According to Billboard, HATEBREED has responded to founding bassist Chris Beattie's (pictured above) lawsuit, claiming that he has no legal basis to sue over his dismissal from the veteran Connecticut hardcore/metal band last year.

In his original complaint, which was filed this past July at Connecticut Superior Court in New Haven, Beattie insisted that he was the "driving force behind [HATEBREED's] sound and identity until his sudden and baseless expulsion" from the group last November. He also accused HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta (real name: James Shanahan) of displaying "increasingly erratic" behavior in the months leading up to Chris's "abrupt termination", "culminating in a unilateral decision to cut Beattie off from his career, fans, touring, and substantial expected revenue."

On September 25, HATEBREED and Jasta filed a motion to strike some of Beattie's claims, calling the split between the parties a "garden variety band break-up case" and referring to Beattie as "a disgruntled former band member" who "erroneously asserts a right to remain a permanent member" of HATEBREED "in perpetuity despite the fact that the underlying relationship between the parties was terminable at-will."

According to the motion, which has been obtained by BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Beattie, Jasta and HATEBREED drummer Matthew Byrne "entered into a Band merchandise agreement on or about September 25, 2015, which provided the three would each be entitled to 25% of the sales revenue from Band merchandise and two other Band members would each receive 12.5% of the remaining sales revenue."

Beattie "was terminated from his role in the Band on November 15, 2024," according to the motion, which adds that "[Beattie] wholly fails to allege that any agreement was concluded with HATEBREED, or HATEBREED's members, or that [Beattie] has an ownership interest in the Band's name. Nor does [Beattie] allege that he has not received record or publishing royalties in connection with recording projects that he worked on. [Beattie] claims [Jasta] and [Beattie] maintained an 'implied agreement' from the Band's inception that [Beattie] would be an 'equal co-owner' and share in the Band's profits, royalties and rights. [Beattie's] complaint is devoid of any allegation HATEBREED maintained an agreement with [Beattie] concerning his status with the Band or his entitlement to Band revenues. Without a written agreement with a term, [Beattie's] relationship with the Band was terminable at-will."

HATEBREED's motion also addressed Beattie's claim that Jasta fired Beattie after citing "an alleged incident that occurred on or around November 9, 2024 just prior to a HATEBREED concert at the Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, Connecticut." In Beattie's complaint, he said that "a Live Nation security guard at the venue falsely reported that Beattie had harassed her upon entering the theater prior to his performance. These allegations were patently untrue. Beattie never harassed any Live Nation employee and more likely, she mistook him for someone else."

In HATEBREED's motion, the band's attorney wrote: "[Beattie] does not allege [HATEBREED and Jasta] committed any wrongful conduct during the process of terminating [Beattie's] participation in the Band. [Beattie] merely alleges [HATEBREED and Jasta] 'abruptly terminated' [Beattie] from his role in the Band 'based on unsupported and false allegations' connected to the Live Nation incident which resulted in his 'emotional distress.' Even if the Live Nation incident was 'cited' as a 'false narrative' for his termination, [Beattie's] allegations do not amount to a cognizable claim because the incident merely preceded his termination — it was not connected with the termination process itself."

The motion adds: "[Beattie] claims he provided 'decades-long contributions' to the Band, and his share of the Band's revenue is now being inequitably withheld by [HATEBREED and Jasta] following his termination. [Beattie's] unjust enrichment claim is insufficiently pled because [Beattie] fails to allege he is entitled to Band revenue in perpetuity after termination based simply on his prior contributions to the Band."

In his lawsuit, Beattie claimed that he "contributed significant labor, musical talent, recording and management duties, promotion, and financial resources, without which HATEBREED would not and could not have achieved its current level of recognition and profitability." He added that "the band functioned pursuant to a longstanding, implied agreement and understanding that Shanahan and Beattie were equal co-owners in the band and entitled to their designated share of profits, royalties, and intellectual property rights."

According to Beattie, he and other band members "had no insight into how the money" from HATEBREED merchandise sales "was managed, and most often received payment via wire transfers. Those transfers often came with no explanation or breakdown of the amount being transferred."

The complaint went on to say that "HATEBREED continued to operate in accordance with the longstanding implied agreement and understanding the primary members, including Shanahan, Beattie, and Byrne, were co-equal owners in the band. In addition, the three, along with band manager Steve Ross, played a critical role in all major decision-making on behalf of the band. For example, each of Shanahan, Beattie, Byrne and Ross were responsible for and often discussed managerial decisions such as how much other band members were paid for certain shows, booking and scheduling, distribution, and the band's public image and branding, among other things. Despite this understanding and practice that the three primary band members be involved in such decision-making and entitled to equal shares in profits, at some point Shanahan became more secretive with respect to decision-making and the band's finances."

Prior to his termination, Beattie claims that he "began to notice that there were substantial delays in receiving his share of merchandise sales following HATEBREED performances. When Beattie did receive payments purporting to reflect his share of merchandise sales, those payments were substantially lower than what he anticipated under the merchandise agreement. Because of this, Beattie began requesting financial information about the band from Shanahan. Despite his repeated requests in 2023 and 2024, Beattie never received any financial information confirming that the portion of the proceeds he received constituted 25% of sales as promised."

Beattie went on to say that the fallout from his "termination has had a significant negative impact on his career, reputation, and health and well-being." He also accused HATEBREED of continuing "to sell merchandise using Beattie's likeness in its online store. HATEBREED and Shanahan also continue to promote the band using Beattie's likeness."

This past May, Chris opened up about his departure from HATEBREED, telling Drew Stone of The New York Hardcore Chronicles Live!: "Obviously, the last year was the 30th anniversary of the band, so we had big stuff going on for that, which was all completely amazing. We had a great year. Tours, shows were successful, and then we jump to right now where I'm not in the band anymore."

Chris went on to say that his exit from HATEBREED was "completely unexpected. We had just celebrated 30 years," he explained. "It was awesome. Successful tour. Left on a high note. We did great stuff. And like I said before publicly, it was not my decision to leave the band. Someone saw an opportunity to get me out of the picture, and that's where I am now."

Beattie continued: "Everything went really well that year, but there was stuff going on behind the scenes, and it became a chore to get in touch with anyone. And I was the middle man, basically, for bandmembers and crew members, and that became a chore for me. And I had started asking a lot of questions, and it became problematic. I became a problem within the [organization]."

Regarding where he stood with HATEBREED right now, Chris said: "We're trying to work it out. There's attorneys involved now. They're spending a lot of time having to deal with that and all the details of that. And I've gone back and forth.

"Obviously, when something like that happens, you're upset," he continued. "You go through all these crazy emotions. You put 30 years into something like that. But I don't wanna shit on the legacy of what I did. And I could be that guy. I could come out here and I could talk all kinds of shit, but I don't want [to]… I don't wanna be that guy. We made good music. We had great times together. Things changed. Dynamics changed.

"It's hard to be away from your family when you're touring. Everyone understands that. And the feedback from people when you play, you inspire them, you touch their life, you have a positive, lasting impact on someone, that always kept me in the game. And when shit wasn't going right in the band and whatnot, you look at that man that's the realest shit you could possibly get. People would come up to us all the time and be, like, 'Man, I was ready to kill myself. And your music changed me.' How do you respond to that? It's real deep shit.

"So I'm just hoping for the best," Chris added. "Hopefully we'll be able to sort this out. I don't want us to go down some shitty road. We've all seen bands do that, so hopefully it could end on decent terms and be able to move ahead."

Asked if he thought there was any chance of him being able to work things out with HATEBREED and return to the band, Beattie said: "My time is done with HATEBREED… It's done. My family comes first. I'll leave it at that. I can't go back to that. But there is a legacy. With all the time that I haven't been in the band now, which, it's weird to say, but people know me from that band everywhere I go. You can't shake that kind of shit. The identity is still there. So it's good. It's hard to talk about too, but here we are. New doors open."

When Beattie went public with his departure from HATEBREED seven months ago, he wrote in a statement: "I just want to take the time to let everyone know that I am doing just fine and I sincerely appreciate everyone who has reached out.

"I was under the impression a joint announcement would be agreed upon in advance, but since that was not the case I wanted to address your concerns in my own post.

"At this time I am unable to discuss the specifics surrounding my departure from HATEBREED on November 13, 2024. However, I want to clarify that the decision to leave the band was not mine and that my departure was uncalled for and based on misleading and wrongful statements that will be subject to future actions."

This past July, HATEBREED released its first new music in nearly five years, "Make The Demons Obey". The track was the first taste of new HATEBREED material after the group's "Weight Of The False Self" album which came out in 2020.

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer

In a new interview with Audacy's Remy Maxwell, BAD COMPANY drummer Simon Kirke spoke about the British supergroup's upcoming Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction, which was announced in April 2025 after decades of eligibility. Asked if fans can expect to see him and BAD COMPANY singer Paul Rodgers perform a song or two at the induction ceremony, which will be held on November 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, Simon said: "Everyone asks me. What's that saying? I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. I honestly don't know. The pendulum is swinging one way and then the next. I really don't know if we will. I sincerely hope we can. And that's really all I can say about it."

This past August, Kirke told Defenders Of The Faith about finally being inducted into the Rock Hall: "We're very pleased. We're very honored. Quite honestly, I think it's about time [laughs], but I don't want to appear ungrateful.

"BAD COMPANY, as you know, have been around 50 years. We influenced a couple of generations of bands, so it's about time and we're very happy," he continued. "I'm also happy, because dear old Mick Ralphs, our guitarist who passed away a couple of months ago, learned that BAD COMPANY was going to be inducted just a couple of weeks before he finally passed away. That made us very, very happy indeed."

Regarding the possibility of him and Rodgers performing at the ceremony, Simon said: "I don't know. I know that we've been approached to play a couple of songs. I've spoken with Paul. Paul's health, as you know, is not good, but I think…I'm crossing my fingers that we will be able to play at least one song. I don't know what it is yet. I know they have a house band and they're learning, I guess, a handful of BAD COMPANY songs just in case. Cyndi Lauper's gonna be inducted. There's a whole bunch of other acts that are gonna perform. I think the odds of us performing are very good."

Back in September 2023, Rodgers revealed for the first time that years earlier he suffered 11 minor strokes and two major strokes, which nearly ended his career. The now-75-year-old singer-songwriter suffered his first major stroke in 2016 and a second in October 2019, which required him to undergo a major surgery to recover from. At the time, Rodgers underwent a carotid endarterectomy, a procedure to remove plaque from the arteries running through your neck to your brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

This past June, Ralphs died at the age of 81 due to complications from a stroke he suffered in 2016.

Other inductees in the Performer category are SOUNDGARDEN, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast and THE WHITE STRIPES.

BAD COMPANY has been eligible for induction since 1999 and received its first nomination this year.

The induction ceremony will once again stream live on Disney+, and an edited version will air on ABC at a later date.

Asked by U.K. radio veteran Paul Stephenson of VRP Rocks if he ever got a reason why BAD COMPANY hadn't been nominated earlier, Simon said: "No. Well… Hmm. There are several reasons. One of them being, I think because BAD COMPANY had three lineups, it kind of diluted our currency, if you will. If you can imagine a band like CREAM and they change Ginger Baker or they change Jack [Bruce] or Eric [Clapton], God forbid, a couple of times, it would kind of dilute and muddy the waters of the committee. So as I'm told by this insider, they wanted to do a FREE-BAD COMPANY doubleheader, as it were, like [when] THE FACES and THE SMALL FACES were inducted, but for some reason it didn't show up. There was also a political thing that I can't really go into without getting kind of into hot water, but it was a combination. I think the main thing was the triple lineup… It just wasn't a clear-cut 'Let's induct BAD COMPANY.' There were factors that now have dissipated."

Back in November 2023, Kirke was asked by "The Bob Lefsetz Podcast" how he felt about BAD COMPANY not having been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He responded: "I think it's such a travesty, quite honestly. And not just that, but FREE — FREE certainly should be [in the Hall], because FREE has been around since 1968, and the two bands have been responsible for influencing a lot of bands who are already in the Hall. So I feel pretty bad about it. But I'm not gonna go on too much about it. It's just I think we should be in. Certainly FREE. And I think Paul Rodgers should be in on his own merits, as one of the great rock vocalists of all time. If Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck can be inducted as solo artists, then certainly Paul Rodgers should be in there. That's my two cents."

Later in the chat, Kirke offered one possible explanation for why BAD COMPANY had been overlooked by the Rock Hall.

"I think because of BAD COMPANY's changing lineups over the 50 years that we'd been together, it kind of devalued our currency a little bit," he said. "You had the Brian Howe era, you had the Paul Rodgers era, one and two, when Paul rejoined the band, we had Robert Hart. So I honestly don't know why we have not been nominated — not even inducted; you have to be nominated first, as you know."

In September 2023, Rodgers told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he wasn't bothered by his absence from the Rock Hall. "Well, it doesn't affect my daily life. It doesn't affect what I do in any way at all," he said. "It's one of those things. But I remember years and years ago, Ahmet Ertegun, who was the head of Atlantic Records [and a co-founder of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame], said to me, 'Paul, we're making this museum of rock and roll. Do you guys wanna be part of it?' And I said, 'What, a museum of rock and roll? What's it called?' He said, 'Well, it's called the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.' I said, 'Well, I don't think rock and roll belongs in a museum.' So it's my bad, I guess. And he asked me a couple of times, and I kind of like refused, I guess, basically. So, you know, there you go. Onwards and upwards."

During a "VIP Experience" question-and-answer session before W.A.S.P.'s September 28, 2025 concert at Eventim Apollo in London, United Kingdom, W.A.S.P. mainman Blackie Lawless was asked how he managed to get back in physical shape, two years after he underwent a successful surgery to treat two herniated discs and a broken vertebra. Lawless said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):"[I had] some great people working with me and about nine months of some really painful rehab. Rehab is a lonely business. And nobody can help you because — well, you're with them two hours a day. And I was working with 'em five and six days a week. And they don't want you doing anything else when you go home 'cause they want you to rest in rehab for the next day. And those other 22 hours a day, it's just you… I mean, we talk to ourselves more than anybody else. And you, especially if you're doing anything that's athletic, you listen to any athlete talk, the internal dialogue that starts in your head when you're going through that: 'Am I ever gonna be able to' da, da, da da? And that's the thing keeps dogging you over and over and over."

Blackie continied: "What I didn't know until a week before we started the tour last year, the doctors told me, they said, 'Well, we didn't wanna say anything to you before, but with everything you went through, the average person will not recover from this.' But they don't like saying anything because there's that one in a million that can make it, so they don't wanna prejudice them. But I think a lot of it too is how bad do you want it, because, to me, the idea of not being able to… Yeah, could I sit in a chair and sing? Yeah, I guess I could, but I don't wanna. I mean, I wanna do what I wanna do. And I wanted my body back. It's the only one you got. But I'm just saying this for your own benefit. It's how bad you want it."

Lawless spoke in more detail about his recovery process during a May 2024 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Lawless said at the time: "It's been a long road. Anytime you go through rehab, and we've done it for 35, 40 years, every time you have an injury, you've gotta go through rehab. And any athlete will tell you that it's a lonely walk. Nobody can help you when you do it. You're with your trainers two hours a day. That leaves you 22 hours of every day to just sit and think in rehab. And a lot of funny things go through your head when you're doing that. And, like I said, it's a lonely walk. And it's incremental, the healing process — you don't see it all overnight. And when you start with the trainers, they tell you, 'Just be patient, just be patient,' because, as any warrior will tell you, your natural instinct is to run, and you just cannot do that when you've gone through something that's pretty serious like that. But we're getting there. And we're pretty much up to speed now."

Elaborating on what the rehab process entailed, Blackie said: "What those guys do to you, that's a torture chamber. It really is. And they're making sure that I'm up and running because… I mean, the guys that I'm working with here are also part of the U.S. Olympic team, the doctors. And the best way to put it is they're quite thorough with what they have you do, but I would strongly suggest to anybody that's had any kind of physical injuries like this, don't try to do rehab on your own. You really need some professionals to work with, because you can go online and look at those exercises all you want, but until you've got somebody with you monitoring you, correcting you, keeping you in line, it's natural for the body to cheat, especially if it's had an injury. And these guys will stand there and they will not let you cheat. And that's really for your own good, because they'll tell you that they have people that will come to them three, four months after that person's had an injury and has been in the gym the whole time and wasted their time for that three to four months because they weren't doing the exercises right and they weren't seeing any results. So it's really important that you get some pros next to you that… I mean, I know everybody's not gonna be able to get Olympic doctors to look after 'em, but still, there's qualified folks out there. You've gotta really get somebody that knows what they're doing."

Regarding how he sustained his injuries in 2023, Lawless told Canada's The Metal Voice in a 2024 interview: "What I had was pretty serious. And when it first started [in 2023], they told me that if we didn't stop… We were [on tour] in Europe, and I had a chiropractor come in to one of the shows to do an adjustment on me. And we were in Madrid. But the night before we had been in Barcelona. I did what I thought was the best show on the whole tour at that point, and I was doing well. This guy comes in. He doesn't speak any English, and this kid is strong as a gorilla. And we tried to, through the interpreter, explain to him what we wanted to do. This kid got a hold of me and he tweaked me, and I felt it immediately when he did it. And, yeah, he literally twisted my upper torso. We find out later he ruptures a disc in my back. And I had heard of those before, dealing with nerve pain and things like that, but I'd never experienced it. And until you've experienced nerve pain, you can't imagine what that feels like. I mean, it's constantly on 10 and you can't stop it.

"So, we leave Spain and we go to Berlin, and fortunately we had some contacts there and we were able to get in to see the doctors from the German Olympic team," Lawless added. "And so they did a series of tests on me and did MRIs and things like that. They came back and they said, 'You've got extensive damage. If you don't stop this tour, it's gonna get worse.' And I'm thinking to myself, 'Well, what are we talking about? How much worse can it get?' And so I told them, I says, 'Basically what I need you to do for me is to get me through this. What can you do for me that can help me get along?' So, over a series of five weeks, we do eight epidurals, which, for those that don't know what that is, they inject a needle in next to your spinal cord and basically try to put anti-inflammatory medication in there to get you through it. But eight is an extreme amount. I mean, it's a lot. Usually an average person might get one or two of those, but that's a lot. But what happened is, yes, it was helping me get through it, but now I have one of the discs that's no longer functioning the way it should. Now the vertebrae are starting to rub on each other. It creates a chain reaction where a second disc gets ruptured and then one of the vertebrae cracks because it's bone rubbing on bone. And so, like I said, it literally became a domino effect. And we didn't know any of this until the tour was done. And I get back to California and we do another battery of tests and we could see what's going on and it was not good. So dealing with that, I had to have two different surgeries. They go in, they clean out the debris because when the bone broke, it starts to create fragments and shards and so they've gotta go in and clean all that out because all that is now trying to create complications around spinal cord. It's creating nerve damage and things like that. And then on top of that, it starts to form scar tissue, so it's a tedious, tedious process."

Because of the extensive back injuries Lawless suffered during the European leg of W.A.S.P.'s 40th-anniversary tour, the band's previously announced 2023 U.S. tour was canceled.

W.A.S.P.'s massive European leg of the 40th-anniversary world tour wrapped on May 18, 2023 in Sofia, Bulgaria at Universidada Sports Hall.

W.A.S.P. wrapped up its first U.S. tour in 10 years with a sold-out show on December 11, 2022 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. This marked the 18th sold-out shows for the U.S. tour, which kicked off in late October 2022. W.A.S.P.'s performances included the return of the band's classic song "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)", which hadn't been played live in over 15 years.

W.A.S.P.'s latest release was "ReIdolized (The Soundtrack To The Crimson Idol)", which came out in February 2018. It was a new version of the band's classic 1992 album "The Crimson Idol", which was re-recorded to accompany the movie of the same name to mark the 25th anniversary of the original LP's release. The re-recorded version also features four songs missing from the original album.

W.A.S.P.'s most recent studio album of all-new original material was 2015's "Golgotha".

On August 31, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner joined the Tennessee "epic viking metal" band DESTROY DESTROY DESTROY on stage at The End in Nashville to perform a cover of the IRON MAIDEN classic "Fear Of The Dark". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

Back in 2015, Faulkner, who was once the guitarist in the backing group for Lauren Harris, daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris, was asked in an interview with GigsAndFestivals.com if he was "on the subs bench for IRON MAIDEN" prior to joining JUDAS PRIEST as the replacement for K.K. Downing. He responded: "Yeah, you never know! I worked with Steve and Lauren, and [Steve] was one of the first ones that I told when I got the PRIEST gig. I said I've been approached by another band, and he was over the moon when I told him it was PRIEST. He's one of these guys who's really supportive, and he said: 'I would have had you in my band. If anything would have happened to any of my guys, you were the guy that was going to do it.'"

Faulkner continued: "[Steve is] a great guy, and like the guys in PRIEST, he's an idol and he's a teacher. He wished me all the best and sent me on my way. We saw him at Download [festival] a couple of months ago. He loves the music; he loves the vibe, and he's a genuine fan of all things heavy. So, it was great to get his endorsement right from the beginning."

In a 2023 interview with Darren Paltrowitz, host of the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz", Faulkner revealed that Steve Harris was the inspiration for his energetic and engaging stage presence. He said: "I was out with Lauren Harris, who's Steve Harris from IRON MAIDEN's daughter, and we were out with MAIDEN quite a bit. And I always used to watch Steve and take notice of the way Steve was always at the front and he was always at the people in their face and he was singing with them — the eye contact; he was pointing at 'em. And I always thought in this day and age of YouTube and videos and stuff like that, you can't recreate that interaction. I always kind of took that onboard. And I think that's kind of — partly at least — where it comes from. Just that interaction that you, as a fan, you walk out of the concert hall and you can't recreate that. That interaction with the artist on stage, whether it's a guitar player or a singer or a drummer — whatever it may be — you can't recreate that interaction that you share at that moment in time. I think that's a valuable thing. So I think that's partly to do with it — Steve Harris and the way that interacted with the audience."

In 2011, Faulkner came in to replace Downing, who had left in 2010. The move seemed to have reinvigorated the band as evidenced by a show-stealing performance on the "American Idol" finale that also served as Faulkner's debut performance with the band.

JUDAS PRIEST and Alice Cooper kicked off their summer/fall 2025 co-headlining tour on September 16 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Support on the trek is coming from CORROSION OF CONFORMITY. The tour is making its way through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Colorado, Utah, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, winding down on October 16 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston.

PRIEST last toured the U.S. in the fall of 2024 as part of the second leg of its "Invincible Shield" tour and the release of the band's celebrated 19th studio album, which debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Earlier this year, PRIEST completed a run of South American and European dates.

During the European leg of JUDAS PRIEST's "Shield Of Pain" tour, the band's setlist included seven tracks from PRIEST's 1990 album "Painkiller", which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.

In addition to performing the "Painkiller" title track, PRIEST played "All Guns Blazing", "Hell Patrol", "A Touch Of Evil", "Night Crawler", "One Shot At Glory" and "Between The Hammer And The Anvil" from the same LP.

In a recent interview with Black Shadows Media, FEAR FACTORY's founding guitarist Dino Cazares spoke about the influence his band's music has had on some of the younger metal groups. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "Well, I definitely feel that back in the '90s when FEAR FACTORY first came out, that we definitely did have an influence in this genre we call metal. And I say metal as a whole, not the subgenres. But definitely we influenced a lot of bands like STATIC-X and many other bands after that. But I also feel that we've influenced a lot of bands to add melodic vocals, 'cause at the time when we first came out in 1990, there wasn't really a lot of bands doing that. In fact, I can't think of any band that was doing that. So to combine the heavy vocals and the melodic vocals, even death growls and melodic vocals, there wasn't anybody doing that. I feel that FEAR FACTORY definitely influenced that to a lot of different genres of metal."

Dino continued: "Also, the syncopated guitars with the kick drums, that was something that I heard way back when METALLICA did it in the song 'One'. They only did it for a second. I decided to start a whole theory about that with my band. I brought that whole thing into my band to make it the band. Everything that we did was all syncopated — almost everything. So that was something that we wanted to create and keep in our band, which was able to influence a lot of people to do that as well."

Cazares previously talked about METALLICA's early influence on FEAR FACTORY's sound during a February 2017 question-and-answer session at the California College Of Music in Pasadena, California. He said at the time: "[METALLICA] had a song called 'One', and in the song 'One', [there was a syncopated riff in the middle]. I [thought], 'Okay, that can actually be done if you play it.' That's the only time they've ever done that. I was, like, 'Wow! I wish they would do it more.' So me wanting them to do it more made me do it, and that's how I wanted to start my band, and that's how I wanted my band to be. I'm not saying like METALLICA. Just that one little snippet of music really inspired me to go out and do guitars and drums syncopated the whole time, a whole record where it's like that. So every snare hit, every kick hit, every tom hit was the exact same picking as my guitar. So every time I hit a downstroke, upstroke, doubles, triples, the same thing would be with the kick drums and the snares. So it was all syncopated together, and that was the first time some people ever heard that done that way."

Asked if he ever took the advice of a record company with regard to FEAR FACTORY's sound, Dino said: "The first time somebody heard our stuff, they were, like, 'This is not original.' I'm, like, 'Okay. Why?' I was asking myself why. So we went back to the drawing board. The thing about the band when we first started was, like, 'Okay. We've gotta make music. We've gotta just keep recording and just keep stuff going.' So the first demo we did was three songs, the second one was seven songs, the third one was sixteen songs. That's a lot of songs. So we just went back to the drawing board and just kept recording and recording and recording and trying to perfect our sound and trying to create something original. It wasn't until that one lucky break that we got that somebody actually said, 'Yes.' The guy felt like… The reason why he signed us is 'cause he felt that we were doing something different. In our genre, at the time in the '90s, a lot of the music was pretty aggressive, for our genre. The death metal and grindcore scene was massive. Bands that you probably never heard of, like NAPALM DEATH and MORBID ANGEL, were really big. So we were trying to come up in that scene, but stand out at the same time. So our vocals were very aggressive, heavy stuff, and all of a sudden, we had these beautiful, melodic vocals, [and] a lot of record companies were, like, 'What the…?' Even record company guys were saying, 'What the fuck is this? We don't want this. We don't look at this as a product we could sell.' So it took that one guy, the one A&R guy, to really believe in what we were doing and saw the future of the band. And it took him to go back to the owner of his record company and say, 'Look, this is the future right here. This band is the future.' And, of course, the rest is history."

In a 2023 interview with Heavy New York, Dino spoke about how FEAR FACTORY's unique sound sometimes worked against them as they battled to find their spot in the "nu metal"-driven scene of the mid-1990s. "It could be a good thing and a bad thing," Dino reflected. "The good thing is that we could branch out and play with a bunch of different bands. That was good. But the bad thing is that we never belonged to one genre… If we were a part of the nu metal genre, maybe we would've been as big as some of those nu metal bands. It almost seemed like sometimes we were too heavy for the nu metal fans and then maybe not nu metal enough, but maybe we were too nu metal for the heavier fans. So, I don't know. We kind of sat in between — we were like a snake in between all those bands and all those different genres. So we were kind of like right there, even though what we created later on — not even just later on — but what we created over the years was something that would inspire all those different bands. Mainly in the syncopated kick-and-guitar music and then obviously the vocals inspiring all those different types of genres. Maybe some of those genres don't even know where it came from, because they might have been listening to KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, even though KILLSWITCH ENGAGE was kind of more — the formula of the vocals was very much inspired by FEAR FACTORY. Because sometimes a new generation of fans emerge and a new style of music emerges and people don't really know the history of where it all started. But if you go back, some of that stuff stems from FEAR FACTORY and going into bands later on, like KILLSWITCH and ALL THAT REMAINS and so on and so on; there's a million bands like that. So it was kind of like PANTERA with the groove and then FEAR FACTORY with the vocals."

Cazares added: "We kind of had our foot in the door in all these different genres, and in some ways I almost felt like it hurt us 'cause we weren't just one thing. 'Cause right now there's like a resurgence of death metal, a resurgence of nu metal, but there's no resurgence of [the kind of] metal we do. So it's kind of weird that we're not part of the resurgence of death metal or nu metal because we weren't just those type of things… I'm just saying that we were a part of all of it in a way — like I said, we had our foot in door in all those different genres, but we didn't particularly fit into one genre. And that to me could have been part of the reason why we're not part of a resurgence of certain genres."

FEAR FACTORY recently completed recording its first album with the band's latest additions, singer Milo Silvestro and drummer Pete Webber. An early 2026 release is expected.

FEAR FACTORY's current lineup features Cazares, Silvestro, Webber and Tony Campos on bass.

Ricky Bonazza (BUTCHER BABIES) played bass for FEAR FACTORY this past summer on the road in Europe while Campos was busy touring with STATIC-X.

Silvestro's addition to FEAR FACTORY was officially announced in February 2023.

FEAR FACTORY played its first headlining concert with Silvestro and Webber on May 5, 2023 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

In early 2023, FEAR FACTORY completed the "Rise Of The Machine" U.S. tour as the support act for STATIC-X. It marked the Cazares-led outfit's first run of shows with Silvestro and Webber.

FEAR FACTORY's latest album, "Aggression Continuum", was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, featured Cazares, Heller and FEAR FACTORY's original singer Burton C. Bell.

In a new interview with Liv Maddix of the 105.7 The Point radio station, HALESTORM guitarist/vocalist Lzzy Hale and guitarist Joe Hottinger reflected on playing the "Back To The Beginning" event in Birmingham, United Kingdom, which marked Ozzy Osbourne and BLACK SABBATH's performance.  Lzzy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think as sad as we all are that we are without our Ozzy, he is someone who will live on forever through his music and his legacy."

Added Joe: "I was, like, what a way to go. He raised hundreds of millions for charity, hung out with all his friends. He got to do his favorite thing in the world — be on stage one last time — and he got to do it next to the stadium where he grew up, in his hometown. And mama, he went home, and it was awesome.

"That was the most intense musical thing I've ever experienced, just being out in that crowd," Joe continued. "Playing it was awesome — that ruled; that was fun — but being out in the crowd… There's an emotional amplification when you're around 50,000 people all there for the right reasons, because we love you, Ozzy. And then he goes into 'Mama, I'm Coming Home'. And everybody was crying — the whole place. But being around that many people on that wavelength, it was everything amplified. It was a wild experience. And I hope we get to feel something like that again.

"Music is so cool and so magical and it can bring that many people together," Hottinger added. "It's music, it's magic, and it was so cool that Ozzy got to create that one last time. I loved it."

Hottinger previously discussed HALESTORM's appearance at "Back To The Beginning" during an August 2025 chat with Side Jams With Bryan Reesman. He said at the time: "We were so excited just to be asked to play that show. We're, like, 'Oh my God, all right!' And the vibe was so awesome. Everyone was so happy, such a together thing celebrating Ozzy and SABBATH's music. None of these bands would exist if it wasn't for them, and everyone, I think, felt the gravity of it. We were talking to Adam Jones from TOOL, and he was, like, 'Yeah, sometimes you get bucket list things that you didn't even know were on the list.' That's what's fun about playing rock and roll. And just metalheads in general, hard rockers, it's such a great community. These bands and all the fans that are lifers for the genre, everyone was so just together and on a great vibe. I've never felt anything like it at a show."

The guitarist photographed HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale with many of the rockers that were there, and he took some live shots as well. "I got so annoying," he joked. "Anytime we were hanging out with somebody, I was, like, 'Can I get your picture with Lzzy?' 'I want to get your picture.' I really liked the one of Lzzy and Arejay [Hale, HALESTORM drummer]. I had my tech give me my camera when I gave him my guitar, and they were walking up to the front to wave goodbye. I have some of Lzzy and Arejay both, posing, like, 'Yeah, we did it!' We just went through it, we didn't know if it was good, and it was such an intense experience. You had 15 minutes, like Live Aid sets, and it went by so fast. It was awesome."

During a July 23 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Lzzy paid tribute to Ozzy, who died earlier that week at the age of 76. She said in part:  "It's sad to see Ozzy go. Obviously, we just saw him [at the 'Back To The Beginning' concert in Birmingham, United Kingdom on July 5], and [he was] hungry till the end. I mean, the guy was just ready to be on that stage and clapping. There was such joy in his face even then. But we just didn't think it was gonna be that fast. So I don't know. There's so many emotions. We're so grateful to have been there, but at the same time it's so sad to see one of the greats go. I mean, it's Ozzy. He's supposed to always be here."

Reflecting on HALESTORM's three-song performance at "Back To The Beginning", which included a rendition of Ozzy's "Perry Mason", Lzzy said: "We had such a wonderful time at 'Back To The Beginning'. It was just such a mix of emotions. We were so grateful to be there and to celebrate these men, obviously with BLACK SABBATH and then Ozzy, and really kind of sitting with all of the feelings of how deeply ingrained what they gave to the world is in what we do. And then to kind of look around at all of these rock titans — Steven Tyler [AEROSMITH] and METALLICA [were] there — and everybody had the same feeling, that same childlike wonder and really just kind of looking around and saying, 'Look, none of us would've existed in a band if not for these men.' So it was really wonderful to be a part of that.

"We didn't get a whole lot of interaction with Ozzy," Lzzy admitted. "He was kind of getting wheeled in and out and doing the thing. And I spent some time with [Ozzy's wife and manager] Sharon. She's so incredibly sweet. And then [BLACK SABBATH guitarist] Tony Iommi and everybody. One of our regrets that we had said right after the show is, like, man, we should have spent more time with Ozzy. But again, this is how life goes, and we were just absolutely grateful to be there and to experience all of it."

Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate also reportedly said the legendary heavy metal musician suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

A one-off world-exclusive CANDLEMASS concert featuring the band's former vocalist Messiah Marcolin took place on September 13 at this year's edition of the Rock Hard Festival Greece in Athens, Greece. It marked Marcolin's first performance with CANDLEMASS in nearly 20 years.

Speaking to Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece, Messiah stated about the concert (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That was some fantastic show with CANDLEMASS at the Rock Hard Festival Greece. I wanna thank all the fans from all around the world who traveled from 40 different countries — big, big thanks from the heart. And also all the Greek fans, who traveled all across Greece to come there. It was, like — I don't know — 4,500 people [going] crazy and everyone was singing and it was so much fun — singing, screaming, doom dancing, just the way it should be. So I'm very happy about it. And a big thank you."

Asked how it felt to be back on stage with CANDLEMASS after almost two decades, Messiah said: "It felt like it was yesterday [that we had last played together]. It was 20 years [earlier], but it felt like yesterday. It was the same thing when we did… I was with CANDLEMASS from 1987 till 1991. Then I quit the band the first time. And then we did a reunion again in 2002, and I quit again in 2006. So in total I've been with them for eight years, but those, I think, I guess 12 years in between, it felt like time hadn't passed. When we start playing, it's just, like — I don't know — it's magic. Some bands, they have that when they play together; there's something special that comes with it. And CANDLEMASS always had that. Even since the first gig back in 1987 in Jönköping in Sweden — it was our very first concert, and we start the show with 'Crystal Ball' and all of a sudden punk rockers and everyone starts jumping on the stage, getting crazy. There's something special about when the five of us play together. So that's very cool. It's always been like that. It just works. I don't know how to describe it. It just works. It works really well. Off stage is another thing."

Asked if he was nervous before the Rock Hard Festival Greece show, Messiah said: "No, I don't get nervous. Of course, you get a little excited before the show, but I don't get nervous. I'm more excited. I want to kill. [Laughs] I don't want to kill, but I feel like I wanna kill. You want to do the best. Then, of course, your body doesn't act the same way as 20 years ago. I fell on my ass. What are you gonna do? The balance is not the same. All I can do is practice tai chi or something and try to get a better balance.

"With me and CANDLEMASS, it's like the family Addams," he explained. "If Uncle Fester goes away for 20 years and then he comes back and he's all weird — that's what it was like."

Regarding how he prepared for the Rock Hard Festival Greece performance, Messiah said: "People would say to me, 'Oh, good luck in Athens, good luck.' And I said, 'No, there's no luck. It's hard work.' I'd been practicing singing for almost every day for five months. So it all comes down to determination and hard work, 'cause you need that. 'Cause when you fall on the stage, like I did, or some technical thing, you can't hear yourself or whatever, then you need the muscle memory. So you must be prepared. And also I'm lazy. I don't sing all the time. I only sing when I have to. But I really got in shape for this one gig — five months, that's a lot of work. But it was all worth it in the end because the fans got a great show. And it was really fun."

Marcolin also talked about the possibility of more performances with CANDLEMASS in the future, saying: "I never said this is the only one show we're gonna do — Leif [Edling, CANDLEMASS bassist and main songwriter] said that. But I would tell all the promoters of the world, get in contact with CANDLEMASS's manager, Mr. Olé Bang, and try to book CANDLEMASS featuring Messiah Marcolin, because I just think it's such a shame for all the CANDLEMASS fans in the world not to be able to see [us play], the ones who couldn't be there [in Greece]. That's how I feel. I don't know how they feel. They're probably tired of me already, but I just think it would be great. If they can treat us as well, these promoters and the big festivals in Europe and all around the world, in Japan — I don't know — everywhere, if they can treat us as well as Rock Hard Festival Greece did, I see no problem with playing any more shows. 'Cause we're all getting old, and I'm the youngest — I'm 57. I'll always be the youngest. But anyway, what I'm saying is I don't see a reason for it not to happen again. For me, it's kind of like the vintage CANDLEMASS."

Asked if he has discussed with the members of CANDLEMASS the possibility of him playing more shows with the band, Messiah said: "No, because Leif went out and said 'no more shows' and this and that. But maybe they'll change their mind if we get some really good offers from around the world, treating us as well as Rock Hard Festival Greece did, maybe they'll change their minds. I would think now is the time to book the big festivals of 2026, next summer. So I think they should give it a try, even if it's just one or two. Who knows? At least it's something."

CANDLEMASS's setlist for the Rock Hard Festival Greece show was as follows:

01. The Well Of Souls
02. Dark Are The Veils Of Death
03. Mirror Mirror
04. Darkness In Paradise
05. Bewitched
06. Samarithan
07. Black Dwarf
08. Crystal Ball
09. A Sorcerer's Pledge

Encore:

10. At The Gallows End
11. Solitude

Fan-filmed video of the gig can be seen below.

Back in May, Edling reiterated that the band's reunion concert with Marcolin would be a one-off event, with no chance of further dates being added. In an interview with Rock Hard Greece, Edling stated about CANDLEMASS's concert with Messiah: "Well, it feels great. And we [are celebrating CANDLEMASS's] 40-year anniversary with many happenings, so this is one of the happenings that we have. So we have a special EP out with a couple of tracks, and we will have a special line of merchandise out. And we will do special shows in Sweden, and we will also do the thing with Messiah Marcolin in Athens. So there's several ways we can celebrate. We put a lot of old photos up on social media right now, for example, and I think there's a documentary about CANDLEMASS being filmed during the year as well. So, we celebrate in many ways."

Regarding the possibility of more concerts with Messiah being added, Leif said: "Yeah, it will be a one-off show. Absolutely. And we have no recording plans, we have no reunion plans. There are no plans whatsoever but just one show and one show only. So that's the entire thought behind it. Go down to Greece where we have a lot of true fans, loyal fans, and have a blast. Play a great show and enjoy ourselves for the 40-year anniversary's sake. Not many bands survive to have a 40-year anniversary. So we feel very lucky that we have managed to survive this long."

Asked if he saw the concert in Athens as "the perfect closure" of CANDLEMASS's chapter with Messiah, Leif said: "I think we had a closure, like, 20 years ago, actually. [Laughs] I mean, we didn't know that we would survive one year after Messiah left. And we didn't know that we would be playing 20 years after. So this is a bonus. And it's a bonus for all the people that would like to see us live with Messiah. So why not? Let's do it. Let's have fun for an evening in Athens."

During the chat, Leif also reflected on some of the "biggest challenges" CANDLEMASS's career, particularly in the first couple of decades of the band's existence. He said: "Well, difficult times — I guess it was when Messiah left the first time, and also the second time. It's not easy for a band to recover after that. We had quite a few changes of singers, and every time you make a singer replacement, you go through a difficult time. But it's been 40 years, so I think it's also kind of a natural thing, when you have such a long career. So, I don't think of it as we have a band with a lot of problems or anything. I mean, if you change a singer every eight years or whatever, I think that's quite natural that some members come and go. If it's not the singer, maybe it's the guitar player or the bass player or the drummer. So this happens in every band on the planet — they change the personnel. But we have four people playing for 40 years together — me, Jan [Lindh, drums], Mats [Björkman, guitar] and Lars [Johansson, guitar]. And now we have Johan [Längqvist, vocals] back in the band, and it's fucking fantastic. So I think we are very lucky to have survived these 40 years, and we are lucky enough to still be regarded as a headliner band or co-headliner band. And we play great shows for a lot of people. And every gig we play, we have all the hands in the air and people are cheering. So it makes me feel fucking fantastic every time, because you still attract people, you still make people happy with your music. That's absolutely fantastic."

In an interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Längqvist (a.k.a. Johan Langquist) was asked if he would be a part of CANDLEMASS's performance featuring Messiah. He responded: "No, I'm not a part of that performance, because the Greeks, they loved CANDLEMASS from the very beginning, and we are very popular in Greece. And I think the reason is because [Messiah] has a part of their history, the music listeners in Greece. So I do respect they wanted us to do a gig with Messiah."

Johan continued: "What can I say? I wish him the best. And he was a character in the band and we've actually met two nights together, partying together. And I wish him the best. I hope they're gonna make a great show down there. Yeah, that's it."

As the godfathers of epic doom metal, CANDLEMASS defined the genre with releases such as "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" (1986) and "Nightfall" (1987). Through their evil riffs, crushing rhythmic attack and dramatic vocals, they changed the landscape of metal worldwide. Led by Edling, CANDLEMASS reunited with Längqvist in 2018, 32 years after the singer performed on "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus".

Längqvist originally exited CANDLEMASS after "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" and was replaced by Marcolin.

Marcolin left CANDLEMASS for the presumably final time in 2006, one year after the release of the band's self-titled album. He was later replaced by Robert Lowe (SOLITUDE AETURNUS),who sang on the band's "King Of The Grey Islands" (2007),"Death Magic Doom" (2009) and "Psalms For The Dead" (2012) LPs. CANDLEMASS's frontman between 2012 and 2018 was Mats Levén, who previously recorded and toured with YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and THERION. Seven years ago, CANDLEMASS fired Levén and rehired Längqvist.

Back in October 2022, Messiah and longtime CANDLEMASS guitarist Mats "Mappe" Björkman joined Canadian metallers ANVIL on stage at the Slaktkyrkan venue in Stockholm, Sweden to perform the classic ANVIL song "Metal On Metal". The event marked the first time in 16 years that the two musicians performed together.

CANDLEMASS's latest EP, "Black Star", came out in May via Napalm Records.

Johan's solo project JOHAN LANGQUIST THE CASTLE released its self-titled debut album on CD and vinyl on June 27 via I Hate Records. The record was initially made available digitally without a label in 2024.

CANDLEMASS's mark on the genre and their legacy can be heard in bands such as OPETH, GHOST and PARADISE LOST. In 2019 CANDLEMASS were nominated for a U.S. Grammy Award with the album "The Door To Doom". One could say that CANDLEMASS reached a full-circle moment when BLACK SABBATH's Tony Iommi played a solo on one of the tracks on the record.

CANDLEMASS was formed in 1984 in Upplands Väsby, Sweden, by bassist and main songwriter Edling. The band quickly became pioneers of a slower, heavier, and darker style of metal that came to be known as doom metal — a direct sonic descendant of BLACK SABBATH, but with its own epic and gothic twist. Their debut album, "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" (1986),is today considered a genre-defining classic, but at the time it flew under the radar. Ironically, the album's status grew over the years, making it one of the most celebrated and influential doom metal albums of all time. In 1987, the band recruited Marcolin, whose operatic, vibrato-rich singing style and monk-like stage persona became an identifiable part of CANDLEMASS's visual and sonic identity. With Messiah on board, CANDLEMASS released the albums "Nightfall" (1987),"Ancient Dreams" (1988) and "Tales Of Creation" (1989) — a trilogy that cemented their legacy and built a loyal international fanbase.

In a new interview with Anthony Bryant of The Hair Metal Guru, EUROPE drummer Ian Haugland spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the Swedish band's long-awaited next LP. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "It's been a while now since we recorded the last album; 2017 [is when] 'Walk The Earth' came out. And it doesn't feel like it's — whatever — seven years or eight years since it was released, because — I don't know — the older you get, the faster time spins, I guess. But we now finally are gonna release a new album next year, and we're gonna record it starting in October this year."

Asked if all the songs for EUROPE's new album have already been written, Ian said: "Yeah, most of it is done, I would say. I think we have more than that covers an album. And you know what?! The great thing with having seven years between the albums is that we had time to really collect great material. So there's no sense of rushing around these songs. And the good thing with not having Sony Records dictating is that we can pick exactly the songs we want to, we own the recordings. We just bring them — like LED ZEPPELIN did in the '60s; they'd bring the master and say, 'This is it. Take it or leave it.' So we're living after that formula these days."

Regarding whether EUROPE has already decided on a title for the upcoming album, Ian said: "No. Well, we've been kind of feeling it out a little. There are some titles that might be suitable for album titles. But we also have the feeling that the album title usually presents itself during the process. Once you get into the studio and you start recording, you get that, 'Oh, wow. This is a good album name.' But I have to say, and it's not trying to sell the new album, but I have to say at this stage I never heard this many awesome song ideas or finished songs as we have for this forthcoming album. It's gonna be really a case of 'kill your darlings' when we start recording it. At this early stage still, they feel like very well thought-through creations with compositions within composition, if you know what I mean. Solo parts that are composed as a totally new part. It's really inspiring. Yeah, I think this is gonna be the fucking greatest album ever. [Laughs]"

Elaborating on the musical direction of the new EUROPE material, Ian said: "I have to say this album is more of a sort of an homage to the '80s in the sense of, I would say, a lot more, a lot more melodic ideas and, as I said, melodic — not solos, but melodies that carry the song. So, yeah, it's more of an homage to the '80s, I would say. It's really exciting."

This past April, EUROPE singer Joey Tempest told Colombia's Radioacktiva about the fact that it's been eight years since he and his bandmates released their last studio album: "Honestly, we've never had this long break — ever. I mean, when we did 'Bag Of Bones' [2012], 'War Of Kings' [2015] and 'Walk The Earth', those three albums, they were, like, boom, boom, boom, touring all the way. And then all of a sudden COVID hit and we had some extra time. And then it kind of felt okay to leave it a bit and to live with the ideas, to write new stuff. And that's why this [upcoming EUROPE] album's gonna be special. These songs we lived with for a while — they're strong and there's some strong melodies. And it's gonna make this album special, that it has this extra time. But we've been touring ever since, as you know. So we're always on the road, but we haven't been in the studio, and we're going in this autumn, and that's gonna be a big moment."

Earlier that same month, Haugland was asked by Brazil's Marcelo Vieira how EUROPE's longtime fans have reacted to the band's recent studio output, which has followed a more blues/classic rock direction instead of the poppy hard rock from the group's most commercially successful years. Ian responded: "Some of the more sort of '80s lovers, they have some — I shouldn't say 'negative' thoughts, but they miss the old EUROPE, as they say. [They tell us], 'You should write more melodic songs' or whatever. But I think our thoughts [have] always been [that] the most important thing for the band to move on is to not only move on and play the old songs, but to give ourselves the space to develop as musicians, as a band, with trying different sounds out. And I think we've been on a musical journey.'

He continued: "The last couple of albums have been more towards the bluesier hard rock. And now the latest one, which actually came eight years ago, 'Walk The Earth', is a lot inspired by our roots, like RAINBOW and [LED] ZEPELIN and DEEP PURPLE. So it's more of that. And right now we're writing songs for a new album that is gonna be recorded later this year. And I think that now we're maybe more back to the melodic EUROPE, sort of. So we're on the journey swaying from different styles and angles. And I think it's important for us to be able to develop all the time. But I would say most of our fans are positive to our development."

Also in April, Tempest confirmed to Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda that he and his EUROPE bandmates were working on new material. "It's been a long while," he said. "We've never had this long of a break before — ever. We always move from tour into the studio, tour into the studio. I mean, 'Bag Of Bones', 'War Of Kings' and 'Walk The Earth', it was a period in our lives, a very energetic period. But we've been touring ever since, though, ever since 'Walk The Earth'. But we haven't been in the studio. I mean, it started a bit with the, the period of COVID, that made us sort of start over again. In a way, it was good for writing because I could start from scratch. There was more time all of a sudden. There was not, like, 'Let's record an album because we've gotta get back on the road.' We had time all of a sudden. So this is what makes the new album interesting. In a way, it feels like a debut album because it has had life. We had to live with ideas for years. And that's how debut albums are with bands, 'cause bands are out touring and they have written the songs and they live with them, they play them. And it feels a bit like that. It feels fresh, this new EUROPE album."

In March, Joey told El Expreso Del Rock that the musical direction of the upcoming EUROPE LP won't be similar to that of "Walk The Earth" and "War Of Kings". He said: "No, it'll move on. It'll be a new adventure. But I realize, hearing some of the demos we make now, that it's really strong, [with] great melodies. Some of it's really heavy as well. But there's also some connection to the past.

"I'm writing with everyone," he revealed. "I'm writing with John [Norum, guitar], I'm writing with John [Levén, bass] and Mic [Michaeli, keyboards]. And there's beautiful melodies there as well. I'm really excited. There's some great songs coming on. And it's been a while, so we've had time to live with the music, almost like a debut album, almost like the first album, because we have years to live with the songs. We know some of them are really strong because they have staying power; they've stayed for years now. So yeah, this could be an interesting album.

"Yeah, we just like to go on our own adventure, but always carry your past with you," he explained. "That's the thing."

In September 2023, EUROPE released a new song titled "Hold Your Head Up". The track, which was described by the band as "a punchy uptempo rocker with reminiscent elements of early EUROPE," was recorded in August 2023 at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm with producer Klas Åhlund (GHOST, ROBYN) and was mixed by Stefan Glaumann (RAMMSTEIN, DEF LEPPARD),who also mixed EUROPE's "Secret Society" album.

In an interview with Metal Global, Tempest was asked why he and his EUROPE bandmates decided to record and release just one song at this time. Tempest said: "We wanted to get this ready before the [fall 2023 European] tour and the [upcoming EUROPE] documentary. So we focused on this song so we could have something out together with the tour and the documentary. That's why we released one song now. But we have a handful of songs — great ideas."

Regarding the experience of working with Åhlund this time around, Joey said: "It was a great experience. We all liked it. The whole band would like to do more stuff with him. We don't know whether he's gonna be the producer of the [upcoming EUROPE] album yet, but... No, we don't know yet. I mean, it would be an interesting idea, actually. But we haven't decided yet. But we were very happy finding him and working with him. He's very professional, and he's also listened to EUROPE when he was younger and so he knows how we think. And the procedure with him was amazing. It went really smooth, and he's a very talented, very talented man. He's a guitar player as well."

Joey also talked about the musical direction of "Hold Your Head Up", which Botas noted is a combination of the classic EUROPE sound and the band's more recent, bluesier approach. The singer said: "I think it's a good mixture in the song. We never really set out to do that. It was an idea I had, and I sent it to the guys and everybody was, like, 'Yeah, that's great. Let's do that.' So, it's a natural progression, but I think you're right. I think it's a little bit of some melodies, especially in the verses, in the end of the verses there, there's melodies that remind you of some of the earlier stuff. But maybe the chorus and the riff a little bit, it's also quite fresh and more modern, I suppose. So yeah, it's got a bit of everything, but it still sounds like EUROPE, which is really cool."

"Hold Your Head Up" was made available to stream and download on September 29, 2023 across all reputable digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple, iTunes, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, Pandora and YouTube Music.

"Walk The Earth" was released in October 2017 via Hell & Back Recordings (Silver Lining Music). It was recorded at famed Abbey Road Studios in London with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (RIVAL SONS, Shooter Jennings, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton).

Photo credit: Fredrik Etoall

A new book, "Always Moving - The Strange Multiverse Of Voivod", celebrates the extraordinary 40-plus-year career of Canada's cosmic metal visionaries VOIVOD. Author Jeff Wagner draws from exclusive interviews with band members, managers, producers, record label reps, family, peers, and musicians profoundly shaped by VOIVOD's ever-mutating sound to tell their full, fascinating story.

Set to ship the week of November 17, "Always Moving: The Strange Multiverse Of Voivod" is presented as a monumental oral history woven with Wagner's narrative. "Always Moving" casts a bright arc light on every creative era — from the raw chaos of the early years to the tech-prog heights, through tragedy, reinvention, and ultimate triumph.

At 540 pages (with a 12-page color spread),this 7.75" x 10" tome is the most comprehensive chronicle of VOIVOD ever assembled — essential for every diehard Voivodian, on this planet or any other.

"Always Moving - The Strange Multiverse Of Voivod" is described as an official history of Canadian progressive metal band VOIVOD. Written with the full cooperation of the band, and drawing from interviews with bandmembers past and present, past and present managers, record label employees, peer musicians and musicians influenced by the band and their 40-year evolution.

"Always Moving - The Strange Multiverse Of Voivod" is Wagner's fourth book. He previously authored "Destination Onward - The Story Of Fates Warning" (2022); "Soul On Fire - The Life And Music Of Peter Steele" (2014); and "Mean Deviation - Four Decades Of Progressive Heavy Metal" (2010). He has worked for record labels such as Relapse, InsideOut, Century Media and The End. From 1997 to 2001 he was an editor at Metal Maniacs magazine. He lives in Greensboro with his wife and several furry animal children.

VOIVOD is a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Québec. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s. Starting out as a speed metal band, VOIVOD have added a mix of progressive metal and thrash metal to create their own unique metal style, and are credited as one of the "big four" Canadian thrash metal bands, along with SACRIFICE, RAZOR and ANNIHILATOR. They are considered by many as one of the most influential metal bands from the '80s, influencing and gaining praise from multiple bands and across numerous genres.

VOIVOD found mainstream success in the late 1980s with their fifth studio album, "Nothingface" (1989),which is the band's only album to enter The Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number 114.

VOIVOD's long-awaited official documentary, "We Are Connected", received its world premiere in July 2024 at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Canada.

VOIVOD has been touring in support of its latest album, "Morgöth Tales", which was released in July 2023 via Century Media, The Orchard and Sony Music.

The band's 2022 release, "Synchro Anarchy", garnered significant acclaim, winning the 2023 Juno Award for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Album" in Canada.

Once more recorded and mixed by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio, mastered by Maor Appelbaum and produced by VOIVOD, "Morgöth Tales" includes fresh studio re-recordings by the band's current lineup of nine especially selected, not-so-obvious picks from the band's hyper-classy and extremely diverse back catalogue (between 1984 and 2003) as well as a brand-new song and the album's title track, "Morgöth Tales".

Photo credit: Catherine Deslauriers

🚀📖 New Voïvod Book Incoming! 📖🚀

*** EDIT ***
There was an error at first on the site with the shipping prices. It has...

Posted by Voivod on Tuesday, September 30, 2025

In a new interview with Get On The Bus, veteran Swedish hard rock and heavy metal drummer Mikkey Dee, who landed the job as the drummer for SCORPIONS in 2016 after spending almost 25 years as a member of MOTÖRHEAD, reflected on his time with the Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister-fronted outfit. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[Lemmy was] probably the most intelligent guy I know or [have] known. Here's a man that I describe as my father, my grandfather, my younger brother, even my younger sister sometimes. He was so simple and so easy to deal with because you already know, which made it hard and easy. And I have to explain that because… I was very much involved with the band — we all were equally involved — but if I had something, I had to go… I was maybe more involved with the business. Business came to me. I went to the boys, and the boys came to me, 'Oh, can you talk to' whatever? So I was kind of in the middle a little bit. And I asked Lemmy something, and I already [knew] exactly what he would say. It was frustrating sometimes because if I thought he was wrong, because he was so simple in a way and he wouldn't compromise himself or the music or MOTÖRHEAD, and that's why we were what we were. But sometimes it was frustrating. We thought that we were right — sometimes we were right, sometimes we were wrong."

He continued: "I'll give you an idea. Long story short, we were in U.S. in full recording [mode], and we got offered to fly to Argentina for one show, and it was a very, very important show because it would've given us some really great festivals. And we got offered X amount of money, and we tried to scale [our production] down. We were gonna have drums supplied down there, Marshall stacks, fly [with] as little as we could and not bring in the full crew from all over the world. And I came to Lemmy and Lemmy said, 'Absolutely no.' And I go, 'Oh, come on. We can't afford to fly all our shit, bring in the whole crew. We're gonna lose hundreds of thousands of dollars here.' And I was on him and on him, and he got irritated about this, and I gave him reasons why we should do this. And he just gave me one reason, and he said, 'What's the fucking point, Mikkey, to go to Argentina and be MOTÖRHEAD and not sound like MOTÖRHEAD?' And I go, 'You know what, Lem? You're totally right. Let's not do it.' He won that one."

Dee went on to say that he appreciated and respected Lemmy's "simplicity". He explained: "You've probably seen in documentaries how he lived. He lived very simple, very tight. He had a million things [at his home]. You couldn't even get into his… You had a little trail like that. You look at some of these hoarder people. Lemmy had cool stuff, but it was so much, you could barely walk in there. And I said, 'Lem, why don't you get a three-, four-bedroom house instead?' He goes, 'What's the point, Mikkey? You can only be in one room at a time anyway.' [Laughs] How do you beat these one-liners? He was fantastic there. Like what he said, 'If you think you're too old for rock and roll, then you are.' Simple, straight, no bullshit, and that made him who he was. And I keep saying if everybody was like Lem, we wouldn't have any wars, we wouldn't have all this political correctness, all this bullshit that's suffocating humanity today. He was in for the fun and for the real rock and roll."

Lemmy died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy's poor health, although the band did manage to complete the aforementioned European tour a couple of weeks before his death.

In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, "Lemmy", will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, "Lemmy".

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

Back in May 2021, Dee told the "Waste Some Time With Jason Green" video podcast that Lemmy refused to quit touring in the weeks leading up to his death, even when his health was clearly deteriorating.

"We played the last show the 11th of December [of 2015] in Berlin, and he passed just [two] weeks later," Mikkey recalled. "And that tells you, the guy died with his boots on. And both me and Phil [Campbell, MOTÖRHEAD guitarist] were trying to talk him out of starting the second part of the European tour after Christmas. But there was no way in hell we could do that. And I said to Phil, 'Look, instead of arguing with Lemmy or pushing him not to do this,' because we said maybe we should break for a couple of months for him to catch his wind, basically. I said, 'Let's not push him anyway. Let him decide what he wants to do. He knows best what he wants to do.' And he wanted to be on stage. So we said, 'Let's just support him instead,' and that's what we did. But we never made it to the second leg of that European tour, unfortunately. It was the U.K. that was on the next part of it, I remember that."

Asked if he knew when he came home to Sweden that it would probably be the end for Lemmy, Mikkey said: "No. Not at all. Because I talked to Lemmy after that show in Berlin. We were all gonna go separate ways, obviously. I was gonna just fly out to Sweden, and Phil went back home to Wales. Lemmy was flying back to L.A., but I believe he was gonna fly to London and stay one night or two or so and say hi to friends and then fly back home. And I spoke to him right after the show. I went down to Lemmy's dressing room, and I said, 'All right. Go back to L.A. and figure out, maybe, another two songs from [MOTÖRHEAD's final album] 'Bad Magic' that you think that we should do. And we take out the two songs that we already played on this leg, and we put in two new songs from the record.' And he said, 'Yeah. All right. I'll check that out.' And I said, 'Let's hook up after Christmas.' Because it was the 11th of December at that time, and I figured we'd talk between Christmas and New Year's Eve and decide which two songs that we agreed on on playing on that next leg. And he said, 'Yeah, I'll go back and work on that.' And that was it. He had no intention of not coming back to Europe and touring. So we did a little finger hook, as we always did, and that was the last time I saw him, actually. Very sad."

Dee went on to say that Lemmy had made some changes in his life to improve his health after dealing with several issues over the last few years of his life, including heart trouble. "But my personal belief is that it was maybe a little too late," he said. "He should have maybe changed a little earlier. But knowing Lemmy, he was not for that. He was doing it his way or the highway, basically. And that made him to what he was. He never compromised with his music, he never compromised with friendship, he never compromised with what way he was gonna go for anyone else in that way, which is why MOTÖRHEAD was MOTÖRHEAD, and still is MOTÖRHEAD. But with that said, of course, the three of us were talking a lot about stuff, and it was not like he was some kind of a boss here. But we all worked so good together, and that's what created the magic, I would say."

Image credit: Sonor

Danish-Swedish quartet VOLA was joined by IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén on stage last night (Sunday, September 28) at the Roxy in West Hollywood, California for a performance of the song "Cannibal". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

The studio version of "Cannibal", which features Fridén on guest vocals, was included on VOLA's latest album, "Friend Of A Phantom", which came out in November 2024 via Mascot Records.

When "Cannibal" was first released as a single in September 2024, VOLA said in a statement: "VOLA's music is heavily shaped by melodic death metal, so having Anders Fridén from the legendary IN FLAMES featured on 'Cannibal' is a dream come true for us. We feel truly fortunate and are enormously proud of the result."

Fridén explained at the time how he got involved with the song, saying: "I have been a fan of VOLA since their first album. They are constantly evolving and, to me, are one of the most interesting bands out right now." He continued: "During the recording of our last album, I had the opportunity to meet the band and witness an incredible show at The Troubadour in L.A. Cut to a few months later, I was approached if I would be interested in being on a song for their next album. It was a yes without hesitation. It's an honor to be part of this monster of a song. Bang your head if you know what's good for you!"

VOLA elaborated on how the collaboration and song came about: "When we toured North America in the fall of 2023, Anders and Björn from IN FLAMES attended our concert at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. They came backstage before the show to chat with us, and it turned out they were big fans of the band. Quite a surreal experience, given that IN FLAMES have played a huge part in forming our musical DNA. When we came home from the tour, we dug deep into recording 'Friend Of A Phantom', and during that process, we began discussing whether 'Cannibal' would benefit from having guest vocals. We all agreed that having some really powerful screams in there would elevate the song, and having just created a bond with Anders meant that it was the easiest decision in the world to ask him if he wanted to be a part of the track. Anders quickly said yes to participate, and eventually, he both recorded vocals and came to Denmark to shoot the video with us. We were thrilled, to say the least!"

The song marries the euphoric and epic but complex and crushing sound that has become distinctively VOLA with a visually stunning video to accompany the song.

"Working with Vertigo and Riivata Visuals on the music video was incredible," VOLA adds. "We filmed the video in a gigantic hall in Denmark, with plenty of big lights and lasers, including a large triangle light at the back of the hall. To top it all off, Anders came to Denmark to join us and be part of the video. It was a fantastic experience, and the footage captured the heavy side of VOLA in its essence."

VOLA's 2025 North American headlining tour in support of "Friend Of A Phantom" launched on September 3 in Nashville, Tennessee and concluded in West Hollywood.

Prior to the LP's arrival, the quartet shared several singles, including "Paper Wolf", "Break My Lying Tongue", "I Don't Know How We Got Here" and the aforementioned "Cannibal".

Earlier this year, VOLA supported INTERVALS on the "Memory Palace Tour 2025".

VOLA's defining 2021 album "Witness" was a sonic assault that captured their signature blend of thoughtful labyrinthine narratives with crushing riffs and experimental sophistication. Heavy/quiet and dark/light were combined with elements of tech-metal, progressive alt-rock, electronica, and stadium-sized choruses.

They've since wrapped up several tours of the U.S., with several venues upgraded due to overwhelming demand, as well as sold-out shows in New York, Chicago and the iconic Troubadour in Los Angeles. Their first tour of Canada resulted in sold-out shows in Toronto and Montreal, and they rounded off the continent with triumphant South American shows in Mexico, Brazil, and a sold-out show in Chile.

The quartet — Asger Mygind (vocals/guitar),Martin Werner (keys),Nicolai Mogensen (bass) and Adam Janzi (drums) — has been one of Europe's most exciting metal bands in recent years, catapulting them on to the international stage. They've become a formidable live draw that has seen them also tour with Devin Townsend, including playing the Royal Albert Hall in London. They've also opened for EVANESCENCE and played festivals such as ArcTanGent (U.K.),Graspop Metal Meeting (Belgium),Tuska (Finland),Roskilde (Denmark),Copenhell (Denmark),CL Prog (Chile) and more.

VOLA's strength has always been combining a multitude of ideas within a single song, packing it in with a grandiose power that can be as ferocious as it can be delicate.

Known for their innovative approach to progressive metal, VOLA continues to captivate audiences with their blend of intense rhythmic complexity and poignant lyrical narratives. With this perpetual evolution, the pressure doesn't consume them. "There is always the pressure of continuing to climb the mountain," reflected Janzi. "Embracing change and whatever new chapters may wait around the corner is a way to make life more enjoyable."

VOLA is coming to the roxy this sunday, with their genre-bending blend of progressive metal and electronic soundscapes...

Posted by The Roxy Theatre on Thursday, September 25, 2025

In a new interview with WJFF Radio Catskill, HEART guitarist Nancy Wilson spoke about how she and her sister — HEART vocalist Ann Wilson — were able to discover their purpose in life early on and pursue their passion as professional musicians. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It is really a lucky thing. I realize just more and more, the more advanced in age I become, it's, like, 'Wow.'

"I have 25-year-old twin boys, who right now are trying to find their joy, find their bliss, find their own path and their career path and try to figure out in their life what's gonna be fulfilling for them to do in the world in the workforce," Nancy continued. "And being as young as I was, and me and Ann both were, getting started in music so young, it was a calling. And Ann had this God-given talent of voice and I had this burning desire to become proficient on the guitar from nine years old. And so it was, like, the course was set. And I feel so completely grateful, blessed and lucky to have had that direction from such a young age and know what we wanted to do. And we were able to actually get out there, become the competent musicians at an early age, do all of the 10,000 hours that it takes to become competent to begin with and get out there and succeed on the roller coaster up and down."

On the topic of HEART's longevity, Nancy said: "Still, after 50 years, there's a legacy that exists that's really strong today. And the songs are really the hallmark of any music organization, any rock band out there, any band that people love. It's really for the songs. The songs are the things that lasts longer than we last. They're bigger than we are. So it's cool. You see so many bands that are not even original members that are out there, or just even tribute bands that get a lot of business because the songs are so important to people's lives. They're the soundtrack to people's lives and they are also healing — they help people heal and get through the hardships of our lives and songs are there for us in that way. So, it's just a joyful time in HEART for this legacy to be out, like I said, just sharing the magic."

Asked what it means to her to be considered an icon for women who wanted to step into an industry that is "often dominated by men", Nancy said: "It's so interesting because that question has been more and more frequent as we've gone along because there's been more and more change and more successful women out there in the business world, in the corporate world, in all levels of the workforce, including entertainment and music.

"We never walked into this thinking, like, 'We wanna break a glass ceiling,'" she explained. "We were just driven — because THE BEATLES came out when we were little kids, and THE BEATLES just drove us to our calling. It was just like we were aimed like a pistol from the minute… We already had music in our family — lots of singing and playing piano and harmony singing and ukuleles and aunts and uncles and grandparents — so we had all the gifts given to us in a musical family just to go straight into music with, and the calling was loud and clear. But the fact that we were women didn't even register in our minds at the beginning. We were just little kids, so we had no sexual identity to conform to at the beginning. So we just went ahead, like the military brats that we are — we just joined forces and took no prisoners. [Laughs]"

The 2025 leg of HEART's tour saw Ann, performing while seated in a wheelchair after she "busted" her "elbow in three places" prior to the launch of the trek.

HEART's "Royal Flush" tour kicked off on February 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The trek made stops in cities including Milwaukee, Montreal, Toronto, Boston and more before wrapping April 16 in New York City.

In March, HEART announced the "An Evening With Heart" spring/summer 2025 U.S. tour. The trek, which saw the band performing two separate sets each night, kicked off May 31 at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City and concluded on June 28 in Hollywood, Florida.

The current members of HEART feature Nancy Wilson (rhythm, lead and acoustic guitar, backing and lead vocals),Ann Wilson (lead vocals and flute),Ryan Wariner (lead and rhythm guitar),Ryan Waters (guitars),Paul Moak (guitars, keyboards and backing vocals),Tony Lucido (bass and backing vocals) and Sean Lane (drums and bike).

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

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

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

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

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

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

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", THREE DAYS GRACE bassist Brad Walst was asked which METALLICA album he thinks is better, "Ride The Lightning" or "Master Of Puppets". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Damn, dude, that's hard. 'Master Of Puppets' is amazing, so I'm gonna go with that. That's just one of my more favorite albums, but that's a tough one."

Walst went on to say that he got a chance to see METALLICA "a couple of times" on the ongoing "M72" world tour, "and it just blew my mind, dude. And how they just pull out some of those old songs and just kill it. It's unbelievable," he said. "Insane, dude. Yeah. Kudos to them."

Asked by MikeZ if THREE DAYS GRACE ever got a chance to share the stage with METALLICA at various festivals over the years, Brad said: "On a few, yeah. And we are on the same management [Q Prime], so we're always kind of nudging management, 'Okay, when's our turn [to tour with METALLICA]? Let's go.' Which would be amazing. But they're great guys. And I think for us to see a band like that still going after so long, it's something to look up to and it's pretty awesome."

THREE DAYS GRACE's latest album, "Alienation", was released on August 22 via RCA Records. For the first time in over a decade, original THREE DAYS GRACE frontman Adam Gontier is back, joining Matt Walst on vocals along with Neil Sanderson (drums),Brad Walst (bass) and Barry Stock (guitars).

THREE DAYS GRACE played its first full show with Gontier in 12 years on February 25 as the support act for DISTURBED on the U.S. leg of "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour" at Ford Idaho Center Arena in Nampa, Idaho.

In 1992, Gontier, Brad Walst, Phil Crowe, Neil Sanderson and Joe Grant formed GROUNDSWELL while most of the members were still in high school. That band broke up in 1995, but two years later Gontier, Sanderson and Walst reformed as THREE DAYS GRACE. Gontier left the band in 2013 and was replaced by Matt, the vocalist from another Norwood band, MY DARKEST DAYS.

Gontier initially went into rehab in 2005 in Toronto after admitting an addiction to Oxycontin. The rehab stint influenced some material which would appear on THREE DAYS GRACE's "One-X" album, including the songs "Pain" and "Over And Over".

Gontier left THREE DAYS GRACE in the spring of 2013. At the time, the Canadian rockers cited unspecified "health issues" when his departure was announced. Adam later released a statement explaining he exited THREE DAYS GRACE to pursue new projects, and not to deal with addiction.

Gontier is also a member of SAINT ASONIA, which features STAIND guitarist/founding member Mike Mushok. The quartet is rounded out by Cale Gontier (bass) and Cody Watkins (drums).