT's reunion with Keeler is "permanent". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, a hundred percent permanent, which is amazing."

Asked how the reunion with Sy happened, Nige said: "Well, Dave [Garnett], who was on the last album, 'Generation Antichrist', did an amazing job. He just had some personal issues and felt he wasn't really in a right head space touring and stuff. And basically he said he couldn't go out on long tours. So it was, like, 'Okay, what do we do?' And I think it was Jeff [Williams, ONSLAUGHT bassist] who said he'd speak to Sy and see what he's got to say. Jeff spoke to Sy, and straight in, no thinking about it, [he said], 'Yeah, I wanna come back.' And that was it."

Regarding the preparation for the Damnation Festival gig, Nige said: "We ended on very good terms when Sy left the first time back in 2019. So it wasn't a case of trying to build any bridges; it was just, 'Yeah, I'm in. I'm back.' So, it's just great to have him back. I mean, he is the singer of ONSLAUGHT. Fans recognize that and they love him. And the first rehearsal we had was incredible, just to hear Sy back singing those songs. And it was, like, 'Wow, this is ONSLAUGHT.'"

He added: "We've been putting a lot of rehearsal in over the last two months. [We've] still got a bit of work to do, but his voice is sweet. It's so good. He's been working hard at home as well. He's got everything back — all the aggression, all the high notes."

After a six-year hiatus, Keeler just hit the ground running for the band's long-awaited Australian debut on November 14 in Perth, before kicking off their freshly announced 2026 "The Force From Hell" European run.

When Sy's return was first announced in August, Nige commented: "Wow, this is truly incredible having Sy back in the ONSLAUGHT camp. He has always been seen as 'the' ONSLAUGHT vocalist and we know the fans are gonna be blown away for sure. The band are in a truly great place right now after the success of the 'Origins Of Aggression' release and this will be seen as amazing news, I'm sure."

Sy added: "Well, that came out of nowhere! 'Sy, would you consider rejoining the band?' 'Ugh! Yes, of course, I've really missed it.' So almost six years on from my last gig, I'm very excited to be embarking on the third chapter.

"[I am] looking forward to meeting old friends and, of course, making new ones, and, of course, having a few beers with my band mates.

"See you on the road very soon, metalheads!"

Continuing the explosive success of ONSLAUGHT's ongoing "Power From Hell" tour and the band's career-defining double-album "Origins Of Aggression" (released on May 22, 2025 via Reigning Phoenix Music),ONSLAUGHT is ready to turn the pit into chaos once more with its "The Force From Hell" tour. In early 2026, they'll be bringing the ultimate thrash assault to 22 cities all over the European continent — a full-on fusion of their iconic debut "Power From Hell" and the 40th-anniversary celebration of "The Force".

ONSLAUGHT commented on their upcoming tour: "So looking forward to this one following on from the great success of the 'Power From Hell' tour earlier this year: it's gonna be a full-on combination of the best of 'Power From Hell' with 'The Force' [40th anniversary] to create a totally monstrous set for those who we missed out last time... Let there be thrash — see you in the pit!"

ONSLAUGHT announced Keeler's latest departure in April 2020, explaining in a statement that "some things simply aren't sustainable year after year due to the nature of the modern-day music industry."

ONSLAUGHT replaced Keeler with Garnett, who appeared on the band's last two albums, 2020's "Generation Antichrist" and the aforementioned "Origins Of Aggression".

Five years ago, Rockett told "The Metal Command" podcast about the band's singer switch from Keeler to Garnett: "Sy's kind of struggled with tours for the last couple of years. And he's got a new job which he's [dived] head first into and he's really enjoying the kind of work he's doing. He was unable to take lots of time off, and, as I said, he wasn't really enjoying the whole touring thing like the rest of us. So we kind of made a mutual decision that he was gonna go — as sad as it is, obviously, for us, [because] he's been with us a long time, and he's a fucking great vocalist. At first, it was a kind of worry, what was gonna happen, but then we found Dave Garnett."

He continued: "I've known Dave for many years, and his vocal style in previous bands was really kind of very 'un-ONSLAUGHT,' if you like. But he said, 'I'd really love to have a crack at it. I think I can do it.' So Sy was unable to make a show back in February [2020], I think — kind of a late-notice cancelation — so we really didn't wanna pull the show, so we asked Dave to stand in and see what he can do. And he was amazing — absolutely incredible. He nailed everything. Some of the guys in the crowd, die-hard ONSLAUGHT fans, were saying they didn't even realize it wasn't Sy when they closed their eyes — it still sounded perfectly ONSLAUGHT. So that's what we did. Dave pretty much learned all the new material for the album very quickly, and our live set as well. And we put him in the studio with a very old-school producer who he knows also very well, a guy called Pete Hinton who actually produced the first two SAXON albums. Pete knows all about the band and he's very good to work with under pressure. 'Cause Dave's also gonna feel a lot of pressure during that. But Pete really got it out of him and did an absolutely fantastic job, I must say. So the transition between Sy and Dave has been really smooth and it isn't anything too drastic in the overall sound of the band. Obviously, Dave is his own character and he's not Sy, but it still sounds like ONSLAUGHT."

Late last month, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine and his bandmates gathered with members of the press to talk taste, craftsmanship and the art of brewing. At the heart of the October 26 discussion at the InterContinental London - The O2 hotel in London, United Kingdom with host Phil Alexander, global creative director of Kerrang! magazine, was Megadeth Beer Co., the band's brand new beer, created in collaboration with Black Sheep Brewery. The partnership has already seen success with Rattlehead IPA, Rattlehead Pilsner and Rattlehead IPA Zero, now available in 450 Tesco stores across the U.K. and online at megadethbeer.com.

When the conversation turned to the process of brewing, Mustaine's respect for the craft was clear: "You have a recipe that's a quality recipe. Those brewers are the rock stars of the beer business."

He added: "Like in a band, you need harmony. Brewing's the same. You've got to listen to the people who know how to make it sing."

On the instantly recognizable Rattlehead branding, Mustaine remarked: "It's a symbol that's always stood for grit and survival. It looks powerful on a can; like it's meant to be there."

Discussing flavor, Mustaine remained focused on authenticity and balance. "Some brewers might turn their nose up at zero-alcohol beer, but we all know that moment when you just want the taste — not the aftermath," he said. "It's about balance, not compromise."

Asked which MEGADETH tracks best pair with each brew, Mustaine and MEGADETH bassist James LoMenzo offered: "The IPA? Probably 'Peace Sells'. The Pilsner? Maybe 'Mechanix'. You've got to get that engine running somehow."

While the conversation touched on ideas for darker or bolder future brews, Mustaine emphasized the excitement surrounding Megadeth Beer Co.'s growing European presence, noting that the focus now lies in bringing its distinct taste and identity to new markets across the continent.

Closing the session, Mustaine reflected on longevity and passion — both in music and brewing. "Maybe I'm just too stubborn to go away," he said. "But when it stops being fun, that's when people lose their passion. For me, whether it's music or beer, it's still fun."

MEGADETH's final, self-titled album will be released on Januay 23, 2026 via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint in partnership with Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label. The album includes "Tipping Point", the previously released first single, and a very special bonus track, a reimagined version of "Ride The Lightning", which Mustaine co-wrote with METALLICA's James Hetfield, Cliff Burton and Lars Ulrich, and was the title track from the group's 1984 album.

"As I come full circle on the career of a lifetime, the decision to include 'Ride The Lightning', a song I co-wrote with James, Lars, and Cliff, was to pay my respects to where my career first started," Mustaine said.

In a recent interview with Kerrang!, Mustaine confirmed that MEGADETH's farewell tour will last for a long time. "We're easily talking about touring for another three to five years," he said. The musician, who is 64, added: "And if we're going to be doing it for that long then, shit, I'll be looking at the birthday I don't even want to think about."

He also explained why MEGADETH is calling it a day, sharing: "I'm not caught up in longevity and stuff like that, and being one of those guys who can play until he's in his 80s. I have to remember that people live and they die. And I need to take good care of myself."

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", vocalist Johannes Eckerström of Swedish metallers AVATAR, who will open for METALLICA at four stadium shows in Europe next May/June, was asked what he is, from an artist's perspective, looking forward to and learning from the James Hetfield-fronted act. Johannes responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We have watched and learned from METALLICA for a long time. There is no AVATAR without METALLICA. For the way AVATAR is sounding, there are a lot of bands we can thank for that and sources of inspiration. And I would summarize the whole process or trip, you can trace straight back to BLACK SABBATH and THE BEATLES, and then you have AT THE GATES — there's a plethora of things. But here's the thing: John [Alfredsson, AVATAR drummer] broke a leg skiing and was bedridden for a bit when he was 12, and he was gifted a stack of CDs to pass the time. And he heard 'Load' and 'Reload' and he decided he wanted to play a Tama drum kit and start a band. And that's when he asked Jonas [Jarlsby, guitar] if they were gonna start a band together. And that whole butterfly effect of 'here we are', that's truly John's shitty skiing and the CDs he was gifted as a consequence of it."

Johannes continued: "What I'm looking for — here's the thing: the thing I think about the most is that big-ass round stage. But they're all holding instruments, so I've been kind of snooping around and asking around. Our tour manager this summer was also the stage manager for METALLICA using that stage. So it's, like, what do I do? How do I get used to have all those people behind me while focusing over there and not run around like crazy and lose focus completely? So it's about just how to manage where you put your focus and stuff. And that's the one thing I'm thinking about the most. But James holds a guitar and has a mic stand, so I don't know if he can help me with that. But I also heard that they have, in a very recent past, and as I believe it should continue now, that they have made a point out of spending time with the openers, being very cordial — they're very friendly, very cool about when it comes to bands like us showing up there and really take some time out of their day to do that. And that just shows how they came up in a scene of multiple bands and you hear the stories of the party on the hill, the barbecue after the show, and playing at parties and being part of that. Then they just happen to become way bigger than any of us will maybe ever be, but they still are those thrashing kids from the scene in that sense. To reach out your hand like that — I mean, I'm just happy to get the gig, but it says something. So I look forward to that."

Eckerström added: "METALLICA is the biggest heavy band in history, but they had no problem playing at Lemmy's [MOTÖRHEAD] birthday party back in the day, they had no problem opening for SABBATH and Ozzy [Osbourne], closing out the 'Back To The Beginning' thing. They know where they come from and are very much part of that. And that part is so inspiring to me."

Back in August 2024, Eckerström was asked by "Wired In The Empire" which METALLICA album he thinks is better, "Ride The Lightning" or "Master Of Puppets". He said in part: "When I talk to people who like the music but don't necessarily play the music and talk about the finer details in what makes something awesome, and talking about, for instance, when talking about fast and slow songs, I love to show an example of how 'Aces High' is the fastest song ever recorded by IRON MAIDEN, which, of course, there are, on paper, much, much faster songs, but there's something about having that drive when you play, it almost feels like it's falling apart… It's there in the drumming already and the bassline and it carries through. And that's how, when you push it, when you push the tempo.

"Every kid who's been playing drums even once hears someone talk about AC/DC, of course, and you take, for instance, 'Back In Black'. You have to have that drag when you play," he continued. "Then you have certain iconic songs that provide a certain ideal. And in the same way that I always said 'Aces High' is the fastest song ever recorded, 'For Whom The Bell Tolls', I think, is the heaviest song ever recorded. And I know MESHUGGAH and NEUROSIS exist, and I know OBITUARY exists, and all kinds of stuff. And that's also true. And that's the heaviest thing ever also in another way. But just those riffs, that anger, with that rage and sense of — I don't know — its importance that comes through in how that riff is played, that primitive riff in the beginning, and the decision to put the cymbal crash on the first snare in the bar after instead of the other one, and all that. So that song — I've never tried to write a song like that, but I keep going back to thinking about that song in terms of what's actually heavy music. Yeah, we tune down and that part of the sound is important, but none of the things that matter before — you can't put the cart in front of the horse… So it has to be 'Ride The Lightning'."

AVATAR released its tenth studio album, "Don't Go In The Forest", on October 31 via Black Waltz Records.

AVATAR will embark on a U.S. tour this fall with support from ALIEN WEAPONRY and SPIRITWORLD. Additionally, there are forthcoming tours supporting IRON MAIDEN and METALLICA.

Robert Trujillo and Kirk Hammett performed renditions of AC/DC's "For Those About To Rock" and ROSE TATTOO's "Nice Boys" during METALLICA's November 15 concert at Accor Stadium in Sydney, Australia.

"For Those About To Rock" and "Nice Boys" were part of the fun and unusual feature METALLICA added to its shows on the band's recent tours: at each stop, Hammett and Trujillo have been covering songs from some of their musical heroes — often choosing songs that are far removed from the band's traditional metal sound. The "doodles," as the band refers to them in their setlists, are pared-down interpretations — just bass and guitar and sometimes Trujillo singing.

In a November 2021 interview with MMA Junkie, Trujillo spoke about his doodles with Hammett. The METALLICA bassist said: "Some of my proudest moments were with Kirk on the last European tour, playing in these massive soccer stadiums and playing songs that were sort of native to those cities or even those countries. So we would take a song and learn it by an artist from that country. I'll just give you one example. In Paris, France, [at] Stade De France, we played a song by an artist known as Johnny Hallyday. Eighty-five thousand people. Nobody knows what we're gonna play — kind of like street musicians. Lars [Ulrich] and James [Hetfield] are taking a break. We walk out there. He's got his guitar; I've got my bass. It's almost like, 'Where's the hat?' Where do they put the money? Literally like that — stripped down, naked. And we get out there and we start playing a song called 'Ma Gueule' by Johnny Hallyday. I'm telling you — people were in shock, but in a good way. And it was tears and smiles, and it made the news. But there was a lot of this that happened through all the different countries and cities throughout Europe where we would choose an artist, cover that artist and play that song — sometimes two and a half minutes to three minutes. I'm singing in the [native] language, so it gets real challenging. We're talking about Romania, we're talking Poland, we're talking Spain and Portugal and Sweden — I sang in Swedish. That, to me, was one of the highlight moments of my entire existence as a musician, especially in METALLICA, because I don't even know if I could ever do that again. Sometimes I think about it and I go, 'Man, you were crazy. Kirk and I were crazy.' That happened just before the pandemic. We were doing that in these football stadiums. Those were called the duets — these were the duets. The duet moments overseas — huge for me personally."

During a June 2020 appearance on "Drinks With Johnny", the Internet TV show hosted by AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ, Trujillo stated about how the idea for the "doodle" came about: "We were in Europe — this wasn't the last European tour, but the tour before that. We were in Amsterdam, and we had tried a couple of... There was a duet moment, where we were supposed to play a METALLICA song that's maybe, like, a deep cut, so we'd play 'I Disappear' or something, and we started noticing that we weren't getting the result we wanted. It was, like, we'd go up there and we'd start playing, like, 'Eye Of The Beholder' or something, and then the crowd's expecting James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] to come out and sing, and it's, like, 'Man, this ain't working.' They were feeling like it was a prelude moment, and I started thinking, 'We've gotta do something different.' So Kirk came out this one night, and he started playing that song by CHIC ['Le Freak'], and it totally caught me off guard. And I'm, like, 'Oh, damn. Okay, I see where he's going.' He's walking out to the front of the snake pit playing this funk jam. He got me the first night, 'cause I didn't exactly know the bass line, so I improvised it. And then the second night, I got it."

He continued: "So it kind of started there for a split second, though we were still doing the METALLICA deep cuts. And then we got to Europe, and we were in Amsterdam, and one of our management team members suggested, 'Why don't you play [a song by the Dutch rock band] GOLDEN EARRING, 'Radar Love'? Check that out.' And we were, like, 'Really?' So I started played the bass line, and then the crowd started singing, and it was, like, 'Hold on a minute. There's something here.' So then we started to kind of formulate some local bands from each city. Like, one of the highlight moments was in Prague [Czech Republic — we played a country song called 'Jožin Z Bažin' [by Ivan Mládek], which was huge. And then we played, in Barcelona, a gypsy kind of flamenco acoustic song, by an artist called Peret — it's called 'El Muerto Vivo', And I'm singing in Spanish, I'm doing my best, and the people went nuts. And we go, 'Hold on. We've got something here.' So what we ended up doing… We came out of that tour — we scraped through it; it wasn't perfect, but we scraped through it. And then when we got home, we did some U.S. dates, we did all that, but we knew we were going back to Europe where it really worked. I said, 'I'm going deep.' So I did a bunch of research, and I researched every single city, even Estonia, and I found out what cool either punk, alternative, country — it didn't matter the style — and I learned the fucking language, and I did the phonetic with the lyric, and we went out and did full arrangements. I'm talking about if there was an accordion solo, Kirk was playing it. So we did our homework, and we really, really went into it. I was going to [Kirk's house in] Hawaii to work with him on the arrangements. I spent, like, five days there strictly on the [songs]. We weren't even surfing, we were just 'boom.' So we put a lot of hard work in it. I mean, we were surfing a little bit, but that wasn't the priority. We were actually really spending time on this.

"So I would say on that last tour run, 'cause we were in these massive stadiums, sold-out shows… And every night was great, but there was a handful of grand slams where people were crying and it was this heavy… Like, you're paying tribute to somebody in, like, Moscow, who is like the David Bowie of Moscow, and people are just, like, 'Oh my god.' They don't know what they're gonna get. All of a sudden, we surprise them, and they get what they didn't expect. [Playing a song by] Johnny Hallyday in Paris, at Stade De France, [in front of] 85,000 people. So to be up there and to feel that energy and emotionally connect with the crowd on that level was special. But it was such hard work. I don't know how we [pulled it off].

"I was meeting with people, like, I would even sometimes do it by phone, and I'd be there for two hours getting the language pronunciation right. So it was a lot of work… And sometimes you'll take some beatings," he admitted. "I remember a couple of the shows when we first started doing it, man — beatings, bro; beatings… I remember, there was a couple of 'em, but there was one… It was in Pennsylvania. It was like college — it was over where Penn State is. And holy cow, man. I thought we would play like the fight song for Penn State. Man, we got, like, 10 seconds into that thing, and nobody cared. It was, like, 'Oh my god.' And I stopped playing — I literally stopped playing. I was so embarrassed. And Kirk kept playing. And then, luckily, we kind of went into a METALLICA… Like, in the U.S., we would parlay it with a local song — these are U.S songs — and then we would always kind of justify it by going into a METALLICA [track], like 'Dyers Eve' or something. Just like, 'Okay, we screwed that up, but we got this.' So it was kind of our savior in the States."

In 2019, Hammett told Cosmo Music about his live "doodles" with Trujillo: "We never really know what the response is going to be. You have to understand, we're going into a country; we're picking some song that's seemingly random and abstract to us, and we're learning this song that we've never heard before from this artist that we've never heard before, and we're taking a chance and playing it in a stadium in front of 60,000 people, and we're hoping that we make the right choice. The last, I would say, three legs [of the tour], we've been hitting it out of the park, but before that, there were some growing pains. There have been a few times we've picked the wrong song and played it and people go, 'Huh?' We'll go into a place like Indianapolis, and we'll play a song by an obscure punk band called THE ZERO BOYS, because we think they're cool... We played the hell out of it, and it was really cool, but we looked out at the audience, and they were just like, 'Huh?' Rob and I always tell each other and people don't recognize it, it's not the end of the world as long as we play it well, and they're entertaining in the way we play it, so we have that to fall back on... We were in Nashville, and we played a Loretta Lynn song... The next day, we got a message from Loretta Lynn, who said she was actually at the show with her family and was so tickled when we broke into her song. She said she might think about covering one of our songs sometime, but in the meantime, we should do more of her songs."

Not every artist that has been spotlighted in the "doodle" has been flattered by the Trujillo/Hammett version of their music. Former CELTIC FROST frontman Tom Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. Tom G. Warrior) was not impressed with the rendition of the group's "The Usurper" that Hammett and Trujillo performed during METALLICA's May 2019 concert in Zurich, Switzerland. "They butchered it, and it was humiliating," Fischer told Rolling Stone. "Why don't they leave their millionaire fingers off it? They've long lost the ability to play true metal in my opinion. Maybe I should go onstage and do a really miserable version of [METALLICA's] 'Hit The Lights' with, like, 200 mistakes to set the balance."

The YouTube channel of Housecore Records, the record label launched in 2001 by PANTERA frontman Philip Anselmo, has uploaded video of Housecore artists in NEST, SCOUR and SPIRIT IN THE ROOM as they bravely venture through the Housecore Home Haunt of 2025 Halloween night. Check out the video, which was shot and edited by Metal Dave Media, below.

A smaller scale haunt was created this year due to Anselmo's extensive touring and the breaking ground of what will become the official Housecore Home Haunt.

According to Housecore, Anselmo has created a haunted house for family and friends for the past five years.

A huge fan of all things horror, Anselmo in 2013 joined forces with internationally renowned, best-selling true crime author Corey Mitchell ("Hollywood Death Scenes", "Dead And Buried") to create Housecore Horror Film & Music Festival, an underground, three-day horror and heavy metal fan event that combined live concerts from some of the biggest bands in metal and hard rock with screenings of horror, true crime, and heavy metal films, music videos, and more — and special guest appearances from some of the world's most revered underground directors of horror.

In a 2010 interview with ARTISTdirect.com, Anselmo talked about when he first became a horror aficionado. "[When I was growing up] we had a black and white TV, and there was the 'Saturday Matinee', which was a horror fest," he said. "As a matter of fact, I was home alone and I saw Mario Bava's 'Black Sabbath', but that's a later memory. There was the afternoon show, and then the Saturday night show had a horror host, 'The Guru.' Honestly, the most impactful one was the 'Sunday Morning Movie' — films like 'Fiend Without A Face' and 'How Awful About Allan'. Believe it or not, those were on TV! Shit like that flipped me out. I would sneak up and beg my mother every night, 'Can I stay up and watch 'Night Gallery'?' [Laughs] I was sneaking out of bed, too, though."

Asked in a 2014 interview with Austin American-Statesman what horror flick first scared the bejesus out of young Anselmo, he said: "I won't say it scared me, because it actually made me cry my eyes out, but 'King Kong' was the first movie that really touched me as a kid. As far as scaring me and giving me the fear when I was a youngster, there was a movie called 'How Awful About Allan' starring Anthony Perkins of 'Psycho' fame. That movie scared me. And of course, there's no denying the power of 'The Exorcist'. In grade school I saw 'Don't Go In The House' at the theater. I saw 'The Changeling' at the theater — which scared the living, flying [crap] out of me! I saw 'Silent Scream' with Barbara Steele and that was insane."

A few years later, a friend invited Anselmo over to watch "The Evil Dead", which had a lasting impact on the musician.

"Man, I will just say it was a long walk home on these empty, desolate streets," Anselmo said. "Oh my God, I was pretty much awake all night. It outdid 'The Exorcist', because at that age you go through this gore phase where the gorier the better. That one hit a nerve, man."

Asked in a 2013 interview with Full Metal Jackie to name some of his favorite horror films, Anselmo said: "Oh my God. Now you're really opening up this vast box; you better send someone else for some extra beer. It's funny you ask because yesterday 'The Exorcist' came on and I watched that sucker from the beginning to the end because I had not watched it in so long because there's so many copycat films that came after that film all throughout, but it's shot so beautifully and so well and it leaves an impact especially as a young boy — it left an incredible impact. I guess later on when you're going through your teens, I call it the 'gore phase,' where all you want to see it blood and guts but I also love the movie with an edge even a supernatural edge and at the time I guess 'Evil Dead' the first one really got me. I saw it in perfect timing with growing up. This isn't fair. There's so many movies. I can really reach in here and think about Mario Bava films and Lucio Fulci films and, of course, I'm talking Italian horror, but Bava crossed over a whole lot before Fulci, but movies like 'Black Sabbath', which is incredible, great atmosphere and then some lesser known films like 'House With The Laughing Windows'. Later on in life, I guess the films got more intense. In the '90s, they were the necromantic films which I think are super effective. Gosh, my favorite horror films of all time that's like asking me what my favorite cigarette I smoke is — there's so many of 'em. [Laughs]"

Sharon Osbourne, the wife and manager of the late Ozzy Osbourne, has released a lengthy response to Jim Simpson, the first manager of BLACK SABBATH, over Simpson's plans to release an album of tracks from the pre-BLACK SABBATH days of Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.

Sharon's latest comments come a day after Jim issued a press release highlighting what he called "inaccurate and unfair criticisms" made by Sharon in the latest episode of "The Osbournes" podcast.

Simpson, now in his late 80s, claims to have paid for the recordings back in 1969 when Ozzy and the other three musicians were youngsters in a band called EARTH. He says that he has since restored and remastered each track and plans to release them on an album called "Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes", currently delayed due to what "Sharon's threats to sue", according to Jim.

Earlier today (Saturday, November 15),Sharon shared the following statement via her social media:

"In response to Jim Simpson's press release of 14 November 2025, I am enclosing his original email to Tony Iommi and my subsequent emails to Mr. Simpson. As you can see, my emails to Mr. Simpson were not threatening. I was clearly stating the facts about BLACK SABBATH's legal position.

"Regarding his claim that Big Bear Records is the 'longest-running independent record label in the UK', this is a false claim. 'Topic Records' is a British folk music label. It began as an offshoot of the Workers' Music Association in 1939, making it the oldest independent record label in the world. It still operates today. Big Bear is not even a Limited company and does not file open accounts in public.

"Simpson also states that he is '….in the process of relaunching Big Bear Records in a new distribution partnership with Trapeze Music & Entertainment Ltd (director being John Cooper),a well-established company with a huge catalogue including the likes of Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Marlene Dietrich, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Digby Fairweather and hundreds of other artists. I seriously doubt that the artists he mentions, or their estates, would have authorized them to be sold in the USA.

"Let it be known that Trapeze Music is an 'out-of-copyright' UK based label that is in debt for £539,000 and the entertainment division is in debt for £1.442 million. A previous entity under the Trapeze banner, with the director, (being John Cooper),was Discovery Records Limited, which went into liquidation in 2018 with an estimated deficiency of £1,407,388. These artist recordings he mentions appear NOT to be out of copyright in the USA, but Trapeze sells through a us domestic import distributor called MVD who they claim inadvertently put the BLACK SABBATH recordings online digitally in the USA and then quickly withdraw them when Simpson's lawyers were told the BLACK SABBATH material is not out of copyright, despite the fact they had agreed not to release them to the public without giving us 14 days prior notice. A full legal opinion from Kings Council was provided to their UK lawyer. Trapeze's owner previously ran several companies that ended up in bankruptcy.

"We would never have allowed any BLACK SABBATH product to be released through Big Bear Records or Trapeze Music, and at no time did Simpson ever offer the band royalties, and he has continuously refused to let BLACK SABBATH hear the recordings that he claims are his. Their integrity is dubious.

"In closing, Mr. Simpson may claim that he invited me to have coffee with him on 4 July 2025 but I was out of contact which he well knew as I was at Villa Park at soundcheck all day, and I later heard that Mr. Simpson was busy that day doing a Q&A about his time managing BLACK SABBATH from '68-'70 at a pub called 'Ye Olde Foundry' in Dudley for personal commercial gain."

When Simpson first responded to Sharon's original "The Osbournes" comments, he said that it was "a shame Sharon" had "decided to go all out on the attack without sitting down to talk about this." He added: "It's also very unfair of her to make such inaccurate and potentially defamatory comments."

Simpson went on to say that he is the legal owner of the recordings, despite Sharon's suggestions to the contrary. "The fact is that I did pay for the EARTH recordings, and they belong to me," he said.

Jim also insisted that he gave the members of BLACK SABBATH an opportunity to be included in the process of having the recordings officially released, but that they declined.

"I approached members of the band about this on 24 September 2024," he said. "The message I got back was that they didn't want it released and wanted nothing to do with it. This included two very threatening e-mails from Sharon. But the band had every chance to be involved."

Jim also disputed Sharon's claim that "no major record company" would have wanted to be involved in releasing the recordings, with Simpson saying that "the label for 'Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes' is actually on Big Bear Records, the U.K.'s longest-established independent recording company that I have owned and operated since 1968." Simpson went on to say that he was "in the process of relaunching Big Bear Records in a new distribution partnership with Trapeze Music & Entertainment Ltd, a well-established company with a huge catalogue including the likes of Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Marlene Dietrich, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Digby Fairweather and hundreds of other artists. They might not be what Sharon calls a 'major', but they are certainly not 'little'. They are our new partner for the relaunch of all Big Bear Records, not just the EARTH album."

Simpson added: "My reason for launching this album now is because it will become a crucial segment of music history. It contains recordings that clearly demonstrate what fine music Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill were producing right from the very beginning in their pre-SABBATH days. It shows how these four young men from Birmingham, barely out of their teens, were already remarkable musicians when they existed as EARTH, and that they fully deserved all the success that was to come their way as BLACK SABBATH."

"Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes" reportedly features three blues covers — "Blue Suede Shoes", "Evenin'" and "Wee Wee Baby" — as well as two versions of a track called "Song For Jim", with the name in the title "referring directly to Simpson," according to Jim. Iommi plays guitar in the first version, while the second version features a rare performance on the flute. There is also an "Untitled" track and three more songs, "Free Man", "Wicked World" and "Warning".

Simpson added: "If we can finally release this album, it will be a great gift to the music world and to millions of SABBATH fans."

15 November 2025

In response to Jim Simpson's press release of 14 November 2025, I am enclosing his original email to...

Posted by Sharon Osbourne on Saturday, November 15, 2025

Jim Simpson, the first manager of BLACK SABBATH, today rejected what he says were "inaccurate and unfair criticisms" made by Sharon Osbourne, the wife and manager of the late Ozzy Osbourne.

Speaking on the latest episode of "The Osbournes" podcast, Sharon expressed outrage over Simpson's plans to release a unique album of tracks from the pre-BLACK SABBATH days of Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.

Simpson, now in his late 80s, paid for the recordings back in 1969 when Ozzy and the other three musicians were youngsters in a band called EARTH. He has now restored and remastered each track and planned to release them on an album called "Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes", currently delayed due to Sharon's threats to sue.

Today, Simpson rejected Sharon's angry claims and said: "It's such a shame Sharon has decided to go all out on the attack without sitting down to talk about this. It's also very unfair of her to make such inaccurate and potentially defamatory comments."

On the podcast, Sharon questions Simpson's ownership of the recordings, saying: "He says he paid the bill for the studio, which he says was £500 … He would have never had that money to pay for a studio in those days."

In response, Simpson, still ubiquitous on the Midlands' music scene with his Big Bear Music company, said: "At the time, EARTH were just the newest of the bands I managed. During those years, I regularly recorded and paid for recording sessions with bands I managed or played in. I'd already had a hit single with LOCOMOTIVE, and record deals with major labels like EMI Harvest and Parlophone. How can Sharon possibly know what I could afford back then? The fact is that I did pay for the EARTH recordings, and they belong to me."

Sharon then claims on the podcast: "He's kept it quiet for all these years because they're now out of copyright, which is 50 years."

Simpson said: "That's not the case. The truth is that when BLACK SABBATH walked out of my management contract, I turned my hand to re-discovering a total of 35 neglected black American blues men, touring them through U.K. and Europe, and recording them.

"In the early 1980s I got more deeply involved in jazz, launching the Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival and publishing The Jazz Rag — both still ongoing. I produced more than 80 albums for Big Bear Records, ran 23 festivals across Britain, and managed various other U.K. bands, including THE QUADS, who had a hit single. All in all, I've been pretty busy, although I always intended to release the EARTH records.

"I approached members of the band about this on 24 September 2024. The message I got back was that they didn't want it released and wanted nothing to do with it. This included two very threatening e-mails from Sharon. But the band had every chance to be involved."

Sharon claims on the podcast that Simpson intends to keep all profits for himself, saying: "He's never said you'll get a royalty, not one penny. He thinks he's going to put out these tapes and he's going to get 100% percent of everything … You are a pig, you want it all."

Simpson said: "Sharon is very mistaken. I wanted all bandmembers to receive royalties from the album in the usual way, and I'm still more than happy for that to happen."

Sharon alleges that Simpson is being dishonest about donating any proceeds to charity, saying: "He's lying, saying he will give money to charity. He's never said what charity or how much money."

Simpson said: "This is so unfair and potentially defamatory. I have correspondence with St Basils, a charity for homeless young people in Birmingham, dated 21 January 2025, which clearly states that if BLACK SABBATH refuse to accept royalties, then we will pay them to this charity."

Sharon also derides Simpson's album plans, saying: "He finds a little record company, because no major record company would have taken it … to take the tapes and distribute them."

Simpson said: "This is another misrepresentation of the truth. The label for 'Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes' is actually on Big Bear Records, the U.K.'s longest-established independent recording company that I have owned and operated since 1968.

"We are in the process of relaunching Big Bear Records in a new distribution partnership with Trapeze Music & Entertainment Ltd, a well-established company with a huge catalogue including the likes of Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Marlene Dietrich, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Digby Fairweather and hundreds of other artists. They might not be what Sharon calls a 'major', but they are certainly not 'little'. They are our new partner for the relaunch of all Big Bear Records, not just the EARTH album."

In the podcast, Sharon also belittles Simpson's role in the founding and development of BLACK SABBATH, and claims: "For the first 10 years of their career, they made millions and never got a penny."

To this, Simpson responded: "Under my management, we renamed EARTH as BLACK SABBATH and they became one of the biggest names in heavy rock music, touring extensively and appearing on radio and TV. I was manager when we released their seminal debut eponymous album 'Black Sabbath' in February 1970 and followed it up with the equally adored 'Paranoid' in September 1970. Both charted worldwide and sold millions, with hit single 'Paranoid' reaching No. 4 in the charts. While under my management, which ended in September 1970, they received proper payments. It was when they broke their contract that it all went wrong for them."

Sharon goes on to say that she has threatened to sue Simpson if he goes ahead and releases the album. But she also offers a laurel leaf, adding: "He could have come to us with the tapes and he would have made a lot of money and SABBATH would have done well. Let it go to a proper record company and be properly distributed, properly produced."

Despite the row, Simpson says he's more than willing to discuss a resolution. He said: "In my e-mail to Sharon on 4 July 2025, when she was in Birmingham, I suggested it might be fruitful for her and I to meet for coffee to discuss this issue. If they want to strike a deal with me to launch this album, I would therefore be delighted to discuss that with them."

Simpson added: "My reason for launching this album now is because it will become a crucial segment of music history. It contains recordings that clearly demonstrate what fine music Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill were producing right from the very beginning in their pre-SABBATH days. It shows how these four young men from Birmingham, barely out of their teens, were already remarkable musicians when they existed as EARTH, and that they fully deserved all the success that was to come their way as BLACK SABBATH."

"Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes" features previously unheard studio recordings, capturing EARTH's evolution as they pushed toward the heavy metal sound that would change rock music forever. The album begins with three blues covers: "Blue Suede Shoes", "Evenin'" and "Wee Wee Baby". There are two versions of a track called "Song For Jim", the name in the title referring directly to Simpson. Tony Iommi plays guitar in the first version, and then a rare performance on the flute in the second version. The beginnings of heavy metal then start to emerge with an "Untitled" track and three more called "Free Man", "Wicked World" and "Warning".

Simpson added: "If we can finally release this album, it will be a great gift to the music world and to millions of SABBATH fans."

Former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted joined BLACKBERRY SMOKE on stage last night (Thursday, November 13) at the State Theatre in Ithaca, New York to perform a cover of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Children Of The Grave". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

BLACKBERRY SMOKE first covered "Children Of The Grave" earlier this year as a tribute to late SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne.

In March 2003, Newsted — who played in METALLICA from 1986 until he left the band in 2001 — joined Osbourne's group as the replacement for Robert Trujillo, who quit a month earlier to join METALLICA.

Newsted was officially welcomed to Ozzy's band with a press event at 3rd Encore Studios in North Hollywood, where Ozzy and the rest of his group ran through BLACK SABBATH's "War Pigs", and three Osbourne classics: "Believer", "No More Tears" and "Crazy Train".

At the time, Jason confirmed to Bass Player magazine that it was a "surprise" when he was approached about joining Ozzy's band. "Totally," he said. "I didn't put it all together until Sharon Osbourne called me. Mike Bordin and I have been friends for years — he was one of Cliff Burton's best friends — so I got Ozzy's setlists for the last two tours, figured out the tunings they were using live, and made a tape with 13 tunes — six SABBATH songs and the rest Ozzy.

"I did everything that I had heard you're supposed to do, or that I had done before, to get a gig," he explained. "I played until I could not play anymore. The flesh on my fingertips was actually cracking; it got down to the nerve, and the pain was shooting up my arm. That's when I'd stop. But I'd sleep with the headphones on, with my work tape playing on repeat. When I'd take 30 minutes to eat something, I'd watch old SABBATH videos. So I was literally living, breathing, eating, and sleeping Ozzy for eight days. It was full-on preparation – just like what I did with METALLICA. When the day came, I felt pretty good about everything."

Asked if he considered it an audition, Jason said: "The guys told me it wasn't an audition and that I was already in the band, and Ozzy had already mentioned it in a radio interview. But that didn't stop me. First I played with just Zakk [Wylde] and Mike. I had all the songs I'd learned written on a list, and I had pinpointed my questions: 'Zakk, how does this resolve, what is that note.' I got all those things tight, and we jammed for a while. Then Ozzy came in. I wanted him to be able to point to any one of those songs on the list and for me to be able to just knock it out. He picked five of the tunes, and from the first bit of 'Paranoid', when I began playing, he started bouncing around the room. He made a couple of comments in between songs; I didn't talk much. After the fifth tune he said, 'If you want a job, you've got it.' And I said, 'Yes, Oz, I want it. Wherever you want me to be, I'll be there.'"

Regarding his love of SABBATH, Jason said: "BLACK SABBATH is my all-time favorite band, and it has been ever since I started playing. They influenced me so much that with every riff I wrote for METALLICA or anyone else, the guys would always say, 'We can't play that — it sounds too much like SABBATH' — or, 'Nice ripoff.'"

Jason left METALLICA back in 2001 but was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, along with guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett, and the man who replaced him, bassist Robert Trujillo, in 2009.

In May 2023, Jason performed with his NEWSTED project for the first time in nearly a decade at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Back in 2020, Newsted bought a home on Skaneateles Lake in the village of Skaneateles, New York for $6.1 million.

Newsted and his wife Nicole have been longtime residents of Jupiter, Florida.

Former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans spoke to ABC News In-depth about the band's recently launched first Australian tour in a decade. Referencing the fact that AC/DC lead guitarist Angus Young is the only remaining founding AC/DC member, Mark said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Let's not forget, he's the only person on the face of the earth that's been to every AC/DC gig. He's been there for every one of them. And there's been some really, really tough times for him."

Mark joined AC/DC in 1975 and remained with them through their barroom days, their first international tours, and the majority of the Bon Scott-era albums: "High Voltage", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirty Cheap", "T.N.T.", "Let There Be Rock" and the U.S.-only '74 "Jailbreak" collection-recordings that have since sold in excess of 10 million copies in the U.S. alone. Mark was sacked from the band in 1977. At the time it was reported to be over musical differences.

"The separation was difficult," Evans recalled. "I was the right guy for the band when I started. Looking back, there's only one reason I didn't continue on with the band, is 'cause I didn't take it seriously enough. It all happened so easily that I probably didn't give it its correct weight."

Over the years, Mark has had legal issues with the band over royalties, but his connection to AC/DC has now come full circle.

"What the band has achieved and now what Angus is carrying on, I love it to bits, man," Mark said. "I think it's really special. And now they have the chance to pass it on to young people."

During a January 2021 appearance on the "Let There Be Talk" podcast, Evans denied that he harbored any resentment toward AC/DC or the band's success.

"I like a philosophical attitude," he said. "“Some people could get bent out of shape by something like that, that happened, but I look back and I've just nothing to put but good memories. A lot of love and respect for the band."

In a 2011 interview with Music Radar, Mark spoke about the distance he felt between him, Angus and AC/DC's founding rhythm guitarist Malcolm. He said: "It was difficult. They didn't let people in very easily, and once they felt there was an issue, things could get even more difficult. With Angus and Malcolm, they were put on this earth to form AC/DC. They're committed big time. And if they feel your commitment is anything less than theirs, well, that's a problem."

He continued: "Angus was intense. He was AC/DC 100 percent. His work ethic was unbelievable. When I was with him, he expected everybody to be just like him, which is pretty impossible. Aside from Malcolm, there was no way anybody could be as committed to the band as he was. I was totally into AC/DC and never wanted out of the band for a second."

Regarding the circumstances that led to him being kicked out of AC/DC, Mark said: "I did have some questions about it. At the time, Malcolm said something about them wanting a bass player who could sing, but I think that was a smokescreen. I don't know if there was any one reason. It's just the way it went down. I felt the distance growing between me and Angus and Malcolm. When I was fired, it wasn't so much a surprise as it was a shock.

"There was a lot of tension in the band at the time," he explained. "We'd just been kicked off a BLACK SABBATH tour, and this was right when a trip to the States was cancelled because the record company rejected the 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' album. So it was a hard period.

"Maybe it was the whole atmosphere that led to my being sacked," he added. "The group had a month off, so perhaps Angus and Malcolm thought, 'Okay, time to make some changes.' It was hard for me. I was very dedicated to the band. I loved the music we were playing, and I could feel that real success was right around the corner."

Evans's memoir, "Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside Of AC/DC", was released in 2011 via Bazillion Points Books. The book was described at the time as "a rare 'been there, done that' perspective of touring with the group" by Library Journal, and "a rich bounty of insight into the struggles and camaraderie that fueled hard rock's most successful group." Evans's stories captured the energy and essence of Malcolm Young, Angus Young, Phil Rudd and the late Bon Scott. Encounters with rock and roll icons like George Harrison, Gene Simmons, Phil Lynott, BLACK SABBATH, Ahmet Ertegun and METALLICA were also included.