Hard rock legends DEEP PURPLE have released a new single, "Diablo" today. The new track is the latest taste of "Splat!", DEEP PURPLE's new studio album, due out on July 3 via earMUSIC.

"Diablo" follows "Arrogant Boy", the first single from "Splat!" and opens the door to one of DEEP PURPLE's surreal new story worlds: the most dangerous place on earth, where a heroine crosses a river, jumps into a fighting pit, celebrates with a bucket of wine, falls into the glitter pool and somehow makes it back home with a tale to tell. "Diablo" is a classic DEEP PURPLE rocker — the kind of hard rock track that lives from the riff, the groove and the band chemistry captured in the studio.

On the new single, DEEP PURPLE is joined by a special guest, global superstar and Grammy-winning guitarist, singer and songwriter Keith Urban on second guitar.

The official music video, featuring DEEP PURPLE performing, will premiere on earMUSIC's YouTube channel on Sunday, June 7 at 20:00 CEST. Fans joining the premiere will be able to chat with DEEP PURPLE's Roger Glover.

DEEP PURPLE frontman Ian Gillan says of "Diablo": "It is all about taking chances. Just for once in your life, do something exciting, step out of the mould, take that curious bend in the road instead of sticking to the highway and do something that will, for the rest of your life, either guide or warn you."

"Splat!" has already received enthusiastic first fan and media reactions, with early press praising the album's DEEP PURPLE spirit. Uncut calls "Splat!" "distilled, high-octane PURPLE at its finest". Classic Rock praises the album for delivering "everything that makes DEEP PURPLE one of the greatest acts in hard rock."

DEEP PURPLE is gearing up for a major run of European summer dates, starting next week in Finland, followed by shows in Norway, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Italy before the "Splat!" world tour heads to North America.

The upcoming touring schedule includes 86 shows across 28 countries.

Tickets are available via DEEP PURPLE's official web site.

"Splat!" is available for pre-order in multiple formats including CD, vinyl, and limited editions. Further exclusive fan items are only available on the official "Splat!" shop.

With more than 120 million albums sold since forming in 1968, DEEP PURPLE have long secured their place in rock history. Rather than simply preserving their legacy, they continue to extend it, driven by the same spirit that defined their earliest work.

Says Gillan: "Where we are now with this incarnation of DEEP PURPLE feels very much like a very 'now' version of DEEP PURPLE as it was in the '70s."

Once again, the band has teamed up with renowned producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, PINK FLOYD, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper). Together, they have crafted an album that draws on the sound and attitude that has always set DEEP PURPLE apart from the rest.

"Splat!" is the heaviest DEEP PURPLE album in many years, with the band playing together in the studio — the way DEEP PURPLE have always recorded.

Gillan comments: "I have to say, now we are very much back in with material that is compatible with 'Highway Star', 'Smoke On The Water', 'Lazy' — the dynamics, the balance, and the fun of the music we made from '69 to '73."

At the heart of "Splat!" is an idea conceived by Gillan. Rather than treating the end as destruction, the album imagines it as transformation: "Splat!" explores the end of humanity not in any crude apocalyptic sense but as a metamorphosis beyond physical existence.

"Splat!" formats:

* CD (Digisleeve)
* 2LP (black, 180g, Gtf.)
* Ltd. Purple 2LP (180g, Gtf.)
* Ltd. Transparent Yellow 2LP (180g, Gtf.)
* Ltd. Box Set
* Digital

Box Set Content

* 2LP Gatefold (180g)
* 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
* CD Digisleeve
* 3 exclusive 10-inch vinyl records featuring live recordings from the DEEP PURPLE tour 2024
* Exclusive 7-inch single featuring bonus track "Guinnesis" (not included on the studio album!)

Track listing (CD/2LP):

Side A

01. Arrogant Boy
02. Diablo
03. The Rider
04. The Lunatic

Side B

05. The Only Horse In Town
06. Sacred Land
07. The Beating Of Wings

Side C

08. Guilt Trippin'
09. Scriblin' Gib'rish
10. Jessica's Bra

Side D

11. Third Call
12. My New Movie
13. Splat!

"Splat!" will be available on July 3 in multiple formats:Limited Box Set, containing:

- 2LP Gatefold (180g)
- 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
- CD Digisleeve
- 3 exclusive 10-inch vinyl records featuring live recordings from the DEEP PURPLE tour 2024
- Exclusive 7-inch single featuring the bonus track "Guinnesis" (not included on the studio album and available exclusively in the box set!)
* CD (Digisleeve)
* 2LP Gatefold (black, 180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
* Limited Purple 2LP Gatefold (180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
* Limited Transparent Yellow 2LP (180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet

All LP editions include a rich 12-page LP-sized booklet with illustrations and all song lyrics – available exclusively with the first pressing.

Further exclusive items are available via the official artist store, including:

* Limited 2LP Picture Disc + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
* Limited Cassette
* A strictly limited canvas signed by all band members and limited to just 199 copies worldwide

There simply aren't enough superlatives to properly acknowledge the contribution DEEP PURPLE has made to rock music. Having sold more than 120 million albums and filled global arenas for decades, there's little wonder that the respected British radio station Planet Rock named the group the "Fifth Most Influential Band Ever". The band were also presented the "Legend Award" at the 2008 World Music Awards and were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016. DEEP PURPLE truly are "rock royalty".

With a body of work spanning seven decades, DEEP PURPLE have helped pioneer and define the hard rock genre while progressively moving into new areas, both keeping their sound fresh and attracting new fans to the legions who have remained loyal since the band's inception. The celebrated MKII line-up of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore was responsible for creating many of the defining rock albums of the early '70s, including "Made In Japan", universally accepted as one of the most important and influential live albums of all time.

Known as one of the hardest-working bands ever, DEEP PURPLE have continued to release No. 1 albums and tour globally since forming in 1968, with little rest.

DEEP PURPLE have stayed true to their musical roots, drawing from an eclectic mix of styles to create a distinctive sound that defines the band today and, in turn, has created a legacy that very few bands could ever hope to replicate. The band has written and produced so many "classic", well-known songs that its audience ranges widely in age and background — something the band has readily embraced.

DEEP PURPLE's recent studio album "=1" (2024) followed their worldwide chart-topping albums "Whoosh!" (2020),"inFinite" (2017) and "NOW What?!" (2013). 2026 sees the release of their brand-new album "Splat!". On these albums, DEEP PURPLE joined forces with producer Bob Ezrin, who has worked with the likes of KISS, PINK FLOYD, Lou Reed and Alice Cooper.

Furthering their collaboration with Ezrin, in 2021 and during the pandemic the band recorded a collection of cover songs from their own homes (normal for most bands nowadays, revolutionary for a band that records everything together in the studio),creating an eclectic and celebratory history of their roots in music, in the shape of "Turning To Crime".

Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey and Simon McBride continue with renewed vitality, pushing the boundaries of hard rock to audiences around the globe, proving that DEEP PURPLE are very much here to stay.

Photo credit: Olaf Heine (courtesy of The Outside Organisation)

In a new interview with the Hard Rock History Show, singer Andrew Freeman once again addressed LAST IN LINE drummer Vinny Appice's recent revelation that the band was looking for a new vocalist. Asked if he was surprised by the fact that he was fired from LAST IN LINE — which was originally formed by original DIO members Appice, Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Jimmy Bain (bass) — via an e-mail last September from the group's management, Andrew said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm surprised at how it went down… But that's those guys. That's the three of those guys. They can't do anything face to face… But all of this stuff could've been fixed with a conversation. It's plain and simple. And I've had arguments with Vinny on the phone over the years. But he's from Brooklyn; I'm from New York. You're shout talking. You're shout talking, and then it kind of, like, 'Look, this is what I mean.' And we always had [the kind of] relationship [where we] could get through stuff, because he's talked me off the ledge sometimes and I've talked him off the ledge sometimes. He was a good friend, and maybe he still is. I don't know. I don't hear from him. But you don't really hear about Vinny talking shit about people when he does interviews, but he's talking shit about me now. And I don't go for that shit. If you got something to say, back it up. Call me. Fuck, call me. We'll talk it out. Even if it doesn't fix the band, we're still in business together."

Outlining his contributions to LAST IN LINE in the 13 years that he had been in the band, Andrew said: "I created that branding for that band, I toplined all those songs, I wrote all those — more than 50 percent, sometimes, of some of those songs, and gave away publishing so it was like a VAN HALEN split, where everybody gets 25 percent of what happens, even though 50 percent, if not more, happened in this room [in my home studio]. The vocal tracking, the arranging happened in this fucking room. With no hesitation I'll tell you I did more work on those records than any of those guys did. And they can fucking say whatever they want, but they're full of shit. Because when you walk in and put maybe three or four days to track a record, and then you leave and you don't come back to it, and then you leave it to somebody to make these fucking things songs, that's not an easy task. And somebody's gotta be able to do it, and I was the guy who did it."

Circling back to the way he was fired from LAST IN LINE, Freeman continued: "But, yeah, I'd rather just have a conversation about it and get it done and keep it out of this. So when a guy who doesn't talk about anybody else all of a sudden gets a bug up his ass because, for whatever fucking reason, it's hard for me to kind of get my brain around that because, again, I did the songwriting, I did the branding. All the merch designs I did. I'm a partner in the company. I'm not a hired guy. I'm a partner. So I have to resign from the company in order for them to move on."

After the interviewer noted that as a partner in the LAST IN LINE business, Freeman is still "owed a piece of the action", Andrew concurred. "Of course I am," he said, adding that he expected his LAST IN LINE bandmates to treat him with more respect. "Just be cool. If you're not happy with what I'm doing — believe me, I'm not super happy with you guys either, because you're affecting my career. And getting back to [when I was briefly in] GREAT WHITE, there was a guy [in LAST LINE] who called the agent and said, 'Why are you trying to poach our singer [for another band]?' Like, trying to poach our singer? What are we doing? Should I call DEF LEPPARD's manager, and be, like, 'Hey, why are you poaching our guitar player" — referring to Vivian Campbell — "for our dates? Why is our guitar player leaving in the middle of a U.K. tour and flying back to L.A. to announce a MÖTLEY CRÜE/DEF LEPPARD mega tour while I'm sitting in a hotel for four days waiting to go back on the road, not getting paid?' We're supposed to be patient for each other, we're supposed to work together, especially on a project that is a glorified side project. It was a full-time job for me, doing the web site and doing the social media — like, all of that shit is me. So you're gonna get rid of me? Cool. Write me a check. Cool. Be cool about it. Say, 'Hey, we wanna work something out.' Don't just give me a letter, like, 'Don't worry. We'll send you a release that you can sign.' Like, fuck you. Fuck you. I don't have to do anything. It's gonna cost you more money. So that's fine. Whatever. Anyway, I'm probably saying too much."

Freeman previously talked about his exit from LAST IN LINE during a May 27 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" show. Asked if Vinny's March 25 interview with "Trunk Nation" host Eddie Trunk was when he first found out he was no longer a member of LAST IN LINE, Andrew said: "No, it's not the first [time I heard about it]. I knew it, but they had never done me the courtesy of making an official announcement. I got a letter back in September of last year, and I think that they thought there was gonna be a bigger reaction from me, and I didn't have one. They e-mailed me — they had the manager e-mail me a letter. So I got a letter basically saying that they were moving on without me, with the name… I did find out about it, but there was just complete silence up until [Vinny spoke about it on] your show."

After Trunk noted that there has been no public statement from LAST IN LINE about Freeman's exit from the band, Andrew said: "[There has been] no public statement 'cause it's just not that simple to get rid of me. ['Cause] I'm an owner [of the LAST IN LINE business]. And I'm one of the original [members]. I mean, obviously, it's a collective of the original DIO band, but it's the music business, it's a business, and we had to form a business in order to do it, and the original partners are me, Vinny and Vivian. And they decided to do that [make me a partner]. They could've kept me as a hired hand [when we first formed LAST IN LINE], but they didn't. So with the original band, when we first put it together, it was the three of us and then Jimmy Bain and [former DIO keyboardist] Claude Schnell… So when we started, it was the original guys from the original band and then me singing, and we did a few shows, and we got offered a record deal, and then it turned into a business, and then they end up firing Claude and brought in this guy, Erik Norlander, who was a hired guy."

Addressing the fact that LAST IN LINE was performing DIO material, alongside LAST IN LINE's original songs, up until the end of his time with LAST IN LINE, Andrew said: "At the end, we were doing a half-and-half set. It was maybe a little more DIO than our stuff, but we'd do about 12 or 15 songs per show, so it was about six [DIO songs] and six [LAST IN LINE songs], or seven and five or whatever. So it wasn't like we could sustain an entire show, I believe, doing just our material… I mean, we could if we were opening for somebody maybe, but to go out and do a headline run, I think a lot of people would scoff if we came out and we didn't do 'Holy Diver'. They wanna see that stuff."

After Trunk said that there is a "perception out there" that Andrew did not want do play the DIO material with LAST IN LINE, Freeman clarified: "The person who really didn't wanna do the DIO stuff was Vivian. Now, we started doing it, and we started writing these songs. For example, we played the Download festival in England, and we played the same day DEF LEPPARD did, so he had double duty. He was headlining the show, and we were the first band on the bill. So we do the first show, and right before we go on, we're getting everything together, and he's, like, 'Let's just do all of our stuff.' Like, 'You sure you wanna do that? We at least gotta do one. That's pretty brave.' He says, 'Yep. We're an original band. Let's go out and let's do an original set.' So the compromise was we did a full original set, and then our last song was, I think, 'Rainbow In The Dark'. So we closed with 'Rainbow In The Dark'. But I was always the guy that was, like, 'Hey, I don't think that's a good idea,' because coming from the cover band world years ago and having original bands where you do two covers and you put an original in, just to slip it in between the stuff as you're trying to grow, I thought that that was the best idea, was to always have the DIO material. 'Cause Vinny really likes doing the DIO stuff, and I think Vinny likes doing the DIO stuff more than he likes doing the LAST IN LINE stuff."

Asked if that was the first time he sensed "maybe a difference in direction", Andrew said: "Everything that I did with those guys was following their lead, basically, because it's their heritage, it's their whatever, their history, and I just wanted to be comfortable sitting in with that. I wanted to take it to the goalpost with them, because I'm a fan, and this is something that Vinny and I had spoken about back when we were doing LYNCH MOB back in like 2005, about, 'Hey, what's going on with Vivian?' Blah, blah. 'Cause I've known Vinny for a long time, and he's the one who brought me in. And he's, like, 'Well, Vivian doesn't wanna do it.' And I said, 'Okay.' And then later on [Vivian] contacted all of them and said, 'Hey, I'd really like to get together with you guys.' It was after [Vivian] did the THIN LIZZY run and wanted to play rock, he says 'rock guitar' again. No slight on [DEF LEPPARD], but he wanted to play rock guitar again, he said. So they got together. He called Jimmy, he called Vinny up, and I guess they called Claude as well, and they got together and jammed. And Vinny said, 'I know the singer. I already got the singer.' So he e-mailed me and said, 'Hey, do you wanna come over and jump in this jam we're doing?' I'm, like, 'Well, I got a session that day, but I'll come over for a little bit.' So I literally went over for a half an hour. We did three songs, and I had to split because I had a session... So I had to leave and do that. But I don't really have any issue doing any of that stuff. What I don't like about it is if we're gonna market ourselves as an original band, then we gotta get out there as an original band. With all the connections these guys have, why are we not opening up an ALICE IN CHAINS run?... We did a couple of runs where we were out with… Who did we play with? We did a UFO tour. We did a SAXON tour — I think a couple of SAXON tours. And we did some MEGADETH dates over in Europe. So with the pedigree of that band and the respect that they get from the metal community, I never understood why we weren't doing more stuff besides playing Joe's Clam Shack in Tupelo. Like, what are we doing? And I think that that, and the lack of enthusiasm that some parties in the band had towards it, because they have other jobs, it was really frustrating, and I think that just came off to them as I wasn't interested or whatever."

Elaborating on the differences in the various members' vision for LAST IN LINE, Andrew said: "When you join a band and one of the guys goes to you, 'You need to dye your hair black.' 'Why?' 'Well, so you look more like Ronnie [James Dio].' 'I don't wanna look like Ronnie. So if you want me to do that, go get somebody else.' I'll go out and sing this material and I'll get it as close as I can with the voice that I have. And I understand I don't sound just like this guy. There's plenty of guys out there that do this just like Ronnie does it or as good as or close to. I'm not one of them.

"Now, I understand that it's a battle," Freeman continued. "'Cause you're trying to win hearts and minds in a crowd. Because you're basically representing their childhood and representing something that's extremely important to them, so you gotta be as close as possible. But you also can't be a mimic, and you can't be a clown while you're doing it. I'm not gonna put a wig on. I'm not gonna dye my hair to look a certain way. I'm gonna go out, I'm gonna be me, but I'm gonna sing the shit out of the stuff.

"This is not a tribute band, and when people would come at us and say, or in the press, like, 'Oh, you're in the DIO tribute.' I'm not in a fucking DIO tribute," Andrew insisted. "This is an original band of the guys who used to be in DIO. We do some of that stuff, but we're not up there glorifying Ronnie. I mean, depending on who you ask in [LAST IN LINE], they don't even like Ronnie, they didn't even like the guy… [It was] not just [Ronnie] and Vivian [that had issues]. There's a couple of guys that were in the band that had [issues with Ronnie], but they didn't talk about it as much.

"I think a lot of times the confusion is there's Ronnie James Dio the man, and then there's DIO the band. So to decipher those two things, you have a bunch of guys going out and playing Ronnie's songs, which are also Jimmy and Vinny and Vivian's songs, 'cause they were a collective, they were a band, it's confusing. So what do you do?"

Andrew went on to say that he is "amazed" that LAST IN LINE has lasted for almost a decade and a half, considering Vivian's hectic touring schedule with DEF LEPPARD.

"Every time that we did something, it was always a decision, are we going forward?" Andrew explained. "When Jimmy passed, I thought we were done. And then we got somebody else to come in, and then we went out and filled some commitments that we had, and then we decided to do another record. 'Okay, we'll do another record.' Well, we did that record, did a tour with that, toured that record for a few years, and then, 'Hey, do you wanna do another [album]?' We changed labels, and we did 'Jericho'. So we did 'Jericho', and we thought this was gonna be where we would take off. But honestly, since the pandemic, we haven't done really anything besides put that record out. I mean, we've done a handful of shows. So you're talking six years now of really doing nothing. So, what else are we gonna do?"

Circling back to the way he was fired from LAST IN LINE, Andrew said: "For me, personally, I think it's completely asinine, the decision they've made what to do. Straight up, it's asinine, because we have business together. [It's asinine] to get rid of me — to get rid of anybody at this point, because basically you are trying to win your audience over, and you've won your audience over to a degree. because we tour and people show up. And people get the records, and they know the songs, blah, blah, blah, all of that. So it's an international touring act. You've established yourself over 14 years with a guy who's replaced [Ronnie James Dio], one of the most iconic, if not the most iconic singer in the history of rock music. And he's been accepted by the majority of the people that come to see you. Because I'll tell you, I don't get booed off. I don't get death threats. I don't get any of that stuff. People, they like the band. There's some people who don't, and you'll hear them and see them online or whatever. So you get rid of that guy, and then after you've done three records already, and 14 years in, now you're gonna establish a guy to maybe go on the road and maybe to do some touring? Because I'm telling you, ever since we released 'Jericho', ever since the pandemic and touring started again, [in] 2023 [they said], 'Yeah, it looks like we're gonna go big in '24.' And then '24 would come, and LEPPARD would tour, tour, tour, tour. And we were, like, 'You know what? We're gonna look in '25, and in '26, and in '27.'"

Asked if he thinks he could ever go back to LAST IN LINE or if that door is now permanently closed for him, Andrew said: "To me, it doesn't really matter if it happens, if I go back to the band. Would I go back to the band? I mean, never say never. If they wanna do another record, we've got, like, four songs already done. So why not? I mean, let's just finish it out. But for me, it's more of a pain in the ass than anything else because this band that I've committed to over the years has blocked me from… I had a really great gig with GREAT WHITE, and I got replaced in that because they didn't wanna deal with LAST IN LINE's schedule, and we had, like, four shows. So I couldn't cancel those shows, 'cause those guys would [get] upset. And when I got that [GREAT WHITE] gig, two of the guys in [LAST IN LINE] were pissed, were pissed that I got that gig, and didn't want me to do anything because we had the 'Jericho' record and we had to promote it, but, again, we only did, like, five or six shows. So at times, when I've had other gigs come to me that were bigger-name gigs, I wouldn't get them because… One time, one of the guys called the agent up and said, 'Why are you trying to poach our singer?' So when you call somebody like that, it's, like, what do you do? So it affects my career. It affects my income. So I don't want it to affect my income and my career anymore. I would love to get out there and tour with a big-name nostalgia band… But I don't even have to do that, because the money I make with the tributes is exactly the same as what I make with LAST IN LINE."

Freeman added that he was never earning enough money from LAST IN LINE to be able to survive without taking on other gigs.

"I can support myself doing this [playing music], which says a lot," he said. "My kid's in private school. I have a mortgage and a car payment and all that stuff. Not money to burn, but I can support myself. I mean, you see me around town. I have beautiful hair. [Laughs] I buy drinks. I buy rounds for people… I'm not like a lot of these guys are, where they don't have a pot to piss in. I actually have planned my future. But I do this for a living, and if I'm not making enough money to sustain my life, then I take that seriously anymore. But this [LAST IN LINE], I took very seriously because there was always that dangling carrot saying, 'Hey, next year's the year. We're gonna go out. We're doing a full run. We're going out with this band. We're going out with that band. We got a full summer of touring.' Eddie, we haven't had a full summer of touring in our entire 14-year existence."

After Trunk said that Freeman probably took LAST IN LINE more seriously because the band was playing a lot of original music that Andrew had a hand in creating, Freeman said: "I guess that's where the loyalty comes, because this is my band. This is my band. I've written 50% of every song, and that's being kind. 50% of every song that we've done. There's maybe one or two songs that one of the guys came up with a lyric here, one of the guys came up with a couple of lyrics here. But I sit in my room in my studio, and I just work, work, work, work, work. And that's the frustrating part, because I put a lot of work into these records, a lot more work than those guys have.

"Quick story. We were doing the 'II' album, and Vivian was on the road somewhere with LEPPARD, summer tour. And there was a break in the '[Raiding The] Rock Vault' show, so I had him the entire month of August to work on the album. So I'm in the studio working on the album every day, every day, every day. And you get into that mode — you're not showering. You're in this crazy woodshed mode. So every morning I get up, I go to Starbucks to get coffee up the street, and I'm in the Starbucks line and I'm listening to the radio, and I hear how much the DEF LEPPARD tour had grossed, and it was some ridiculous amount of money. And good for them — like in the millions, like tens of millions of dollars. And I was, like, 'Wow, I'm sitting here doing this guy's record for free — for free — and not getting paid a dime, while he's out making millions of dollars.' And then when the record comes out, it's all about the genius of Vinny and Vivian. And that's cool, totally fine, because I know exactly what my position in a a band like this is. I'm to facilitate, but I'm doing a lot more than facilitating on these records. I'm top-lining, if you will."

Vinny first brought up the fact that LAST IN LINE was looking for a new vocalist during the aforementioned March 2026 appearance on "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He stated at the time about LAST IN LINE's current status: "We parted ways with Andy Freeman, the singer, and we're looking for singers, actually, right now. So we have a deal in place. And Viv's busy — he was busy with LEPPARD and he's doing a lot of rally racing, so we're trying to schedule finishing our next record and then playing some dates. 'Cause we have a lot of fun playing. It's great to play with Viv again. It's awesome. So that's what we're doing right now."

After Trunk brought up the fact that Freeman is busy playing with "a couple of tribute bands", Vinny said: "He's playing a Dio show [with a band called] DIO RULES. He didn't really wanna play that stuff with us, which is — go figure — and now he's doing all Dio stuff. Crazy."

Asked what happened between Freeman and the rest of LAST IN LINE to cause the singer's departure, Vinny said: "Yeah, [there was] a lot of tension between us, and the last show, one of the last shows [we played], [at] the M3 [festival in Maryland in 2024], there were things he commented to the audience, and people were scratching their heads, going, 'What's up with that?' He's his own thing. So finally we just said, 'It'd be a lot smoother to find another singer.' So that's what we're doing."

As for whether LAST IN LINE already has "any prospects" in mind as a potential replacement for Freeman, Appice said: "No, we don't have any prospects. If you know anybody, you could text me, that might fit the bill. We're gonna have to set something up. Maybe we can get some videos and stuff. Kind of like SKID ROW did — they set something up, and people are sending in videos, singing and all that. We have a couple of guys, but we're waiting to see if that's gonna work out. But we'll see."

LAST IN LINE's debut album, "Heavy Crown", was released in February 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl, landing at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Initially, the release had been preceded by tragedy when Bain unexpectedly died at the age of 68 on January 23, 2016. LAST IN LINE, honoring what they knew would be Bain's wish to keep the band moving, brought in Phil Soussan and committed to sustained touring in support of the album before beginning work on the follow-up release, 2019's "II", which was also made available through Frontiers Music Srl.

LAST IN LINE's latest album, "Jericho", came out in March 2023 via earMUSIC. It was helmed by Chris Collier, who has previously worked with KORN and WHITESNAKE, among other bands. LAST IN LINE's first two albums were produced by former DOKKEN and current FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson.

In 2022, LAST IN LINE surprised fans by releasing a unique version of THE BEATLES classic "A Day In The Life", which was made available on the limited 12-inch silver collector's EP with the same name.

Former MISFITS frontman Michale Graves recently joined CCM Magazine for a powerful CCM Spotlight conversation about leaving the chaos behind, finding Jesus, and stepping into a new chapter of music and mission. In this interview, Michale opened up about his early faith, his time with the MISFITS, the pain and loss that shaped his life, and the moment he surrendered to Jesus. He also shared why his new music is aimed at people who are hurting, searching and often far outside the walls of the church.

Speaking about how he became   an artist singing about Jesus, Michale said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I was raised in a Catholic household, so I always knew God. I had a relationship with Jesus for a good part of my life, really up until about my teenage years. And I went to Catholic school, and once I was taken out of Catholic school, I got away from the Bible. I always had a relationship with God, I always knew God was there, but Jesus and I kind of drifted apart. I started to look at ways that I could manipulate my life and make things happen for myself. And then I found the MISFITS."

Graves continued: "I always knew that God had me on the path to play music. When I was young, I wanted to — first I wanted to be a preacher. I wanted to tell people about Jesus. And then the story goes, I was in New York City. My mom and dad always used to take my sisters and brothers and I to New York City around Christmastime to see everything. And I had never seen homeless people before, and I saw a homeless guy, and I couldn't believe that everyone was just walking past this man, and something in my heart changed. I wanted to communicate in a more sort of profound way. And I had this relationship with music. I listen to music, and I can almost see it. I can feel it in such an amazing way. And so my heart changed, and I wanted to play music. So my path really led me to the MISFITS in a very Forrest Gump way. I was at the right place at the right time. Then when I got into the MISFITS, as you can imagine, this world that I was propelled into was insane, and the things that I saw and the way that people... The things that they were doing, and I got to a point where sex and drugs and just insanity… There was a lot of violence in the MISFITS — I mean, in the shows — and it was a very crazy, tumultuous world. And I got to a point on the road, I said, 'Well, maybe this is the way that I'm supposed to be in order to be part of this world.' And it felt very strange and uncomfortable. And ultimately, and standing at that crossroads, do I sign the deal with the devil and go this way, or do I go a different way? And ultimately, I decided to step away from the MISFITS."

Michale added: "God was always there, but I didn't have this relationship with Jesus. And along the way, again, my life was difficult. Lots of loss, lots of pain. I was so uncomfortable… And I would say, 'God, I'm a good person. I'm trying to do good things. I'm making these decisions that I think are correct.' It got to a point I thought that I was being puni[shed]. I used to say, 'I must have been something terrible in, like, a past life, and I'm being punished for what I did. Why are you doing this, God?' Even after the success… I couldn't find happiness. I couldn't find happiness in anything that I did — in anything that I did. I developed a taste for drugs, and my life just went out of control.

"I spent some time in Arkansas with these people, and I started to hear about this... They took me to a cowboy church, and there was 'born again' stuff. And I always thought, like, being born... You hear 'born again Christian', and you just open the door and say, 'No, thank you.' But then somebody turned me on to, started telling me about Johnny Cash, and then I heard about this guy named Billy Graham, and I heard a sermon that Billy Graham gave about being born again and the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus, like, 'How can a man be born again? And 'what is born of flesh is flesh. What is born of spirit is spirit.' And all of a sudden, it clicked, and I sort of got it. My life got to a point where I [was at] the lowest of the low, and I found myself in a hotel room on my knees just calling out to Jesus. And I surrendered my life to Jesus and became born again. And here I am.'

After the interviewer noted that Graves has an opportunity to "open a door" and reach a non-Christian audience due to his success with the MISFITS, Michale concurred. "I see a lot of people, I meet so many young people, so many people that are hurt and that are lost, and they just ... And they don't have God. They don't have God," he said. "[And] they are responding to it. I get pushback from some Christian crowds about the music and some of the things that I'm doing. But my response is that Jesus said that we have to be fishers of men. So what's the point in me playing to just a room full of believers? That's easy. We already have those. They're already in the stable. They're part of the flock. I go out and I'm talking to kids that are lost and that are hurt, the crowd that when you say 'Jesus', everyone gets weird. And I have this perspective, I have this world of MISFITS stuff that I can use and that I have used to be able to reach some people. And especially when I'm in Latin America, I see it. It's profound. People have come to me and have said they've given their life to Jesus. They've seen what I've been doing. They hear the things that I'm saying. And I'm a simple man. I don't have a lot of material things at all, but that's treasure to me. That's everything."

Michale previously talked about his faith this past March in an interview with When Words Fail, Music Speaks. Graves said at the time:  "I've been a Christian all my life, and the music that I've written and the lyrics that I've written have always come from that place. Not all the songs, but many, many, lots of those songs come from that Christian perspective. It's another thing that [MISFITS bassist] Jerry [Only] encouraged. You have to also remember that before the MISFITS got back together, Jerry and [MISFITS guitarist] Doyle [Wolfgang Von Frankenstein] were in a band called KRYST THE CONQUEROR. And so Jerry's spirituality and his love of Christ and his faith, he was never ashamed of. This man blessed himself every night before he went on stage. And that encouraged me, as well as he encouraged me, to not walk away from that, and to somehow… And that again, when I was talking about challenging and creative challenging, it was the challenge to create from my Christian perspective in this environment, in this world of — the dark places."

Michale continued: "All along, especially when I was working with Damien Echols [an American author who first became known as one of three teenagers, the West Memphis Three, convicted of a triple murder in 1994 despite the lack of physical evidence connecting them to the crime and the dubious nature of the other evidence] and making 'Illusions' [the 2007 collaborative album between Graves and Echols] and that part of my career, there was a lot of people that came from the Christian side of things that were — they didn't understand. I don't wanna say that they were disgusted, but I got a lot of flak because here I was talking about my Christian, how I feel, my spirituality, my faith in the Lord, and they were, like, 'How can you say that when we see the imagery of the MISFITS and these songs that you're writing?' And I tell them, look, what's the point of me walking into a worship service or going to a church and playing for people or speaking to people who are already believers who are already there? They're already there. We're not doing anything. There's this whole other world out there, this dark world, that the MISFITS are in."

Graves added: "When I go out into the world, I'm talking to kids that have — there's a lot of church hurt. When you say the word 'Jesus' at a MISFITS show or a Michale Graves show, there's a lot — not now, a lot less now — but these kids, they look at you, like, 'What are you talking about?' So writing about these fallen worlds, the dark worlds, writing about demons, writing about angels, writing about coming from a place where you're at your lowest. These kids are broken, they're sad, they're lost, they're hurt, they're confused. And do you think that they're gonna just walk into a church or you're gonna have somebody that they don't respect, the second that they see somebody with like a buttoned-up cardigan and this and that, and they talk and they start talking about Jesus, and they're, 'Nope.' They're gonna turn their back and they're gonna walk away. But if I walk up to them and I say, 'Hey, man. What are you wearing on your shirt there?' There's demons or something. I don't know. And we start talking about Baal or Moloch or we start to get into demonology. And now we start to talk. And then I tell them about my faith. And that's how you run a monster ministry. And that's what I've been focusing on, really, since 2012. For the past 14 years, I've really, really tried to make that the forefront of what I'm doing."

Earlier in March, Graves announced the signing with Epochal Artists Records, a label under the TLG family and distributed by Virgin Music Group.

Michale recently embarked on the "God Bless America Tour 2026", bringing a unique and deeply personal live experience to audiences across the country.

"These shows on my 'God Bless America Tour' will be an intimate, story-driven live experience that blends acoustic music, testimony, and storytelling," Graves previously said.

Michale is an internationally recognized artist who has been creating music and telling stories for over two decades. Before his 20th birthday, he was recruited to be the lead singer and primary songwriter of the legendary punk band the MISFITS. Graves faced an uphill battle of immense criticism while trying to fill the shoes of original MISFITS vocalist Glenn Danzig, but he injected the group with freshness, youth and energy which rewrote the history of the band in a way that even his sharpest critics found undeniable, reaching a whole new generation of music fans in the process.

After recording two albums with the MISFITS, "American Psycho" via Geffen and "Famous Monsters" through Roadrunner, as well as touring the world to meet millions of fans, Graves quit the band to blaze his own path. Michale steadily built a reputation as the working-man's punk rocker. He reintroduced himself to the scene with non-stop touring around the country before taking his new act worldwide.

In recent years, some of Graves's concerts ended up being canceled over his reported affiliation with the right-wing group Proud Boys.

When Graves testified on behalf of five Proud Boys members in March 2023 that he was asked to perform for them on the afternoon of January 6, 2021, he acknowledged that members of the Proud Boys may have been guilty of trespassing on Capitol grounds that day, but he said he did not believe they had any intention of targeting Congress.

The singer, who gained notoriety for his conservative views, has claimed that his "candor" got him "canceled", resulting in him being removed from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

He went on to resurrect his show called "Radio Deadly With Michale Graves", which he brought to the Censored.TV platform.

Photo courtesy of O'Donnell Media Group

In a new interview with Tuning In With Thom Jennings, TRIUMPH singer and guitarist Rik Emmett spoke about the legendary Canadian rockers' recently launched first tour in more than 30 years. For the 2026 trek, TRIUMPH's original members Emmett and Gil Moore (drums, vocals) are being joined by guitarist Phil X, drummer and keyboardist Brent Fitz and bassist Todd Kerns. Phil X, whose real name is Theofilos Xenidis, is a member of BON JOVI and a former member of TRIUMPH, while Fitz and Kerns are both members of SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS. Original TRIUMPH bassist Mike Levine is not taking part in most of the 2026 tour dates after revealing in December that he has "a problem" with his hand that "precludes" him "from being able to really play well."

After podcast host Thom Jennings noted that "it's gotta feel good" for Emmett to be "making a lot of memories for a lot of people" who never got to see the original TRIUMPH, Rik said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It does. In some cases it's a little overwhelming, and in other cases it's just a beautiful celebration of joyful noise with these new guys, and the harmonies and the songs and the hard work that we all put in, and now we get this payoff of having these audiences that… And every night it gets better. That's the thing, too. It just keeps kind of resonating and growing."

He continued: "You can imagine when you're inside a band and you're playing these songs that have such a long history, you're still looking for a way to kind of have them come alive and this building of a rock 'n' roll machine reloaded, you're always tightening up the screws and adjusting the fan belt or whatever. It's very rewarding, that process, but I'm not a young man anymore. And holy cow, I wonder what I'm doing to my body. The arthritis is kind of complaining. It doesn't happen during the show — the show is this energizing and revitalizing kind of thing — but then, oh, boy, I come off stage and I go, 'What did I just do to myself?'"

Emmett added: "I've got four days off here. Tomorrow's a travel day back to Chicago, but, man, I've been sleeping, like, 11, 12 hours, and taking naps. So my body is clearly going, like, 'Uh, what are you doing?'"

When Jennings pointed out that "it's gotta be overwhelming" and "a whole other animal" to be back in arenas after performing at mostly smaller venues in recent decades, Rik said: "Yes. That is very accurate. A whole other animal, but a lot of fun. It's a big safety net, those three new guys. And the truth of it, too, is that Gil really kind of buckled down, and I don't think he ever practiced as much and rehearsed on his own and just got his chops up as much as he has for this tour. So [it's] extremely rewarding to be on stage with him, where he's making an effort like he never made before. And then here's these other guys — I call them all the young dudes. They actually even play a little thing in the set now — before I sing '24 Hours A Day', they do this thing, and it's 'All The Young Dudes'; it's this weird little thing. But it's so enjoyable. It's such a beautiful safety net, but at the same time, [it's a] huge challenge because I gotta try and keep up with them. I have to walk out on stage after Phil X has done a guitar solo that's, like, insanely good, and you go, 'Oh, man. I better not try to compete with that. I better just try to be me, the best me I can be.' And then I go, 'Well, that's good because now the audience gets Phil X, and then they get Rik, and that works.' But, yeah, different animal."

Rik clarified: "It's not what TRIUMPH was. It's TRIUMPH, but it's kind of this 'über TRIUMPH', like this kind of TRIUMPH on 'roids. So the reload actually seemed to give it a lot more — I don't know what you call those things — cylinders in the engine. Let's call it that, yeah. So, I don't know. I'm still kind of trying to… How would I describe it?

"When I was teaching songwriting, I used to say to kids, what you're doing is sort of unpacking baggage," Emmett added. "And if the song is right, you've done a really nice job of sort of bundling it all together in this thing, but it's easy for people to unpack it. But I'm still unpacking this TRIUMPH thing, and I think it'll take me a few months after it's all over to figure out exactly what it is that I got myself into."

Jennings also opined that the current TRIUMPH stage production has an "authentic" feel and is in line with what TRIUMPH was known for in the 1980s, to which Emmett said: "I think part of that is it there was a very conscientious attempt between Gil and me and the lighting guy, Paul Dexter, when we were putting the script together to try and honor this thing that TRIUMPH was, is, can be, because there's a spirit to TRIUMPH, which is a kind of the celebration of the rock and roll, but the songs of hope and faith and the spirit of what rock music can be. And I think the management we got, Vector, Jason Murray in particular, he would come and sit here with me in the studio and we'd have conversations. And he helped focus it. And it's not like he hasn't had an experience in the past where they… His management company handles LYNYRD SKYNYRD's estate and the band that goes out and does that. He handles Peter Frampton. So he's had experience with bands that are honoring a legacy. And one of the meetings where he came to try and talk me into doing it, he'd just been out to see the GRATEFUL DEAD and how they were handling the whole thing of Jerry Garcia, and he's not there, but how do you handle that? How do you make it so that it's not cheesy, it's legit. You're doing it with a kind of a... You're honoring the past in a way that true fans can go, 'No, they did that with taste. They did that with, with class. It's good.' So, that was a big part of the development of, of the 'Reloaded' thing. And, yeah, what you're saying, I think fans get that. You talked about having some tears. I see them. They turn on the audience blasters and I can see faces in 'Magic Power', 'Hold On', people are crying. But those are tears of joy. They're happy that this has paid off, the expectations and the hopes that they had. They go, 'Man, they did it. This is so great. I'm so happy to be here in this moment and have this happening.' And that's a big thing for me, too. I go, 'Holy shit, the emotion in the air, it's significant.'"

Last month, Rik was asked by Mike DiGiorgio of Rochester, New York's 13WHAM if he thinks the people buying tickets for TRIUMPH's 2026 tour are fans who had never seen the band before or if they are longtime followers  who want to see TRIUMPH again and "relive some great memories," Rik responded: "It's a little bit of both. I think that there are people that — I think there's grandfathers that wanna bring their grandsons and their grandchildren. We're literally sort of three generations in. And honestly, I think it's a question of the music being — the songs are the things that are dragging us all out. So I think that's the biggest thing that I feel, that people are kind of going, like, 'Oh, you haven't lived until you've seen TRIUMPH do 'Magic Power' or 'Fight The Good Fight' or 'Lay It On The Line' live.'"

Rik continued: "But the pressure from fans is an interesting thing because, of course, I can't do what I did when I was in my thirties, which is what most people remember. And so if they think they're gonna get to relive this guy in his red spandex pants or his jumpsuit or something, that's just not gonna happen. But I do feel like the resurrection of the band as a concert touring act is because there's these songs — and I really look forward to the chance of getting to play with different musicians and in a different kind of a circumstance. I mean, it's gonna be a big show. So there's gonna be a crowd that has lots and lots of different people with lots and lots of different expectations in every market. But I don't know.

"Back to your question, I think that there's probably gonna be much more repeat customers than there are people experiencing it for the very first time," Emmett added. "But, like I said, if they're dragging along the next generation or two, then there will be new fans. And so — I don't know. In some ways, I guess I'll have to mind my Ps and Qs a little bit."

Rik also talked about TRIUMPH's decision to hire Phil, Brent and Todd for the current tour, explaining: "Well, first of all, we felt like we had to build a bit of a safety net for ourselves. There are certain notes that I just can't hit, but there's this guy, Todd Kerns, a good Canadian boy from Saskatchewan, and he's been out with Slash and Alice Cooper. And he's a tremendous musician — guitar, bass, singer. And then Brent Fitz on drums, just because there are some songs where Gil goes, 'Well, I wanna come down front and sing.' So Gil Moore is from the original lineup. But there are gonna be double drummers. We're gonna be like the ALLMAN BROTHERS and the DOOBIE BROTHERS, and I'm sure that more than half of your audience doesn't even know who I'm talking about. But we'll have that for some stuff. And then Gil's gonna come down and sing a couple things. And Brent is amazing. He can play keyboards as well, so we kind of get a double-threat kind of guy there. Oh, and he can sing harmony too, so a triple threat. And then Phil X, who replaced me in TRIUMPH when I left. And Phil, he goes out with BON JOVI and plays all kinds of different things. And he's a tremendous guitar player with this absolutely unbridled enthusiasm for rock. So that's really good for me. It's kind of, like, I get this Phil X cattle project; it keeps giving me bursts of energy."

Addressing Levine's absence from the TRIUMPH tour, Rik said: "Mike Levine, his health has been up and down, in and out. I'm not sure he's gonna be able to join us for a lot of shows. The invitation is open, and there's a place for him whenever he feels like he might wanna do it, even if he just came and sat at a keyboard for a bit."

Emmett also talked about the skepticism from some fans about classic rock bands touring with, in some cases, one or two original members, or even no original members. He said: "I don't know. There are bands that are out there — JOURNEY, STYX, REO [SPEEDWAGON], DEF LEPPARD — and they have a catalog that is so strong that it becomes this compelling thing. So it's kind of like jukebox rock, if you're being cynical or skeptical. But what's wrong with a really great jukebox, if the songs are done with respect and they remain true to the spirit of the original? But I will deviate from that, because I feel like I'm a musician and a writer before I'm anything else. So a performer is part of it, and people wanna, 'Hey, I'd love to see [former JOURNEY singer] Steve Perry be able to sing 'Don't Stop Believin' in the original key and hit all the high notes.' But life is the way that it is. You don't get any younger. And so, from my perspective, I go, yeah, but these songs — I get a chance to reinvent them as I reinvent myself, given my circumstances. I'm 72 years old.

"The management company we work with, they also handle Peter Frampton, and Frampton went, 'Okay, I'm gonna go out and I'm gonna do just a farewell tour,'" Rik continued. "And he got out there and he told them, 'That 90 minutes I get on stage is the best part of my day. As long as I can keep doing it, please keep booking me. I wanna go back out.' And I feel like I'm already sensing that, when I'm in rehearsals. I mean, I tire more easily than I did. I'm working hard to have the same level of chops. I practice now more than I've ever practiced in my life. It's kind of, like, the veteran hockey player goes to the camp and he's gotta work way harder than the rookies just to be able to, compete. And I feel that. But I also feel like, how lucky am I, at 72 years of age, that I'm getting to chase this thing? How many other people my age get this opportunity? A friend of my wife said, they were talking on the phone, and she said, 'Most people when they retire,' and I retired about four or five years ago, but she said, 'Most people, when they retire, their lives get smaller. They kind of intentionally, they kind of shrink their lives to make it simpler and easier when they're retired.' She goes, 'Look at Rik. He's trying to make his life bigger.' And I think that's an easy way to say it, that that's the most fun of all, that I'm kind of going, 'Yeah. I'm gonna see if I can keep up with the 60-year-olds.'"

TRIUMPH kicked off its 2026 tour on April 10 in Orlando, Florida.

TRIUMPH's 2026 North American run of shows are celebrating the band's 50th anniversary, and feature support from APRIL WINE. The 2026 trek continued with a series of dates in Canada, beginning April 22 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and running through a May 8 show in Calgary, Alberta. From there, the band hit the U.S. starting May 13 in Rosemont, Illinois, and wrapping up June 6 in Boston. In all, 10 Canadian and 17 American cities are included on the tour.

Formed in Mississauga in 1975, TRIUMPH rose from playing high school auditoriums and rock 'n' roll bars to selling out iconic arenas, from Toronto's famed Maple Leaf Gardens to Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas. Their virtuosic musicianship, soaring vocals, and dazzling, high-production live shows helped define an era of arena rock. Blending hard rock power with progressive ambition, TRIUMPH has sold over 15 million albums worldwide and earned multiple gold and platinum certifications, building a global following through headline tours and landmark festival performances, including the 1983 US Festival before 500,000 fans. With hits like "Lay It on The Line", "Magic Power" and "Fight The Good Fight" — combined with pioneering stage productions featuring pyrotechnics, laser lighting, and theatrical flair — TRIUMPH became arena rock legends, securing a permanent place in Canadian and international rock history.

The band's return to the road follows a defining year honoring TRIUMPH's impact across generations. In June 2025, the band was celebrated with "Magic Power: All-Star Tribute To Triumph" (Round Hill Records, June 6, 2025),a 15-track tribute album featuring rock luminaries such as Phil X, Sebastian Bach, Slash, Nancy Wilson, Joey Belladonna, Dee Snider, Lawrence Gowan, Deen Castronovo, Alex Lifeson, Jeff Keith, Mickey Thomas and produced by the world-renowned Mike Clink (GUNS N' ROSES, MÖTLEY CRÜE, WHITESNAKE).

Further solidifying their celebrated status, TRIUMPH was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame in October, a prestigious honor recognizing their enduring influence, masterful songwriting, and contributions to Canada's cultural legacy. This induction adds to their long list of accolades, which includes membership in the Canadian Music Industry Hall Of Fame (2007),the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame (2008),and Canada's Walk Of Fame (2019).

Emmett, who quit TRIUMPH — acrimoniously, in 1988 — over music and business disputes, went on to pursue a solo career, while TRIUMPH carried on with future BON JOVI guitarist Phil X for one more album, 1992's "Edge Of Excess", before calling it a day the following year.

Emmett was estranged, both personally and professionally, from the two other members of the legendary Canadian classic rock power trio for 18 years before they repaired their relationship.

After 20 years apart, Emmett, Levine and Moore played at the 2008 editions of the Sweden Rock Festival and Rocklahoma. A DVD of the historic Sweden performance was made available four years later.

In a new interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan was asked about his guest appearance by Ace Frehley's 1989 solo album "Trouble Walkin'". Bolan, along with SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo and then-SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach contributed backing vocals to the LP, which also featured a guest performance by former KISS drummer Peter Criss. Asked what memories stand out to him about the time he got to spend and work with the legendary KISS guitarist, Rachel said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, when we went to the studio that day, at the time, I think we had already met Ace at the MTV studios, and we did 'Cold Gin'. He played acoustic, and it was mind-blowing. So, my friend Richie Scarlet was playing guitar with Ace at the time, and I think they were in Connecticut, and we were in Connecticut. And he called me, he was, like, 'Hey, grab the guys and come down and sing backup on Ace's record on a couple songs.' I was, like, 'Hell, yeah. I'm answering for everyone.' And so a few of us went down. And I walk in the studio, I see Richie, hugs, whatever. And I look over at the console, and it's [legendary producer] Eddie Kramer sitting there, which I had no idea he was producing the record. I was, like, 'Oh, man.' And then I hear the drums, and I'm looking. I forget who played drums at the time in the band, but I look at him and I hear drums, and I'm, like... And I look over the window and there's Peter Criss behind the drums playing drums. I'm, like, 'You have got to be kidding me.' I'm looking at Richie and we're all looking, I'm looking at Snake, and I'm, like, 'Are you joking, man? Peter Criss and Eddie Kramer, and we got invited by Ace. This is too much.'"

Bolan continued: "The funniest moment, and because Peter's a funny guy — he's a really funny guy, and we had just met him. I'm kind of nervous, I'm kind of starstruck, and we're all around a mic, and we all have our headphones on. And Ace is showing us, 'I am trouble walkin'.' And that's the line, right? And out of nowhere, Peter goes, 'Ace, you should change it to 'I have trouble walking'.' And I was, like, 'Do I laugh? Do I not laugh?' And then Ace started cracking up. I was, like, 'Okay, cool. It's great.' But yeah, that is such a vivid memory about Ace. And he was just so in on the joke. He was, like, 'Yeah. Yeah, I do.' [Laughs]"

Back in March 2023, Snake told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station that the very first rock show he ever saw as a kid was KISS at Madison Square Garden in New York City in December 1977. "And that's the day that my life was completely changed," he said. "I walked in there as one person and I walked out a completely different person. I was absolutely blown away by what I had just witnessed. It was the most insane experience of my life. Especially being 13 years old, to sit there and to be able to experience something like that, the enormity of it, how bombastic it was, it was incomprehensible. And so when I got home, I knew that I was going to do something in the music business. I didn't know what it was gonna be — I didn't play an instrument; I had no clue — but a year later I picked up the guitar and nothing's changed since then. I knew exactly what I wanted to do from the seventh grade in high school."

Rachel will release his debut solo album, "Gargoyle Of The Garden State", on June 12 via earMUSIC. The LP, which will be made available under the BOLAN banner, was produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who previously worked on SKID ROW's 2022 album "The Gang's All Here", and it will feature guest appearances by Rachel's SKID ROW bandmates Dave "Snake" Sabo (guitar),Scotti Hill (guitar) and Rob Hammersmith (drums),along with Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR),Nuno Bettencourt (EXTREME),Danko Jones, Steve Conte (NEW YORK DOLLS) and Damon Johnson (BROTHER CANE, LYNYRD SKYNYRD).

According to a press release, "Gargoyle Of The Garden State" is "a bold, deeply personal debut rooted in the grit, attitude, and storytelling spirit of his New Jersey upbringing."

Musically, the album delivers hook-driven, anthemic songs that fuse punk energy with melodic sensibility, wrapped in swagger and raw edge what early listeners have already called "quintessentially New Jersey." Among its standout moments is a surprising cover of OASIS's "Rock And Roll Star", reimagined through Bolan's distinctive lens.

Expanding beyond his role as a bassist, Bolan performs the majority of instruments, shaping the record from the ground up. Drawing on influences from Britpop and glam to punk rock and new wave, the album represents a lifetime in music.

SKID ROW is currently looking for a new singer following the departure of Erik Grönwall in March 2024.

A powerful new voice emerges from Ireland’s progressive underground as AFTERBORN unveil their debut single, “Lost In The Shadows“.

Stream the single HERE.

Formed in 2024 by former Nebularis collaborators, Hytham Martin (Guitar, Vocals, Synth) and Damian Dziennik (Drums, Percussion, Synth), AFTERBORN was born from a shared desire to create music without boundaries. Drawing from Progressive Metal, World Music and Operatic influences, the project seeks to explore themes of fear, memory, conflict and human fragility through expansive soundscapes and emotionally charged songwriting.

Having previously worked together through Nebularis and the Aiséirí All Ireland Metal Project, Martin and Dziennik spent years developing a creative chemistry rooted in ambition and experimentation. What began as an idea between two musicians soon evolved into something far greater.

With the addition of session bassist Eddie Mann, AFTERBORN continued its search for artists who shared the same creative vision. That search led to the arrival of Adrianna “Adka” Kania (Vocals, Hurdy-gurdy, Synth) and Raphael Costa (Vocals, Guitar, Synth), completing a line-up whose collective influences and musical backgrounds bring depth, atmosphere and intensity to the project’s sound.

Their debut single, ‘Lost in the Shadows’, is a dark and emotionally resonant introduction to the world of AFTERBORN. Balancing crushing progressive arrangements with haunting melodies and cinematic textures, the track reflects on division, betrayal and the emotional scars left behind when trust collapses.


Lyrically, the song paints a vivid picture of a world consumed by fear and disconnection. Themes of memory, hatred and emotional isolation run throughout the track, while its soaring choruses and dramatic shifts in dynamics create a sense of tension and catharsis that lingers long after the final note fades.
Speaking about the single, the band explain:
“Lost in the Shadows’ reflects the emotional weight people carry when relationships, trust and even society itself begin to fracture. We wanted the song to feel personal but also universal. It’s about fear, conflict and the struggle to hold onto humanity when everything around you feels uncertain.”

Atmospheric yet aggressive, intimate yet grand in scale, AFTERBORN are laying the foundations for a project driven not only by technical musicianship, but by genuine emotional connection and artistic honesty.

In a new interview with Ed Hack of This Day In Metal, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist Woody Weatherman reflected on the 2020 passing of the band's co-founding drummer Reed Mullin. Mullin, who co-founded CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in 1982 as a hardcore punk act alongside bassist Mike Dean and Weatherman, had missed a number of shows in the four years prior to his death due to a variety of health issues, including an alcohol-related seizure he suffered back in June 2016.

"[Reed and I] went to high school together, he and I," Woody told This Day In Metal. "[His death] was an immense loss. It wasn't entirely unexpected — he had some health issues and stuff — but it was a hard hit. Anytime you lose a brother like that, it's tough. I feel like his spirit appears on the new [CORROSION OF CONFORMITY] record [the upcoming 'Good God / Baad Man'], in my opinion, even though he's not actually playing on it. I think Stanton [Moore, who played drums on 'Good God / Baad Man'] hit on some of his signature-type licks and stuff. He would be playing things, and Pepper [Keenan, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist/vocalist] and I would look at each other and go, 'Man, that sounds like a little fill that Reed would've probably put there.' So he's kind of still with us in that way.

"It's a tough loss," Woody added. "He's been gone now six years. But the train don't stop, man. CORROSION is a bigger thing than its individual members, we always kind of say. It's a family."

Weatherman also talked about the decision to release "Good God / Baad Man" as a 14-song double album. Produced by Grammy Award winner Warren Riker (FUGEES, DOWN, CATHEDRAL) and featuring cover art by famed New Orleans artist Scott Guion, the LP was recorded at Blak Shak Studios in Riffissippi, USA, Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana, and BEE GEES legend Barry Gibb's home studio in Miami, Florida. Asked when he and his CORROSION OF CONFORMITY bandmates knew that "Good God / Baad Man" would be presented as a double album, Woody said: "Well, after we were in a few sessions, I would fly down to Louisiana, and we would do these four- or five-day sessions, just me and Pep sitting in a shack — we called it the Blak Shak — and we just had a pile of guitars in there, a few amps, and we were just cracking at it, butting heads on riffs and stuff. And we were the only ones there. And so it was very productive. And I would say five, six sessions of doing like that and we already had way more than an album's worth of material, and we were nowhere close to running out of ideas. And we knew it was gonna be something special, because it was already sounding pumping before drums ever made it on to it, or bass or anything. And, of course, once everybody showed up, once we brought Bobby 'Rock' [Landgraf, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY bassist] in and we were ready to bring Stanton in and start really rehearsing for the actual recording it, it really blossomed then. But it was very early on that we figured out it was gonna be basically a double album. It was just too much material. And we didn't wanna break it up, 'cause it just flows together."

Asked if the "more groove-oriented" nature of the "Baad Man" portion of the album was the result of Pepper writing one type of song and Woody coming up with something different, Weatherman responded: "[It was] a little bit of both, to be honest. And there's some things where there'll be a Pepper riff and then a Woody riff. So it's, like, we do combine things like that a lot of times. But I agree with you, the second half or the second disc, whatever you wanna call it, the 'Baad Man' side, I think we do a little more branching out into different areas on that part of the record. But it matches up well with the first slab of vinyl. It goes smoothly. It seems like another one of those to me that you could drop the needle or put in the disc or where whatever you're playing, and have a bucket of beer beside you and just enjoy the whole thing without really picking the needle up."

As for the songwriting process for "Good God / Baad Man", Woody said: "It was written completely different, because the normal way that C.O.C. has made albums is all four dudes getting kind of our little jam room and hash out songs — with drums there, with everybody there making it. And this was totally different. It was just Pepper and I with a giant bucket of beer and a room full of guitars and amps, just throwing riffs at each other and seeing how we could put 'em together and all that. And everything was already together before we ever even brought drums into the situation. So, it was a completely different way of writing a record. And, in my opinion, this was the funnest record I've ever made. I had a fun time making it, just 'cause it was easy. There was nobody there to tell us 'no', whether it be a record label or a producer or anything. It was, like, 'You guys go and do your thing. We trust you.'"

"Good God / Baad Man" is set for release on April 3 via Nuclear Blast.

Earlier this month, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY announced the addition of drummer Nick Shabatura to the group's ranks.

Shabatura, who has previously played with DESECRATE THE HOUR and the Chicago-based NIRVANA tribute band SMELLS LIKE NIRVANA, landed the C.O.C. gig at the recommendation of ANTHRAX/PANTERA drummer Charlie Benante.

Moore, who played on CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's 2005 album "In The Arms Of God" and laid down the drum tracks for "Good God / Baad Man", gave Shabatura's arrival his blessing, writing on social media: "I approve this message! I went by rehearsals in Riffississippi the other day to meet and hang with Nick. He is an amazing drummer and a super cool guy. He showed up having completely done his homework and already sounds great playing with the band.

"The plan was always for me to make this record with the guys and then to find somebody to do the touring. Well, we found the guy and he is Nick Shabatura! Thanks Charlie Benante for the recommendation".

There are countless young bands that are still searching for their own individual musical identity and a breakthrough image based on their own visionary concept. And then there’s BLOOD WHITE, a band that has already found all these factors. Although the five-piece band has only been together since 2022, their sound is incredibly mature, creative and unique. BLOOD WHITE have developed a refined, distinctive mix of modern metal, rock and hardcore which leaves a lasting impression. Added to that, the band’s incredible stage outfits, highlighted through their glaring red and white ‘corporate identity’, sets the quintet apart from the genre’s standard dull, black style which so many of their contemporaries seem to favour. But most importantly, their debut album, “From Hell”, presents music of a standard rarely found in newcomer acts.

The songs mix raw metal riffs and brutal grooves with catchy choruses which enables listeners who are less into the metal-genre immediate access to their exciting, hellraising music. Listen to tracks such as “All I Said Was A Lie”‚ “Bloodified”, “I Smell Blood” or “From Hell” and watch the videos of “Run Or Die” and “Guns & Fear” which all show BLOOD WHITE’s extensive range of stylistic potential and musical influences. At the same time, the album also provides a number of surprises.

Practically out of nowhere (or rather, out of darkest hell), singer Dr. Zero projects a deep sense of melancholy, grief and anger on “Before I Die”, deliberately leaving a number of questions unanswered. Dr. Zero: “The song says something about me, and its metaphors express precisely what I want to share with our audience. It’s about love, about its dependence on your own emotions and on what constitutes the bleakness of grief. Thoughts of having nothing left but a refuge, albeit one that makes you slide even deeper into the abyss than you already have.”

“From Hell” and “Fear” strike a similar lyrical note and present demonic verbal exchanges on God and the world, preachers, monsters and demons, as well as the eternal horror of war and devastation leading, ultimately, to the destruction of one’s own soul. Dr. Zero added: “Most of our songs are about the chasms of the human mind, its capacity for absolute evil, a contradiction to love and compassion. This contraction also resonates in the name “Blood White”, red being a symbol of blood, but also of love, and white stands for innocence and eternity evoking that glistening, bright light that people who have experienced ‘being clinically dead’ talk about.”

The appraisal above says it all! BLOOD WHITE hold everything in their own hands, it’s all there to be seen and heard: the music, the videos, the album sleeve, the photos – the entire band and its image!

BLOOD WHITE are fulfilling the promise of an even more spectacular (metal) future!


TRACK-LISTING
01 – All I Said Was A Lie
02 – Run Or Die
03 – Bloodified
04- I Smell Blood
05 – Guns & Fear
06 – Unholy Water
07 – Fear
08 – Before I Die
09 – Memories
10 – Kill Everyone
11 – Don´t Blame Me
12 – From Hell

LINE-UP
Dr. Zero – vocals
Mr. Bonesaw – guitar
D.C. Spark – guitar
Luke Y-Cut – drums
Gas Gee – bass

In a new interview with Thomas Moser of Germany's Rock Antenne, THE PRETTY RECKLESS frontwoman Taylor Momsen spoke about her band's refusal to use backing tracks or rely on click tracks in their live performances and concerts. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Like anyone, I love what I love, and I love classic rock and I love all the '90s stuff, and I love authentic playing. We don't use the computer or anything like that to enhance anything. The computer is simply a tape machine; it is simply recording. There's no tuning. There's no fixing of anything. It's about capturing a performance, because that, to me, is what is authentic. As soon as you manipulate something, you're taking the human out of it, and I just don't see the point. I understand that there's a lot of music that does do that, but that's not what I aim to make ever. I'm trying to capture being as vulnerable and bare and raw and honest as I humanly can be. 'Cause I think that's the thing that is gonna connect to people at the end of the day, and that's how I want to emote myself. And also when we get on stage, we turn up."

She added: "It's fun playing music with your friends. And there is no production, there is no tracks, there's no click track — there's none of that. It's just the four of us on stage. We turn up, and every night's different, and it's exciting."

After Moser noted that this approach "is so rare nowadays" because so many musicians "aim for perfection", Taylor said: "I think the perfection is in the imperfection. That's the human quality that can't be emulated, and that's the magic. That's what you're striving for."

Thomas went on to say that THE PRETTY RECKLESS "must have a thousand young girls or boys or listeners" that come to her and the rest of the band and comment on the fact their approach is more stripped down and bare than what they are accustomed to seeing. "Yeah, I guess I never even thought of it that way," Taylor admitted. "Our fans, I think, know what they're getting with us at this point. We just did a very small club show in London at the Underworld, and we pulled from all aspects of our career, and it was very fun, and I feel very fortunate to have... that we have a fanbase that likes — it seems to, at least — that likes everything we do. And they actually listen to the full record. I'm old school in that way. I make an album, and the album says everything. It's hard for me to cherry-pick songs out of that. They all stand on their own, of course, but you're not getting the complete story, you're not getting the complete picture, I don't think, in the modern paradigm. So it's very rewarding to have a fanbase that understands that, I think, and cares about everything equally."

THE PRETTY RECKLESS's fifth studio album, "Dear God", will arrive on June 26 via Fearless Records.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS will bring its stage performance to fans across the world with the band's all-new headlining "Dear God" tour. The trek will kick off in North America this summer, making stops in New Orleans, Dallas, and Los Angeles before wrapping in Europe. This tour follows THE PRETTY RECKLESS's incredible two-year long trek across the globe alongside AC/DC on the "Power Up" tour.

This upcoming marquee year follows a remarkable 12 months for THE PRETTY RECKLESS, which included an acclaimed performance at the prestigious 2026 MusiCares Person Of The Year Gala, where Taylor honored the legendary Mariah Carey alongside the FOO FIGHTERS, as well as a performance at the 2025 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame where Taylor performed with SOUNDGARDEN for their induction. Additionally, the band released their holiday EP "Taylor Momsen's Pretty Reckless Christmas", which features the revamped "Where Are You Christmas?" — the lead single hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, reigniting over two decades of global fandom and nostalgia.

In a new interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music, Chuck Billy, the frontman of San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans TESTAMENT, spoke about his upcoming memoir, "Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments Of Chuck Billy", which is due on November 10, 2026 via Permuted Press. The 63-year-old singer, who was diagnosed with germ cell seminoma, a rare type of cancer, a quarter century ago, has been cancer-free for over two decades following chemotherapy and traditional Native American healing. Asked about his spirituality before and after his cancer diagnosis, Chuck said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I was raised Catholic, so I was raised religious — catechism, all that stuff through high school. My mother was very religious. So I would say I was just raised religious. That's what I knew. I didn't know anything else. I think being in the band and traveling the world and seeing other cultures and stuff, and then wanting to get into my native, more American roots at that time, it was a weird way it all happened. And I don't wanna give it all away, [having written about it] in the book, but just the way that happened for me to meet the medicine men was a real weird coincidence to start with. And from the first time, the first medicine man I met, I went into this strong mindset that, for me, it was mind over matter. Whatever I'm doing, I'm believing it's working. Whatever our goal was, I'm mentally thinking we're accomplishing something right now. And that's kind of the way I went into it. So after I experienced the whole Native [American] thing and just these unbelievable, mind-blowing things that I experienced, and the outcome and beating it, I could sit there and go, 'Okay, thank God, thank whatever.' But I think spirituality — it turned me more spiritual instead of religious, and I think over the years, it's been 20-something years, my house is covered with different gods from any faith, statues around my house. I don't have one god in my house. I have every form, because I'm a spiritual guy now."

Back in 2012, Chuck told Legendary Rock Interviews that his cancer diagnosis was an accidental discovery that ultimately saved his life.

"I had started smoking cigarettes at that time," he recalled. "I had been smoking for about two or three months and I was just walking up the stairs in my house and just huffing and puffing and thinking 'Man, these cigarettes are just killing me. I gotta stop smoking. I can't breathe.' That was the first thing I noticed. I think I was just really fortunate and blessed and had an angel looking down on me because I probably would have just kept right on smoking anyway and I was the kind of guy that never went to the doctor. I probably hadn't been to the doctor since my high school physical to play football. One day, totally out of the blue, a real estate agent knocked on my door and told me that she had somebody who wanted to buy my house. My house wasn't even for sale but she just had someone she was talking to who had told her that they wanted to buy my house. I told her I wasn't interested but just wondered how much she'd sell it for and when she told me how much she could sell it for I was, like, 'Well, okay, if you can sell it for that much than maybe I am interested.' [Laughs] So she did. She sold it and at that time I was playing with these guys in Antioch which was about an hour from my house and hangin out in this really nice little country town with not a lot going on out there. So when we sold our house, I told my wife, 'Hey, let's move out there. It's quiet, on a river. Let's go there.' So, the drummer I was working with there was a guy from SADUS and his wife worked at a hospital there and recommended a doctor and my wife and I decided to switch doctors and dentists and everything and meet them and all of us go get a physical. The doctor called back and everything was fine with my wife, but they wanted me to come in for a CT scan on my chest and further X-rays. That's how they found it. So it was kind of like a fluke situation. If that lady never knocked on my door to sell my house I probably would have died and never see it coming because I had a tumor in my chest that was the size of a squash. It was growing off of my heart and pushing on my lungs which is why I couldn't breath. I didn't have any space in there for my lungs to expand."

At the time, he underwent chemotherapy and, being a Native American, Chuck utilized traditional medicine, including seeking help from spiritual healers. A year into treatment and recovery, he was declared cancer-free in 2002.

According to a press release, "Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments Of Chuck Billy" is structured as two interlocking testaments, tracing the full arc of a life lived at maximum volume — and then something louder than any riff: the fight to stay alive. The Old Testament plunges readers into the explosive birth of Bay Area thrash metal, the formation of TESTAMENT, the rivalries, the brotherhood, and the reckless, glorious chaos of becoming one of the genre's most powerful voices. The New Testament is something rarer and more raw — a frontman at 38, blindsided by a devastating cancer diagnosis, drawing on his Native American and Mexican-American heritage, spiritual healers, visions, and the fierce love of a metal community. At the center of that community: the legendary 2001 "Thrash Of The Titans" benefit concert — one of the most galvanizing moments in heavy metal history — which rallied old rivals into brothers and helped ignite a genre revival while keeping Chuck Billy in the fight.

Co-written with Dave Erickson, "Holding My Breath" delivers the unfiltered insider story of thrash metal's rise alongside a deeply human account of mortality, miraculous recovery, cultural identity, and chosen family. It is, equally, a gift to lifelong TESTAMENT fans and to anyone who has ever faced the unthinkable — and refused to let go.

The book features a foreword by Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST) and an afterword by Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD) — two of metal's most revered voices bearing witness to Chuck Billy's enduring legacy.

Raised in a resilient Native American and Mexican-American family, Chuck forged his path through rebellion, raw talent, and unbreakable stubbornness — becoming the powerful voice behind one of thrash's most enduring bands.

Billy has been honored with a California State Assembly recognition for his positive influence on Native communities, was part of The Smithsonian's National Museum Of The American Indian's exhibition, "Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians In Popular Culture", and won "Best Music Video" at the American Indian Film Festival for "Native Blood".

For more information, and to pre-order, visit chuckbillybook.com.

During an appearance on a recent episode of the Lovett Or Leave It podcast hosted by speechwriter and screenwriter Jon Lovett, HEART singer Ann Wilson spoke about her authorized feature documentary "In My Voice". Told in Ann's own words, "In My Voice" traces her extraordinary 75-year journey, from a nomadic childhood to the stages of the world's biggest arenas, and into a bold new creative chapter. Drawing from an extensive personal archive of home movies, photographs, journals, and never-before-seen footage, the film reveals the deeply personal experiences that shaped Wilson's artistry and helped lay the foundation for the rise of HEART. The documentary also features commentary from family members, bandmates, fellow artists, and industry figures who witnessed her singular path.

Asked by Lovett why now was the right time for her to release a documentary about her life, Ann said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The main thing was at this point in my life and in my career, it seems like people just have me tied to HEART, because that's been my life's work. And I thought, 'Well, okay, now it's time to let people in on what the rest of my life has been like outside of the band, behind the scenes.' And the documentary is not a whitewash. It tells the story. It tells a rock and roll story, but also just the story of a person who started out as just a little suburban girl with braces and all that, and really went, took a big journey and experienced love and hate and people making fun of me and people saying, 'Oh, you're a genius,' and just the whole thing. Yeah, I just wanted to let people know, in my own words, what the story is about me."

Regarding the "balance" of establishing her own identity while being part of a legendary rock band like HEART with her sister, guitarist Nancy Wilson, Ann said: "I think that Nancy and I grew up as small children learning how to play music together, and that was a bonding thing that we took on as children. Where most kids were outside playing with dolls or playing horses in the grass, we were upstairs playing guitars. And so that just kind of grew and matured into standing up and playing guitars in front of people. And then one thing led to another and it got to where it is. But she and I have a delicate relationship even so of when she does something that makes me mad or I do something that makes her angry, there's a way that we know how to deal with it now where we can actually talk it out like grownups. [Sweeping things] under the rug never works. It gets more and more and more ugly."

"In My Voice" is directed by Barbara Hall, a Prime-Time Emmy-nominated producer and director known for her work on immersive music and cultural documentaries. With more than 25 years of experience developing and directing original programming, Hall has built a reputation for uncovering powerful human stories. She is a member of the Producers Guild Of America, the Guild Of Music Supervisors and the Documentary Producers Alliance, and was honored with the 2025 Women In Film/Nashville Alice Award Trailblazer Award.

"What an honor to tell the story of one of our greatest rock music voices of all time," Hall previously said in a statement. "Her voice notwithstanding, her story exceeds a scriptwriter's imagination, and her courage to share her story is inspiring."

By interweaving past and present, "In My Voice" explores Wilson's life against the backdrop of a changing America, from the Vietnam War era and the rise of MTV to the enduring cultural power of rock and roll. The film reveals not only how Ann Wilson shaped the sound of a generation, but how her voice continues to evolve decades later.

In July 2024, Ann announced HEART was canceling its tour so that she could undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy following a cancer diagnosis. In September 2024, Ann returned to her social media channels to share the news that her chemotherapy treatments were complete, and she was ready to tour in 2025.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest voices in the history of rock and roll, Ann is a true icon, known far and wide as lead singer and songwriter of the groundbreaking rock band HEART. Led by Wilson's extraordinary vocal power, HEART has thrilled audiences for five decades, earning sales of more than 35 million and well-deserved induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013. Indeed, as lead singer of the first female-fronted superstar hard rock band, Wilson blazed a trail for generations of women to come, while her songs — including "Barracuda", "Crazy On You", "Straight O" and "Magic Man", to name but a few — have become part of the very fabric of popular culture.

In December 2023, HEART played its first three concerts in more than four years — in Highland, California, at Greater Palm Springs in Palm Desert, California, and in Seattle, Washington.

Prior to HEART's December 27, 2023 show in Highland, the band's last performance took place in October 2019 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

HEART toured North America in the summer of 2019 after a nasty split that kept the Wilson sisters estranged for three years.

HEART's 2013 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame saw Ann and Nancy reunited with the four musicians who helped HEART achieve its initial success in the mid-1970s — guitarist Roger Fisher, bassist Steve Fossen, drummer Michael DeRosier and longtime guitarist-keyboardist Howard Leese.

The Wilson sisters' reunion with HEART's original lineup at the Rock Hall ceremony marked the first time the group played together in 34 years.

When Ann and Nancy formed HEART, the idea of two women leading a rock band was still groundbreaking. From the moment 1975's "Dreamboat Annie" was released, they became stars. With hits like "Magic Man", "Crazy On You", "Barracuda", "Alone", "What About Love" and "These Dreams", the band became one of the biggest hit-makers in the '70s and '80s, selling more than 35 million records. In 2012, their memoir "Kicking & Dreaming: A Story Of Heart, Soul And Rock & Roll" became a New York Times bestseller.

In a new interview with Viking Stew of the Hammer Away podcast, ZEBRA guitarist/vocalist Randy Jackson addressed criticism from some fans about classic rock bands not sounding like they did in their heyday, with many aging singers struggling to reproduce their biggest hits live. The 71-year-old Randy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "First of all, I think anybody who wants to go out and tour should be out there doing it, regardless of what people are saying. I mean, at our age, musicians our age, a lot of times people, they don't even care what you sound like. They're just there for the experience. They're there for the nostalgia. And they'd like you to sound great, but if you're not the greatest thing, if you're not like they remember, I think they still enjoy the experience. On the other hand, if you're out there still performing and singing still the same as you did previous, that's where you have the hope of getting some new fans, some new blood into the situation. But I think we all enjoy the music. I mean, the musicians and the audience enjoy the times, and there's a little nostalgia there for everybody.

Jackson continued: "People love to trash people… Yeah, it's tough, but it can be funny too, 'cause I remember somebody was complaining about [Jon] Bon Jovi's voice a couple of years ago, and one of the comments was from a girl who said, 'Who the hell cares? You think we care what he sounds like?' [Laughs] And so that's a very, very valid point. And that's why they call it rock and roll. Get out there and just keep doing it.

"If you don't wanna go, if you wanna see some really great musicians, go to the symphony," Randy added. "If you wanna rock and roll, then go see a rock band, no matter how good or bad they are."

Randy also talked about the recent passing of legendary rock producer Jack Douglas, who helmed ZEBRA's 1983 self-titled debut and 1984 sophomore effort, "No Tellin' Lies". He said: "Well, certainly I learned a lot from Jack. But I don't know if you know this, but he produced five songs for the new record that's coming out. We just worked together last year. And it was great getting back together with him. And he was not a person that looked ill at all. [He looked] healthy as a horse. And I was shocked when I found out he was sick. And I still can't believe it. It's horrible. I mean, besides being a great musician, he was fun to hang out with. He had a great sense of humor. And [he was] a real giving person. If you had a question, he'd tell you — he'd tell you exactly how it was. And he was really into teaching — very, very generous."

Jackson continued: "Jack did a lot, a lot of stuff, both as an engineer and a producer. And, yeah, under the radar is what you could really say, because he's, like, one of the top producers ever. And people need to know that. But he was always humble. That's what was cool about him. He was probably the same Jack that took the freighter over to England in 1964 to try to make it as a musician over there."

ZEBRA is the legendary power trio consisting of Jackson, bassist/keyboardist Felix Hanemann and drummer Guy Gelso.

ZEBRA has been performing several new songs during its recent shows, including "All Your Love", "Walk With You", "Direction" and "Love Sex".

ZEBRA will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year with the release of its long-awaited new studio album, which was recorded at Jackson and Gelso's home studios. This will be the band's first release of new material since "Zebra IV" in 2003.

ZEBRA is the longest-running American band still touring with all its original members. Formed in New Orleans in 1975, Jackson, Hanemann and Gelso have performed together every year for the last 50 years.

In December 2024, Jackson told Newsday about ZEBRA's upcoming LP: "The record will feature a variety of songs. We got some stuff from 1977 we never recorded, songs I penned with other people and a bunch of tunes that I wrote recently. It's evolving as we're doing it."

In 2023, ZEBRA celebrated the 40th anniversary of its debut album by playing the entire album in order and continued doing some more of these special shows in new cities during its 2024 tour.

ZEBRA has also been working on a new documentary that will feature new interviews and performance clips from the recent tour "plus a lot more" about the band's history. The documentary, tentatively titled "Tell Me What You Want: 50 Years Of Zebra", will feature never-before-seen footage from the band's birth in Louisiana, to spreading new roots and reaching legendary status in Long Island, New York.

ZEBRA galloped out of New Orleans in early 1975. The trio concocted their moniker from a 1926 Vogue magazine cover and soon won over the South and East Coast.

ZEBRA's self-titled debut album, released on March 21, 1983, went gold, and at that time was the fastest-selling debut album in Atlantic Records history, thanks to the radio and MTV airplay of "Tell Me What You Want" and "Who's Behind The Door?"

In 2010 ZEBRA was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame and is acknowledged as Louisiana's No. 1 rock and roll band by the Louisiana Music Commission. On October 18, 2012 ZEBRA was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame.

Image and video credit: Smash Machine!

In a new interview with Donny Fandango of the St. Louis radio station 105.7 The Point, STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok was asked if fans can expect to see the band's ninth studio album anytime soon. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, it's done. Yeah. I have to redo… I just have my demo guitars and bass on there, so that's... We finish [making a couple of festival appearances], so I get home for a week, and the week after we're going in the studio. I'm gonna finish my guitars, bass, then it'll be mixed. But it probably won't be out till next year, I don't think."

Asked if it's true that he was nervous about going back to the studio with STAIND for the band's first effort in twelve years, "Confessions Of The Fallen", which came out in September 2023 via Alchemy Recordings/BMG, Mike said: "Originally, yeah. We hadn't written together in, like, 10 years, you know what I mean? So there was a little bit of anxiety. And listen, there's always that when you go to make a record anyways, because — I don't know — I mean, it's an important thing. How many times do you get to do it? Not a lot. So we're very fortunate that this is our ninth [album]. But yes, there was [some anxiety] that first time [in the studio after a hiatus]."

Mike continued: "We kind of developed a way of doing ['Confessions Of The Fallen'] that we did on this [upcoming] one, so there really wasn't as much anxiety that went along with it. And it actually went pretty smoothly, really well, and I'm really, really excited about it."

STAIND's first new LP since 2011, "Confessions Of The Fallen" was produced by Erik Ron (GODSMACK, PANIC! AT THE DISCO, BLACK VEIL BRIDES).

Last September, Mike was asked by Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio if he thought STAIND's future efforts would follow a similar experimental path as "Confessions Of The Fallen", featuring the "electronic element" which was incorporated into the latest LP. He responded at the time: "I do think that that's gonna happen. Yeah, definitely. In fact, there's some new music kicking around, and it's definitely still kind of following that same vein a bit. So, I'm real excited about that as well. So, yeah, I definitely think that we'll continue down that path, for sure."

Back in December 2023, Mushok told Germany's Riot Vision about the electronic element on "Confessions Of The Fallen": "Well, that was something that [STAIND frontman] Aaron [Lewis] really wanted to explore. We had talked about it before, but we'd never really done it. So he really wanted to make that a part of what we were doing. And it was funny, 'cause I do remember saying to him, like, 'I play guitar. I don't know how to do that.' So that's where I feel like Erik played a really big part in helping make that a part of what this album sounds like. Some of those verses where you hear [and] it's like more electronic[-sounding], that's a guitar part I wrote just played on a synthesizer, [using] some crazy sound. So he was able to take some of those things that I wrote and adapt it to kind of bring in some of those elements into the music. And I think he did a great job. I like it. I'm pretty happy with it."

Asked what new musical elements he would like to explore on future STAIND albums, Mike said: "I don't know. To me, it's just really about trying to write great songs. It's really just kind of trying to take what we do and make it better. And I don't really have any kind of guidelines. If it calls for more electronics or — I don't know — a guitar solo or whatever the case may be, whatever really the song calls for, I think that that's what the best thing to explore is. But I was very happy with the process of making this record and how it came out. Some records have been really difficult to make. This one wasn't one of those. The way we did it, it took us a while, but we got there. And by the end of the day, once we got there, I was really happy with the end results."

When "Confessions Of The Fallen" was announced in April 2023, Lewis stated about the LP's musical direction: "I did want to modernize the sound and bring us up to date. You can certainly recognize the band but at the same time you can hear that we've been paying attention and understand what kind of sounds and approaches we can use that maybe weren't around the last time we did this."

STAIND has released eight albums since 1995, including 2011's self-titled effort. The band has had a number of hit songs during its first two decades, including the Top 10 smash "It's Been Awhile" from the No. 1 album "Break The Cycle". Follow-up LPs "14 Shades Of Grey" and "Chapter V" also topped the Billboard chart.

STAIND released its first album in nine years, "Live: It's Been Awhile", in May 2021 via Yap'em/Alchemy Recordings. The "Live: It's Been Awhile" album was accompanied by "The Return Of Staind", a two-part global streaming series in partnership with Danny Wimmer Presents.

This past February, STAIND announced the "Break The Cycle 25th Anniversary Tour", celebrating the groundbreaking album that cemented the band's place in rock history. The 25-date trek will feature SEETHER as direct support, with special guests HOOBASTANK and HINDER as openers, bringing together four defining forces of modern rock for one massive run this fall.

Produced by Live Nation, the "Break The Cycle 25th Anniversary Tour" will kick off in September and make stops across major amphitheaters and arenas in the U.S. and Canada, concluding in Dallas, Texas.

Formed in 1995 STAIND recorded and released eight studio albums, with their most notable being in 2001 with "Break The Cycle", an RIAA-certified-five-times-platinum album that produced a top-five Billboard Hot 100 with their massive hit "It's Been Awhile". The single was one of the most played songs in modern rock radio history spending 20 weeks at number 1. Several of their other hits also topped the Billboard 200, including "Fade", "For You", "Prince to Pay", "So Far Away" and "Right Here". In 2019, after a five-year hiatus, STAIND reunited for unforgettable festival performances and a hometown reunion show that was recorded for the album "Live: It's Been Awhile". The band has been called one of the defining bands of the post-grunge movement, securing awards, including Billboard Music Awards the MTV Video Music Awards, among others.

"Confessions Of The Fallen" reached #1 on Billboard's Active Rock Album chart. The debut single from the album, "Lowest In Me", and the second single, "Here And Now", both reached No. 1 on the Active Rock Chart. One year later in September 2024, STAIND digitally released "Confessions Of The Fallen (Deluxe)" that contained three additional songs, including "Better Days Feat. Dorothy", a radio version of the album track, and "Full Of Emptiness".

Press photo credit: Steve Thrasher

In a new interview with USA Today, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx reflected on Vince Neil's recovery from a stroke the CRÜE singer experienced in late 2024.

"I can't imagine what Vince went through, and to not know if I could ever do what I love again. And I think that freaked him out the hardest," Nikki said.

"I didn't know, really, anything about a stroke," Sixx admitted. "I thought a stroke was something else, and when it happened to one of us, the family, and then you start learning more about it, you're like: 'My God.'"

He continued, "It might even be good for fans to hear that and if there's any cautionary stuff you have to do."

A couple of months after Vince's health scare, MÖTLEY CRÜE announced that its residency at Sin City's Dolby Live at Park MGM — originally set to run March 28, 2025 through April 19, 2025 — had been delayed until September 2025. At the time, MÖTLEY CRÜE's statement said only that the singer required a "medical procedure." The CRÜE also canceled May 2025's planned performance at Maryland's Boardwalk Rock festival.

In September 2025, Vince revealed that he had actually had a series of strokes before he suffered the "big one" in his sleep Christmas night of 2024, rendering him unable to get out of bed when he woke up the next day. Speaking to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" on September 24, 2025, Neil said he'd had "four strokes throughout the years. Two of 'em I didn't even know I had. One of 'em was a mini stroke that happened and I just lost feeling in my hand. And that was it. And I got over that pretty quickly. But then this last one, it was a big one."

When Trunk asked how doctors could tell that Neil had had previous strokes, the singer explained, "because they could see it in your brain. It's scarred right around the same spot. I had four scars in my brain, and the neurologist said those are all strokes." Neil added that you can have a small stroke and not even realize it.

When MÖTLEY CRÜE originally postponed the Las Vegas residency, the band said it was because Neil needed a "medical procedure," but offered no further details. Neil told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he went to sleep on Christmas night 2024 and then woke up and couldn't get out of bed.

"I'm, like, 'What's going on?' And my left leg wouldn't work, and my left arm wouldn't work. So I had to get help out of bed. I couldn't push myself up to get myself comfortable in bed. And I had to have help," he said. "And slowly but surely, the sensation came back in my legs. And I had to learn to walk again. I went from a wheelchair to a walker to a cane to — I can walk now, but for five months it was just off and on, not knowing what's gonna happen. And the doctor said that I probably wouldn't be on stage again. And I was, like, 'No, man. I can't do that.' And so I just tried. I worked my butt off to get back in shape to go on stage. And I was really sad to have to cancel those shows, but I just wasn't ready yet. I wasn't ready to be back on stage yet. It was really sad, but it's really worth it now, 'cause I can get on stage and sing and all that good stuff."

"He worked his ass off. Most people would've quit," Nikki told USA Today. "It's a lot of work to go from you're basically done to on stage and rocking the house."

Last November, Nikki told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about Vince's performance during CRÜE's return to the stage in Las Vegas. Nikki said: "I'm proud of him, the fact that he had the courage to get up there. And when the whole thing went down and he had the stroke and we had to cancel the first residency, there was doubt. We didn't know, like, is he going to recover from this? And I know he had fear. But you put the time in, and there's a lot of stuff that you can do.

"Your health is everything," Sixx explained. "I don't care how big your band is. I don't care how big of a star you are. I don't care how wealthy you tell people you are. If you don't have your health, you've really got nothing.

"We've worked all these years, 40 years together, and been touring the world, and now it's something that could literally make it so he could never get on stage again," Nikki added. "So the fact that he did get on stage… And I'm appreciative that he went out and talked about [his health scare in a couple of interviews recently], because there's a lot of people that when stuff goes wrong in their life — and I could just speak about myself with addiction — people either write them off or they can't survive it. They can't survive it. And we were there, and we were there the whole time along, talking to him and him focusing on doctors and health and stuff. And we spent a lot of time in rehearsal to give him that opportunity to really get that muscle in shape, the vocal cords. And I was so happy. It just sounded so good. And it felt good."

Nikki wasn't the only member of CRÜE who was full of praise for Vince's vocal performances at the Las Vegas residency. During a September 15, 2025 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist John 5 was asked how he, drummer Tommy Lee and Sixx felt Neil would perform less than a year after his health scare, John 5 said: "Well, we didn't really know, but when we got into rehearsal, we were, like, 'Oh. He's moving good.' And then he started singing, and we were, like, 'Oh my God, he's singing great, actually.' So I don't know what happened, but he is — I've been in the band for three years now, and he's singing so well. I'm, like, 'Wow, this is incredible.' And he looks great. And I just go into his room all the time and tell him how proud I am of him. Because in the [Las Vegas Review-Journal] interview [where Vince first revealed his stroke], he said, yeah, he had to learn how to walk again and all that stuff. I mean, that's serious stuff. So maybe he was just, like, 'Oh, okay, and then just everything clicked. I mean, he's killing it. And there's no tracks or anything like that. He's just singing great… When I heard 'Home Sweet Home', I was, like, 'Holy shit. This is really, really great.' So I'm just so proud of him. And the guys in the band were, like, 'This is some of the best shows we've ever done.' So, we're super, super excited."

In a separate interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, John 5 stated about CRÜE's latest Vegas residency: "The real magic was Vince Neil. What he went through and his struggles and how he performed and how he sang, I'll never forget it for the rest of my life. He did such a great job, and I was so proud of him because I knew what hell he went through, and I was so happy for the guy. What he said — he even said it — he was in a wheelchair and then he had to learn how to walk again. And I was, like, 'Oh my God.' The struggle and how terrifying that must have been. So that was the real magic of that residency. And I'm telling you right now — every single show was amazing. There wasn't a bad show. And I listen and I read those comments and I listen and I'm so focused in on every show. And every show was awesome. I was so proud of him."

Asked if there was a point, in his mind, when he found out what happened to Vince, that he thought he might never be able to play with MÖTLEY CRÜE again, John 5 said: "Well, I wasn't sure. Nobody really knew anything. And I would text with Vince, and he would say, 'Oh, I'm doing good, I'm doing good,' and things like that. But no one really knew what was going on. You heard rumblings. So it was wild."

This summer MÖTLEY CRÜE will embark on "The Return Of Carnival Of Sins" tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of CRÜE's groundbreaking 2005-2006 "Carnival Of Sins" tour and the 45th anniversary of the band. The 33-city Live Nation-produced trek will kick off on July 17, 2026 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania at the Pavilion at Star Lake and will feature support acts EXTREME and TESLA.

In a new interview with the 99.7 The Blitz radio station, CHEVELLE drummer Sam Loeffler weighed in on bands who rely heavily on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We have no tracks. We have nothing. We're just three guys playing this music. So many other bands are coming out, and they've got track after track. Some of these guys, and I'm not gonna say who, aren't playing any of it. All of it is on tape. I don't wanna tell you either. But it's true. And look, whatever — 'cause I don't think anybody cares. I honestly don't think anybody cares."

He continued: "I'll tell you this, dude. As a drummer, I can tell you, when I found out that a lot of these drummers aren't actually playing the part — they're playing some of it, but they're not playing the double parts, I was, like, 'Oh, I feel so much better,' 'cause I couldn't play that. It's insane."

In recent years, more and more artists have been given a pass for relying on pre-recorded tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but also more consistent. For better or worse, pre-recorded tracks are becoming increasingly common for touring artists of all levels and genres and they're not just used in pop music — many rock artists utilize playback tracks to varying degrees.

CHEVELLE will support BREAKING BENJAMIN on a massive 2026 North American tour. Produced by Live Nation, the trek will kick off September 2 in Camden, New Jersey and will hit major markets across the U.S. and Canada before wrapping October 24 in Bristow, Virginia.

CHEVELLE's latest album, "Bright As Blasphemy", came out last August via Alchemy Recordings. The follow-up to 2021's "Niratias" marked CHEVELLE's first release through Alchemy Recordings following a long run with the Epic label. Alchemy Recordings is a record label created in partnership between Dino Paredes, former American Recordings vice president of A&R, and Danny Wimmer, the founder of Danny Wimmer Presents, the premier production company for rock music festivals in the United States.

Over the course of their career, the Chicago rockers have generated nearly half a billion streams, notched seven No. 1 hits, and sold out shows worldwide. Their catalog spans the double-platinum "Wonder What's Next", which boasts the double-platinum smash "The Red" and the platinum hit "Send The Pain Below". "This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)" attained platinum status, while "Vena Sera" was certified gold. CHEVELLE has landed four Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200, including "Sci-Fi Crimes" (2009),"Hats Off To The Bull" (2011),"La Gárgola" (2014) and "The North Corridor" (2016). The latter two each captured the No. 1 slot on the Top Rock Albums chart.