In a new interview with Terrie Carr and Mike Anthony at WDHA's Rock The Rock Fest 2024, SEETHER frontman Shaun Morgan confirmed that he and his bandmates have been working on new music as a follow-up to the "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" album, which came out in 2020. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "Yeah, we've got plans to release a new album this year. I believe — without giving too many specifics, we're looking, probably, [at releasing the] first single somewhere in July and then an album in September. So, yeah, pretty soon."

In July 2022, SEETHER issued the deluxe edition of "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum", containing 22 tracks in all, five of which were previously unreleased. It includes all 21 songs recorded during the "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" sessions, along with the alternate version of "Wasteland" that was originally featured on the 2020 "The Purgatory" EP.

Produced by Morgan and engineered and mixed by Matt Hyde (DEFTONES, AFI),the acclaimed "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" ("If you want peace, Prepare for war") was released in August 2020, spawned three No. 1 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and at Active Rock radio and garnered some of the best reviews of the band's storied career.

Since forming in Pretoria, South Africa in 1999, SEETHER (Morgan, Dale Stewart, John Humphrey and Corey Lowery) has amassed a global, devoted fan base with an unbroken sense of purpose and commitment. Their impressive sales and chart history includes three platinum and two gold albums, 18 No. 1 singles, 21 Top 5 multi-format hits, single sales topping 17 million and over two billion streams worldwide across all platforms. SEETHER is Billboard's No. 8 all-time mainstream rock artist, which covers the over 40-year history of the chart's existence.

SEETHER has just kicked off "The Tailgate Tour" with longtime friends STAIND. Also appearing on the bill are SAINT ASONIA and Tim Montana.

Produced by Live Nation, "The Tailgate Tour", which reunites STAIND and SEETHER for the first time in years, launched on April 22 in Brandon, Mississippi, with dates across the U.S., including Franklin, Tennessee; Portland, Maine and Grand Rapids, Michigan before wrapping up in Pelham, Alabama on May 15.

In a new interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio, P.O.D. vocalist Sonny Sandoval was asked if he had any plans to work on solo music. He responded: "I had started a whole reggae album by myself when I was home, because you couldn't go anywhere. So I just did it at home and teamed up with a lot of different producers just online. I would just see their stuff, and I'd be, like, 'Hey, send me some tracks.' I was able to do everything. So I had planned to release that, actually, two years ago now, but then because our label and everybody was, like, 'We really, really need a P.O.D. record,' all that stuff got put on the back burner."

Sonny continued: "I've always been a reggae fan. I love reggae music. I think the scene is probably bigger now than ever. There's tours all around the world now for reggae music. And so I think once we're finished with [the touring cycle for] this [new P.O.D.] record and it starts to wind down, I'm definitely…. I mean, I am gonna release either an EP or a full record. And then I would just love to play shows just locally and maybe jump on tour with some reggae bands just because I just love doing it."

He added: "I'm pretty much just sitting on it. And so now it's, like, I just want people to hear that."

P.O.D. will release its 11th album, "VERITAS" on May 3 via Mascot Records.

Last fall, the band debuted the video for "Drop", which features a vocal cameo from LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe. It earned quick press accolades from Metal Injection, Consequence, Revolver, Idioteq, The Pit, Yahoo! and Knotfest. They followed with the video for single "Afraid To Die", featuring JINJER vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk.

"VERITAS" was written over the course of several years, with the band typically writing a tune or two at a time with the Los Angeles-based production duo called the Heavy (Jason Bell and Jordan Miller).

In a new interview with Brazil's Heavy Metal On Line, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke about the challenges of keeping a band lineup together. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, nobody is forced to be in ACCEPT. Everybody's a volunteer in this. And sometimes it turns out that somebody decides, 'I wanna go a different direction.' And then that's totally normal. It happens in every company. It happens in every sports team. It happens in every other aspect of life. But for some strange reason, there's this romantic idea that musicians have to stay together forever. And that's just not practical. I mean, it's just not realistic. For instance, I'll give you an example. Phil Shouse is a third guitar player in ACCEPT. He joined us in 2019. And last year, after the South American tour, he came to us and said, 'Listen, guys. I had food poisoning on this tour. I had to sit for hours and hours on these airplanes. I was in a hospital. This is just too much for me. This is too rough. I have an offer from another band here in Nashville and I wanna join this other band. So, please, I wanna leave the band.' But we said, 'Man, Phil, you're a great, amazing player. We don't wanna let you go. We love you. We wanna keep you. What can we do?' And he said, 'Well, maybe I can be a permanent special guest in ACCEPT and still be part of most shows, but I cannot be in every show.' And that's a perfect example of what happens sometimes. We'd love to keep him, but he has other plans and his life changed slightly. So now he's not gonna be everywhere we play. And to complete that story, we're now bringing to South America Joel Hoekstra from WHITESNAKE with us on this run. But that's just a perfect example. If it was up to me, nobody would ever leave. We would just be all great friends and everybody would get along. But that's not how life is sometimes. So I see it as my role as the only surviving oldest member of the band to just keep the ship afloat. I wanna keep going to the best of my abilities. And that's what I do. It's my mission in life to keep ACCEPT going to the best of my abilities. I think we have a fantastic camaraderie in the band right now, but I cannot guarantee if maybe someday, a few years down the road, somebody will change their mind and wanna do something else. And that's okay."

Regarding what he and his bandmates do to create a peaceful atmosphere within ACCEPT, Wolf said: "Don't stress the little stuff. And one thing we found that really works for us, we try to have personal space. For instance, during the day, everybody goes to their room. Some guy is just watching TV, the other guy is walking the city, but we try to not always hang together. And then, like an hour before the show, it's fresh. We're happy to see each other and we're glad to make metal together. But if you're hanging together too much, that's when the problem starts. You can only take so much of each other, because we're always together — at airports, on flights, we share meals together. And after a while, you don't know what to say to each other because you've said it all already. There's not so much new stuff that you can talk about. So sometimes it's just nice to go into your room and call the wife or call the family and just be in a different zone. That's healthy and that's good and that's how we keep a healthy relationship in the band, because too much is too much."

Due on April 26 via Napalm Records, ACCEPT's new album, "Humanoid", was once again produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by critically acclaimed heavy metal producer Andy Sneap.

Fans can immerse themselves in the upcoming album on an interactive web site, where they can reprogram the robot that is featured on the album cover, and discover different parts of the album in the process. Pre-save "Humanoid" now to gain access to the web site here.

ACCEPT recently announced a massive European headline tour, with more than 20 shows across the continent for autumn 2024. This summer, ACCEPT will also return to some of the world’s most important rock and metal festivals, like Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and more, following their South American spring tour.

In February 2022, it was announced that ACCEPT had inked a worldwide deal with Napalm Records.

ACCEPT's latest album, "Too Mean To Die", came out in January 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was the group's first without bassist Peter Baltes, who exited ACCEPT in November 2018. He has since been replaced by Martin Motnik. ACCEPT's lineup has also been expanded with the addition of a third guitarist, the aforementioned Philip Shouse, who originally filled in for Uwe Lulis during 2019's "Symphonic Terror" tour, before being asked to join the band permanently.

"Too Mean To Die" was recorded in Nashville with Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH),who has been responsible for the studio sound of ACCEPT since 2010.

Mark Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original lead singer, Udo Dirkscheider. He can be heard on ACCEPT's last six studio albums, "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017),"Too Mean To Die" (2021) and "Humanoid" (2024).

In a new interview with Brian Aberback of The Aquarian, QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton spoke about the band's decision to perform its entire 1983 debut EP and 1984's "The Warning" album as part of the ongoing "The Origins Tour". Asked what the impetus was for the trek, Wilton said: "It came about last year. A promoter asked, 'Have you ever thought about doing the EP and 'The Warning' in their entirety?' We said, 'Well, let's think about it,' and it just kind of blossomed. We said we'd do it at this Hell's Heroes festival in Houston. Then ticket sales were through the roof. We thought, 'Hey, this would be a good thing to do.' It was born out of that. And our manager put it together and then our booking agent put it together even more. All the venues were highly interested in it, so for us, it was, 'Okay, let's get it going.'"

He continued: "It's pretty amazing to go back and play those songs. We've played a lot of them, so there were only a few we had to kind of relearn. It's all challenging, progressive, and heavy music. At our age now, we're still crushing it."

Reflecting on the making of the EP, Wilton said: "When you're 18, 19, 20 years old, and with the technology back then, we were just making demo cassettes and jamming on them. Before QUEENSRŸCHE, we were called THE MOB. We were playing roller rinks. We were performing everywhere, playing [covers of] JUDAS PRIEST, DIO, AC/DC, IRON MAIDEN. Then we decided to write music on our own. We kept hammering out riffs and ideas and songs. We got to a point that we could afford to go into a studio at that time.

"When we recorded EP, we could only afford the graveyard time. We had day jobs, so we were recording the album at night. That's when Geoff [Tate, QUEENSRŸCHE singer] came in and things just went from there. We took a mastered cassette to our management at the record store. They played it and people in the record store were going, 'Who the hell is that? Oh my God, that's killer.' It was a slam dunk. We put out the [record label] 206 record, which was released by our management at the time who owned the record store — 206 was the area code of where we lived. After we sold 50,000 to 60,000 of those records, the record companies were knocking on our door. EMI offered us a six-record deal. We said, 'Okay, let's do it.'"

"The Origins Tour" launched on March 22 at the Hell's Heroes festival in Houston, Texas and will run until May 12 in Ft. Meyers, Florida, "The Origins Tour" sees QUEENSRŸCHE — singer Todd La Torre, guitarists Michael Wilton and Mike Stone, bassist Eddie Jackson and drummer Casey Grillo — joined on most dates by another highly respected/influential band that also launched in the '80s, ARMORED SAINT.

Early last year, QUEENSRŸCHE completed its 2023 U.S. headlining tour with support from former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman and TRAUMA. On that tour, QUEENSRŸCHE's 18-song set included no less than five songs from the band's sixteenth studio album, "Digital Noise Alliance", which came out in October 2022 via Century Media. The record was once again helmed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who previously worked with QUEENSRŸCHE on 2015's "Condition Hüman" and 2019's "The Verdict" LPs.

Stone, who rejoined QUEENSRŸCHE in 2021, contributed guitar solos to the band's new studio album.

Since late May 2021, Stone has been handling second-guitar duties in QUEENSRŸCHE, which announced in July 2021 that longtime guitarist Parker Lundgren was exiting the group to focus on "other business ventures."

Stone originally joined QUEENSRŸCHE for the 2003 album "Tribe" and stayed with the band for six years before leaving the group.

For the past seven years, drummer Casey Grillo has been filling in for original QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Scott Rockenfield, who stepped away from the band's touring activities in early 2017 to spend time with his young son.

In October 2021, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against guitarist Michael Wilton and bassist Eddie Jackson, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge. A few months later, Wilton and Jackson filed a countersuit against Rockenfield, accusing him of abandoning his position as a member of the band and misappropriating the group's assets to his own personal benefit. That dispute has since been settled out of court.

The LiveCuttz YouTube channel has uploaded 4K video of ARMORED SAINT's April 26 concert at Empire Live in Albany, New York. Check out the footage below.

Featured songs:

00:00:00 End Of The Attention Span
00:06:12 Raising Fear
00:10:21 Tribal Dance
00:14:35 Last Train Home
00:21:05 March Of The Saint
00:25:19 Left Hook From Right Field
00:31:08 Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants
00:38:01 Win Hands Down
00:44:25 Can U Deliver
00:48:59 Reign Of Fire

ARMORED SAINT is currently on tour supporting QUEENSRŸCHE. The trek, which commenced on March 27 in Anaheim, California, includes several ARMORED SAINT headlining shows scattered throughout and closes with a very special hometown headlining show on May 22 at El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

Earlier in the month, it was announced that ARMORED SAINT had renewed its long-running partnership with Metal Blade Records with a worldwide multi-album deal. Metal Blade released ARMORED SAINT's 1983 eponymous debut EP and the band has called Metal Blade home since 1988's "Saints Will Conquer" live album.

ARMORED SAINT singer John Bush comments: "ARMORED SAINT cemented our family relationship with Metal Blade even more by signing a new contract for a record due in 2025. There is nowhere else I'd rather be! I love [chairman/CEO] Brian [Slagel], [president] Tracy [Vera], and the staff. It's home. What more can I say."

ARMORED SAINT drummer Gonzo Sandoval said: "I'm pleased to say that in the year of 2024 we have re-signed a record deal with Metal Blade Records. Once again, I'm looking forward to making killer ARMORED SAINT music with Metal Blade as our record label. I feel blessed and appreciate the opportunity to be able to release a new ARMORED SAINT record in 2025! Stay tuned, ARMORED SAINT hooligans throughout the world and beyond, and spread the word. ARMORED SAINT for life!"

ARMORED SAINT guitarist Phil Sandoval stated: "ARMORED SAINT and Metal Blade have a long history and after all the incredible amount of trials and tribulations the band has been through, Metal Blade has been there for ARMORED SAINT. Brian Slagel in particular was paramount in getting me back in the band to record 'Symbol Of Salvation' along with Jeff Duncan. And in 2024 we have a new deal. I just want to say, 'Thank you, Metal Blade.'"

ARMORED SAINT guitarist Jeff Duncan said: "I'm so thrilled to sign a new deal with Metal Blade Records. Metal Blade has been ARMORED SAINT's home for many years and I'm looking forward to another new and productive chapter with them!"

ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera said: "We're honored to continue our long relationship with Metal Blade Records with this new signing. Their staunch support for ARMORED SAINT has been one of the pillars in the band's history. We cannot do any of this without them and we look forward to bringing even more new music this year."

Slagel commented: "I am honored and humbled to continue our long-standing relationship with ARMORED SAINT! One of the best metal bands of all time! So happy to keep them in the Metal Blade family!"

In a recent interview with "THAT Rocks!", the YouTube series hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson, Vera spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for ARMORED SAINT's follow-up to 2020's "Punching The Sky" album. He said: "We're about midway through writing a new record and music, hopefully for a '25 release. So that's what we're working towards. We also have a new single, with a video that we recorded in January. That should be coming out in June on Metal Blade. So, yeah, we're still busy. So, lots of stuff going on."

Regarding ARMORED SAINT's cover version of "One Chain Don't Make No Prison", which was written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and was first released by PEOPLE in 1970 (it was also covered by FOUR TOPS, as well as SANTANA and THE DOOBIE BROTHERS),Joey said: "We kind of went for this '70s retro R&B thing. There's this tune called 'One Chain Don't Make No Prison' by the FOUR TOPS, and it's been one of my favorite songs forever. I always imagined it with John singing it, so I just did this demo, kind of like a more heavier version of the song. And then we did this demo, and we said, 'Wow, this is, this is amazing. We should just do this as a one-off.' Not really associated with a record per se, but just for fun, kind of. We've never done a single before. It's always been, record 10, 11 songs, put out an album. So all the kids nowadays are doing singles. So we're, like, 'Let's do a single.'"

Added John: "It's cool. It's a really cool version of the song. And I was trying to really pay tribute to Levi Stubbs [FOUR TOPS singer], who's one of the best R&B singers from that era. He just has a cool soulful, powerful, almost a rock voice, and I think a lot of people — Glenn Hughes probably in particular — would admire his singing. And he just had this vibe. And so I was, like, 'Okay, I'd better pull it out of me.' But we did a great job."

On the topic of the music video for ARMORED SAINT's version of "One Chain Don't Make No Prison", Bush said: "I'm kind of wearing these suits. It's not quite campy, but it does look kind of cool and retro, and it just kind of shows a little different side of the band."

Last month, Bush told Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco radio station 107.7 The Bone about ARMORED SAINT's cover of "One Chain Don't Make No Prison": "[It came out] really cool. It's kind of a throwback. I love that sound from — especially [FOUR TOPS] in the '70s was really cool. That's when they got a little bit more edgy. The '60s stuff was, of course, great, but Levi Stubbs, the main singer, was awesome. He had a cool, just soulful, powerful voice. So Joey had this idea of doing it. We did the song. I don't know when for sure it's coming out. We did a video for it that we're all wearing suits. So it's pretty funny. It's a little different for us. It was really aesthetically looking pretty cool. We filmed it at somebody's house somewhere here in Hollywood. The guy had all these crazy decorations inside of his house that he lived in. So, the director found it. And so we shot it kind of in a circle, which is really cool. It was fun."

Regarding the progress of the songwriting sessions for ARMORED SAINT's next LP, Bush said: "We've already written a few songs — we've got probably about five or six, and we need to write a handful more. ARMORED SAINT notoriously doesn't move too fast. It would be cool if we had a little urgency. Not that we're lazy about it. We kind of work at our own pace. And when ideas come, they do. And then the ball starts kind of getting momentum and then we're going. But in the end, I always say it's better to make an awesome record. We're never gonna be a band that had, like, 30 records — that just wasn't our kind of path — but we can still have every record be great, and that should be the objective. Not that all bands with 30 records are just saying, 'Let's put out some crap,' but sometimes I think a lot of people do things so they could just tour and that just isn't really our M.O. So, if we could try to get it less than every five years, especially [considering] our age, would be something that would be good. But in the end, it will come when it does. But 2025, I think, is fairly realistic."

Asked if ARMORED SAINT would consider making an EP instead of a full-length album, as a lot of other artist have done in recent years, John said: "I wanna make a [full] record because metal people still love records, metal fans still want to buy vinyl and CDs. It's probably the one genre that people still wanna… I mean, of course people get it through different means — downloading or MP3s or whatever; if that's your method to listen to music, do whatever it is that makes you happy — but I think that people still love the aesthetics of vinyl and record and CDs. Some people still have cassettes; I don't know if they're listening to them or if it sounded good in the first place. But people like having the product, and that's really great. And we've always released vinyl from the beginning, even in our latter years on Metal Blade when vinyl was taking a big dip. It's had a little resurgence now, but, yeah, I think it's great that fans still want that. And I wanna make a full-length record."

Bush previously told The Chill Dude On A Couch about the ARMORED SAINT songwriting process: "We write something and then we'll try to make this really good-sounding demo. I'll go and sing. I actually try to sing it like I'm singing a record, and we've kept a lot of the original vocals. This goes back to the way we wrote songs back to [2000's] 'Revelation' even. 'Cause sometimes I think you sing something that maybe you'll never sing exactly the same, and so that nuance in your voice or who knows what, your inflection, you can try to mimic it, but maybe you never will mimic it exactly that way. Same with a guitar lead — a certain bend, it may not be exactly how you play it again. So I think those are key things that you try to keep when you're making demos, and that's what we do. So I've gotta get back to doing some work. And we've got more work to do, that's for sure. We certainly don't work at a fast pace; everyone knows that about SAINT. We could try to put a little urgency into this and try to kind of move on it a little quicker without sacrificing quality. I think that's a good idea."

ARMORED SAINT was inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame last July at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

Eleven months ago, ARMORED SAINT's long-awaited documentary, Armored Saint: Band Of Brothers", had its world premiere in the band's hometown at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood, California.

ARMORED SAINT's eighth full-length album, "Punching The Sky", came out in October 2020 via Metal Blade Records.

ARMORED SAINT released the "Symbol Of Salvation Live" CD/DVD in 2021 via Metal Blade Records. The release came in celebration of the seminal album's 30th anniversary. "Symbol Of Salvation Live" was a combination live album and video of the band playing the album in its entirety at New York City's famed Gramercy Theatre during its 2018 tour.

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser joined ANTHRAX on stage during the latter band's April 28 concert at the Summer Breeze festival at Memorial Da América Latina in São Paulo, Brazil to perform the ANTHRAX classic "I Am The Law". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

In a 2015 interview with Shredload, Kisser spoke about what it was like filling in for ANTHRAX's Scott Ian in 2011 while Ian spent time with his family following the birth of his first child. Andreas said: "[It was] one of the best moments of my life, really, as a musician, to be respected that way by them. To have Scott calling me and thinking about my name, giving me six months to prepare and stuff. And everybody… I felt home, really. It was a great to jam with them and spend two weeks with ANTHRAX, [playing] five 'Big Four' shows plus other shows and festivals. It was great. Everything went smoothly, and I think I was prepared to do the job. And I enjoyed it a lot. I was really there with them. You know, it's something that you never dream about. You dream so many things. But reality is much better. [Laughs]"

Kisser made his live debut with ANTHRAX on July 2, 2011 at Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany as part of a "Big Four" show with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.

After Kisser completed his stint with ANTHRAX, the band posted a letter addressed to the guitarist on ANTHRAX's official Facebook page, in which they wrote, "Words cannot express the feeling of love we have for you. From the first day, you were a part of the family. You were the only choice to fill in for Scott and that decision proved to be the right one. Thank you for being you."

Regarding how Kisser came to fill the temporary-guitarist slot in ANTHRAX, Ian said in an early 2011 statement: "We chose Andreas because we feel he can do the gig better than anyone. He has the fire, the attitude, and the crushing right hand to do the gig."

He continued: "I've played with Andreas at the Roadrunner 25th-anniversary show, and I've gotten up and played with SEPULTURA and we are kindred spirits. We both play every show like we're going to jail the next day, like it's the last show we'll ever play. He has what it takes and he has the experience and history to fucking bring it and make these ANTHRAX shows something special."

Late last month, ANTHRAX announced that, due to personal reasons, bassist Frank Bello would not be able to accompany the band on its South American tour, which kicked off on April 13 at MXMF The Metal Fest in Mexico City. Filling in on those dates, as well as two U.S. festival shows in May, is ANTHRAX founding member and original bassist Dan Lilker, marking his first appearance with the band in 40 years. Lilker, who co-wrote and played on ANTHRAX's debut album "Fistful Of Metal", was also a member of STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH with ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante and Ian.

Italian goth metal veterans LACUNA COIL performed their new single, "In The Mean Time", live for the first time during their April 27 concert at the Summer Breeze festival at Memorial Da América Latina in São Paulo, Brazil. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

The studio version of "In The Mean Time", featuring Ash Costello of NEW YEARS DAY, was made available on April 19. The song’s title is a reference to the mean times the world is living in, as well as a reference to the state the band itself is in, between cycles.

LACUNA COIL stated: "'In The Mean Time' is a reflection on how much our society has generally 'lost the plot'. We are living in really mean times filled with unhappy people: lonely, anxious, depressed, destructive. The pressure that crushes from the outside doesn't allow us to see things with the right clarity.

"This song is like group therapy: not a lamentation, but acceptance that once broken, it's hard to put oneself back together again.

"We need to take our minds off all the inescapable toxicity and find that there's so much more to this life… and know that in the meantime, everything cannot be aligned.

"We invited Ash Costello from NEW YEARS DAY to feature on the track and we're thrilled she came on board adding exactly what we needed for this song with her warm voice and charisma."

Costello said: "I am deeply honored to join LACUNA COIL on tour for the first time, to have the incredible opportunity to lend my guest vocals to a new track and appear in the music video. Working alongside the powerhouse vocalist Cristina has been a privilege, and I may be biased in saying that 'In The Mean Time' has quickly become my favorite by LACUNA COIL. Its message about embracing individuality and not conforming deeply resonates with me."

LACUNA COIL will embark on the "Ignite The Fire" U.S. tour next month with support from NEW YEARS DAY and OCEANS OF SLUMBER.

Last July, LACUNA COIL released the official lyric video for the band's single "Never Dawn". For the track, LACUNA COIL partnered with CMON, the renowned board game publisher behind the popular game "Zombicide".

LACUNA COIL has spent some of the last couple of years promoting "Comalies XX", the "deconstructed" and "transported" version of the band's third album, "Comalies".

"Comalies XX" was made available on October 14, 2022 via Century Media Records.

LACUNA COIL celebrated the 20th anniversary of "Comalies", by performing it in its entirety at a one-night-only concert on October 15, 2022 at Fabrique in Milano.

"Comalies" was originally released on October 29, 2002 through Century Media Records. The LP, which featured the band's breakthrough single "Heaven's A Lie", has reportedly gone on to sell over 300,000 copies in the United States alone.

MÖTLEY CRÜE has released the official lyric video for the band's new single, "Dogs Of War". The track was made available last Friday, April 26 via MÖTLEY CRÜE's new deal with Nashville's Big Machine Records.

"It's always great getting back in the studio with the guys in the band," CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx said. "We know you're gonna like this one."

Bob Rock, who produced the new single, as well as MÖTLEY CRÜE's famed 1989 album "Dr. Feelgood", added: "Working with the band on the new song was the easiest session I have ever had with them… The CRÜE is the best they have ever been! And they have plenty of new stuff in store."

"We want to keep putting out new music, too, so we don't get stagnant," CRÜE singer Vince Neil told Billboard. "We recorded '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)' by the BEASTIE BOYS and we recorded this song, too, and I thought it turned out pretty good.

"There'll definitely be new music out next year, for sure," Neil added, "'cause we recorded a couple of other songs, too. Maybe we'll release one of those by the end of the year, but I can't say. But we want to keep putting out new music — not, maybe, an album but a few songs here, a few songs there, and that’s good."

Neil described "Dogs Of War" as "like old school meets new school. It's got that old-school vibe about it, but it's new music. Nikki came up with it and he sent me the music and I thought it was really cool. So I started singing it and we got in the studio and it turned into the song I think the fans are really gonna like it."

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

"It's a great match for us," Vince told Classic Rock. "We're good friends with [Big Machine founder/CEO] Scott Borchetta, who put together the 'Nashville Outlaws' album back in 2014. His company just knows radio, how to get it out there, how to get the right people listening."

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

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

"'The Dirt' movie got us a whole new generation of fans," Neil said. "We want to keep putting new music out. We don't want to stagnate."

"We self-released 'Too Fast For Love' on our own Leathür Records label," Neil added of the band's 1981 debut. "It cost $3,000 to make and was done in three days. It was a glorified demo tape, but we were the record label until we got signed by Elektra. We haven't been on a record label for 20 years. But Scott shares our philosophy and he's a brilliant guy."

In December, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee told Desert Sun about the three new songs he and his bandmates recorded with Rock: "Wait until you hear it. It's insane. It's not a full album, but that might be down the road a bit. We're always writing and doing stuff, so that's always a possibility down the road. But we just went to the studio not too long ago and recorded three insane tracks and one of them is called 'Dogs Of War'. We're just finishing up the video for it. For those jonesing for some new CRÜE, people are going to bug out. John 5 is playing on it, the guitar work is incredible and it sounds sick."

MÖTLEY CRÜE debuted its cover of "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" during a "secret" June 30, 2023 club performance for 450 lucky fans at the Underworld in London, England.

In September, John 5 told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about how much input he had during the songwriting process for the new CRÜE music: "We all sat in a room and did it together. 'Cause me and Nikki have written for years and years and years together. So it was nothing new. And me and Tommy worked in the studio together many times as well. So it was nothing new being in the studio, but it was new with Bob Rock.

"What was so wild was we got in a room… It was like total old school, man," he explained. "You get in the live room and there's my amp and there's Nikki's amp and there's Tommy's drums, there's a mic… 'Cause I'm so used to just playing in the control room. And it's, like, 'Oh no, no, no. We're all gonna get in this room and we're gonna play.' And that's how we recorded. It was incredible. I've never recorded that way. And it was maybe one of the best experiences I had recording. It was so fun. It was a blast. I had to, like, make notes and all this stuff, and we just played through it. It was incredible."

Last spring, John 5 told Sirius XM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about recording with Rock: "Bob would come in and [say], 'Okay, let's try this here, and that here and this here. It was one of the most incredible experiences ever… I'm thinking, 'We've got so much great technology today'… but we got in that room and it was like being in a garage working on a song when you were in high school… It was incredible, and we documented a lot of it too."

Regarding the musical direction of the tracks he and the rest of MÖTLEY CRÜE have recorded so far, John 5 said: "The songs are fucking heavy. I sound like a little excited kid right now, but they're heavy and they're mean. I can't wait for them to come out. I'm just so excited."

When host Eddie Trunk asked John 5 whether the new MÖTLEY CRÜE music can be compared to the band's breakthrough second album, 1983's "Shout At The Devil", the guitarist said that some of the new riffs are "heavier than anything" on that LP. "All I can tell you is that it's heavy and it's aggressive, and I think people are going to dig it because, talking as a fan, it's fucking badass," he said.

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

Mars suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS),a chronic and inflammatory form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine and pelvis. After years of performing through the pain, he informed the other members of MÖTLEY CRÜE in the summer of 2022 that he could no longer tour with them but would still be open to recording new music or performing at residencies that did not require much travel.

When Mars announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, in early April 2023 the now-72-year-old musician filed a lawsuit against CRÜE in Los Angeles County's Superior Court claiming that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

The promoters of the Brazilian leg of Bruce Dickinson's ongoing solo tour have issued a statement in response to a video which emerged online over the weekend in which the IRON MAIDEN singer admonished a fan for allegedly using cannabis and pepper spray during one of Bruce's solo concerts.

Dickinson was performing in Brasília on Saturday (April 27) as part of his tour promoting the recently released "The Mandrake Project" solo album when he launched into his tirade against the attendee. In a now-deleted Instagram video, Bruce said: "I can't fucking breathe. Tanya [O'Callaghan, Bruce's bassist] can't breathe. You with the fucking vape over there, yeah, it's not you, but, you know, please, fucking do that outside, all right? You know, if you can't stay for five minutes without having a fucking addiction, but… Somebody down here has been using pepper spray. Some fucker has been using pepper spray, which is why people can't fucking breathe down there, right? So, you know, if you figure out who the fuck it is, I just don't care what happens to them after the show, all right? In the meantime, we will try and do the best we can."

In a separate video uploaded to YouTube, Bruce added: "I do apologize for coughing. Some of you fuckers are smoking, all right? I can't sing if you're gonna smoke, all right? [Tanya's] coughing her guts out, I'm coughing, my fucking wife is going, 'Blargh,' in the back there, all right? It's kind of disgusting, all right? But if you wanna be disgusting, do it outside, all right? Not in here. My throat's got work to do. You pay good money to hear me fucking sing, not go, 'Blargh, blargh,' all right?"

One day after the Brasília concert, MCA Concerts released the following "official statement" to BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding the above-mentioned incident: "[Saturday] night over 2000 fans filled the Opera Hall in Brasília to see Bruce Dickinson on the third show of his, critically acclaimed, first Brazilian solo tour for over 20 years. An incident occurred towards the end of the show where noxious fumes were released, causing severe issues for the band members on stage and the crew and audience in the auditorium. Subsequently many members of the crowd have taken to social media to corroborate the incident that caused them breathing difficulties.

"As video footage shows, Bruce did his best, with limited knowledge of the situation, to explain the effects to the crowd but subsequently found out that several band members, including himself, were affected by the fall out and a member of the crew had to be treated with oxygen by a doctor. The footage also shows Bruce departing the stage to perform part of the encore after being seen visibly struggling to breathe and pitch his vocal.

"Tour promoters MCA are still working with authorities to understand the full impact of the incident and understand how the noxious fumes affected not just the audience and crew but also the band onstage.

"Fortunately, everyone has been checked out by medical staff and given the all clear. The show in Belo Horizonte at the Arena Hall tonight (April 28th) will be unaffected."

Dickinson has a history of publicly admonishing fans and security at MAIDEN's concert if he feels like they are out of line. Less than two years ago, he blasted a fan as a "Greek cunt" and a "fucking cocksucker" for lighting a flare during the band's concert in Athens, Greece. The incident occurred on July 16, 2022 as MAIDEN launched into the tenth song of its set, "The Number Of The Beast", at the Olympic Stadium. After singing the opening line of the track, Bruce noticed the flare lighting up and immediately burst into an angry rant, apparently concerned that the smoke from the flare would negatively affect his singing voice.

"The cunt with the fucking flare, I've gotta sing up here," Bruce shouted into the microphone. "You fucking cocksucker. You Greek cunt. All right. I've gotta fucking sing. All right. Fuck you."

As Bruce's bandmates continued playing the opening riff of "The Number Of The Beast", he apparently briefly left the stage in hopes that the smoke would clear up. However, when Dickinson eventually resumed singing the song, he was notably off time and not in sync with the rest of the group.

Dickinson addressed the incident during a recent interview with Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece about his upcoming solo album, "The Mandrake Project". Asked about his response to the flare at the concert, Bruce said: "Oh, the guy swinging his thing and everything else. You know what? I probably got his nationality wrong. [Laughs] I just lost my temper, because it was such… That activity that a very, very small minority of people do is so selfish and so disturbing. They think it's really cool. Actually, it's not about the band. It's not about the audience. It's about them drawing attention only to themselves and damaging the people around them who have this thing, this extremely toxic thing flying around. Of course, if you happen to be asthmatic, if you haven't been having any lung conditions, 'Oh, we don't care about them. We'll just fill the place with smoke, 'cause it makes me feel important,' is their attitude. It just annoys the hell out of me. Anyway, yeah, I lost my temper. I shouldn't have called him a Greek cunt; I should have just called him a cunt. [Laughs]"

Back in 2019, Bruce stopped a MAIDEN show midway through to slam a Tacoma, Washington venue for a violent and bloody incident in the crowd for which he claimed the venue's security was to blame. In 2012, Bruce called out a fan at a Indianapolis show who had been texting for three straight songs. In October 2022, Dickinson also called out fans who were allegedly smoking cannabis during a MAIDEN concert in Anaheim, California. He said: "There's so many fucking people smoking so much fucking dope down here, I'm amazed you can even see. Poor old Steve [Harris, MAIDEN bassist]. I don't know if you know, but he absolutely fucking hates marijuana and the smell of it, all right? So when he's trying to play bass, it fucks him up. It fucks me up. I'm a singer, all right?"

"The Mandrake Project" was released on March 1 via BMG. Bruce and his long-term co-writer and producer Roy "Z" Ramirez recorded the LP largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy Z doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by keyboard maestro Mistheria and drummer Dave Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce's previous solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.

Bruce Dickinson called out a group of fans at his concert in Brazil last night (Saturday, April 27) for smoking cigarettes and allegedly using pepper spray in the crowd.

The IRON MAIDEN singer, who recently kicked off a tour of Latin America in support of his latest solo album, "The Mandrake Project", hit out at some audience members during his show at Opera Hall in Brasília.

In a video shared by the Iron Maiden Brasil Instagram account, Bruce can be heard saying (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I can't fucking breathe. Tanya [O'Callaghan, Bruce's bassist] can't breathe. You with the fucking vape over there, yeah, it's not you, but, you know, please, fucking do that outside, all right? You know, if you can't stay for five minutes without having a fucking addiction, but… Somebody down here has been using pepper spray. Some fucker has been using pepper spray, which is why people can't fucking breathe down there, right? So, you know, if you figure out who the fuck it is, I just don't care what happens to them after the show, all right? In the meantime, we will try and do the best we can."

In a separate video uploaded to YouTube, Bruce added: "I do apologize for coughing. Some of you fuckers are smoking, all right? I can't sing if you're gonna smoke, all right? [Tanya's] coughing her guts out, I'm coughing, my fucking wife is going, 'Blargh,' in the back there, all right? It's kind of disgusting, all right? But if you wanna be disgusting, do it outside, all right? Not in here. My throat's got work to do. You pay good money to hear me fucking sing, not go, 'Blargh, blargh,' all right?"

The promoter of Dickinson's concert in Brasília, MCA Concerts, told Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda that the incident was caused by an accidental explosion of a fan's vape pen (electronic cigarette). The chemical present in the accessory spread and created symptoms similar to those of pepper spray. The medical team on duty at the event stated that those treated did not have symptoms caused by pepper gas, such as eye irritation, watery eyes, swelling or disorientation, and that only throat irritation was noted. MCA Concerts also told Igor Miranda that Opera Hall security does not use pepper spray to control the crowd and that no fights occurred on the site. Furthermore, the concert promoter said that Dickinson himself was not directly affected by the vape explosion, only another member of Bruce's band whose name had not been revealed.

Dickinson has a history of publicly admonishing fans and security at MAIDEN's concert if he feels like they are out of line. Less than two years ago, he blasted a fan as a "Greek cunt" and a "fucking cocksucker" for lighting a flare during the band's concert in Athens, Greece. The incident occurred on July 16, 2022 as MAIDEN launched into the tenth song of its set, "The Number Of The Beast", at the Olympic Stadium. After singing the opening line of the track, Bruce noticed the flare lighting up and immediately burst into an angry rant, apparently concerned that the smoke from the flare would negatively affect his singing voice.

"The cunt with the fucking flare, I've gotta sing up here," Bruce shouted into the microphone. "You fucking cocksucker. You Greek cunt. All right. I've gotta fucking sing. All right. Fuck you."

As Bruce's bandmates continued playing the opening riff of "The Number Of The Beast", he apparently briefly left the stage in hopes that the smoke would clear up. However, when Dickinson eventually resumed singing the song, he was notably off time and not in sync with the rest of the group.

Dickinson addressed the incident during a recent interview with Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece about his upcoming solo album, "The Mandrake Project". Asked about his response to the flare at the concert, Bruce said: "Oh, the guy swinging his thing and everything else. You know what? I probably got his nationality wrong. [Laughs] I just lost my temper, because it was such… That activity that a very, very small minority of people do is so selfish and so disturbing. They think it's really cool. Actually, it's not about the band. It's not about the audience. It's about them drawing attention only to themselves and damaging the people around them who have this thing, this extremely toxic thing flying around. Of course, if you happen to be asthmatic, if you haven't been having any lung conditions, 'Oh, we don't care about them. We'll just fill the place with smoke, 'cause it makes me feel important,' is their attitude. It just annoys the hell out of me. Anyway, yeah, I lost my temper. I shouldn't have called him a Greek cunt; I should have just called him a cunt. [Laughs]"

Back in 2019, Bruce stopped a MAIDEN show midway through to slam a Tacoma, Washington venue for a violent and bloody incident in the crowd for which he claimed the venue's security was to blame. In 2012, Bruce called out a fan at a Indianapolis show who had been texting for three straight songs. In October 2022, Dickinson also called out fans who were allegedly smoking cannabis during a MAIDEN concert in Anaheim, California. He said: "There's so many fucking people smoking so much fucking dope down here, I'm amazed you can even see. Poor old Steve [Harris, MAIDEN bassist]. I don't know if you know, but he absolutely fucking hates marijuana and the smell of it, all right? So when he's trying to play bass, it fucks him up. It fucks me up. I'm a singer, all right?"

"The Mandrake Project" was released on March 1 via BMG. Bruce and his long-term co-writer and producer Roy "Z" Ramirez recorded the LP largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy Z doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by keyboard maestro Mistheria and drummer Dave Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce's previous solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.

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SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian has told Metal Hammer magazine that he will release a new solo EP called "Foundations" in September. The 56-year-old Lebanese-born Armenian-American musician and songwriter, who is currently promoting his upcoming autobiography "Down With The System", said about the EP: "It's five songs. We just shot five videos for it last week with members of the FCC, my back-up band, which was really fun, and we're going to put it out in September. We're actually going to start leaking some material as early as next month."

He added: "The reason I'm putting it out is that archival nature of writing a book made me look into songs from different periods of time. So one of the songs is from early SYSTEM days, for example, that I've never put out, that I'd never worked with SYSTEM on. A couple of the songs are from my early 2007-2008 solo record period, but didn't fit the record ['Elect The Dead', released in October 2007].

"It's an interesting retrospective of rock music that I've never released from different times, and it's called 'Foundations' basically because it's the founding of my musical life," Serj added. "They're very interesting songs, very different from each other: one is really heavy, one is like, really progressive, there's just different elements to each of them. But I think they work in tandem."

Serj's new solo song "A.F. Day", the first single from the "Foundations" EP, will be released on May 17 digitally everywhere via Gibson Records. A teaser is available below.

"Down With The System" will be released on May 14 via Hachette Books.

Tankian is best known as the lead singer of the Grammy Award-winning rock band SYSTEM OF A DOWN, but he is also a solo artist, composer, activist, painter, poet, and filmmaker. Since launching on to the rock scene in 1993, he's performed for millions of fans and sold more than 42 million albums worldwide. He's also a proud Armenian-American and a dedicated activist; along with Tom Morello, Tankian co-founded the non-profit organization Axis Of Justice, which strived to bring together musicians, music fans, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice. He has composed scores for many films and television series, had his paintings exhibited in galleries in the U.S. and New Zealand, and released two books of his own poetry. He has also been an executive producer on multiple documentaries, including "I Am Not Alone", which tells the story of Armenia's 2018 revolution and which won awards at the Toronto International Film Festival, DOC NYC, American Film Institute Festival, and the Palm Springs International Film Festival, among others. Tankian lives with his wife and his son, splitting their time between Los Angeles and New Zealand.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, but has only managed to record two songs in the last 19 years, "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Released in November 2020, the tracks were motivated by the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN's ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they raised over $600,000.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN co-headlined the second installment of the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 27.

The quartet will next co-headline a one-off concert with DEFTONES at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California on August 17.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Century Media Records is proud to announce the signing of Sweden’s masters of aural dissonance and unapologetic heaviness, Humanity's Last Breath. Encompassing elements of djent, doom, deathcore and an apocalyptic sense of atonal atmosphere and calculated chaos, Humanity's Last Breath has ushered in the sound of extreme metal at its most startlingly modern. HLB’s ominous sonic landscapes have taken on their own self-coined definition - THALL.


The brainchild of guitarist and producer Buster Odelholm with vocalist Filip Danielsson, Humanity's Last Breath have set the standard for a new level of heaviness over the course of their steady stream of albums: the last two, 2023’s Ashen and 2021’s Valde (both released on the Unique Leader label) are considered genuine breakthroughs and have expanded the lexicon of extreme sounds for metal.


Humanity's Last Breath formed over a decade ago as a creative outlet for Odelholm (who also plays with Swedish progressive metal legends, Vildhjarta and drums with metalcore standard-setters, Thrown). Solidifying a live lineup in 2016, which now also includes guitarist Calle Thomer and drummer Klas Blomgren, HLB began a string scattered touring and appearances at European festivals including Brutal Assault, Euroblast and the UK’s Tech-Fest. Starting on April 30 Phoenix, Arizona, Humanity's Last Breath will make its first-ever stop on US soil on the 2024 Chaos and Carnage Tour with a lineup that includes Cattle Decapitation, Carnifex and Century Media labelmates, Vitriol.




Humanity's Last Breath is presently at work on their Century Media debut, due for release in 2025.


Says Humanity's Last Breath: “Humanity's Last Breath is thrilled to announce our signing with Century Media Records. We are excited to join forces with this legendary label! Stay tuned for what's coming next!”


Adds Mike Gitter, Century Media VP of A&R: “We’re very excited to be working with Humanity's Last Breath. We’ve already been working with Buster in Vildjharta and have long been fans of his work, which is breathtaking in its grasp.  HLB encompasses musical extremity and innovation in a way that is utterly unique. It’s a sound-design of hellish proportions.”


(Photo - Jesper Blom)

During an appearance on The Hook Rocks! podcast, Lita Ford spoke about what it was like for her in the 1980s when she was the exception on the testosterone-fueled, male-dominated hair metal scene, where women were relegated to eye candy. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was a lot of games. And men are just men. And they're not anything indestructible. It doesn't mean anything. And a lot of the situations were they couldn't put two and two together. And it wasn't just men. It was a lot of people. But then, on the other hand, they couldn't put together the fact that, 'Oh, she's a female and she's playing guitar. Huh? How does that work?' Well, to me, it never really registered. I just thought, 'Well, I just wanna play guitar.' And it never dawned on me, really, that 'you're a female.' 'Oh.' Well, nobody told me. I mean, I knew, but I never really put two and two together and thought, 'Well, I can't do this because I'm a female.' It never really made sense to me.

"A lot of the best musicians, a lot of them were men, and I have to say that a lot of them helped me to achieve certain rock celebrity status and just hanging out with the best of the best musicians… They didn't look at it, like, 'Oh, she's a girl. No, she can't do this.' They didn't look at it like that. They were different," she explained. "Like Dee Snider, for instance. Dee was such a huge support for Lita. And we opened for TWISTED SISTER many times, and Dee would always go out and rile the audience and get them pumped for our show coming on. If we were doing a festival or if we performed before them, he would always come out and rile them, even in the early '80s. He was just all about it. And people like Ritchie Blackmore —he never judged me because I was a female. And a lot of these great musicians are really nonjudgmental people. It's all about the performance. And so that's what you've gotta separate — the losers from the leaders, so to speak."

In a late 2023 interview with Robert Miguel of Uvalde Radio Rocks, Lita spoke about the delay in releasing her long-awaited new studio album. She said: "Well, I just did an interview a little while ago and I was just saying that there's a lot of pieces of the puzzle in moving forward with things, especially now in the music industry, there's so many moving parts and stuff. So I just need to have all my ducks in a row before I try to release this record. And I think just recently, I wanna say just over the last couple of weeks, the missing link and the biggest pieces of the puzzle, besides me, have been found. And we're gonna be moving forward real soon with this record."

Ford's upcoming follow-up to 2012's "Living Like A Runaway" was once again helmed by guitarist/producer Gary Hoey, who contributes some guitar playing to the disc, alongside the rest of Lita's longtime backing band, consisting of guitarist Patrick Kennison, drummer Bobby Rock and bassist Marty O'Brien.

In May 2022, bassist Marten Andersson (STEELHEART, LIZZY BORDEN, LYNCH MOB) officially joined Lita's touring band. Andersson replaced O'Brien who became the touring bassist for DAUGHTRY.

In a separate interview with "THAT Rocks!", the weekly YouTube series hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson, Lita stated about her next LP: "The problem is we've had so many things happen over the last few years. Our manager died; George Marshall died a year ago, [in] '22. And then my songwriting partner died. And it's just been devastation. But we take all that pain and everything and we just put it right back into the album. And then we recorded the drum tracks in Minneapolis during Black Lives Matter and COVID. Everything was locked down and the place was boarded up and the guys had shotguns and Rottweilers. And then we went in and did drum tracks. And it was awesome."

In January 2021, Lita told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that her new album contains "some of the best guitar playing" she has heard "in decades." She added: "And I'm not blowing smoke up my own ass, but Gary and I just nailed it with the guitar playing on this record.

"I'm a huge fan of people like Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter from Alice Cooper's 'Welcome To My Nightmare'. I mean, there's some really great duo guitar players — [JUDAS PRIEST's] Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing… Those guitar players don't exist anymore — they just don't exist. If you wanna hear them, you have to go back in time a little bit and dig them up into your favorite library, favorite music catalog. But I think Gary and I really nailed it on this next record. It's, like, oh my God. I'm crying — I'm just, like, crying listening to this stuff. It's so badass."

Ford's last release was 2016's "Time Capsule", a collection of songs that were recorded by Lita in the past, but never before made available.

Eight years ago, Lita released an autobiography, "Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir", via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books),an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

In a new interview with Loaded Radio, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH founder and guitarist Zoltan Bathory was asked if he still keeps in touch with any of his former bandmates, like guitarist Jason Hook and drummer Jeremy Spencer. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[From] time to time, we have a back-and-forth with guys, like sometimes we have a back-and-forth with Jeremy, for example. But it's kind of the thing where they were here for a reason and then they were left for a reason. It's one of those things. And there's no animosity — there's nothing like that — but everybody's a grown-up and a professional. But, obviously, the situation didn't work out, so they went this way, we went that way, and it is just what it is.

"FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is like a bullet train — when you step off the platform, you're like a hundred miles back there," he explained. "Anybody who's been part of touring life or a — well, touring life especially, but a fast-moving unit, really, that's what happens. You don't really realize it when you're in it, how fast this is moving, how you just zigzag in the world and just things are happening on a daily basis. That's our life. And it's a constant avalanche of stuff just coming. So whatever happened yesterday, man, I barely remember. This is a new day. I already did a million things today. And so, if, be it bandmembers, crew, managers or whoever was involved in this band in the past, once you step off the platform, yeah, we can still holler at each other, like, 'Hey, man, yeah, good to see you,' but, man, we're like a million miles away now. We already traveled across the galaxy by now, and we changed as people, we think differently because it's a rapid evolution, what happens when you are in a fast-moving, unit. You're not the same person you were just yesterday. So it's kind of like, to grow apart from people is extremely quick because of that, because we're just moving, moving, moving."

Jeremy, who co-founded FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH with Zoltan, left the band so that he could undergo back surgery in the fall of 2018 that required a significant recovery period.

Spencer's replacement in FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is Charlie "The Engine" Engen. Engen made his recording debut with the band on the "F8" album, which came out in February 2020.

Three years ago, Jeremy told "That Jamieson Show" about his decision to leave FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH: "I had some back issues, and I had to get a couple of surgeries. And the second one was brutal — I had to get disc replacement and fusion. I had deteriorating discs, so it was really painful to play, and I wasn't playing very good. So it was, like, 'I'm not enjoying this. And I don't feel like I'm doing it like I used to be able to.' It's kind of like an athlete when they're aging, and they can't just quite do it like they used to. I mean, the brain's working, but it's just not connecting with the limbs. And I was, like, 'Fuck, man. All right. It might be time to recognize that I need to step off.' So I did."

In October 2020, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH confirmed that it had officially parted ways with Hook eight months earlier during the band's sold-out European arena tour. He has since been replaced by renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who made his recording debut with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on "Broken World", a song that was included on the second installment of the group's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction - Volume 2".

After his recovery from emergency gallbladder surgery at the end of 2019, Hook had to leave midway from FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's tour of Europe to address further complications.

Jason, who joined FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH in 2009, said about his exit from the band: "As for the reason I'm leaving… well, there really isn't just one. I've been in bands my entire life and I feel like I've done all the good that I can here. It's time to pass the baton and move on to new challenges."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH recently announced a headlining U.S. tour this summer with support from MARILYN MANSON and SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL. The trek will kick off on August 2 in Hershey, Pennsylvania and run through September 19 when it will conclude in Houston, Texas.

Prior to the U.S. run, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will embark on a tour of Europe in the spring for more stadium dates with METALLICA on the latter act's "M72" world tour in addition to headlining shows with special guest ICE NINE KILLS and select appearances at major festivals.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is continuing to tour in support of its ninth album, "AfterLife" which was released in August 2022 via Better Noise.

On April 5, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH released the digital deluxe edition of "AfterLife", featuring the original 12 tracks recorded with the band's longtime producer Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE) in addition to four bonus tracks: three acoustic versions of the album's songs "The End", "Judgement Day" and "Thanks For Asking" plus a brand new song, "This Is The Way", featuring the late rapper DMX.

One of Melbourne's most intriguing progressive metal bands, Teramaze, has revealed the first single, "Standing Ovation", from their upcoming 11th full-length album, Eli: A Wonderful Fall From Grace, set for release on May 24 via Wells Music. Pre-order the album here, and watch the video below.


Says the band: "'Standing Ovation' sounds like a thrilling anthem, capturing the excitement and energy of Eli's journey to stardom. With its dynamic guitar riffs/solos and powerful vocal melodies, its a standout track within the story. It encapsulates the pivotal moment when Eli steps into the spotlight and commands the stage, earning the adoration of the crowd with his talent and charisma. It's the kind of song that leaves a lasting impression and perfectly complements Eli's rise to fame in the narrative."







Eli: A Wonderful Fall From Grace is a concept album that finishes the trilogy of their Halo storyline, following 2015's Her Halo and 2021's Sorella Minore.


Commenting on the album's thematic direction, the band states: "We began with a story of betrayal, love, and wonder told through the album Her Halo. We continued that tale through to a climactic finish with the epic suite Sorella Minore. And now, we have finally brought to you the third instalment of the Halo Saga, to bring the whole story together. We take you not forward in time, but to the very beginning...


“Eli - A Wonderful Fall from Grace takes us to A Place Called Halo, the circus where it all began in the height of it's popularity. Eli, a shipwreck survivor discovers the travelling tented landscape, and becomes the star attraction... but at a terrible price.


“Along with a full length concept album, we finally release the short story that sparked this spell binding concept all those years ago.


“Every story has a beginning, and so is Eli - A Wonderful Fall from Grace."





Tracklisting:


“A Place Called Halo”
“The Will Of Eli”
“Step Right Up”
“I Mantissa”
“Madam Roma”
“Standing Ovation”
“Hands Are Tied”
“A Wonderful Fall From Grace”


Teaser:

Pearl Jam recently guested on The Howard Stern Show, and performed new songs and classics. Watch the videos below:
















More video from the episode is available for streaming below...


Eddie Vedder and producer Andrew Watt were in the recording studio waiting for Stevie Wonder to show up. So they wrote a Pearl Jam song about it.





Eddie Vedder tells Howard Stern why he was hesitant to release the Pearl Jam hit "Better Man."





Pearl Jam reminisce on their experience recording "Even Flow" where the band spent multiple takes trying to nail the track.





Mike McCready delves into his early admiration for Van Halen, shedding light on the influence the band had on his formative years.





Eddie Vedder remembers performing live with the Rolling Stones.





Drummer Matt Cameron tells Howard about his KISS cover band back when he was a teenager and the cease and desist letter he got from the band.





Pearl Jam’s twelfth studio album, Dark Matter, was released via Monkeywrench Records/Republic Records on Friday, April 19. Dark Matter was produced by Grammy award winning producer Andrew Watt and is the band’s first release since Gigaton.


Order the album here.





Tracklisting:


"Sacred Of Fear"
"React, Respond"
"Wreckage"
"Dark Matter"
"Won’t Tell"
"Upper Hand"
"Waiting For Stevie"
"Running"
"Something Special"
"Got To Give"
"Setting Sun"


"Wreckage" visualizer/lyric video:





"Running":





"Dark Matter" visualizer:





In support of their new album, Pearl Jam will head out on a world tour this year. Their global tour, hitting nine countries and 25 cities, kicks off at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, and will cover much of North America including shows at Wrigley Field, Madison Square Garden, Fenway Park, and their first hometown performance in six years at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, the world’s first net zero certified arena.


The tour continues with performances in the UK and Europe, including their first performance at London’s brand new and state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, through September, followed by the group’s long-awaited ten-year return to New Zealand and Australia this November. Full routing below.


Special guests Deep Sea Diver (North America Leg 1), Glen Hansard (North America Leg 2), The Murder Capital (UK/EU), Richard Ashcroft (Dublin and London) and Pixies (Australia and New Zealand) will serve as support for these dates.





Tour dates:


May
4 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
6 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
10 - Portland, OR - Moda Center
13 - Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center
16 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
18 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
21 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum
22 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum
25 - Napa Valley, CA - BottleRock Festival **
28 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
30 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena


June
22 - Dublin, Ireland - Marlay Park
25 - Manchester, UK - Co-op Live
29 - London, UK - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium


July
2 - Berlin, Germany - Waldbühne
3 - Berlin, Germany - Waldbühne
6 - Barcelona, Spain - Palau Sant Jordi
8 - Barcelona, Spain - Palau Sant Jordi
11 - Madrid, Spain - Mad Cool Festival **
13 - Lisbon, Portugal - NOS Alive Festival **


August
22 - Missoula, MT - Washington-Grizzly Stadium
26 - Indianapolis, IN - Ruoff Music Center *
29 - Chicago, IL - Wrigley Field
31 - Chicago, IL - Wrigley Field


September
3 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
4 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
7 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
9 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
12 - Baltimore, MD - CFG Bank Arena
15 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park
17 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park


November
8 - Auckland, New Zealand - Go Media Stadium Mt Smart
13 - Gold Coast, Australia - Heritage Bank Stadium
16 - Melbourne, Australia - Marvel Stadium
21 - Sydney, Australia - Giants Stadium


* Rescheduled date from 2022
** Festival dates are already on sale

Previously unreleased, professionally shot live footage of Death To All performing “Crystal Mountain” at Graspop Festival 2022, in Diezel, Belgium, can be viewed below.


"Crystal Mountain" was originally released in 1995 on Death's Symbolic record, which featured Gene Hoglan on drums and Bobby Koelble on guitar.


Hoglan shares, "To the best of my recollection, Chuck wrote 'Crystal Mountain' about his neighbours. Chuck was always a chill neighbour, and his neighbourhood in the Symbolic era consisted of just a few homes, all spread out with a nice little acreage between each, with no fences. However, some new folks happened to move in next door. Very puritanical, extremely evangelistic and horribly judgmental, and they rather immediately took umbrage with Chuck. Perhaps due to his long hair, or the metal we’d be cranking from his garage as we rehearsed, who knows? So they decided to build an enormous fence on the property line. A gigantic eyesore, thoroughly blockading the view down the very lush and pretty street where Chuck lived. Only... they had misread their property line blueprints and mistakenly built this fence about a foot over the property line, therefore directly on Chuck’s property, with just enough room to give Chuck the working space to paint the most hilariously blasphemic and atrocious stuff on the side of the fence which faced their house. But after all, the fence was on his property, therefore becoming his fence, right?And if only those neighbors were not jerks… Man, did they ever lose it. God, we were dying."




Steve Di Giorgio quips "Crystal Mountain" is "worth more than a plastic hill."


Watch Steve Di Giorgio dedicate the song to his good friend, dearly departed Chuck Schuldiner, the mastermind of Death who passed away in 2001 (RIP).





Death To All is a unique opportunity for a new generation of metalheads to experience the genius of Death and Chuck Schuldiner first-hand.


Gene Hoglan says, "Death To All is really excited to be hitting the road on The Scream of Perserverance Tour with special guests Cryptopsy. The North American tour will bring three different, special and exciting shows encapsulating the two equally important eras of Death."


The Scream of Perserverance Tour features unique two-night stints in multiple cities, where the first night will be an old-school, brutal night featuring, in its entirety, the album which started the Death legacy, Scream Bloody Gore, as well as classic tunes from Leprosy and Spiritual Healing.


The second night will feature the finishing touch in Death’s history, The Sound of Perseverance, as well as timeless classics from the technical and more melodic era of Death, Human, Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic.’Also, in certain cities, the sets will be From First To Last, where Death To All play the mightiest bangers from every Death album.


Gene Hoglan adds, "We’ll be joined by our good friends, the legendary Cryptopsy, who have some special plans of their own for this tour. Death To All is extremely pleased to be bringing these special nights to the fans of the one and only Chuck Schuldiner... as only Death To All can... his entire Death legacy! As Chuck liked to say, 'let the Metal flow.' You’ll want to catch every night possible.”


Cryptopsy shares, “Cryptopsy is very much looking forward to sharing the stage with the iconic and symbolic Death To All band! Since the tour will be hitting major US markets two nights back to back, we plan on giving the fans two unique setlists. One that consists of classic old school first generation Cryptopsy tracks and a second that’ll focus more on the newer generation. We are grateful for the opportunity to celebrate Death’s legacy alongside Death To All. We welcome you all to bear witness to this epic tour!”





The Scream Of Perseverance Tour dates:


May
18 - Milwaukee, WI - Milwaukee Metal Fest **
19 - Milwaukee, WI - Milwaukee Metal Fest *
21 - Columbus, OH - The King Of Clubs ***
22 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre Of Living Arts ***
23 - New York City, NY - Gramercy Theatre *
24 - New York City, NY - Gramercy Theatre **
25 - Boston, MA - The Middle East *
26 - Boston, MA - The Middle East **
28 - Montreal, QC - Le National *
29 - Montreal, QC - Le National **
30 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre *
31 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre **


June
1 - London, ON - London Music Hall ***
2 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick ***
4 - St. Paul, MN - Amsterdam Bar & Hall *
5 - St. Paul, MN - Amsterdam Bar & Hall **
7 - Lawrence, KS - The Granada ***
8 - Denver, CO - Oriental Theater *
9 - Denver, CO - Oriental Theater *
11- Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall ***
13 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre *
14 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre **
15 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile *
16 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile **
18 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre *
19 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre **
21- Berkeley, CA - Cornerstone *
22 - Berkeley, CA - Cornerstone **
23 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst ***
25 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick *
26 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick **
27 - Los Angeles, CA - The Regent Theater *
28 - Los Angeles, CA - The Regent Theater **
29 - Phoenix, AZ - The Nile Theater ***


* Scream Bloody Gore in its entirety plus old school Death classics from Leprosy and Spiritual Healing
** The Sound Of Perseverance in its entirety plus the new school Death classics from Human, Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic
*** From First To Last - the Greatest classics from every Death album


VIP upgrades here.





Founded in 1984 by Chuck Schuldiner under the original name of Mantas in Altamonte Springs, Florida, Death was among the more widely known early pioneers of the Death metal sound, along with California’s Possessed. Inspired by Nasty Savage, Death was among the first bands in the Florida Death metal scene. In the late 80s, the band was both a part of and integral in defining the Death metal scene which gained international recognition with the release of albums by a number of area acts.


Death To All operates as a tribute band to the original Death, which dissolved in 2001 following the passing of the group’s founder and frontman Chuck Schuldiner. The backbone of Death To All is singer/guitarist Max Phelps (Exist, Cynic), drummer Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Testament, Dethklok), bass beast Steve DiGiorgio (Testament, Sadus) and Bobby Koelble (Death).








(Photo - Alex Solca)

Former Cradle Of Filth backing vocalist / keyboardist turned solo artist, Lindsay Schoolcraft, has shared a new song along with the following message: 


"Whelp, that happened. Nik Nocturnal and I present to you 'Never Again (Let Me Sleep)' - the full version of 'How to Evanescence in 30 seconds.' You can listen to it anywhere you stream music. It was too much fun packing everything we love about the album Fallen into one song. Thanks again for having me, Nik. Fun metal things indeed." 


"Never Again (Let Me Sleep)" is available via digital platforms here.







Lindsay issued the following update back in February: 


"Went and did a thing. Dropped another collection of songs that I’m calling an 'album.' Now I can start the next new and fresh chapter of my sophomore follow-up to Martyr. 


Today is emotional. I’m relieved. I feel accomplished. So much free space in my brain to create new tunes. Nothing left on loop nagging me to be written and recorded. It’s liberating and a bit scary. But the team for the next album is awesome and I know we’ll make magic together. 


This little ditty is a rather chill collection of songs that echoes my love of trip-hop, chamber pop, and darkwave. Heavily influenced by VAST, Broken Iris, Ellie Goulding… the list goes on..."





Tracklist:


"Twin Flame"
"Cloud Nine" (Evanescence cover)
"December Rain" (2022 Version)
"Undying Love"
"Where You Go"
"Wicked Game" (Chris Isaak cover
"Dare I Say The Truth"
"Breathe Again"


"Twin Flame" video





Go to Lindsay's official Patreon page here to pick up Lovelorn And Hopesick album.

Isle of the Cross, the US-based progressive metal powerhouse led by the multifaceted Je Schneider, has announced the upcoming release of their second album, Faustus The Musical. The album is slated to hit the airwaves and digital platforms worldwide in July 2024.


This groundbreaking album is a metal opera that draws inspiration from the epic 16th-century saga, 'Doctor Faustus' by Christopher Marlowe. Led by the visionary Je Schneider, the compositions weave an engaging narrative, accompanied by a powerful vocal delivery from a stellar cast. Daniël de Jongh takes on the role of the lead vocalist, guiding listeners through an exhilarating journey. From symphonic heights to brutal depths, the entire album is masterfully mixed and mastered by the renowned Joost van den Broek (Epica, Ayreon, Powerwolf). 







Faustus The Musical boasts an impressive lineup of talented contributors:


Eric Gillette: Guitar
Daniël de Jongh: Lead Vocalist (Faustus)
Diane Lee: Vocals (Good Angel)
Charles Elliott: Vocals (Lucifer)
Matthieu Romarin: Vocals (Mephistopheles)
Angela Di Vincenzo: Vocals (Helen)
Amrit Sandhu: Vocals (Narrator)


The captivating artwork, crafted by Theopisti Tiftikoglou, adds a visual dimension to the musical opus.





Je Schneider expresses his excitement, stating, "Faustus The Musical is one I'm very excited about. The finished product came out well-polished and solid. It was an honor to feature the wonderful vocals of the cast and have Joost at the helm of the mix. This album is the best representation of Isle Of The Cross."


Get ready to experience the world of Faustus The Musical with the debut single, “Ghost At The Feast”.

Florida’s The Absence came onto the scene in 2005 with their crushing Metal Blade Records’ debut, From Your Grave. The album, and its two successive follow-ups, 2007’s Riders Of The Plague and 2010’s Enemy Unbound, showcased the perfect mixture of heart-wrenching melodies and skull-pounding aggression truly making them one of the premiere bands of the US melodic death metal scene. 


For the first time on vinyl, rediscover the group’s early work with a reissue campaign seeing these three earlier efforts for the first time on vinyl. Long requested by the band and fans alike May 17 marks their availability via M-Theory Audio’s licensing arrangement with Metal Blade Records. Preorder at m-theoryaudio.com.


“Revisiting these albums has been pretty fantastic. It's more than about time they receive a vinyl release, and what better way to listen!!!” states singer Jamie Stewart. “Cheers to Marco and crew for finally pulling this off! We hope you all enjoy spinning these records as much as we have!!”







From Your Grave – the crushing debut, produced and mixed by Erik Rutan (Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal) and mastered by Alan Douches (All That Remains, Cattle Decapitation, Cryptopsy). On 300 limited sapphire colored vinyl.


Riders Of The Plague – the classic sophomore album produced by Jonas Kjellgren (Immortal, Overkill, Dark Funeral) at Mana Studios and featuring a myriad of guest guitarists - Per Nilsson (Scar Symmetry), Santiago Dobles (Cynic, Pestilence), James Murphy (Death, Obituary, Cancer) and Jonas Granvik (Without Grief). Includes a cover of Testament’s “Into the Pit.” On 300 limited tiger’s eye colored vinyl.


Enemy Unbound – the band’s third album, produced by then guitarists Patrick Pintavalle and Peter Joseph with tracking/editing assistance from Brian Elliot (Dying Fetus, Paths of Possession), and mixed and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren at Sweden’s Black Lounge Studios. On 300 limited poltergeist colored vinyl.


These three records, all with revamped layouts by Sonatheria Media’s Marc Lopes (Metal Church, Ross The Boss, Let Us Prey), showcase the first half of the band’s career and the early talents of members drummer Jeramie Kling (later of Inhuman Condition, Venom Inc, Ex Deo), bassist Mike Leon (later of Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy, Havok) and singer Jeramie Stewart (also of Hot Graves). The Absence returned in 2016 and have been toured and released three more albums since including the M-Theory collaborations – 2018’s A Gift For The Obsessed and 2021’s Coffinized, and more recently the band’s self-released and self-titled sixth album this past March.


(Photo - Deidra Kling)

At the top of the year, THE SMASHING PUMPKINS hosted an open audition for an additional guitarist to join them on the road. This unprecedented move practically broke the Internet, igniting a flurry of media activity and audience anticipation. Following a simple social media post, 10,000-plus applicants submitted applications for consideration to join the band on tour. Frontman Billy Corgan reviewed the submissions and whittled down the pool of entrants who proceeded to audition in person for the touring guitarist spot last month in Los Angeles.

Now, THE SMASHING PUMPKINS officially welcome highly skilled veteran instrumentalist Kiki Wong as their additional touring guitarist. Kiki joins the band's tour lineup along with mainstays Jack Bates (bass) and Katie Cole (guitar, keys, vocals).

"Reviewing the work of these incredible musicians was a herculean, albeit worthy effort," said Corgan.

"First off, I really want to thank everyone who submitted materials for consideration. It wasn't an easy decision with how much great guitar playing we were lucky enough to hear and see over the past few months.

"I was a fan of Kiki's before she submitted her name to be considered — and it's great that someone of her acumen will be part of our touring family. I can't wait to hit the road with Kiki as part of our mad circus.

"It's definitely an exciting moment for THE SMASHING PUMPKINS to be this busy with touring in 2024. We'll see you all this summer!"

Wong hails from Los Angeles, California. Moreover, she has been a musician almost all her life and has performed with Taylor Swift, Usher, Bret Michaels and more, along with notable rock bands including NYLON PINK, HELLFIRE HEART and currently VIGIL OF WAR. A lifelong fan of THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, the stars have most definitely aligned for Kiki.

"It's been an absolute wild ride, but I am beyond honored and humbled to be chosen to perform alongside some of rock's greatest and most influential musicians of all time," said Wong. "I never thought little ole 15-year-old me playing metal guitar in my bedroom would amount to this moment. It goes to show hard work and perseverance truly pays off if you're willing to push through the tough stuff, so never lose hope out there. I am so grateful for this opportunity and can't wait to share the stage with the legendary SMASHING PUMPKINS!"

In addition to a combination of arena and headliner festival dates in Europe and North American stadium performances with GREEN DAY, as part of "The Saviors Tour", THE SMASHING PUMPKINS recently added additional solo arena bookings that span July through September. This new run of dates kicks off on July 31 in Muskoka, Ontario at Kee to Bala, rolls through markets such as Kansas City, Cedar Rapids, St. Louis, and concludes on September 27 in Las Vegas, Nevada at Fountainbleu. Plus, they will close out Osheaga festival as one of the headlining acts in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on August 3.

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS continue firing on all cylinders live. During 2023, they headlined and curated their very own "The World Is A Vampire" tour joined by STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and RIVAL SONS, while 2022 saw them canvas North America on the "Spirits On Fire" tour alongside JANE'S ADDICTION. A spectacle of eye-catching stage production and a setlist sequenced like a film with moments of heavy guitar catharsis and transcendent melodic singalongs, their shows have consistently incited widespread critical applause. NME professed, "it's indisputable that the band are responsible for many of the '90s' best rock songs, and this is as good as you're going to hear them." Meanwhile, The Patriot Ledger proclaimed, " [THE] SMASHING PUMPKINS proved they are still one of America's most interesting — sometimes befuddling, but never boring — musical groups." Miami New Times attested, "the band took the audience back in time to when alternative music was the mainstream, and the idea of browsing on your phone during a fantastic concert was bad sci-fi satire."

Last year, THE SMASHING PUMPKINS completed the three-act trilogy "Atum", releasing the 33-track project in its entirety. Among many highlights, it boasted "Beguiled", which catapulted to No. 6 at Active Rock and No. 12 at Alternative Radio charts. "Spellbinding" emerged as the No. 1 most-added at Alternative Rock. Plus. Rolling Stone applauded, "'Atum' is clearly meant to be the kind of record that requires your full attention, and Act Three makes for a nicely trippy conclusion to the whole project, as well as an intriguing listening experience in and of itself." In a "4-out-of-5 star" review, NME raved, "This sci-fi-inspired epic is ambitious and complex."

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS are currently in the studio recording the follow up to "Atum" as they prepare to release new music this year.

SMASHING PUMPKINS photo credit: Jason Renaud

In a new interview with Planet Rock, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford spoke about the lyrical inspiration for the song "Trial By Fire", which appears on the band's latest album, "Invincible Shield". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Thinking of the words, it's a reference to the way that judgment and misconstrued perceptions and ideas can be put on you. And going deep, that's the society that we live with today. People can rush to judgment, people can bring in their own ideas and agendas that tip the balance of truth. We live in a world today now where lies can be pushed so strongly and so forcefully by powerful figures that a lie becomes the truth. And that's a terribly dangerous place to be. So, we're utilizing that type of open forum and discussion and bringing it into this title, 'Trial By Fire'."

When Planet Rock's Mark Jeeves noted that PRIEST has "always been a band with a social conscience", Rob said: "Yes. All the way back to 'Savage', which is about global warming, and that was in 1970-something. A lot of the times we don't make the message truly in the black-and-white sense; we leave it open to interpretation. The songs become their own entities. We let our fans have fun with the messages that we put out. Some of them are very straightforward and obvious — 'Breaking The Law', 'Living After Midnight' — but then in an opportunity like 'Panic Attack' or 'Trial By Fire', we go deeper. We let you find your own way and bring your own conclusions to the idea."

Three years ago, Halford was asked by one of the readers of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine if politics have a place in metal. He responded: "Absolutely they do and I've been putting my two penn'orth into PRIEST's music for most of my life, but it's concealed by smoke and mirrors. Take a song like 'Evil Never Dies' [from 2018's 'Firepower' album]. I make some digs there and I know what I mean, but here's the thing, especially for a band like PRIEST: music is about escapism.

"If I hear one more thing about Brexit, I don't know what I will do," he added. "To me there's a place for politics and I applaud bands that make it important in what they do, but with me the clues are there if you want to look for them."

Back in 2018, Halford told Newsweek that he was "not a Donald Trump supporter," explaining that the then-U.S. president's policies had turned political divides into chasms and alienated minority groups like the LGBTQ community.

"It's a very shaky time right now," Rob said. "I have so much faith in this country. But it does seem as though the brakes have been slapped on. It's indeed disturbing, and it's such a shame, because throughout the Obama administration, tremendous things were achieved on the basis of human equality. That's the issue here. Treating one bunch of people this way, and treating this bunch that way. You can't do that. You have to give everybody the same rights."

Halford acknowledged that many PRIEST fans won't agree with those views, saying that "there's a ton of metalheads that are supportive of [the Trump] administration." But, he added, "That's great. That's okay. You're not bringing that to the show. We're there to all join together, and that is the beautiful thing about a free, transparent society — which we don't appear to have right now. Some fans are completely opposite to me politically. But we can still be in the same room and have a good time and hopefully have a good discussion while respecting each other's opinions."

Released last month, "Invincible Shield" entered the U.K. chart at No. 2, just behind Ariana Grande's "Eternal Sunshine".

Prior to "Invincible Shield"'s arrival, PRIEST's highest U.K. chart achievement was with 1980's "British Steel", which reached No. 4.

PRIEST's 2018 album "Firepower" entered the chart at No. 5.

"Invincible Shield" is JUDAS PRIEST's fifth Top 10 album, after the aforementioned "British Steel" and "Firepower", as well as 2014's "Redeemer Of Souls" (No. 6) and the 1979 live album "Unleashed In The East" (No. 10).

"Invincible Shield" landed at No. 1 in Germany, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as No. 5 in France, No. 8 in Italy and No. 16 in Australia.

Fan-filmed video of MEGADETH's entire April 18 concert at Espaço Unimed in São Paulo, Brazil can be seen below.

Featured songs:

00:00:53 The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead
00:05:38 Skin O' My Teeth
00:09:17 Angry Again
00:13:42 Wake Up Dead
00:17:17 In My Darkest Hour
00:23:03 Countdown To Extinction
00:28:14 Sweating Bullets
00:33:12 Dystopia
00:38:12 Hangar 18
00:43:34 Trust
00:49:42 Tornado Of Souls
00:55:19 A Tout Le Monde
01:01:23 Devil's Island
01:06:45 Symphony Of Destruction
01:10:47 Peace Sells
01:19:15 Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

MEGADETH recently announced a North American tour "Destroy All Enemies", produced by Live Nation. Support on the 33-city trek, which includes stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Boston and St. Louis, will come from MUDVAYNE and ALL THAT REMAINS. The tour begins in Rogers, Arkansas on August 2 and runs throughout the month before wrapping in Nashville, Tennessee on September 28.

Finnish guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari joined MEGADETH last September after the band's longtime axeman Kiko Loureiro, announced earlier that month that he would sit out the next leg of MEGADETH's "Crush The World" tour in order to stay home with his children back in Finland. It was later revealed that Mäntysaari would continue to play guitar for MEGADETH for the foreseeable future, with Loureiro seemingly having no plans to return.

The 37-year-old Mäntysaari was born in Tampere, Finland and began playing guitar at the age of 12. In 2004, he joined the band WINTERSUN. He has also been a member of SMACKBOUND since 2015.

MEGADETH played its first concert with Mäntysaari on September 6, 2023 at Revel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Loureiro officially joined MEGADETH in April 2015, about five months after Chris Broderick's exit from the group.

Since its inception in 1983, MEGADETH has ascended from its raw thrash metal roots to become an unstoppable force in the heavy metal world. With founder Dave Mustaine at the helm, MEGADETH's journey has been marked by a penchant for pushing the boundaries of speed, technicality, and complexity in their music. Their groundbreaking album "Rust In Peace", released in 1990, is frequently cited as a seminal work in the thrash metal genre. Along with the critically acclaimed "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", it cemented MEGADETH's place in the annals of metal history.

Over four decades, the band's discography has earned numerous certifications, including platinum and multi-platinum awards, with albums like "Countdown To Extinction" and "Youthanasia" achieving widespread critical acclaim. 2016's "Dystopia" not only marked a high point with their first Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" after twelve nominations but also set the stage for their latest triumph, "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" in 2022. MEGADETH's status as part of the "Big Four" of thrash metal underscores their trailblazing role in the genre, laying the groundwork for countless bands and musicians who have followed in their wake.

In a new interview with Jackie Smit of the Into The Necrosphere podcast, former MORBID ANGEL and current I AM MORBID and VLTIMAS frontman David Vincent was asked how he manages to maintain his high level of physicality on stage. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I live pretty clean. Do I party? Yeah. But in general, especially when I'm on tour, I don't touch a drop of alcohol before I get on stage. I just won't do it. I've seen what that leads to, and I feel like that's disrespectful to the audience for me to go up there and give them anything but a hundred percent of what I've got right. Now, a lot of people — different people have different opinions about that. But that's my opinion; that's how I work. Afterwards, yeah, have a few beers, whatever, but, again, thinking about tomorrow. The next show is just as important as the one that you did and staying healthy on tour because let's face it, if I get sick… If Rune [Vincent's VLTIMAS bandmate, ex-MAYHEM guitarist Rune Eriksen] gets sick, he may not feel good, but that doesn't affect his instrument. If I get sick, then there's my instrument. So, I have to take extra care of those things — drinking plenty of water, not going out afterwards and partying until three in the morning, trying to shout over a DJ in a loud club. It just doesn't work."

VLTIMAS released its debut album, "Something Wicked Marches In", in 2019. A follow-up effort arrived last month.

Joining Vincent and Eriksen in VLTIMAS is CRYPTOPSY drummer Flo Mounier.

In addition to Vincent, I AM MORBID includes another former MORBID ANGEL member Pedro "Pete" Sandoval (drums),along with guitarists Richie Brown (EXMORTUS, THE ABSENCE, TRIVIUM) and Bill Hudson (NORTHTALE, DORO).

In October 2022, I AM MORBID parted ways with guitarist Kelly McLauchlin (POSSESSED, DIABOLIC, UNHOLY GHOST) and replaced him with Brown.

I AM MORBID's spring 2022 European tour marked the first time Sandoval and Vincent played together in 12 years.

In 2017, Vincent issued his debut country single, "Drinkin' With The Devil".

During an appearance on the April 24 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo spoke about the two bassists that preceded him in the band, Jason Newsted and the late, great Cliff Burton. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's interesting because between Jason and Cliff, they're very different players, and I think that's great. I love the fact that we're all different, we all have our thing that we bring to the band. And, obviously, with Cliff, he was such an incredible musician. I mean, he was really a composer when it came to the instrument, in the same way that sort of a Jaco Pastorius or Stanley Clarke would've been a composer. They're thinking about the song, but they're also thinking about the voice of the instrument within the song and how to present it. And sometimes that's utilizing distortion or overdrive or the wah pedal and being melodic with it. And I love that; that's what I love about [Cliff]. And then you've got Jason who was really keeping it and holding it down, keeping it solid — a lot more simple, but in a good way. Definitely not in a pedestrian way; I would never say that. I think it's just really solid."

He continued: "What I've learned over the years from everyone that I've ever worked with, whether it's METALLICA or playing in Ozzy's [Osbourne] band and recording with Ozzy and working with Jerry Cantrell [ALICE IN CHAINS], which I've done on and off over the years, I just learned from every situation. Jerry, for instance, is an incredible bass player. He would never cop to it, but this guy, as a composer, I'm saying, where he positions the notes within a song and the dynamic sort of value of that note in the simplicity is incredible. If you listen to a song like [ALICE IN CHAINS'] 'Rooster', you can hear the bass that has a personality within the song and it resonates and it's got space. But he's really great at taking the bass and using it in a simple form, but also having its presence be known in a very dynamic way, which lends itself to the song. That's why you always hear bass in ALICE songs or Jerry's music. I recorded with Jerry recently, and it's just always a blessing and an incredible experience. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's special because he's such an amazing composer. And I just feel blessed with any situation I've been able to record in and be a part of. The songwriting is just always at the highest level, and working with [METALLICA bandmates] Lars [Ulrich], James [Hetfield] and Kirk [Hammett], for 21 years, has been an incredible experience because they're composers. And that's special, when you can be in a band and work with people that love the art of songwriting."

Trujillo, who was born on October 23, 1964 in Santa Monica, California, tasted success as the bassist in punk-funk pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and Ozzy Osbourne's band. But in 2003, he successfully auditioned to replace Jason Newsted in METALLICA, a process chronicled in the warts-and-all documentary "Some Kind of Monster".

METALLICA's much-loved former bassist Cliff Burton died in 1986 when the band's tour bus crashed travelling through Sweden on the "Damage Inc. Tour" in support of "Master Of Puppets".

Trujillo told Exclaim! in a 2016 interview that he feels no pressure when compared to his low-end predecessors.

"Whether it's Jason or myself or Cliff, we're all different types of players coming from a different place, but delivering what is best for the band," he said. "That's all I ever do, just try and do the best I can and cater to the song, cater to the music."

Hetfield praised Trujillo during a 2017 interview with the 94.5 The Buzz radio station, saying: "Who else could [have come in and done the job]? I mean, there were a few people we auditioned, I know. It might have worked out with other people, but it's hard to find people that are, say, your age; kind of your upbringing, musically, obviously; ability-wise; they've been on the road. It's not like you're bringing some kid out for his first time, and it's, 'Oh my God!' He's going through all the stuff that you did twenty-five years ago. He's got kids. He's married. It just jelled, and it's still jelling. And his personality is probably one of the best contributions, I think, to the band, 'cause he's so chill, he's so up for anything, he's always in there rehearsing. So he does fit in."

Available today, April 26, as CD edition including bonus tracks: Breadcrumbs by Alice Cooper, the release that initiated the success of the album Detroit Stories.


Inspired by the rebellious energy of the late '60s and early '70s punk scene, Alice Cooper returns to his roots and the unpolished garage sound that his fans love so much. Previously only available as a limited and now out-of-print 10" vinyl, this gem is now finally being released as a nice price CD edition. Order it here.


The release contains the six tracks from the original 10", which showcase Cooper's raw and energetic interpretation of classic Detroit songs: "Your Mama Won't Like Me" by Suzi Quatro; Bob Seger's "East Side Story"; MC5's "Sister Anne"; Shorty Long's "Devil With A Blue Dress On"; and The Dirtbombs' "Chains of Love." All are performed in the popular and well-known Alice Cooper style. In addition, this release includes the two bonus tracks "Don't Give Up," Cooper's message of hope and appeal to the perseverance of his fans during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a live version of "Go Man Go" from his electrifying set at Hellfest 2022.




Available everywhere from today! Just the thing for all lovers of Alice Cooper's music and unadulterated rock 'n' roll.





Tracklisting:


"Detroit City 2020"
"Go Man Go"
"East Side Story"
"Your Mama Won't Like Me"
"Devil With A Blue Dress On" + "Chains Of Love"
"Sister Anne"
"Don't Give Up" (Bonus Track)
"Go Man Go" (Live At Hellfest 2022) (Bonus Track)

Led Zeppelin News is reporting that  Robert Plant is working on a “reimagined version” of a “classic Led Zeppelin song”, according to since-deleted social media posts from people working on the project.


Plant recently spent a day at the Magic Garden Recording Studio in Wolverhampton, where he worked on a Led Zeppelin song. That’s according to singer and writer Antonella Gambotto-Burke.


“While the project is currently top secret, it involves a Led Zeppelin song,” she told LedZepNews. “Spending time with Robert has been such a privilege,” she added. “The thing that surprised me most was the intense magic he brings with him. It literally fills the room. Spiritually speaking, he’s a giant, and the music is, of course, untouchable. I’m still flying!”




The session took place with producer Gavin Monaghan, a multi-platinum two-times BMA Producer of the Year whose music has been featured in productions including “Austin Powers”, “Gangs of London” and “Peaky Blinders”.


Deleted social media posts about the session mentioned Wolves Records, a recording label launched in 2021 by Wolverhampton Wanderers, the club where Plant has been a vice president since 2009.


Based on what has been mentioned publicly about this project, LedZepNews guessed Plant may have re-recorded a Led Zeppelin song to include on an album due to be released by Wolves Records to help promote the emerging artists signed to the label. A source with knowledge of the project says this isn’t accurate, however, and denied the project is connected to Wolves Records.


“An absolute honour to work on reimagined versions of classic Led Zeppelin songs with Robert Plant for Wolves at Magic Garden Recording Studio,” engineer Liam Radburn wrote in an Instagram post on April 25.


Also writing on Instagram, Monaghan posted: “Absolute pleasure to be working with Robert Plant and Wolves Records at Magic Garden Recording Studio again. And the thrill of a lifetime to be reimagining some classic cuts from Led Zeppelin.”


In a Facebook post published on April 25, Gambotto-Burke wrote: “In keeping with the rollercoaster that is 2024: hanging out for the day with Robert Plant in the studio. Robert specifically asked to work with Magic Garden Recording Studio, making the brilliant Gavin one of a handful of living producers who has had the honour of working on a Led Zeppelin track. He is, hands down, the most grounded rock star I’ve ever met, even in my NME days. Also sharp af and very, very funny. The inexpert photography – sorry, Liam – does not do this luminous man justice. Further coverage to come.”

A new video of Tony Martin and Tony Iommi discussing the BLACK SABBATH album "Tyr" can be seen below.

"Tyr" is included in the "Anno Domini 1989-1995" box set of the Martin-era BLACK SABBATH recordings, which will be made available on on May 31 via Rhino.

BLACK SABBATH's history with singers Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio has been chronicled extensively through the years in multiple collections. Until now, no boxed set has focused on BLACK SABBATH's time with Martin, the band's second-longest-serving singer.

Rhino explores this prolific period from the godfathers of heavy metal in a new collection that brings four albums back into print after an extended absence. "Anno Domini 1989-1995" will be released in four-LP and four-CD configurations. The set contains newly remastered versions of "Headless Cross" (1989),"Tyr" (1990) and "Cross Purposes" (1994),plus a new version of "Forbidden" (1995) that guitarist Tony Iommi remixed specially for the collection.

Several albums make their vinyl debut in the LP version of "Anno Domini", while the CD version contains three exclusive bonus tracks: the B-side "Cloak & Dagger" and the Japan-only releases "What's The Use" and "Loser Gets It All". A booklet comes with the set featuring photos, artwork, and liner notes by Hugh Gilmour. The collection also contains a "Headless Cross" poster and a replica concert book from the "Headless Cross" tour.

"Anno Domini" picks up BLACK SABBATH's story in 1989, two decades and multiple lineup changes into the band's groundbreaking career as metal originators. At the time, membership had solidified around riffmaster and founding member Tony Iommi, legendary drummer Cozy Powell (JEFF BECK, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE),singer Tony Martin, and longtime BLACK SABBATH collaborator and keyboardist Geoff Nicholls (QUARTZ, BANDY LEGS).

The group originally released "Headless Cross" in 1989 on I.R.S. Records, the first of four albums SABBATH recorded for the label. Praised by fans and critics alike, the band's 14th studio release produced three singles: "Devil And Daughter", "Call Of The Wild" and the title track. Bassist Neil Murray (WHITESNAKE, GARY MOORE) joined for the "Headless Cross" tour and stayed to record SABBATH's next album, 1990's "Tyr". Named for the Norse god of war, the album explores similar mythological themes in songs like "The Battle Of Tyr" and "Valhalla". On "The Sabbath Stones", the band channels Old Testament fire and brimstone into a classic bruiser.

In 1992, following a successful world tour, this incarnation of BLACK SABBATH was put on hold when the band reunited temporarily with Ronnie James Dio. Two years later, Martin and Nicholls were back in the studio with Iommi to record 1994's "Cross Purposes". The band was completed with the addition of founding SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bobby Rondinelli of RAINBOW.

The "Tyr"-era BLACK SABBATH lineup reunited in 1995 when Powell and Murray returned to record "Forbidden". It was the band's 18th studio album, and its last for nearly 20 years. (In 2013, Iommi, Osbourne and Butler released BLACK SABBATH's final studio album, "13".) "Forbidden", produced by Ernie C of BODY COUNT, the hard rock band fronted by rapper/actor/SABBATH fan Ice-T, who appears on the song "Illusion Of Power". Since its release, sonically improving the album has been one of Iommi's pet projects.

He explains: "I was never happy with the guitar sound, and Cozy was definitely never happy with the drum sound… So, I thought it would be nice to do it for him in a way." He adds, "I just felt that, without changing any of the songs, there was an opportunity to go back and bring out some of the sounds and make it more what people would expect SABBATH to sound like."

Included in the set:

* "Headless Cross", "Tyr" and "Cross Purposes" newly remastered
* "Forbidden" newly remixed by Tony Iommi
* 1989 "Headless Cross" tour replica concert book
* 40-page book with photos, artwork and new liner notes
* Replica color tour poster

Disc 1 – "Headless Cross"

01. The Gates Of Hell (2024 Remaster)
02. Headless Cross (2024 Remaster)
03. Devil & Daughter (2024 Remaster)
04. When Death Calls (2024 Remaster)
05. Kill In The Spirit World (2024 Remaster)
06. Call Of The Wild (2024 Remaster)
07. Black Moon (2024 Remaster)
08. Nightwing (2024 Remaster)
09. Cloak & Dagger (2024 Remaster)

Disc 2 – "Tyr"

01. Anno Mundi (2024 Remaster)
02. The Law Maker (2024 Remaster)
03. Jerusalem (2024 Remaster)
04. The Sabbath Stones (2024 Remaster)
05. The Battle Of Tyr (2024 Remaster)
06. Odin's Court (2024 Remaster)
07. Valhalla (2024 Remaster)
08. Feels Good To Me (2024 Remaster)
09. Heaven In Black (2024 Remaster)

Disc 3 – "Cross Purposes"

01. I Witness (2024 Remaster)
02. Cross Of Thorns (2024 Remaster)
03. Psychophobia (2024 Remaster)
04. Virtual Death (2024 Remaster)
05. Immaculate Deception (2024 Remaster)
06. Dying For Love (2024 Remaster)
07. Back To Eden (2024 Remaster)
08. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (2024 Remaster)
09. Cardinal Sin (2024 Remaster)
10. Evil Eye (2024 Remaster)
11. What's The Use (2024 Remaster)

Disc 4 – "Forbidden" remix

01. Illusion Of Power
02. Get A Grip
03. Can't Get Close Enough
04. Shaking Off The Chains
05. I Won't Cry For You
06. Guilty As Hell
07. Sick And Tired
08. Rusty Angels
09. Forbidden
10. Kiss Of Death
11. Loser Gets It All

Vinyl:

LP 1 – Side A

01. The Gates Of Hell (2024 Remaster)
02. Headless Cross (2024 Remaster)
03. Devil & Daughter (2024 Remaster)
04. When Death Calls (2024 Remaster)

LP 1 – Side B

01. Kill In The Spirit World (2024 Remaster)
02. Call Of The Wild (2024 Remaster)
03. Black Moon (2024 Remaster)
04. Nightwing (2024 Remaster)

LP 2 – Side A

01. Anno Mundi (2024 Remaster)
02. The Law Maker (2024 Remaster)
03. Jerusalem (2024 Remaster)
04. The Sabbath Stones (2024 Remaster)

LP 2 – Side B

01. The Battle Of Tyr (2024 Remaster)
02. Odin's Court (2024 Remaster)
03. Valhalla (2024 Remaster)
04. Feels Good To Me (2024 Remaster)
05. Heaven In Black (2024 Remaster)

LP 3 – Side A

01. I Witness (2024 Remaster)
02. Cross Of Thorns (2024 Remaster)
03. Psychophobia (2024 Remaster)
04. Virtual Death (2024 Remaster)
05. Immaculate Deception (2024 Remaster)

LP 3 – Side B

01. Dying For Love (2024 Remaster)
02. Back To Eden (2024 Remaster)
03. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (2024 Remaster)
04. Cardinal Sin (2024 Remaster)
05. Evil Eye (2024 Remaster)

LP 4 – Side A

01. Illusion Of Power
02. Get A Grip
03. Can't Get Close Enough
04. Shaking Off The Chains
05. I Won't Cry For You

LP 4 – Side B

01. Guilty As Hell
02. Sick And Tired
03. Rusty Angels
04. Forbidden
05. Kiss Of Death

In the summer of 2022, Martin told "The Rock And Metal Profs: The History And Philosophy Of Rock And Metal" podcast that "two record labels" were going to re-release the albums he recorded with SABBATH. "I don't know when, and I don't know what it's gonna look like," he said. "There was some suggestion a while back that we might be able to put extra tracks and stuff on it. I did offer, and I went to see Tony Iommi and offered some things. And then he said we can't use anything new 'cause nothing new can be released under the BLACK SABBATH name. It can only be stuff that's got the original four members on it.

"I'm expecting it to be a remixed version of whatever the original was; that's what I'm expecting," Tony added. "So I await as you do to find out. Let me know if you hear it first."

When the interviewer expressed hope that the box set will include some live recordings from the Martin era of SABBATH, either in audio or video format, Tony said: "I recorded the writing session with… Eddie Van Halen came over and helped us write one of the tracks [for 1994's 'Cross Purposes' album]. And I had an eight-track recorder at the time in the 1980s, and I used to take it everywhere, this thing. I've got all of the writing sessions and rehearsals recorded. So I sent [Iommi] this, and he went, 'Wow! That's fucking great.' And I said, 'Well, you're welcome to use it, if you wanna put that on.' So, I don't know… Maybe you'll get that on there."

Martin added: "It's great to hear Eddie play."

BLACK SABBATH released six albums with Martin on vocals: "The Eternal Idol" (1987),"Headless Cross" (1989),"Tyr" (1990),"Cross Purposes" (1994),"Cross Purposes Live" (1995) and "Forbidden" (1995). Eventually, Martin and his "Forbidden"-era bandmates were ousted when Iommi reunited with SABBATH's fellow original members.

In January 2022, Martin reflected on his time with SABBATH during an appearance on "The Ron Keel Podcast", saying: "It doesn't haunt me. It's not a bad thing. I've got a lot to be grateful for. SABBATH is the reason why you, and the world, knows about my voice. So there are things to be grateful for. It was hard work for me. I'm 12 years younger than the rest of the guys, so even just circle of friends was different — they're hanging out with Ian Gillan and Brian May, and my best friend is Dave down the road. So that was a gap. And also the experience — they were way ahead of me in experience, at least 12 years further up the road from me, and I never could quite catch them up; they will always have that much more experience than me. So that was hard work."

He continued: "When I first got the gig, it was actually 1986 that I was put on standby when they were with Glenn Hughes on the 'Seventh Star' album. And I don't know what the issues were, but something went wrong with Glenn and they put me on standby. That scared me to death, 'cause it's Glenn Hughes. I can't sing like Glenn Hughes; nobody can sing like Glenn Hughes. Only Glenn Hughes can sing like Glenn Hughes. So that was really scary. Then they got Ray Gillen in. Then he left — he left to join BLUE MURDER with John Sykes, so they called me again and said, 'You'd better come down to the studio and try this out.' And they gave me one song, which was 'The Shining' off 'Eternal Idol', and then two days later said, 'Okay. You've got the job. You've got a week to finish the album.' So right from the start it was scary — it was huge; suddenly being the frontman of BLACK SABBATH was just ridiculous. And yeah, the whole association with me and my voice lasted 11 years."

Seven years ago, Iommi told I Heart Guitar that "it's a shame" that "it took a lot for people to accept" Martin as SABBATH's vocalist. "It's taken all these years later for people to say, 'Oh blimey, that was a good band with good singing.' So it took a long time to get people to really realize how good it was."

In 2018, Iommi spent time in the studio remixing "Forbidden" for a future release. The LP, which features Martin, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Neil Murray, is often regarded as SABBATH's worst studio recording.

In a 2012 interview with Über Röck, Martin said that he was "surprised" to see Iommi criticizing him in the guitarist's "Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath" book (referring to the Martin period, especially the touring phase following the release of "Cross Purposes" in 1994, Iommi lambasted his former singer as "unprofessional" and having "no stage presence"). Martin said: "I mean, they never said anything to me. Surely, if you've got a problem, the first person you should say something to is the person that's in the band with you... It sounds like a really stupid thing to say, as they didn't say anything to my face — and, if that's the case, then more fool them for not saying anything, because, you know, we could have fixed it. I said to them, endlessly, that if there was anything they wanted changed, done differently, just to say and we could fix it, but clearly, they didn't, they hadn't got the guts to, obviously, and to write about it in a book afterwards seems a bit daft to me. I'm not bitter about it, but it is surprising... It seems a bit stupid to say that after the event."