In a new interview with Scott Davidson of Chicago's Rebel Radio, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach confirmed that the extra songs he and his bandmates recorded during the sessions for their latest album, 2025's "This Consequence", will eventually see the light of day. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[We recorded a total of] 14 [tracks], and four [were] left off. One got re-released kind of quietly on a compilation to raise money for an animal shelter. It's on CD now. And then I think we're working with the same company again to put one more song out with that. And then the other two we hope to see out in the next couple weeks as a B-side seven-inch."

After Davidson noted that a lot of bands now are more focused on releasing one or two songs at a time as opposed to a full-length album, Jesse said: "I'm also not opposed to doing EPs. I think it's actually a really good idea to just knock some stuff out. We've never done it, but we're talking about maybe just doing EPs for fun. And it makes that whole process of putting a record out quicker. And we also will write all these songs, and some of them don't even make it on the record, so why not just focus on five or six of the really good ones and put out an EP or a seven-inch or a 10-inch with exclusive vinyl and fun stuff like that, collectible stuff. So we're talking about all that fun stuff for the future."

Asked when he and his KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bandmates plan on entering the studio to begin work on the follow-up to "This Consequence", Jesse said: "I'd say we'll end up doing something probably early next year or mid-next year. It all depends on what the demand is for touring and where everybody's head is at. It's hard to write while we're touring, and we've got, like, three back-to-back tours. But the conversations have definitely started."

Elaborating on how the KILLSWITCH ENGAGE songwriting process works, Jesse said: "Everybody does their own demos, between those [other] four guys [in the band]. They all submit demos of either just riffs that make sense together or full complete songs with drums and everything. And then everybody sort of picks it apart and works on it together."

He added: "I love watching somebody come with a few riffs and then somebody else has a riff. I like watching that happen. In this last recording cycle, we were in a room together jamming. It was, like, four or five sessions of that, where somebody would come with a cool riff, and then you see somebody else's lightbulb go off on their head, and they're, like, 'Oh, I got an idea,' and seeing it take shape in real time. I love when that happens."

A previously unreleased song from the "This Consequence" sessions, "Blood Upon The Ashes", was made available on "The Dogs Of Hope" benefit album, which came out last August via Iodine Records. The LP raised funds for the Randolph County Animal Shelter in Wedowee, Alabama and also included rare and previously unreleased tunes from SNAPCASE, ORANGE 9MM, DEADGUY, Walter Scheifels, TESTAMENT's Alex Skolnick and more.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D'Antonio previously described "Blood Upon The Ashes" to Revolver magazine as "the one that got away" during the "This Consequence" sessions.

"Although I was fighting hard for it, this track didn't get the votes to be included in the final, 10-song 'This Consequence' record. So close," he lamented. "I'm really excited for people to hear it 'cause every time I do, there's regret for not including it on the album. Enjoy."

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE just kicked off a U.S. tour with support from MACHINE HEAD, IRON REAGAN and HAVOK.

"This Consequence" came out in February 2025 via Metal Blade. "This Consequence" was KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's ninth LP overall, and sixth with Leach, who rejoined the band in 2012.

"This Consequence" arrived alongside a hugely successful winter/spring 2025 tour, yielded a Top 10 single with "I Believe" and landed the band on the covers of Revolver and Outburn.

In the summer of 2025, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE completed the massive "Summer Of Loud" tour, co-headlining alongside BEARTOOTH, I PREVAIL and PARKWAY DRIVE.

Fans got their first taste of "This Consequence" with pulverizing track "Forever Aligned", swiftly followed by "I Believe". More recently, the group shared videos for "Collusion" and "Aftermath".

In a new interview with Daniel Harris, a YouTube streamer known as The Rageaholic, ICED EARTH's founding guitarist Jon Schaffer, whose band effectively split up after he was arrested for his involvement in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, was asked if his new music will be inspired at all by his relationship with Jesus Christ. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just started [playing] a week ago today. I mean, it's literally the first time I've picked up a guitar in years… I'm just gonna let it flow very naturally. But the story of Christ's life is heavy, dude. I mean, that's one part of it. There's plenty of heavy stuff to draw inspiration from. But I'm not gonna make any decisions about anything. I'm just gonna let it flow. I wasn't even planning to start playing guitar. It just happened. And I was waiting for that."

Jon continued: "I can feel the creative energy starting to swell, and I know myself well enough to know it's starting. But I'm not forcing it, I'm not pushing it, I'm not on a schedule, I don't have tour dates planned. There's plenty of people that are gently trying to pressure me, but it's not gonna work, because it's gonna happen on my time. That's it — period, end of story. And it's gonna be whatever flows, man. That's it. So there's definitely gonna be more SONS OF LIBERTY [Jon's side project] stuff. That's 100%. That's maybe even what's first. I don't really know. We'll see."

Asked if he thinks his new music will be made available as a full-length album or if he will take the "standalone-song" approach to "keep things simple", Schaffer said: "It's way too early, man. I don't know. I'm not even gonna commit that I'm doing another ICED EARTH album. I don't know. And I already have some... I've had some songs, ideas that I've wanted to... Another extremely heavy experience that I had when we were at Philip The Great's tomb up north of Thessaloniki in Greece. One of the most powerful experiences I ever had was there. It was unreal. So something's gonna happen there, I can guarantee it. I just don't know when. But I'm too early in this to even... I'm gonna let the music tell me which direction that I'm gonna go. But I guarantee there's gonna be more SONS stuff. I mean, that's for sure. But ICED EARTH is more of a commitment."

Jon continued: "I don't wanna get back on the hamster wheel in terms of it's not gonna look like it did before. There's no doubt. I'm not going out on the road for six or eight months and becoming a traveling T-shirt salesman, because the music industry just sucks balls, man. And it's gotten nothing but worse through the years. And I still have friends that are veterans that have been in this game a long time, and the struggles that they're having with the cost of nightliners and everything, it's just, like, really difficult for these guys. And these guys are mid-level bands too, but veterans that have been doing it a long time, and it's tough. So I don't wanna get back into that rat race. But I have a plan. I have a concept of a plan. But when? What is it gonna look like, sound like? What are the songs…? I just know of a few topics that I've had big experiences and that feeling of, like… My spirit is saying, 'I've gotta do something about this.' And that's all I know right now., I haven't even played guitar in years until last Thursday."

After Harris noted that "you can't force" creativity, Schaffer clarified: "I mean, you can, but it's not gonna lead [to] the best result. There's been times where I've been pushed because you have a block on the calendar: 'Now it's time to write and record a record.' And sometimes you're slugging through things when maybe you shouldn't be. But that's the machine. That's what I'm talking about. I don't need to do that. There are other ways. I think I'm smart enough to figure out a way to make this profitable and to make it work and to not be in that hamster wheel, typical label bullshit that I've been dealing with forever."

Two months ago, Schaffer told the Brutally Delicious podcast about his plans for to release new music: "There will be new music. There's no doubt [about it]. But it's gonna happen on my timeline. Because as much as I hear, and I know the fans, especially the ICED EARTH fans, want new music, I'm not interested in new music; I want great music. And anything else outside of being truly inspired is not interesting to me. Going out and putting the band back together just for the purposes of trying to feel relevant or to make money, that's the easy way. That's a checkers move. I'm not interested in it. It's gotta be because I really love it, not because the machine relies on it. And I was in that."

Jon continued: "I think we did great records. I'm proud of my career. But when you're in that sort of the hamster wheel of new album, tour, that cycle that goes on constantly, you get off of the original point. It becomes a business. It becomes this thing where you sometimes have to go through the motions, even if you don't feel like it, because there's commitments. And things changed a lot in the music business. I mean, I was in it for decades. I saw a lot of things change. And it got to be to where the albums were like a side note for the band to go out and tour and sell merch. And I just refuse to do that. I'm not gonna be chasing Federal Reserve notes over like my integrity as an artist, and that's where it's at. That's just where I'm at. It's a no-go zone until the inspiration is there. Things are starting to happen, so I can feel that. But it may take a while. But I'm not playing checkers with this shit.

"I get it. I understand how this works. And anything that I do going forward, regardless of what project it is or what band it is, it's gotta be because there is a real true inspiration and enjoyment from doing it, not to chase money, because then you're off the point," Schaffer added.

"For me, I've always been one that I don't really care what people think about my art. My preference is that they would like it — that's the preference — but if you start worrying about what other people think, you've already lost the plot. That's not what art is, man. It is a very personal, very spiritual thing. And all this crap with A.I. is… There is zero chance — zero chance — that that will ever be used in ICED EARTH or anything that I'm involved with. It's disgusting. You're talking about a gift given by God, the universe, whatever you wanna call it, that art is a real thing. Whatever it is, whether it's poetry, whether it's actual art, painting, drawing, music, whatever, and just because the bored hive mind has the technology to be able to create this kind of stuff, I don't want any part of that, man. I'm not gonna get sucked into that crap. It's completely anti-human as far as I'm concerned. So that that's off the table.

"So anyway, I've got plans, and I'm moving towards putting those things in process, but I'm not gonna say really more than that. Just stay tuned. It's gonna take a while. It will be worth it, trust me.

"The best stuff that I've ever written has come through the heaviest things that I've ever experienced, and obviously the last five years have been intense," Jon concluded. "But that's gonna lead to something really special. But I'm gonna trust my gut, my instincts, let my spirit guide me and just go. And then we'll see when that happens. But when it happens, it's gonna be epic."

Schaffer recently released "Sons Of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2)", a reimagining and expansion of material originally released a decade and a half ago — "Brush-fires Of The Mind" LP (2009) and the "Spirit Of The Times" EP (2011) — now updated with new mixes, live drums by Mark Prator and a sharper ideological focus. Schaffer has said: "'Sons Of Liberty' was always meant to be more than music; it was a wake-up call and an attempt to start brushfires of freedom in the minds of listeners."

In October 2024, Schaffer was sentenced to three years of probation and 120 hours of community service in connection with his involvement in the riot at the U.S. Capitol in January 2021. At the sentencing hearing, Jon was also ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution and a $200 financial assessment. Schaffer later became one of about 1,500 people accused of crimes related to the riot who were pardoned by U.S. president Donald Trump.

Although Schaffer was initially charged with six crimes, including engaging in an act of physical violence and targeting police with bear spray, he pleaded guilty to only two charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress; and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon.

As part of the plea deal, Schaffer agreed to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify in related criminal cases. In return for Schaffer's assistance, the Justice Department later urged the judge to show leniency during his sentencing. Also as part of the agreement, the Justice Department offered to sponsor Schaffer for the witness protection program.

Following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates distanced themselves from his actions. Singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton later posted separate statements on social media announcing their resignations. BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch also quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer. The allegations also apparently affected Schaffer's relationship with his longtime record label Century Media, which had released albums from both ICED EARTH and DEMONS & WIZARDS. As of mid-January 2021, the Century Media artist roster page did not list either band.

In April 2025, Schaffer said in an interview that the legal issues and professional setback he faced as a result of his involvement in the Capitol riot have been "the biggest gift" of his life, in part because "it is what led" him "to [Jesus] Christ."

Canadian heavy music pioneers KITTIE kicked off their first full North American headlining tour in over 10 years Saturday night (June 6) at The Pageant in St Louis, Missouri. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

The 16-date trek, dubbed "Legacy Of Fire Tour: 30 Years Of Kittie", celebrates three decades of uncompromising metal and marks a milestone moment for the band, honoring 30 years since KITTIE's formation in 1996 while riding the momentum of the ban's recent triumphs, including 2024's critically acclaimed comeback album "Fire" and 2025's "Spit XXV" re-recorded and reimagined anniversary EP. Support on the tour is coming from KINGDOM OF GIANTS and GORE.

KITTIE bassist Ivana "Ivy" Vujic is sitting out the band's current tour due to a family commitment. She is expected to rejoin her bandmates in August. Filling in for Vujic on "Legacy Of Fire Tour: 30 Years Of Kittie" is Rachel Gonzales of the Las Vegas band NEON KNIGHTS, who previously played with KITTIE on this year's ShipRocked cruise in February.

On Friday, June 5, KITTIE released the following statement via social media: "A quick note regarding the Legacy of Fire tour: As many of you know, Ivy is a devoted mom to a young family, and right now her focus needs to be at home. Because of those family commitments, she won't be joining us on this tour.

"We fully support her decision and know how important this time is for her and her family. We're looking forward to sharing the stage with her again at Tinley Park and throughout our August dates."

At last October's Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California, KITTIE drummer Mercedes Lander and guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander spoke to Baby Huey and Chasta of the San Francisco radio station 107.7 The Bone about the band's decision to reunite in 2022, initially just for a couple of festival appearances. Mercedes said: "We could not ignore the e-mails from [concert promoter] Live Nation in our inbox any longer. Because we didn't have any representation for management, we didn't have any representation for our booking agents or anything like that. So these people's last-ditch effort to try and get us on these festivals was to e-mail us, e-mail the band e-mail, and then they were so persistent, like, 'Hey, I've got this festival. Come on.' And every couple of months they'd e-mail us. And I remember writing Morgan and being, like, 'Hey, just so you know, we should probably reply back to this guy, 'cause he's written us at least three times.'"

Referencing the fact that KITTIE eventually released a new studio album, "Fire", which came out in June 2024 via Sumerian Records, Morgan added: "But it wasn't just that — it was that more people were listening. Spotify numbers [were growing], and people just asking for new music. And the voices just continued to get louder and louder."

Continued Mercedes: "And we couldn't ignore them anymore. And our plan was just to play a couple of shows and then be, like, 'Okay, bye.' That's the KITTIE universe — so it always ends up taking on a life of its own. And then that morphed into us getting an offer for a record deal, and then getting, obviously, to write new music. And we were, like, 'Well, we don't have any new music, but I guess we'll write some music.' So, again, everything kind of spiraled out control. We got to work with like dream-list people for 'Fire'. It was amazing. We felt so lucky to be able to work with somebody like [producers] Nick Raskulinecz and Josh Wilbur. Like, wow. Those are the guys. It was the dream team. We have the dream team."

On September 19, 2025, KITTIE released "Spit XXV" EP, a four-track effort celebrating the 25th anniversary of the band's gold-certified debut album. The collection featured freshly updated and re-recorded versions of four of the albums biggest tracks, "Brackish", "Charlotte", "Do You Think I'm A Whore?" and the title track, "Spit", all produced, once again, by Garth Richardson who helmed the original 1999 sessions at EMAC Studios.

Released on January 11, 2000, "Spit" transformed KITTIE from four Canadian teenagers into international heavyweights, achieving gold certification with over 660,000 U.S. sales. The album became a defining moment for women in heavy music, with its aggressive sound and uncompromising attitude proving that metal made by women could achieve both critical respect and commercial success during nu-metal's completely male-dominated peak era.

The original "Spit" earned critical recognition from Rolling Stone, who ranked the title track No. 82 on their "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs Of All Time" in 2023. The album's influence continues rippling through generations of musicians, with artists like Serena Cherry of SVALBARD crediting it as "the reason she became a metal musician," while experimental artist Poppy covered the title track in 2023.

"Fire", KITTIE's first new material in 13 years, reached No. 13 on U.K. Rock & Metal Albums charts and No. 20 on Billboard Top Album Sales, while single "We Are Shadows" became the band's highest-charting song on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart at No. 20. The album earned the band a 2025 Juno Award nomination for "Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year".

Since returning from their hiatus in 2022, KITTIE has experienced a remarkable resurgence across demographics, with their 843,000 monthly Spotify listeners spanning longtime fans and new generations discovering their music through social media. Their performances at major festivals including Sick New World, Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple have demonstrated the band's enduring live power, while their successful 2024 North American headline min-tour proved their enduring and undeniable ability to command stages as headliners.

In a new interview with Poland's MetalSide, legendary rock drummer Carmine Appice doubled down on his claim that METALLICA was the first true heavy metal band. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I consider heavy metal starting with METALLICA. Before all that, it was hard rock. The crunchy guitars, the buzztone guitar and the double bass following guitar, that's what started heavy metal. Everything else before that — MÖTLEY CRÜE and VAN HALEN, BLUE MURDER — everything's hard rock. Heavy hard rock. But metal comes from the guitar for me."

Carmine previously made the claim that METALLICA started heavy metal in a 2020 interview with Pete Pardo of Sea Of Tranquility. Speaking about how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s forced most hard rock bands off the radio and MTV, with album and tour sales plummeting, Carmine said: "Those days, nobody would touch us, because we were all dinosaurs. All the NIRVANAs and stuff — grunge was in, [and] nobody wanted to touch us, all the bands. Ted Nugent, DIO… I was playing with Edgar Winter in '91, '92 while doing MOTHER'S ARMY, and I was playing clubs with Edgar Winter — like 500-seat clubs. DIO was playing the same clubs, with my brother [Vinny Appice on drums]. Everybody was [experiencing a drop in popularity]. BLACK SABBATH wasn't happening. Ozzy [Osbourne] really wasn't happening. Nobody was happening except NIRVANA and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and PEARL JAM and all those guys."

When Pardo pointed out to Appice that METALLICA was still selling a lot of records and playing to huge crowds in the early 1990s, Carmine said: "METALLICA was not like all these other bands. METALLICA I consider the band that really created what you'd call heavy metal. All these other bands — MÖTLEY CRÜE, BLUE MURDER… It's hard rock — that's not heavy metal. That METALLICA sound, that sounds like scratching guitars, that, to me, is what heavy metal is, which turned into death metal and speed metal and every other metal. But Ozzy's first album was hard rock. MÖTLEY CRÜE was hard rock. WHITESNAKE — it's hard rock. KING KOBRA was hard rock. It was all hard rock. BLUE MURDER, they detuned a little bit and it was heavy, but it wasn't what I consider heavy metal. Heavy metal was that really scratchy guitar sound."

Appice is the original drummer of VANILLA FUDGE, with whom he still records and performs today. He has also played with CACTUS and BECK, BOGERT & APPICE, in addition to spending stints in the bands of Ozzy Osbourne and Rod Stewart, co-writing the latter's No. 1 hit "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Carmine was named the 28th greatest drummer of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

Appice is widely considered to be one of the most accomplished showmen in rock and is the recipient of numerous awards, including dozens of gold- and platinum-selling records. Carmine has broken new ground in every aspect of his career as a performer, as a teacher, and as a writer, and he continues to inspire drummers and listeners throughout the world with his originality and his unwavering dedication to the art of drumming.

Carmine's autobiography, "Stick It!: My Life Of Sex, Drums, And Rock 'N' Roll", was released in May 2016 by Chicago Review Press.

Progressive metal pioneers SAVATAGE played their first concert with drummer Blas Elias on Thursday, June 4 at this year's edition of the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden. Elias, who has previously played with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, SLAUGHTER and RATT's Stephen Pearcy, is filling in for SAVATAGE's longtime drummer Jeff Plate, who is sitting out the first two gigs of SAVATAGE's "Prelude To Madness" spring/summer 2026 European tour due to medical reasons.

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

Plate announced his absence from the first two shows of "Prelude To Madness" in a social media post on May 21, writing: "SAVATAGE has two amazing shows coming up in the first week of June. For the very first time, the band will be performing at Sweden Rock on June 4, followed by Heavy Weekend in France on June 5. Sharing the stage with IRON MAIDEN and SABATON respectively, these are going to be fantastic shows.

"Unfortunately, I will not be able to be there with the band for these two shows. Three years ago I experienced very intense, chronic nosebleeds which resulted in some dangerous blood loss and serious health concerns. This issue was taken care of surgically and all has been good — until a few weeks ago, when the bleeds started again. Having gone through this before, my management and I decided it was best that I not travel, especially by air, until this issue is again addressed and resolved.

"In my place will be Blas Elias, who has been part of the SAVATAGE/TSO family for a decade and is the perfect man for the job. Blas is a huge fan of the music and has already played some of these songs live with TSO. His years working with Al Pitrelli and Johnny Middleton will make this a seamless transition — the band will be tight and flawless and sound fantastic.

"It goes without saying how disappointed I am, but things happen and health is the obvious priority. Having said that, I am confident my doctors will take care of this problem and I will be back with the band in July for the next run in Europe.

"Thank you in advance for your concern, support, and well wishes. If you are lucky enough to see SAVATAGE at these festivals, raise your fists, sing along, and enjoy some of the best progressive metal music ever written!

Plate added: "[This is] an unfortunate announcement, but in the end everything will be fine. In a best case/ worst case scenario, this is definitely best case. The situation came up with plenty of time for the band, and myself, to address the problem and move forward. SAVATAGE will rock these shows, and I will be ready for our run starting in July. Thank you from the band and myself for the support!"

The 2026 "Prelude To Madness" tour once again features SAVATAGE's current lineup: vocalist Zak Stevens, guitarists Al Pitrelli and Chris Caffery, bassist Johnny Lee Middleton and drummer Jeff Plate (except for the first two shows, where he is being replaced by Blas Elias).

SAVATAGE's journey began in Tampa, Florida, founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva. Their story is one of both triumph and tragedy, marked by groundbreaking albums including the seminal 1987 release "Hall Of The Mountain King" and the critically acclaimed 1991 rock opera "Streets", both of which continue to resonate with fans worldwide. Following the untimely death of guitarist Criss Oliva after the success of 1993's "Edge Of Thorns", the band persevered with renewed purpose, culminating in their transformative 1995 album "Dead Winter Dead".

Throughout their four-decade career, SAVATAGE have cultivated one of metal's most passionate cult followings. During their nearly 20-year hiatus from touring, devoted fans continuously campaigned for the band's return. Their electrifying reunion performance at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival in 2015 captivated 80,000 fans and reaffirmed both SAVATAGE's legendary status and their audience's unwavering devotion.

Building on the momentum from their 2015 Wacken triumph, SAVATAGE made international headlines in 2025 with their first headline shows since 2002. The European dates successfully reunited multiple generations of "The Legion" — longtime devotees experiencing long-awaited performances alongside newcomers discovering the band's power for the first time.

SAVATAGE played four shows in South America in April 2025 and 10 dates in Europe in June 2025, including at France's Hellfest and Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting festivals.

SAVATAGE played its first non-festival headlining concert in more than 20 years on April 21, 2025 at the Espaço Unimed in São Paulo, Brazil. The show took place two days after SAVATAGE performed at the Monsters Of Rock festival at Allianz Parque in São Paulo.

Appearing with Middleton, Caffery, Pitrelli, Plate and Stevens were SAVATAGE's two new touring keyboardists, Paulo Cuevas and Shawn McNair.

Zak joined SAVATAGE in 1992 as the replacement for Jon Oliva. Zak sang on four albums with the band — "Edge Of Thorns" (1993),"Handful Of Rain" (1994),"Dead Winter Dead" (1995) and "The Wake Of Magellan" (1997) — before departing in 2000, allowing Jon to return. Both Jon and Zak took part in SAVATAGE's 2015 performance at Wacken Open Air.

SAVATAGE's last album release, "Poets And Madmen", in 2001 was highlighted by Jon's return as lead vocalist, replacing Zak, who left the band citing family reasons, and the departure of guitarist Al Pitrelli, who accepted an offer to join MEGADETH in 2000. Pitrelli did record solos for some songs prior to his departure. Another very limited U.S. tour followed, supported by FATES WARNING in the early shows, and then NEVERMORE for the remainder. Around this time, Jon chose Zak's replacement in the form of Damond Jiniya (DIET OF WORMS). Damond performed Zak's parts on tour, with Jon having an increased vocal role in proceedings.

In addition to his work with SAVATAGE, Jon Oliva is well known for co-creating the classical music-meets-prog rock and pyro act TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA alongside the project's founder Paul O'Neill. Oliva has reportedly remained involved in TSO's activities even after O'Neill's April 2017 death of an accidental drug overdose.

In a new interview with Scott Davidson of Chicago's Rebel Radio, 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. Asked who had the task of asking Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST) and Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD) to write the foreword and afterword, respectively, for the book, the 63-year-old singer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I did. And I had to get up a bunch of nerve to do it, because you wanna ask, but you don't wanna be rejected. So it takes a minute to kind of get up the nerve to say, 'Okay, I'm ready for the rejection if he says no.' So when I wrote Randy, Randy was all in. He's all, 'Hell yeah. Fuck yeah, man. I'll do whatever you need.' And then Rob as well. I finally had the nerve to reach out to Rob, and right away he came back saying, yeah, he'd be honored to do it. And within two days I had it. He wrote it. And it blew me away. It brought me almost to tears, the words he said, so it was awesome."

Billy was diagnosed with germ cell seminoma, a rare type of cancer, a quarter century ago, and has been cancer-free for over two decades following chemotherapy and traditional Native American healing. 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.

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.

TrueFire, the longest-serving online guitar lesson hub, has shared a new seven-and-a-half-minute video in which former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman talks about how his own inability to faithfully emulate "guitar magicians" like Uli Jon Roth and Frank Marino led him to stop being a clone and start polishing his own touch. Marty said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When I tried to play like my favorite guitar players, it just never really worked out. It was kind of a bummer. I mean, when I was a kid, of course, when I started off, my favorite influences were the RAMONES and KISS. That really wasn't too terribly challenging to play like that. But then I started to hear guys doing a lot more challenging things. At the time it was my dear friends now — I'm so blessed to be friends with these people, Uli Jon Roth and Frank Marino, guys like that, Steve Lukather. These guys were just absolutely godlike and still are. But I would try to emulate them, and I found that I never even came close, no matter how hard I practiced. I tried to play along with what they did. I tried to emulate what they did. I tried to copy what they did. I tried to play the type of songs that they played. Whatever I did, it was just, like, 'Well, it's kind of like a very poor imitation.' And at some point, luckily, I realized that I liked making music much more than I liked feeling dejected about not being able to play music like my heroes did. And that forced me to look at what I was able to do and polish that, rather than trying to figure out what these magicians of guitar were doing, 'cause it was just out of this world. Like Uli Jon Roth, the stuff he was doing is really, really groundbreaking, especially at the time, and I'm, like, 'Why can't I even approach that?' It was just, like, impossible. The feeling of not being able to do something lost out to the joy of playing guitar, thankfully."

Marty continued: "I love to play guitar. So at some point I was just, like, 'You know what? I'm never gonna be that guy. Let's just see what I got myself. Let's see what I can do myself.' And I looked at what I had and tried to be as good at that as I possibly could. So when I was starting out, I was like a real punk rock dude. Everything was down strokes and all these kind of really basic rock and rolly type of stuff. And that's where my first band kind of took off with rock and roll stuff. And of course I admired my heroes, but I never really was able to copy them very faithfully. I spent the time that a lot of other guys were copying their favorite artists, I spent that time writing songs and trying to play my own kind of solos over those songs. Because of that, I grew up, and when people say, 'Well, who are your influences? I can't really give 'em a good answer. A lot of guys say, 'Well, I'm a combination of this guy, this guy, and a little bit of this guy.' And when you listen to the guy's playing, you hear, 'Oh, yeah, yeah. He sounds like Jeff Beck here, or he sounds like Ritchie Blackmore here,' or whatever. Which is fine. And that's what everyone else in my neighborhood was doing. I just didn't have that talent of copying. My ears worked and they worked very well, but it's, like, the touch and the feeling — it's really impossible to step into someone else's body and have the same touch, same feeling."

Founded in 1991, TrueFire has been described by Guitar World magazine as "something of a cornerstone of the online guitar tutorial world, often serving as the standard for what these types of platforms can and should deliver."

Friedman defined modern guitar playing with Jason Becker in CACOPHONY, was a key element in the wildly successful rise of thrash pioneers MEGADETH, and with his "Marty-esque" improvisations and exotic fusion of Eastern and Western music, has achieved global success with his 15 solo albums.

Friedman left MEGADETH in 2000 due to creative differences and pursued a solo career, having released his most recent album, "Drama", in 2024.

Friedman first visited Japan in the late 1980s with CACOPHONY, and came to Japan regularly with MEGADETH, all the while studying the Japanese language. After he quit the Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit, he moved to Tokyo.

Since also embracing Japanese music and eventually relocating to Japan, Friedman has cemented his image as a unique and unpredictable solo artist while further solidifying his celebrity rock star status. He has earned several top 10 spots on the Japanese charts and has performed in Japan's largest venues — from the Tokyo Dome to Budokan. He has also guested on over 700 television programs, acted in four motion pictures, and appeared in several commercials and TV ad campaigns. On November 4, 2016, the Japanese government named Friedman an "Ambassador Of Japanese Heritage."

Friedman's autobiography "Dreaming Japanese", was made available last December. Written with veteran music journalist Jon Wiederhorn ("Louder Than Hell", "Raising Hell"),"Dreaming Japanese" debuted at No. 1 on Amazon's Heavy Metal Books chart and has received praise from major outlets including Rolling Stone, Guitar World, Decibel and Publishers Marketplace. The autobiography shares Friedman's inspiring journey from landing a gig as the lead guitarist for legendary thrash metal outfit MEGADETH during their peak years to his emigration from the U.S. to Japan, where he became a prominent television figure and Japanese pop culture household name as well as being appointed an official "Ambassador Of Japan Heritage".

In a new interview with Dales Rock Interviews, former MEGADETH guitarist Jeff Young spoke about KINGS OF THRASH, his project with fellow ex-MEGADETH member, bassist David Ellefson, along with guitarist/vocalist Chaz Leon and drummer Fred Aching. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've been doing what we have been calling the 'Global Thrash' tour for three years now. I'll give you a quick nutshell of some of the places we played: Australia twice. We just played two nights in Japan, in Tokyo. It was amazing. We just got back from four shows in Colombia, which were great. Colombia's amazing. Mexico, Argentina. We've done the U.S. a few times. We just did Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, and Montreal. We were in Europe for a month, and we're going back."

He continued: "There's only, I think, 12 or 14 KINGS OF THRASH shows on the books, 'cause David Ellefson's gonna be off doing some METAL CHURCH gigs, and quite a few of 'em. So we're gonna be putting a pin in KINGS OF THRASH. I got my [solo] album coming out. We've all got different stuff going on. And we've been touring hardcore with KINGS OF THRASH, and we got two singles… But we went to Europe for a month solid. We played everywhere from the U.K. up into the Balkan region, Romania. I played places that I'd never played with MEGADETH or even with Badi Assad, the Brazilian world music thing I did. And Badi and I toured all over, and twice as long as I toured with MEGADETH. But KINGS OF THRASH, we've been all over, and the reaction has been great. 'Cause, of course, we do a different set list than MEGADETH. We focus on [1985's] 'Killing [Is My Business... And Business Is Good!]', [1986's] 'Peace Sells[... But Who's Buying?]', [1988's] 'So Far, So Good... So What!', with some 'Rust In Peace' [1990]. We do 'Tornado Of Souls', 'Dawn Patrol'. We've done 'Symphony Of Destruction'. We'll throw some newer stuff in there. But we focus on the deep cuts and the old-school MEGADETH, which they don't really play so much of. And we've been doing the 'So Far, So Good... So What!' album in its entirety quite a bit lately, and everyone loves that. And it's amazing to see how many people are coming with that on vinyl."

Young went on to praise KINGS OF THRASH frontman Chaz Leon, saying: "He just keeps getting better and better. But that's a hard thing to do, and people gave him shit at first. Anyone stepping into that type of role — I mean, look, to this day it's so funny to see the Sammy Hagar-versus-David Lee Roth feuding groups on Facebook.

"Whenever a new singer comes in or you change singers, [like BLACK SABBATH did by going from] Ozzy [Osbourne] to [Ronnie James] Dio, even as great as Dio is, you get a little backlash. But Chaz has really come into his own. He does what we need in KINGS OF THRASH brilliantly. He's a little husky in the voice. He's got a great look. The ladies love him, and he's just a cool kid, and he's a real metal fan. And he's a real MEGADETH fan. I mean, he still plays in his own MEGADETH tribute, WOKE UP DEAD, which is how he came to play in KINGS OF THRASH. He already had the seasoning, he had the rehearsal and the pedigree from his own tribute band."

According to Jeff, KINGS OF THRASH has "been a fun" and "unexpected" opportunity to revisit early MEGADETH material that Ellefson and he had been a part of.

"Who could have thought — I'm in my 60s right now — who could have thought that we'd be playing this athletic, challenging music at this juncture in our lifetime?" Young said. "I was just telling the whole group, David and the whole group, when we were backstage in Colombia… I mean, David and I have really done, and it was by accident — these kind of things never happen by plan, and when they do, the audience can see through it. But during a time when MEGADETH still exists, is out touring, their latest album had success, they're gonna be doing a long run. Two O.G. members from the old school go off and create a offshoot band and create the vibe that we've done, it's pretty unprecedented. And we're proud of it, and it's been a fun journey, and the fans have been gracious. And it's just been a fun nostalgia trip to go back and reminisce and let people relive that era, if they were there. And [it's] even more amazing to see the parents, these people who were kids then, now as parents bringing their kids with the MEGADETH patch or the MEGADETH T-shirt of 'So Far, So Good... So What!'. I'm, like, 'Where'd you get that, kid?' To see the generations following the music, that's probably the most rewarding part of the whole experience. 'Cause a lot of people, that tour was before their time. When David and I toured with Chuck Behler and Dave Mustaine — I get a lot of people, 'Hey, I saw you at Monsters Of Rock,' or, 'I saw you here. I saw you in Detroit at Cobo Hall.' But more people came into MEGADETH later — [on] 'Rust In Peace' — so a lot of people missed that, so it's a great chance for people to catch that era. And we go for making it as legit 1987, '88 as it can be. And luckily we haven't aged too much the worse for wear so we can still fit into clothes and jump around and be athletic with it and have fun with it."

"Bullets Ready", the latest single from KINGS OF THRASH, came out in early May via Cleopatra Records. "Bullets Ready" features a vocal duet between Leon and Gabriel Connor, frontman of the rising Los Angeles theatrical rock group RED DEVIL VORTEX. The track also includes a special guest appearance by former EXODUS vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza.

"Bullets Ready" was mixed by Grammy-winning producer Cameron Webb, known for his work with MOTÖRHEAD, DANZIG and GODSMACK.

KINGS OF THRASH was formed in April 2022, following a special appearance by Ellefson and Young at "Ultimate Jam Night" at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, California. The event was honoring the legendary "Big Four" of thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX. During the evening, Ellefson and Young performed three classic MEGADETH songs alongside vocalist Chaz Leon. The electrifying performance sparked an immediate chemistry that led to the formation of KINGS OF THRASH.

KINGS OF THRASH was built around a concept envisioned by Ellefson: creating a live experience celebrating early MEGADETH albums and rarely performed deep cuts from his decades-long tenure with the thrash metal pioneers. This vision became known as "The MEGA Years".

In November 2022, KINGS OF THRASH took to the stage with four proof-of-concept concerts in San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Hollywood. Their performance at the Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip was filmed and recorded resulting in the acclaimed release "The Best Of The West - Live At The Whisky A Go Go". The double live album and DVD were released by Cleopatra Records in spring 2023 in both digital and vinyl formats.

In 2025, Cleopatra Records released KINGS OF THRASH's first thrash/punk-inspired song "Lockdown". With its accompanying music video, directed by KINGS OF THRASH drummer Fred Aching, the group distinguished themselves as more than just a nostalgic tribute band.

The music video for "Bullets Ready" was shot in Hollywood, California and again directed by Aching. Additional scenes were filmed at the infamous Nelson Valley Ghost Town in El Dorado Valley, Arizona — the same location as seen in the movie "3000 Miles To Graceland".

In January 2023, Young told Ultimate Guitar that he and Ellefson had not received any feedback from Mustaine about their new band or their recent live shows. "We couldn't care less… and it's a win-win for him," Jeff said. "Because all the publishing, for example, on the 'Best Of The West', he's getting all that money. We're making him money and he doesn't have to do anything. So, we're performing the songs because they're part of our history and the fans want to hear them and we will benefit from that, and so will he, so it's a win-win. How much cooler can anything be than that? So, if he has something to say about it… I wouldn't imagine it would be very objective… not that anything he's ever said has been objective."

Jeff's comments were similar to those he made in 2022 when he told Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of the Rock Interview Series that he and Ellefson were "really not concerned" about Mustaine's reaction to KINGS OF THRASH. "I don't pay attention," he said. "I haven't really paid attention or followed MEGADETH since, I think, I heard the 'Rust In Peace' album a couple of times, and then what you might hear on the radio or in the press.

"For us, this isn't about any spite or retaliation; it's a celebration of the music that we were all a part of, that we helped create," he explained. "And it's fun for us to do this.

"People said, 'You should do this.' And we said, 'Hey, yeah, you're right. We should do this.' It's a win-win — it's a win for us, and it's a win for [Mustaine], because any performance royalties, anything… If we did include live tracks, he would make money off that. It's promoting albums that hopefully fans will go back and buy, which is putting money right in his pocket. Especially 'Killing Is My Business', I think a lot of people are gonna go back and wanna rediscover that album after this tour.

"For us, it's all about positivity," Young added. "We're all in this moment — we're living in the moment, and we're not looking beyond. We're not reading any of the comments on Blabbermouth or any of the stuff. Because we know what our intent is, and intent is everything. And our intent's positive. We like playing together. We know we're crafting original music. We're not relying on this; we don't need to ride the coattails of this. This is just something that the fans wanted, and you wanna give fans what they want."

Ellefson told Yes! You CAN Play Guitar! that the intention behind KINGS OF THRASH is not to stick it to his former bandmates. "This is a celebration, not a retaliation," he explained. "This is a good moment. This is a happy moment, to celebrate these songs and these tracks and these records. So we go at it with just fun… It's, like, 'Wow. Wouldn't it be fun if we went out and played these records?' And we're doing it. So it's meant to be this celebration and bringing people together. And honestly, that was kind of always my role in MEGADETH. Dave [Mustaine] always called me 'The Ambassador', and I was always that guy, and I am that guy. So it's, like, let me just continue that role in our community and have one of good will."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH five years ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

David was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Mustaine, alleging the MEGADETH leader shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.

Young's entire career with MEGADETH was spent recording and touring in support of the band's 1988 platinum-selling album "So Far, So Good...So What!"

Jeff made headlines in December 2009 for accusing Mustaine of, among other things, "dissing, exaggerating and just plain lying on some level about nearly every talented musician that has passed through his dysfunctional little ensemble." He also disputed Mustaine's claim in an interview that Young's drug problem led to MEGADETH's 1988 Australian tour being called off and the group being "banned" from performing in the country.

Photo courtesy of O'Donnell Media Group

On Friday, June 5, David Lee Roth performed on the "Summer Stage" at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey. According to 92.7 WOBM, the Summer Stage launched in 2009 as an upgrade to the Stone Pony's outdoor area, making room for bigger concerts during the warmer months. It runs from May through October and can hold roughly 4,500 fans, which is a major step up in size compared to the indoor venue.

Fan-filmed video of Roth's entire Stone Pony Summer Stage concert can be seen below, as uploaded by JPL Productions and cramx3.

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

01. Panama (VAN HALEN song)
02. Drop Dead Legs (VAN HALEN song)
03. Romeo Delight (VAN HALEN song)
04. Little Dreamer (VAN HALEN song)
05. Blues Jam
06. I'm The One (VAN HALEN song)
07. D.O.A. (VAN HALEN song)
08. Beautiful Girls (VAN HALEN song)
09. Dance The Night Away (VAN HALEN song)
10. Ice Cream Man (John Brim cover) (DLR solo acoustic guitar into full band)
11. You Really Got Me (THE KINKS cover)
12. Jamie's Cryin' (VAN HALEN song)
13. Unchained (VAN HALEN song)
14. Mean Street (VAN HALEN song)
15. Atomic Punk (VAN HALEN song)
16. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love (VAN HALEN song)
17. Hot For Teacher (VAN HALEN song)
18. Everybody Wants Some!! (VAN HALEN song)
19. Jump (VAN HALEN song)

Roth, the 71-year-old lead singer for the rock band VAN HALEN, kicked off his 2026 solo tour on April 16 at Spokane Live! at Spokane Tribe Casino in Airway Heights, Washington.

Joining David on stage for all the shows is his current backing band consisting of Al Estrada on guitar, Sean McNabb on bass, Francis Valentino on drums, and Danny Wagner on keyboards. McNabb was enlisted as the new bass player, replacing Ryan Wheeler. There are also several backing singers.

Roth recently added five new shows to his spring/summer 2026 tour schedule, which currently runs through early September.

Last year, Roth reversed his decision to retire from the touring circuit, announcing a U.S. tour which took place over the 2025 summer.

Roth's summer 2025 U.S. tour concluded on September 14 in Napa, California.

Roth played his first full solo concert in more than five years on May 3 at the 2025 edition of the M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.

Roth originally left VAN HALEN to pursue a solo career following the success of the band's album "1984", but he returned for a stint in 1996 and then took over as VAN HALEN's frontman again from 2007 until 2020, although the band had not toured since 2015.

In early 2021, Roth announced that he would be officially retiring following a residency at Las Vegas's House Of Blues at Mandalay Bay in 2022. "I am throwing in the shoes. I'm retiring," Roth said at the time. "This is the first, and only, official announcement. You've got the news. Share it with the world."

"I'm not going to explain the statement," he added. "The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows."

Roth's 2022 Las Vegas residency was eventually canceled because of "circumstances related to COVID".

In 1986, legendary vocalist Paul Di'Anno — who was the unmistakable original voice behind IRON MAIDEN's formative years — launched a bold new chapter with the release of "Fighting Back", the explosive debut album from BATTLEZONE. Following his departure from IRON MAIDEN, Di'Anno refused to look backward. Instead, he forged ahead, assembling BATTLEZONE to deliver a fresh assault of raw British heavy metal power. Originally released through Raw Power Records in the U.K., "Fighting Back" captured Di'Anno's unmistakable grit and intensity while showcasing a revitalized creative fire that reaffirmed his status as one of metal's most commanding frontmen.

Featuring standout tracks including "Welcome To The Battlezone", "Warchild", "Running Blind" and the title anthem "(Forever) Fighting Back", the album fused aggressive riffs, streetwise energy, and melodic power into a statement of resilience and reinvention. Recorded in East London and produced by Ian Richardson alongside the band, the record introduced a formidable lineup featuring guitarists John Hurley and John Wiggins, bassist Pete West and drummer Bob Falck.

Four decades later, "Fighting Back" remains an essential document of 1980s heavy metal and to celebrate this 40th anniversary, Deko Entertainment has remastered and repackaged this landmark release from the former IRON MAIDEN frontman. It will be available in August on 180-gram vinyl in two limited edition colors, CD, and contains the bonus track "Rising Star".

For fans of classic heavy metal, collectors of NWOBHM history, and those who continue to celebrate the enduring legacy of Paul Di'Anno, "Fighting Back" stands as a powerful reminder of an artist who never stopped fighting.

Track listing:

01. (Forever) Fighting Back
02. Welcome To The Battlezone
03. Warchild
04. In The Darkness
05. The Land God Gave To Caine
06. Running Blind
07. Too Much To Heart
08. Voice on the Radio
09. Welfare Warriors
10. Feel The Rock
11. Rising Star (bonus track)

Di'Anno was laid to rest on November 21, 2024 at the City Of London Cemetery And Crematorium in Manor Park, East London, United Kingdom.

Di'Anno, whose real name was Paul Andrews, passed away on October 21, 2024 at his home in Salisbury at the age of 66.

An official statement shared to Di'Anno's Facebook page on November 11, 2024 with permission from the late musician's family revealed that his cause of death was caused by a "tear in the sac around the heart."

Born in Chingford, East London on May 17, 1958, Paul first came to prominence as lead singer of English heavy metal band IRON MAIDEN between 1978 and 1981. He sang on their groundbreaking debut album "Iron Maiden" and the influential follow-up release, "Killers".

Since leaving IRON MAIDEN, Paul Di'Anno had a long and eventful recording career with BATTLEZONE and KILLERS as well as numerous solo releases and guest appearances.

Despite being troubled by severe health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair, Paul continued to entertain his fans around the world, racking up well over 100 shows since 2023.

His first career retrospective album, "The Book Of The Beast", was released in September 2024 and featured highlights of his recordings since leaving IRON MAIDEN.

Photo credit: Marco Benjamin Alvarado (courtesy of Central Press for Conquest Music)

Italian death metal act GORGE has officially signed with Time To Kill Records for the release of their forthcoming debut full-length album, marking a decisive step forward for one of the most exciting new names to emerge from the Italian underground.

Formed in 2025, GORGE was born from an idea by Edoardo Nicoloso (Fulci, Jorelia, TV-Crimes) and Roberto Sava (Jorelia), with a clear intent to strip death metal down to its most essential and violent form. The project pays tribute to raw two-piece acts such as Retch, Mortician and Christ Denied, as well as solo assaults in the vein of Putrid Pile, while channeling the spirit of ’90s American death metal.

The band’s approach is rooted in a direct, riff-driven philosophy that draws heavily from the foundational era of Suffocation, Dying Fetus, Gorguts and Malevolent Creation, updated with just the right amount of modern weight without compromising its original identity. GORGE blends death metal with a gritty hardcore sensibility, resulting in a groovy yet ferocious sound that avoids overused slam dynamics in favour of tighter songwriting and internal rhythmic variation. At the centre of everything lies the riff, treated as the primary narrative force across all compositions, supported by a constant attention to structural tension and release.

Further details regarding the album, tracklist and first single will be revealed in the coming months as GORGE prepare to fully introduce their debut statement.

Line-up:

Edoardo Nicoloso – Guitar, Vocals, Drum Programming
Roberto Sava – Guitar, Vocals

IRON MAIDEN has shared official video of the band's singer Bruce Dickinson arriving in a tank before the band's headlining performance Thursday night (June 4) at the Sweden Rock Festival, which is being held in Sölvesborg, Sweden. In the clip, which can be seen below, Bruce can be seen beaming as he clutched the battered Union Jack flag he uses for MAIDEN's "The Trooper" performance, as well as a Swedish flag.

Commenting on how he ended up riding in a tank ahead of MAIDEN's concert at Sweden Rock Festival, Bruce said: "I'm not gonna even go into bore you with the gory details of how I ended up in a pub saying, 'Really? You mean we could actually go in a tank?' And voila. The Swedish army have lent us the ultimate Uber. On we go."

During his February 2022 spoken-word show at Uptown Theater in Kansas City, Missouri, Dickinson recalled how he personally flew Royal Air Force pilots home from Afghanistan to RAF Wittering in 2008, taking control of a Boeing 747 chartered by the Ministry of Defence to transport RAF pilots back to the U.K. He said: "One of the jobs that we had at the airline I worked for, we had an airplane permanently allocated to the military to go and take people places — not to wars, but we'd take them to bases. And sometimes we flew people back. And sometimes we flew people back who had been in Afghanistan, for example, been in a war. They would go somewhere for two or three weeks to try and readjust and then we'd take them back. And one particular flight, we were the flying the Royal Air Force Regiment, which is RAF boots on the ground, soldiers. And they'd been to Afghanistan. It was an unusual flight 'cause we were returning them to their actual home base — not to a military airfield and then they get on a coach and they go back to their barracks. Where they were based had a runway, and we were told to go direct there. They had taken some casualties and they had lost some people. But they were all really cheerful; the best passengers you could ever have in the military — I mean, seriously… And we flew them into a place called the RAF Wittering, which is where they invented the Harrier Jump Jet. So, as we were coming in to land, we stopped and we blew the reverse thrust. And I had a female co-pilot, first officer. And we were looking out, and all really close to the runway were families, kids, all the families and wives and everybody of all the soldiers, and they were all [holding signs saying], 'You're my hero, daddy' and everything else. I mean, it was very emotional. And we actually had to stop the airplane 'cause my co-pilot was welling up and so was I. We were both trying not to [cry]. I went, 'Okay, we're gonna stop. We're gonna blow our noses, make sure we can fucking see where we're going and then do the job. 'Cause this is really exceptional.' The last thing you wanna do is go, 'It was so emotional, we ended up in a fucking ditch.' So, we dropped them off and that was it. So that was one of the more memorable flights — the sort of thing we used to do."

Six years ago, Dickinson was officially attested into the Royal Air Force, the United Kingdom's aerial warfare force. The British singer was awarded the role of Honorary Group Captain.

Bruce has held a commercial pilot's license for more than 25 years.

Dickinson had other connections with the RAF, having completed an emergency landing at RAF Halton in 2015. He was flying his Fokker triplane when it began to run low on fuel.

Fan-filmed video of OVERKILL's June 5 performance at this year's edition of the Sweden Rock Festival, which is being held in Sölvesborg, Sweden, can be seen below.

As was the case with this past spring's "Thrash Of The Titans" U.S. tour with TESTAMENT and DESTRUCTION, OVERKILL is currently performing as a four-piece, with Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth on vocals, Christian Olde Wolbers (ex-FEAR FACTORY) on bass, Jeramie Kling on drums and Dave Linsk on guitar. Longtime OVERKILL guitarist Derek Tailer is sitting out the current tour for reasons that have not been disclosed.

This past April, OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni was asked by Drew Stone of The New York Hardcore Chronicles Live! why he isn't touring with the band right now. He responded: "Ah, well, there's a few different reasons for that, but I would say probably the main one at this point is that I just need to kind of rest this arm some… I had another surgery done a little while ago, and just at this point, for something like this, I'm, like, 'All right, maybe it's best I just sit this one out.' So our friend Christian is filling in. And it's just rolling on."

Elaborating on the physical issues which are preventing him from performing live with OVERKILL at the moment, Verni said: "I had the surgery once, I did all the P.T. [physical therapy]. They told me I was good. I went out on the road, and I completely ripped it off again. And I came back and I had to do it all over again. [I had] rotator cuff and a bicep tear — on both shoulders. It's just old-guy shit. But now if I blow it off again, if it tears off again, it's shoulder replacement, and I'm really trying to avoid that. But you know what's fucked up, though? It's only playing bass. I can't play sitting down anymore at all. I can play standing up, but if I sit with my arm kind of locked like that, I can't play it. I can't even get through a single song. But I can on a guitar. I don't know. It's something about the way I hold the pick and the amount [of weight and pressure] I'm putting on a specific spot. But that's the way it goes right now. I gotta get strong and get it back to place so I don't have to fucking worry about that shit anymore."

Verni went on to confirm that he is still a full-fledged member of OVERKILL. "Oh, yeah," he said. "I'm writing right now. I have most of the new OVERKILL record done, demoed up, for the most part ready to go. I just did a couple of new things yesterday. I thought it was ready to go. Then I had a couple other things that I wanted to add. So, for the most part it's all done. I gave it to Blitz, I guess, a while ago, and he's been noodling around with it. So over the next — I don't know — six months or so, probably we'll jump in the studio somewhere along the way. And I would think we're probably looking at a release early next year, February, March, something like that. We got a couple of calls about some tours and some things then. So we'll see."

During a March 11 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Ellsworth spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for OVERKILL's follow-up to the group's latest album, "Scorched", which came out in April 2023 via Nuclear Blast. He said: "I think we're always working on new music. That's been the motif since all the way back in the [early OVERKILL] days. You're always kind of in a writing mode. You're keeping your eyes open, you're in a writing mode, or at least my end of it. But we look to record it maybe at the end of [our U.S.] tour [with TESTAMENT and DESTRUCTION]. It's pretty much done musically. I have to add a few melody lines and a few harmonies and melodies and a few lyrics here and there. But we're looking at a '27 tour [and] maybe a late '26 release."

Olde Wolbers previously filled in for Verni in the fall of 2024 when OVERKILL supported KING DIAMOND on a North American tour.

For some of its European shows in September 2024, OVERKILL recruited ex-KREATOR bassist Christian "Speesy" Giesler as a temporary replacement for Verni.

Verni also sat out OVERKILL's April 2024 Latin American tour while he was recovering from shoulder surgery. Filling in for him on the trek was former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson.

Last October, Ellsworth told the Metal Mayhem ROC podcast that he and his OVERKILL bandmates had "demoed out" the material for the group's upcoming album. "Jeramie Kling's playing drums for us now," he said. "[Former OVERKILL drummer] Jason Bittner moved on to other things… So we're just moving along as if there is no issue with D.D.."

In September 2025, Verni, who is the main songwriter in OVERKILL, told Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com about OVERKILL's upcoming LP:  "We are demoing stuff right now. We probably have maybe nine or 10 songs kind of scratched out that I gave to Blitz a little while ago. Usually the process is I'll demo everything up musically [and] then I'll give it to Blitz. He'll spend some time with it and kind of do his thing with them. Then we get everybody together, kind of that. So I gave it to Blitz maybe not too long ago."

In August 2024, OVERKILL confirmed Kling as the group's new drummer. Kling joined the veteran New Jersey thrash metal outfit as the replacement for Bittner, who announced his exit from OVERKILL earlier that month.

A founding member of THE ABSENCE, Kling appeared on VENOM INC.'s second album, 2022's "There's Only Black", and has played with such acts as FORE, RIBSPREADER, GOREGÄNG and NECROMANCING THE STONE. He was also briefly affiliated with the reunited Florida death metal band MASSACRE, which led to the formation of INHUMAN CONDITION, alongside Terry Butler (OBITUARY, ex-DEATH) and Taylor Nordberg (DEICIDE). In addition to being a drummer, Kling is a recording engineer, producer and live sound engineer.

Bittner joined OVERKILL in 2017 and played drums on the band's last two studio albums, 2019's "The Wings Of War" and the aforementioned "Scorched".

OVERKILL played its first concert with Kling on August 30, 2024 at the Posada Rock festival in Câmpulung Muscel, Romania.

Fan-filmed video of VENOM's June 5 performance at this year's edition of the Sweden Rock Festival, which is being held in Sölvesborg, Sweden, can be seen below.

VENOM's latest studio album, "Into Oblivion", came out on May 1 via Noise/BMG.

"Into Oblivion" is VENOM's sixteenth studio album and features the long-standing lineup of Conrad "Cronos" Lant on bass/vocals, Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums, and marks VENOM's first new recordings since 2018's "Storm The Gates" LP.

"Into Oblivion" consists of thirteen songs that are signature VENOM: heavy, evil and catchy. There's a combination of the band's classic 1980s sound adjacent to a more modern, progressive approach but without losing any of their fire and brimstone of old.

The album has been in the works for some years now, but a number of factors held back its completion until now; the COVID pandemic, recording setbacks and the hunger to nail it to perfection, but in the words of Cronos: "This album has really pushed the boundaries, but if you want to make a killer album, you pay for it in blood, sweat and tears."

There are now three different bands using variations of the VENOM name for their live shows. In addition to the new collaboration between Jeff "Mantas" Dunn and Anthony "Abaddon" Bray, VENOM's iconic co-founders — who recently announced that they will celebrate the 45th anniversary of VENOM's classic debut album, 1981's "Welcome To Hell", at various festivals in 2026, including Germany's Keep It True — there is the Cronos-fronted version of VENOM, in which he is the sole remaining member from the band's classic era, and there is VENOM INC., which is led by Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan, who was a member of VENOM between 1989 and 1992, appearing on the albums "Prime Evil" (1989),"Temples Of Ice" (1991) and "The Waste Lands" (1992).

In June 2024, Cronos filed a lawsuit against Abaddon and Plastic Head Music Distribution Ltd in which he accused the distributor of selling merchandise with Lant's copyrighted VENOM designs and Bray of approving the infringement through a licensing agreement. The dispute revolved around the fact that both parties were licensing and selling official VENOM merchandise featuring the contested designs.

According to Law360.com, Lant testified in court last year that he joined VENOM in late 1979 and came up with the Satanic-themed designs used in the band's logo and album covers, which included goat heads, pentagrams and inverted crosses. Bray filed a counterclaim for infringement against Lant and Lant's distributor, Razmataz.com Ltd., arguing that Bray was the real author of the works. Because Lant was able to produce numerous sketches which demonstrated his design process and Bray was unable to do the same, Bray was deemed the owner of the original logo, while Lant was found to be the creator and copyright owner of all but one of the other artistic works in dispute.

VENOM's classic lineup trio of Dunn, Lant and Bray recorded four studio LPs, "Welcome To Hell" (1981),"Black Metal" (1982),"At War With Satan" (1984) and "Possessed" (1985),and live album, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" (1986). Often cited by bands such as METALLICA, BEHEMOTH, CELTIC FROST and MAYHEM as major influences, they are one of the most revered bands of their generation.

In the seven-minute video below, Tom Morello, SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian and the RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist's 15-year-old son, Roman Morello, discuss the making of their new collaborative single, "Adjourn It". Tom said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "What inspired us to create the song together, the 'Adjourn It' song together, were two things. One is my longstanding relationship with Serj. We've worked on a number of songs through the years, played many shows together through the years, have had political organizations together. Also, Roman Morello's my kid, and so he's trapped at home, and I steal his riffs to make songs all the time, as I have done with the song 'Adjourn It'.'

Roman said: "When he first showed me the song, I was, like, 'Wait a second. That kind of sounds familiar. Where'd you get that riff?' And it turns out he stole it from my voice memos on my computer. But it's just an honor to be part of this project. And with the political message, I think they said it great. And it's just really great to be part of this.

"Back when I was littler, I didn't really know what my dad did for work," Roman added. "When I first actually saw the effect that he had on people and the effect that he had on music, I really started to take inspiration from him and really research into what he does and learn what he's done in the past and the political messages that he conveys to millions of people around the world."

Tom continued: "The idea to create a song like this came up during the DHS and ICE raids in Los Angeles, when the streets of L.A. were being terrorized by Gestapo-like tactics, people combing through the neighborhoods, businesses having to shut down, children being abducted from school — an absolute reign of terror on our city. And I thought, 'We have to do what we can while we can with what we can.' And with us, that's making music."

Serj chimed in: "Like [Tom] said, we've done a lot of songs together, a lot of projects, and been friends for a long time. And this disturbed all of us. It's still disturbing all of us, the kind of tactics that have been used by the administration in cracking down on families, separating families, and children without parents. I mean, I read that there's 27,000 children whose parents have been deported. And it's really a trauma for this country. And we have to learn how to deal with these things the right way. We have to learn how to stand up to fascism in the right way. And so this is a great way for us to do. This is what we do. We do music."

Tom explained: "Roman has been going to protests with his brother Rhoads and our family since they were very, very little. It's been a part of the fabric of our lives. It's just sort of what we do. And so it's very natural that it should come into our music as well.

"One thing I will say about Roman here is he is a tremendously talented guitar player," Tom added. "He started playing during the pandemic. I didn't start playing until I was 17 years old. He started playing at — what? — eight or nine, something like that, and really advanced quickly. He's got a natural ability. I had to fight hard for every scrap of it. He seems to be able to do it very, very naturally. But the thing that was the big surprise was he was able to write riffs that felt like they had the Morello DNA in them, but they're not riffs that I would have thought of. So it's like having a great bandmate who you kind of go, like, 'That's a kick-ass riff. It sounds kind of like something I should've thought of.' [Laughs] And that was very much the case with — the main riff in the song 'Adjourn It' is one that was written by Roman Morello."

Clips from the film "Salt Of The Earth" (1954) are woven throughout the "Adjourn It" video to reflect the song's theme of resistance in the face of prejudice and injustice. The film is based on a true story of Mexican-American miners fighting against labor exploitation, racism, and institutional oppression, and was made by three Hollywood executives blacklisted for their political beliefs. It stars real zinc miners and was one of the first ever truly independent films. "Salt Of The Earth" was a powerful act of defiance in its time and more than half a century later, its themes continue to echo through today's political climate. "Adjourn It" channels the defiant legacy of the film reinforcing the importance of solidarity in bringing people together against fear and division.

Morello is kicking off a summer 2026 European tour with festival appearances at Sweden Rock Festival on June 4, Rock Im Park on June 5 and Rock Am Ring on June 6. There are also stops at Nova Rock on June 11, Rock For People on June 12 and Download on June 14. Other stops include Graspop Metal Meeting on June 18, Hellfest on June 20 and Pinkpop on June 21. Morello's 2026 touring schedule wraps up with Newport Folk on July 26, Louder Than Life on September 19 and Power To The People on October 3.

Morello has a long history of organizing activism-oriented events over three decades and continues to be a leading voice for social justice causes and human rights across the country and around the world. In addition to his solo work with THE NIGHTWATCHMAN and his role in RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and AUDIOSLAVE, Morello remains one of modern rock's most influential guitarists and outspoken activists.

Grammy-winning, Harvard-educated, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame- and Metal Hall Of Fame-inducted artist, songwriter, and activist Tom Morello is living proof of the transformative power of rock'n'roll. Known for his innovative guitar work and socially conscious songwriting, Morello rose to prominence as a founding member of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and AUDIOSLAVE — two groundbreaking bands responsible for multiple Grammy Awards and more than 30 million albums sold worldwide. Rolling Stone named him No. 18 on its "Greatest Guitar Players Of All Time" list, and his career has spanned music, activism, film, theater, graphic novels, radio, television, and philanthropy. Whether on stage, at rallies, or on picket lines, Morello continues to use music as a force for unity and change.

In a new interview with Matty Roberts of the Percussion Discussion podcast, former MOTÖRHEAD and current SCORPIONS drummer Mikkey Dee was asked how he keeps his drumming chops up when he is not touring. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I do different projects… I play drums when I'm off, yes. But right now, the body, actually, after a long tour with SCORPS, it's important for your body to rest also — your shoulders, your elbows, your wrists. But I am doing some shows with 'Mikkey Dee With Friends'; we're out playing some stuff. And I do session work… And so I try to play as much as I can, but also I need the rest for it.

"I think I'm way more mature on my drums," he explained. "The routine I have, the lack of physical power you compensate with routine and knowledge, if you will. And I compare this to ice hockey as well, because when you were 20, you had so much physical ability, you were skating all over the place like a fucking moron. And then when you meet the older guys, old pros and stuff, they spend maybe 40% of their energy because they are at the right place at the right time all the time. While we were skating 100% just to make it to these areas and to be right, but they already know that. Why do they do that? Well, because they have the routine and knowledge where to be on the ice. Same as a drummer. I know where to back off today. I know where I can push. I feel so much more secure behind the drums."

Mikkey added: "I told the SCORPIONS boys, I said, when I joined them [a decade ago], I said, 'I don't do fuck-ups.' And they were laughing, and I said, 'No, no, I'm serious. I never fuck up.' 'Yeah, yeah, Mikkey. We understand. It's okay. It's no problem. Everyone fucks up.' I said, 'I don't,' because I don't. I don't fuck up. I do my homework, and I know by the time I sit behind the drum kit, I don't fuck up. And that's because of routine. You know how to prepare yourself. You do your homework in the right way."

Dee continued: "You don't have to have the same energy when you are 15, 20, 25 years old anymore. I hit the drums with a different approach. You don't need that much muscle and energy. You have a different snap in a way. So, it compensates. And I try to stay fit, and I stay the fuck away from drugs, and I drink only beer. And so my hair keeps growing, and that's about it. And I play a lot of hockey when I can, and I do sports and try to live a decent life. And keeping up on my drums. And that's all I have to do, really, to stay on the level that I wanna be."

Earlier this year, Dee announced more than a dozen European shows for 2026 where he will perform some of MOTÖRHEAD's classic songs with THE DRIPPERS members Viktor Skatt on bass and vocals, and Stig William Rickard on guitar.

A Swede of Greek descent, Mikkey has been known for his speed and precision since his mid-1980s stint with KING DIAMOND. After moving to Copenhagen to play with GEISHA in 1985, Dee joined KING DIAMOND, who were looking for additional members to complete their lineup. Dee played on the KING DIAMOND recordings "Fatal Portrait" (1986),"Abigail" (1987) and "Them", and continued to play as a session drummer for the recording sessions of the "Conspiracy" album (1989),after which he was replaced. He joined Don Dokken for his solo album, "Up From The Ashes" (1990),with the music videos for the songs "Stay" and "Mirror Mirror" receiving airplay on MTV's "Headbangers Ball". The band headlined their own tour, as well as opened for JUDAS PRIEST. During this time, Dee also filled in a short time playing for WORLD WAR THREE (WWIII).

Lemmy had been repeatedly asking Mikkey to join MOTÖRHEAD since 1985, and in 1992, when asked once again, Dee accepted the offer, replacing Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. Dee's first gig with the band was on August 30, 1992 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

Dee has been a member of the SCORPIONS since 2016, having joined the band in the wake of MOTÖRHEAD's untimely dissolution following Lemmy's death. To date, Dee has only played on one of the band's albums, 2022's "Rock Believer".

Canadian rock legends RUSH kicked off their first tour in 11 years Sunday night (June 7) in Los Angeles, California. The band's first trek since the passing of iconic RUSH drummer Neil Peart is launching with a four-night stand at the Forum, the same venue that was the site of RUSH's last concert with Peart in August 2015.

The "Fifty Something" tour is RUSH's first with the band's revamped lineup of classic members Geddy Lee (vocals, bass) and Alex Lifeson (guitar) alongside Anika Nilles, a German drummer who toured with legendary guitarist Jeff Beck in 2022, and newly added keyboardist Loren Gold, who is best known as touring member of THE WHO and CHICAGO.

RUSH's setlist for "Fifty Something" is culled from a pool of around 40 RUSH classics, with the band playing two sets a night that celebrate Peart's life and legacy.

The setlist for RUSH's June 7, 2026 concert at Kia Forum in Los Angeles was as follows:

(Tape) Where's Rush?
01. Xanadu (first time as show opener)
02. Limelight (first time since 2013)
03. Far Cry (with touring band introductions)
04. Subdivisions
05. Freewill (first time since 2011)
(Tape) Neil Peart Tribute Collage 1
06. Bravado (first time since 2013, dedicated to Neil Peart)
07. Caravan (first time since 2013)
08. La Villa Strangiato (first time since 2011)
09. Vital Signs (first time since 2011)
10. The Spirit Of Radio

Set 2:

(Tape) Countdown
11. 2112 Part I: Overture
12. 2112 Part II: The Temples Of Syrinx
13. 2112 Part VII: Grand Finale
14. Distant Early Warning
15. Red Barchetta
16. Dreamline (first time since 2013)
(Tape) Bird-dy Lee Sketch
17. Natural Science
(Tape) Neil Peart Tribute Collage 2
18. Time Stand Still (with Aimee Mann) (first time since 2011)
19. Red Sector A (first time since 2013)
20. YYZ
21. The Garden (first time since 2013)
(Tape) "South Park" Intro
22. Tom Sawyer

Encore:

23. By-Tor & The Snow Dog (first time since 2004)
24. Working Man
(Tape) Neil Peart Tribute

In a recent issue of U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine, Lee explained why he and Lifeson decided to tour under the RUSH name in 2026 without Peart. Admitting that the issue was a hot topic of debate within the RUSH camp, Lee said: "What else do you fucking call it?

"When the band ended, we said it's only RUSH with Neil in it," he continued. "Which, of course, is true. RUSH as most people know it. But, you know, over five gigs we will be playing forty RUSH songs. So what the fuck should we call it, IRON MAIDEN?"

Having gotten the blessing from Peart's family for Lee and Lifeson to tour under the RUSH name once again, Geddy said that it was natural for them to go use the moniker that they have had for more than five decades.

"We were twisting ourselves into a pretzel to try to avoid using the name that we have had for fifty years, and even before Neil came," Lee said.

"It just seems silly to go on as 'Lee And Lifeson Present The Music Of…'" Lee concluded. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Let's just be who we are and have been for over fifty years."

The 2026 leg of the "Fifty Something" tour, which will cover Canada, USA and Mexico, initially consisted of 22 dates, which sold out immediately, prompting the addition of more shows. The tour now totals 58 shows across 24 cities, with over half a million tickets sold for 2026.

In February, RUSH announced the addition of South America and Europe tour dates to the "Fifty Something" tour, in early 2027. The dates will be the first time the band has played in Europe since 2013 and 17 years since visiting South America.

Performing 24 shows across 13 European countries, these special "evening with" shows will find the band playing two sets each night. Each show will feature a distinct selection of songs and RUSH will build each night's setlist from a catalog of more than 40 songs, including their greatest hits and fan favorites.

RUSH performed in public with Nilles for the first time at Canada's Juno Awards in Hamilton, Ontario in late March. They played "Finding My Way", the first song from RUSH's first album, the band's only LP not to feature Peart.

The Juno Awards performance was Lee and Lifeson's first as RUSH since they finished their 40th-anniversary tour in 2015, although they have performed under their own names on occasion, including tributes to legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot and Taylor Hawkins of the FOO FIGHTERS.

In an interview with producer and YouTuber Rick Beato, Geddy and Alex confirmed that RUSH will play, over the course of four shows in a particular city, 38 different songs from the band's vast catalog. Asked if there will be tracks from every RUSH record, Geddy responded: "I haven't checked. I have not checked. I don't think every record is represented, and some are over-represented for kind of obvious reasons. And what's interesting, and one of the reasons I really wanted to go out on tour is there's so many fan letters and messages I get from fans that became young musicians after our last gig. And they really would love to hear some of those songs. And so that's an opportunity for them, and, of course, they're not fortunate enough to hear Neil play those songs, but we'll do our best to make them happy."

Regarding the preparation for the "Fifty Something" tour, Alex said: "Well, that's the difference. In the past, we would plan a couple of months maybe, six weeks, on our own. We'd have a list of about four hours' worth of music. Then we'd sort of whittle it down to what the show would probably be. And then we would have a month together. So you've already prepped, and then we're together for a month, and then we would go into full production somewhere in an arena somewhere for maybe 10 days, and then the tour would start. So we have the benefit of four months, basically, of prep. This time around, Anika had to learn all these songs."

Geddy chimed in: "And one important thing that goes unmentioned is when you're preparing for a tour, when we would prepare for a tour with Neil, we're working really on new material that we just recorded, because the old stuff we knew. For this tour, we're starting from scratch and we're really teaching an incredibly talented, exciting drummer that comes from a very different school of music how to understand 40 songs from this weird, idiosyncratic band. That's a horse of an entirely different color. And that was difficult, but also exciting because when all the tumblers fall into place and she gets the vibe and she's feeling it, and her and I are playing together, and we're smiling. And it's, like, 'Oh, this is gonna be so much fun.' And she's embraced it. She's an amazing talent, but she's such a great person. She's got the right attitude. She works hard. She's not afraid to work hard. And she loves to play the same way we love to play, so we have that in common. Maybe every musician has that — I don't know; I imagine so — but it's been good for us to be around… And she brings something fresh. She brings a different story to our story. And I think that's really nice. And I think our fans have responded to the fact that we didn't get someone from another famous band and all that, 'Well, you should've got this guy or that guy.' This is a whole different feeling. It's non-competitive. And we're very lucky, 'cause she's the only drummer we thought of. We tried out one drummer."

Alex continued: "And after this time together, we've really bonded. It's not just about playing the songs and learning the music and playing it; it's about really falling in love with each other. And there's such a strong feeling, a joyful feeling of working together, playing together, and it just gets better and better and better as we progress with the songs. Now that we're at the stage where we're just playing everything and starting to get our pacing, it's just so much fun. We just can't wait every day to get back in here and do it."

Geddy added: "We added one song, one extra song recently. And she freaked out. I knew she would freak out, but she freaked out. She said, 'My hard drive is full.' And this song has a lot of complicated time signature changes. And so we made a deal. We pulled two songs out in exchange for this one song. She said, 'Okay.' [Laughs] But she's up for it. And that's a very difficult seat to sit in. And some people will never forgive us for going on with somebody else. And she has the guts to sit in that seat, to accept that gig and take whatever fans are gonna dish out. And that's not a small thing. That's a huge thing. And it's not out of arrogance. It's out of confidence and respect for Neil. When you hear her talk about Neil, she really understands and appreciates his greatness. And none of this that happens is diminishing his greatness by one iota."

Nilles, who has more than 275,000 subscribers on YouTube, toured with English rocker Jeff Beck in 2022 and was praised in 2023 by Lee, who told The Guardian at the time: "She played on the last Jeff Beck tour, and I thought she was terrific."

Nilles's official Instagram account, which is filled with her drumming videos, boasts more than 485,000 followers.

In a recent interview with Classic Rock magazine, Anika stated about Neil: "His playing was very energetic, and I really like that. That's something I feel very comfortable with. I also love playing in a very energetic way. That's the first thing that comes to mind, and something I really appreciate about his playing. He also had an incredible range of tonal colors. He had a very melodic approach to drumming and used a wide variety of sounds to achieve that. That set him apart and made him stand out to many drummers, for whom he was — and still is — a role model. He had a very distinctive way of playing the ride cymbal. When you listen to the music, that cymbal always stands out prominently. He had a very distinctive snare sound as well. There are certain signature sounds that come directly from his playing — not from the equipment, but from him. You recognize him immediately. Adapting to his way of playing is a challenge."

"Neil rarely repeated himself," she continued. "He kept bringing something new into the song. Even if a section repeated in terms of songwriting, his drumming the second time was different from the first. That makes it exciting and is part of what gives the songs their identity. At the same time, it's a challenge to remember all those details, because they're important. It's a composition; you can't just ignore certain parts, they're all essential and have to be played. That's challenging."

Peart died in January 2020 after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 67 years old.

RUSH waited three days to announce Peart's passing, setting off shockwaves and an outpouring of grief from fans and musicians all over the world.

The pioneering electronic dance act LORDS OF ACID has released its second single of 2026. "Dream Boy" is described by the group as "a dark trip through the streets of Necropolis, where addiction feels like salvation and nightmares wear a beautiful disguise."

The song is built as a dialogue between desperation and seduction: a broken soul screaming from inside the chaos, while vocalist Carla Harvey (ex-BUTCHER BABIES) answers like a dangerous angel floating through the smoke.

"'Dream Boy' isn't about judging addiction," LORDS OF ACID continue. "It's about understanding the pain, loneliness and emptiness that drive people toward it in the first place. We wanted the verses to feel raw and claustrophobic, almost like a panic attack, while the reggae-inspired chorus drifts like a hallucination you never want to wake up from. The line 'Dream boy, keep on floating in the sun' sounds warm and beautiful at first, until you realize it's about somebody slowly disappearing in plain sight. It is one of the darkest songs we have ever written, but underneath the shadows there's still a message of human connection, desire and the search for a real high that doesn't destroy you."

"Dream Boy" follows the recently released "Karaoke Superstar", a tongue-in-cheek collaboration with the hit-making U.S. vocalist and DJ Princess Superstar. It saw the group in full theatrical mode on a hyper-sexual, neon-drenched industrial, metal, acid dance anthem inspired by Japanese game show chaos, underground fetish culture and the absurdity of pop stardom.

Both tracks will appear on a long-awaited seventh LORDS OF ACID album in late 2026 that is set to feature other notable guest vocalists as well as the powerhouse voice of Harvey, the reigning "Acid Queen". Renowned for her commanding stage presence, the distinctive U.S. singer joined the group in early 2025, having previously been in the metal band BUTCHER BABIES.

LORDS OF ACID have maintained an intensive live schedule and are currently midway through a "Cheeky Freaky Tour" of the U.S. that runs until the end of May.

Formed in Antwerp, Belgium in 1988, LORDS OF ACID are recognized as one of the most influential acts to emerge from the hard-edged electronic dance music scene of that era. Adopting and adapting underground club culture aesthetics fom the off, they blended techno, acid house and industrial music with provocative lyrics on themes of sexuality, drug use and hedonism. Debuting with the classic New Beat single "I Sit On Acid", their debut album, "Lust", appeared in 1991 and was followed periodically by further releases that saw the group become a staple of the Billboard dance and alternative charts. Having built a substantial global following while maintaining a multi-decade touring career, LORDS OF ACID remain one of their genre's most recognizable and enduring names.

At this weekend's Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio, POP EVIL frontman Leigh Kakaty was asked by Ronni Hunter of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station if he and his bandmates have commenced work on material for the follow-up to 2025's "What Remains" album. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've been kind of putting everything on the back burner. This way that bands release music now is totally different than, obviously, when we started. It feels like we just released this record, but we start actually writing here in the next few weeks. So we're excited. Obviously, with Joey ['Chicago' Walser, POP EVIL bassist] and Blake [Allison, POP EVIL drummer], even before they joined the band, we had had a discussion — I think this is around 2018 — and I was, like… 'Cause I've done most of the writing my whole career, and I'm really excited to... You can only write the same kind of melodies for so long, and you're, like, 'Hey, I want some new energy.' And sometimes when you work with other producers, they're not touring guys. They produce. But when we'd have those conversations, it was, like, 'Joey and Blake, let's get together and do some writing.' So we had talked about it in years past. We were kind of teeing it up, and then, of course, we had some band member changes, and next thing you know, they're a part of the band. But things happened so fast, we dabbled a bit in the writing together the past couple records, but not the way that we're really planning. Now is the right time for the band."

Leigh continued: "The last album was a little more personal for me. I had to get some of the personal stuff out to move forward. And it's rare, but sometimes the music is more about you than the fans. And this album... We're about to do the ninth. So the eighth album was more about me. So I'm excited that's behind me. I wore a lot of weight for a lot of years here in this project. And the way the rest of the band embraced me and just said, 'Look, you need to do this. Let's get this out and roll from there.' But now it's time to kind of… For the first time in a long time, I really don't know what we're gonna write this record. And that's exciting. 'Cause we don't wanna have any preconceived plan. We wanna just kind of dive in and see where it goes. And having Joey and Blake — [he's] been in the band now for almost five years here, for Blake now — it feels like now we can talk about with this lineup. We really feel like this is the best lineup POP EVIL's ever had, and we're in the best space, certainly the healthiest space, we've ever been in. And I think only then, especially in this environment that is rock and metal, it's very competitive, it's very tough, that you need to be solid internally. So I think that we have the best shot to grow and to move forward and to put out the best version of ourselves in whatever this next chapter is for POP EVIL. And we're here for it, man. We're excited."

To mark the first anniversary of "What Remains", POP EVIL released "What Remains (Midnight Edition)" this past March. "What Remains (Midnight Edition)" expanded the album's powerful legacy with new material, including "The Decay" and a studio-refined reimagining of the iconic 1980s anthem "Don't You (Forget About Me)", reimagined through POP EVIL's unmistakable modern-rock lens.

Originally released as POP EVIL's most uncompromising and emotionally exposed body of work to date, "What Remains" stands as both a sonic reckoning and a personal confession. Heavier, darker, and more direct than anything the band has released before, the album channels arena-ready modern rock and metal into a deeply introspective narrative, with Kakaty laying bare the truths, scars, and battles that shaped his life.

With "What Remains (Midnight Edition)", POP EVIL completed a full creative arc, stripping away armor, confronting the past, and standing firmly in the present. It is a reckoning with who Kakaty was, who he is now, and who he's determined to become. More than an anniversary release, the "Midnight Edition" solidified "What Remains" as the definitive POP EVIL statement, unflinching, unapologetic, and impossible to ignore.

Photo credit: Nick Fancher

David Vincent (I AM MORBID, TERRORIZER, VLTIMAS, ex-MoRBID ANGEL),Diva Satanica (BLOODHUNTER, ex-NERVOSA) and Blake "Bulldözer" Arendell (a.k.a. Blake Arenvurst; INTERCEPTOR) are among the guest musicians who joined Jeff "Mantas" Dunn and Anthony "Abaddon" Bray, iconic co-founders of the pioneering black metal band VENOM, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of VENOM's classic debut album, 1981's "Welcome To Hell", at the 2026 edition of Pitfest on June 5, 2026 in in Emmen, Netherlands. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

Last October, Mantas and Abaddon spoke to Canada's The Metal Voice about the fact that there are now three different bands using variations of the VENOM band name. In addition to their new collaboration, there is the Conrad "Cronos" Lant-fronted version of VENOM, in which Cronos is the sole remaining member from the band's classic era, and there is VENOM INC., which is led by bassist/vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan, who was a member of VENOM between 1989 and 1992, appearing on the albums "Prime Evil" (1989),"Temples Of Ice" (1991) and "The Waste Lands" (1992). Mantas said in part: "I'm just gonna speak the truth, the absolute truth. I'm the founder member [of VENOM]. If there's a co-founder, it's Abaddon. Cronos was the last one to join. Everyone knows that. I wrote all the early material, blah, blah, blah. And at this very moment in time, the way I look at it is there isn't a VENOM out there. There's bands out there who are playing VENOM material. And that's the honest way that I look at it."

Regarding why he and Abaddon chose to reteam for these shows right now, Mantas said: "Myself and Abaddon, we said, 'Look, why don't we just do something to celebrate this fucking band?' And that's all we're doing. It's a celebration of 'Welcome To Hell', 45 years of that album. And this stupid fucking band has missed every major anniversary in its history. We've never celebrated an anniversary of this band. So I spoke to the guys at Keep It True, Oliver Weinsheimer in particular, the owner of the festival. And I said, 'Right, here's an idea. Why don't we get some special guests, people who have been influenced by the band? All that kind of thing.' And he said, 'Great. Let's do it.' So that's how it all came about… So, yeah, if nobody else will do it, we're gonna go out and celebrate this band."

Asked what band name he and Abaddon would perform under, Mantas said: "As far as I'm concerned, there's no fucking name to it. There's Abaddon's VENOM logo, which is his. And underneath it, it says, 'Mantas and Abaddon.' And then special guests. And that's what we're doing."

Elaborating on the reasons he and Abaddon have chosen to play the VENOM music together again, Mantas said: "I know it's not gonna be the PANTERA thing, and I know it's not a fucking KISS reunion or anything like that, but this band has had, for whatever reason, and it still amazes me to this day, but this band has had so much influence on the metal scene from day one, especially when that album ['Welcome To Hell'] came out. And then [VENOM's second album] 'Black Metal' — black metal, as a genre, is still alive and kicking today. Extreme metal is around, people say, because of us."

On the topic of the response from VENOM fans to the announcement of the "Welcome To Hell" celebration concerts, Mantas said: "Every comment I've seen so far, 90 percent has been really, really positive. Like, 'Great. Go for it, guys,' all this kind of stuff. Then you get the one, 'Oh, no Cronos, no VENOM.' It's, like, okay, listen to me right now. You can you imagine the most toxic relationship and the most stressful relationship you've ever had in your fucking life, and now go back and invite it back in. And that's what we tried to do.

"If everybody knew the real reason I left in 1986, you wouldn't even fucking look at that guy again. All these people who say that about Cronos and stuff like that, yes, he was a part of the band. I appreciate that. He didn't write all the fucking early material. He didn't found the band. He was the last person to join.

"If you were having problems with your wife and you put it on the fucking Internet, I would never go, 'Oh, yeah, well, I know what's going on,' because you don't — you don't know the personalities of the people involved in it," Mantas explained. "All you see from the outside is a band. I mean, I love KISS. I love JUDAS PRIEST. Now there's fucking problems with K.K. [Downing] and all the rest of fucking PRIEST. There's problems with Ace [Frehley] and fucking Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley] and Peter [Criss], but we don't know what's really gone on. And it's, like, yeah, I tell you what, get back in your mom's basement. Eat your fucking microwave meal and play your video games. This is ridiculous to comment on people's careers. And that's the way I feel about it. And all I'm saying is that myself and Abaddon, as the two original members of VENOM, we're gonna go out and we're gonna celebrate this band and its music. And that's it. Nothing more, nothing less."

Abaddon also offered his opinion on the VENOM name issue, saying: "My take on that is very straightforward. If you've got three bands using the word VENOM to sell the music… Originally, VENOM were a three-piece. Unless you've got two members of that three-piece, you can't call it VENOM because it's Cronos and some other blokes, or it's Dolan and some other blokes. If you've got me and Jeff, you've got two-thirds of the original fucking band. That's as straightforward as you can get."

In August, Mantas and Abaddon reached out to their loyal fans — the "Legions" — for support in a legal battle against Cronos. Since 2023, Mantas and Abaddon had fought to resolve two critical issues: securing recognition for their contributions to VENOM's legendary artwork and claiming their rightful share of merchandise profits from albums they co-wrote and performed, including "Welcome To Hell" (1981),"Black Metal" (1982),"At War With Satan" (1984) and "Possessed" (1985). Now in their 60s, Mantas and Abaddon sought a fair resolution to ensure their families benefit from VENOM's enduring legacy, which helped define the black metal genre. "We're simply asking for what is rightfully ours," they said in a joint statement. "After decades of avoidable conflict, we want peace and closure."

Despite efforts to resolve the dispute amicably, the duo had been forced to pursue legal action, incurring significant personal and financial costs.

The legal battle intensified in June 2024, with Cronos suing Abaddon and Plastic Head Music Distribution Ltd, accusing the distributor of selling merchandise with Lant's copyrighted VENOM designs and Bray of approving the infringement through a licensing agreement. The dispute revolved around the fact that both parties were licensing and selling official VENOM merchandise featuring the contested designs.

According to Law360.com, Lant testified in court that he joined VENOM in late 1979 and came up with the Satanic-themed designs used in the band's logo and album covers, which included goat heads, pentagrams and inverted crosses.

Bray filed a counterclaim for infringement against Lant and Lant's distributor, Razmataz.com Ltd., arguing that Bray was the real author of the works.

Because Lant was able to produce numerous sketches which demonstrated his design process and Bray was unable to do the same, Bray was deemed the owner of the original logo, while Lant was found to be the creator and copyright owner of all but one of the other artistic works in dispute.Nearly a decade ago, Dunn formed VENOM INC. with Bray and Dolan.

In December 2024, approximately eight months after suffering his second heart attack, Dunn announced that he was leaving VENOM INC., explaining in a statement that his "health and wellbeing are of paramount importance to myself and my family," but adding that "there are also more personal issues which have influenced my decision."

Dunn suffered his first heart attack in May 2018 and underwent a double bypass surgery.

Mantas sat out VENOM INC.'s fall 2023 U.S. tour after revealing that his wife had been diagnosed with cancer. He was replaced on the trek by Mike Hickey, known for his work with VENOM, CARCASS, CATHEDRAL and CRONOS.

VENOM INC. is not to be confused with the Lant-fronted version of VENOM, which is continuing to tour and make albums under the VENOM moniker. Joining Cronos in that group are Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums.

VENOM's classic lineup trio of Dunn, Lant and Bray recorded four studio LPs, "Welcome To Hell" (1981),"Black Metal" (1982),"At War With Satan" (1984) and "Possessed" (1985),and live album, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" (1986). Often cited by bands such as METALLICA, BEHEMOTH, CELTIC FROST and MAYHEM as major influences, they are one of the most revered bands of their generation. VENOM is still fronted by Cronos and headlines festivals all over the globe and continues to release new music while Dunn and Dolan had joined forces in the similarly named VENOM INC.

Abaddon was part of VENOM's classic lineup from 1978 to 1992. He then returned to the band in 1995 and stayed with them for four years before joining VENOM INC. alongside Dunn and Dolan. VENOM INC. released its debut album, "Avé", in August 2017. A year later, VENOM INC. revealed that it was recruiting Jeramie Kling of the Tampa-based melodic death metal band THE ABSENCE to fill in for Bray on a European tour while Abaddon stayed home to spend time with his newborn daughter.

Dunn, Bray and Dolan released the aforementioned three albums as VENOM: "Prime Evil", "Temples Of Ice" and "The Waste Lands".

In September 2022, Bray revealed that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma.

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.