Billy Corgan achieved stratospheric fame as the founder, frontman, and creative force behind the legendary SMASHING PUMPKINS. A Grammy winner whose powerful songwriting, commanding vocals, and inventive melodies were the foundation for the massive, decade-defining double album "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness", Corgan has now teamed up with Lyric Opera of Chicago, his hometown company, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this groundbreaking album with his signature boundary-pushing, innovation and imagination.

The result is "A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness", a new commission inspired by one of the greatest alternative albums of all time. You'll hear Corgan and special guest artists along with the epic sound of the Lyric Opera Of Chicago Orchestra And Chorus in a completely new, sonic and visual experience. Whether you love the PUMPKINS and are excited to hear their music in a sumptuous new dimension, or you simply crave the opportunity to hear a new work inspired by the unexpected, this promises to be one of the can't-miss cultural collaborations of the season.

"A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness" will be staged across seven nights only, November 21–30, 2025. Corgan reimagines his magnum opus by marshaling all of Lyric's technical and artistic forces for an immersively original sonic and visual experience that blurs the boundaries of opera, rock, and performance art. Featuring newly commissioned arrangements and orchestrations by Corgan and James Lowe, who also conducts, as well as costumes from House of Gilles by Gilles and Chloé Mendel Corgan, these historic performances promise to further magnify the legend of the original album and expand the definition and intention of opera.

"It is thrilling to collaborate with Lyric head John Mangum, my musical partner James Lowe, and all of the artists at Lyric in reimagining this very special and historic album, and to discover how Lyric's full operatic treatment is helping me experience my own compositions in powerful new ways," says Corgan. "Opera and rock both tell stories of heightened emotions, and I am excited for both fans of my music and traditional opera fans to hear some truly inspired work; for the balance here is to honor both traditions in a magisterial way."

Tickets for "A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness" go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 11 at 10:00 a.m. at lyricopera.org and are available to Lyric subscribers now, as part of a subscription package.

John Mangum, general director, president and CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago, adds: "Next season is filled with a tremendous range of lavish and powerful opera productions that we are excited to share with our audiences. I'm just as excited about the special performances like 'A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness' that open the aperture and expand the definition of opera and what an American opera company can be. The season clearly illustrates how this company continues to push the art form forward and create new work that can only happen in Chicago."

"Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness" was SMASHING PUMPKINS' third studio album. It featured the singles "Tonight, Tonight", "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" and "1979".

Photo credit: Jason Renaud

On March 11, METALLICA's Lars Ulrich joined Apple Music's global creative director and Apple Music 1 lead anchor Zane Lowe at SXSW (South By Southwest) conference and festivals for a session at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas titled "Breaking The Fourth Wall". Lars and Zane explored how the band is continuing to use revolutionary technology to connect more deeply with fans, bringing them truly inside their dynamic live performance. In this candid chat, attendees heard from Lars how METALLICA has leaned into technology throughout their career to the present day, to reinvent storytelling and redefine the fan experience that ultimately breaks the fourth wall.

During the chat, Lars talked about METALLICA's 2004 documentary "Some Kind Of Monster", which ended up becoming an honest examination of one of the world's most successful heavy metal bands. Originally intended to be a promotional video paid for by Elektra Records to document the members of METALLICA going back into the studio for the first time in five years, "Some Kind Of Monster" ended up following METALLICA through the three most turbulent years of their long career, during which they battled through addiction, lineup changes, fan backlash, personal turmoil and the near-disintegration of the group during the making of their "St. Anger" album.

After Lowe noted that "Some Kind Of Monster" brought fans "closer" to METALLICA, Lars said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Some say too close [laughs] along the way. I remember when the movie came out [in] 2004, there was not a lot of reality TV at the time. There was not a lot of, of that economy and the creator economy and all these different things. It was like a different thing at the time.

"I don't know if you guys know this, but originally it started out as a… We were making a new record, and these wonderful filmmakers who had done a movie called 'Paradise Lost', which was absolutely groundbreaking and phenomenal about these hard rock kids that were in all sorts of trouble in Arkansas and getting mixed in and accused of murders and all this crazy stuff," he explained. "Anyway, we provided our music for the soundtracks and we got a relationship with these filmmakers. We asked 'em to come in and film us making the next METALLICA record, but our intent was to do something along the… Remember the Ginsu knives and all those like late-night infomercials: 'But you also get another one and then you get another one and then you get six more Ginsu knives. And if you order before midnight, then…', all that shit. So that was a thing at the time. 'So the new album, if you order the new album before midnight…' Anyway, so they came in to film the process of making the next record, and then all hell broke loose and meltdowns. And we kept filming, and then they filmed all the crazy shit that happened. And then the record company at the time who was financing the filming said, 'Wait a minute. What is this?' And so we had a conversation with the filmmakers and we said, 'We trust you guys. If there is the film in here that you still envision, why don't we buy the rights to the movie from the record company?' So, no disrespect to the record company, but we got them out. And then we controlled it. We gave it to the filmmakers, and then they turned that into 'Some Kind Of Monster'. And we were game for it. We didn't exactly know how it was gonna play out… It was all about trust, trusting the filmmakers. And then it became that movie, and we kind of had to sit there and go, like, 'Holy shit. That's a lot of access and a lot of transparency.' But we had sort of gone along for the dare, and so we figured that we should stick with it."

Regarding how "Some Kind Of Monster" was received at the time of its release, Lars said: "A lot of music fans and a lot of music critics felt that maybe it was too much of a peek behind the curtain and there were things in there that maybe fans shouldn't see. But in the film world, in the film community, it was received really, really well, really positively and got glowing reviews, because as a film, there was this natural dramatic arc to… I don't need to go into the details of it. Documentaries don't always have dramatic arcs to them, and this film kind of had this organic thing that played out… Subsequently it became a hit within the movie community. It kind of became a hit or go-to movie within the mental health community and for a lot of psychologists and psychiatric sort of approaches and in the spirit of team building and seeing how teams sort of work under pressures, under creative pressures and so on. And I think eventually it kind of came around to the music fans and the music community to appreciate that kind of unprecedented — at that time — access to the inner workings of a band and the creative processes and all the ups and downs that human beings who play music go through in a collective setting at that point in their career. And so thank God that we had, I guess, the belief in the material and the belief certainly in Joe [Berlinger] and Bruce [Sinofsky], our directors, to hand them the project and say, 'Do with this what you like. We trust you.'"

While initially helping METALLICA towards restoring band harmony, "Some Kind Of Monster" shows "performance coach" Phil Towle, a former psychotherapist who was brought into the picture in January 2001 to help James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Ulrich repair their relationship with then-METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted, attempting to increasingly insert himself into the band's creative process, submitting lyrics for the album and even attempting to join them on the road.

"The presence of the cameras helped keep the process on track," Ulrich told The Wrap in a 2014 interview. "There was another set of eyes and ears there. Sometimes when somebody else is in the room, you watch your p's and q's a little more. I think it kept the whole thing from derailing in some peculiar way.

"We were at a crossroads," Ulrich added. "We had been really good at being able to compartmentalize a lot of this stuff. Suppress it with drinking or other extravagances. This was the first time we had to talk to each other, get to know each other and work stuff out … The cameras were there catching all of it."

"Some Kind Of Monster" also documented Hetfield's spiral into alcoholism and decision to check himself into a rehab facility. Hetfield's re-emergence from rehab is when the film really gets into gear, with the chief worry in his mind whether or not he could do METALLICA sober.

"Hetfield went away, but we said, 'Why don't we keep filming? Because we think it's interesting,'" Ulrich said. "We said, 'We trust you guys.' And they ended up being another set of eyes and ears in those rooms for the next 18 months as we dealt with the aftermath of Hetfield going away and all of the subsequent domino issues that came in the wake of that."

According to Ulrich, METALLICA had no idea how fans would respond to seeing footage of the band's touchy-feeling therapy sessions that ultimately healed the group and kept METALLICA from splitting up.

"As much as you want to control how people react, there are always things that throw you for a loop," Ulrich explained. "The fact that the music world was a little bewildered by it and the fact that the movie world sort of embraced the film was not something we would've predicted."

METALLICA released a tenth-anniversary two-disc Blu-ray edition of "Some Kind Of Monster" in November 2014. The new edition of the film was made available digitally and via VOD for the first time. It also contained a new bonus feature, "Metallica: This Monster Lives", a 25-minute follow-up segment filmed at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival during the premiere of the band's second film, "Metallica Through The Never". The segment featured interview footage with the band and Berlinger and Sinofsky in which they all looked back at the decade since the release of the film.

In a new interview with Jack Bergin of Australia's Triple J, SLIPKNOT's British-born bassist Alessandro "VMan" Venturella spoke about last year's addition of drummer Eloy Casagrande to the group's ranks. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That guy, he's brought a whole new lease of life… It's to the point where sometimes you're, like, 'Man…' I start ad-libbing now 'cause he has started adding some stuff in, and then all of a sudden that will spawn Jim [Root, SLIPKNOT guitarist] to do a little thing like that. And that kind of thing is so refreshing to me. Even songs like 'Unsainted', we're bringing that back and he's adding his own flair to that, which then [is] just really making it fun to be on stage."

After parting ways with Jay Weinberg in November 2023, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer a year ago, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption "Rehearsal."

The band explained in a statement that the split with Weinberg was a creative decision. Jay followed up with a statement of his own, saying that he was "heartbroken and blindsided" by his dismissal.

Weinberg has since joined SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and INFECTIOUS GROOVES.

Casagrande abruptly quit SEPULTURA in February 2024, shortly before he was supposed to begin rehearsals for the band's 40th-anniversary farewell tour.

Venturella began working with SLIPKNOT during the recording of 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter" album, contributing bass tracks along with guitarists Jim Root and Mick Thomson and former touring bassist Donnie Steele. He made his live debut with the band in 2014 at the first annual Knotfest.

In 2019, Alessandro told Bass Guitar Magazine that he landed in SLIPKNOT after getting a phone call from Root while working with MASTODON as guitarist Brent Hinds's tech.

"Me and Jim became friends while I was teching," Venturella said. "He was asking if I knew any bass players. When I found out what for, I put my hand up right away. He pointed out, 'But you don't play bass?' and I said something to the effect that I could do whatever he needed from me. Then I just had to make sure it was true."

According to Venturella, his role early on in SLIPKNOT was to "fill a great man's shoes and do him justice," referring to original bassist Paul Gray, who passed away in 2010. "My approach isn't the same as Paul's. I can't be him and never will be; every player is ultimately born different. That said, if you listen to Paul's note choices on 'Vermilion', he was all over the shop and it sounded great. I wanted to try things like that.

"After listening to his stems, I honestly looked at bass in a different light and understood how to support everything as the backbone," he continued. "Take the bass out of the mix and everything will fall flat on its arse — and equally, if you mix too bass-heavy, you're not going to get your point across either. Lead guitarists, on the other hand, always need to cut through because that's what the job entails. As the rhythm section, we're there to hold the fort."

Gray passed away from an accidental overdose of drugs.

In a new interview with Larry Mac of the 96.1 KLPX radio station, legendary rocker Alice Cooper was asked how he keeps his live performances fresh every time he embarks on a new tour. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "First of all, I surround myself with the best players. Everybody in my band are the best of the best. Our drummer won 'Best Drummer In Rock'. Nita Strauss was 'Guitarist Of The Decade'. These are the best players you could find. And they're all best friend, which is no egos. I said, 'I want the ego on stage.' I said, 'But offstage…' And they're just like that anyways. Most bands hate each other. This band hangs with each other every night. And that's what makes them so good. So if somebody comes up with an idea — somebody might say, 'You know it would be good here if we did 'Go To Hell',' that song. And I go, 'Yeah, we could have [my wife] Sheryl do the whip dance,' and this and this. 'Let's try it tomorrow.' And if it works, we keep it in the show. But I allow everybody to give their ideas about what should happen. In the end, I make the decision, but we try so many things. If it sounds right, then we'll try it. And same with the [Alice's side project] HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES. You've got Joe Perry and Johnny Depp and myself, and that band has been together eight years. There's never been one argument in that band."

Asked if there are any plans for the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES to tour again, Alice said: "We were supposed to last year, and Johnny got two movies that he had to do. And Joe's sort of in limbo not knowing what AEROSMITH's gonna do next. But Joe has his own band that he tours with.

"The problem with that band is my schedule has to open, [Joe's] schedule has to open, Johnny's… And so we have to do it a year in advance and just say, 'When are you open, Johnny, to be able to tour? Give us two months. Joe, give us two months. Alice, give us two months.' And then we can go out on tour," he explained.

"Everybody's got their own projects going. I mean, especially Johnny. He works like crazy. But [he's the] nicest guy and a great guitar player."

As previously reported, former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Gilby Clarke made his live debut with Alice Cooper on January 31 at Bell Auditorium in Augusta, Georgia. Clarke filled in for Strauss, who unfortunately had conflicting obligations of her own. Previously, guitarist Orianthi had been planning to fill in for Strauss, but due to a recent injury she sustained, Orianthi was unable to do the tour.

Cooper pioneered a grandly theatrical brand of hard rock that was designed to shock. Drawing equally from horror movies, vaudeville, and garage rock, the group created a stage show that featured electric chairs, guillotines, fake blood and boa constrictors. He continues to tour regularly, performing shows worldwide with the dark and horror-themed theatrics that he's best known for.

In a previous interview with 96.1 KLPX, Cooper stated about how his stage show has evolved over the years: "It's so funny because it used to be easy to shock an audience in the '70s. Now nobody's really trying — we're not really trying to shock an audience. I don't think anybody is 'shock rock' anymore, but those elements still remain in the show because they're fun to watch. It's still fun to watch the guillotine and the fact that you really buy in to it because of what happens before that. You're really concerned about this character Alice up there, what happens. And that's what I like about it. I want the audience to get involved in the show. We don't do a lot of lasers. We don't do things like that, because I want the emphasis to be on the character Alice, what happens to him and what he what exactly he's doing. But all that happens during all these songs that everybody knows — 'Feed My Frankenstein' and 'Poison' and 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' and, of course, 'School's Out' at the end."

Fresh from the success of his latest album "Road", a concept album about the thrills and spills of touring, Alice is accompanied, as always, by his long-running live band of Ryan Roxie (guitar),Chuck Garric (bass),Tommy Henriksen (guitar),Glen Sobel (drums) and Nita Strauss (guitar).

With a schedule that has included six months year in and year out on the road, Cooper brings his own brand of rock psycho-drama to fans both old and new, enjoying it as much as the audience does. Known as the architect of shock-rock, Cooper (in both the original ALICE COOPER band and as a solo artist) has rattled the cages and undermined the authority of generations of guardians of the status quo, continuing to surprise fans and exude danger at every turn, like a great horror movie, even in an era where CNN can present real-life shocking images.

With his influence on rock and roll and popular culture long since acknowledged, there is little that Cooper hasn't achieved in his remarkable career, including platinum albums, sold-out tours and any number of honors and career achievement awards.

Since unleashing the single hot on the heels of the presidential inauguration, RISE AGAINST's "Nod" has become "the anthem we need right now" (Vice). As the band's first new song in three years, "Nod" arrived right in time, quickly uniting millions in its urgent call for community and compassion, encouraging listeners to not sit idly by as world events, societal changes and technology shape our ways of life. In recent weeks, RISE AGAINST debuted the rallying cry live on a rousing run of shows throughout Europe and South America. Now, they prepare to bring it to arenas and amphitheaters across the U.S., where the message of "Nod" is more imperative than ever.

Before kicking off the "Rise Of The Roach" tour — beginning at Houston's Toyota Center on March 20 and continuing on to Los Angeles's Kia Forum and dozens of other stops this spring, summer and fall — RISE AGAINST have released a new video that showcases "Nod" around the world, on-stage and in the pit.

Produced by Catherine Marks (BOYGENIUS, FOALS, MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA, ST. VINCENT) and mixed by Alan Moulder (NINE INCH NAILS, PARAMORE, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, THE KILLERS),"Nod" serves as a searing statement of intent, arriving at the outset of RISE AGAINST's next chapter. Just as the stakes could not be higher, the Chicago punk rock band is back bigger, louder and more progressive than ever, imploring listeners to replace reactions with action. "It's something a lot of people could stand to hear right now," says Consequence.

Like the body of multi-gold and platinum hits that have come before it, "Nod" further amplifies the type of invigorating music, outspoken messages and bulletproof melodies that have earned billions of streams, filled arenas, topped charts, broken records, and, above all, joined fans in an embrace of vital issues. "'Nod' is about the solace we find in community," says RISE AGAINST's lead vocalist and lyricist Tim McIlrath. "It's about the comfort in knowing that we are not alone. This comfort can temper our anger and our frustration, at least temporarily."

In a recent interview with Oran O'Beirne of Overdrive, McIlrath spoke about "Nod", which will appear on RISE AGAINST's upcoming follow-up to 2021's "Nowhere Generation" album, tentatively due later in the year. Regarding when the ideas for the new material came together, Tim said: "Let's see if I can remember. It came after the tour. We were really focused on 'Nowhere Generation' when we were touring. And then we wrapped that up. We took a break, which is pretty standard for us. The touring, it's intense and it takes a lot out of you. And that's kind of our moment where everyone can kind of go reconnect with home and then kind of recharge your batteries. And so we started writing probably a few months after we got off the road from 'Nowhere Gen'. We weren't really rushing or pressuring ourselves.

"This is our tenth record — we've been doing this for a long time — and so it's very organic in terms of timing," he explained. "We write when we feel that urgency to write. We record when we feel like it's ready. We don't do anything that's too rushed. And so that was this record, was when ideas started percolating and we started sharing them. We were, like, 'Okay, I think we have some songs here. Let's start putting them together.' And then we just took our time putting those songs together."

Asked if he and his bandmates still get nervous when they are about to release new music in terms of how it will be received by the RISE AGAINST fans, Tim said: "By the time we release it, by the time you hear it, it had to get through so many checks and balances just for the four of us — every single note, part, lyric, sound — and I'm really confident in the song at that point; we're all really confident. So it's, like, this is the best version of RISE AGAINST in 2025. And so, aside from that, there's nothing I can do about how people accept it. And that goes back to when you were first a band, and you took that leap of, like, 'I'm just gonna make music and put it out there.' And it was a surprise to see that anybody connected to it. And so, in that sense, I'm I'm always appreciative, because I don't expect people to love our band, I don't expect them to love our songs. I'm always consistently appreciative. There's a lot of gratitude when someone goes, 'Oh, I love this song.' Especially when you put out a song this late in our career, people are, like, 'Yo, this is a great song. That's awesome.' That's what you want. And if people don't like it, that's kind of okay too. We're not out here trying to shove anything down anybody's throat. But if you're hearing a new RISE AGAINST song, you're hearing what we think is the best version of ourselves right now."

As for whether "Nod" is a good representation of what fans can expect to hear on RISE AGAINST's upcoming album, Tim said: "Yeah, if I had to piece it in a group of songs that we've put together, 'Nod' is probably among the more traditional RISE AGAINST. I think that you hear it and you hear RISE AGAINST, you hear sort of what we've done and what we have been doing, but in a little bit of a new way. So I think it falls in the category of pretty like traditional RISE, which is a sound that we will always embrace. And there's stuff on the record, I think, that will be less traditional, for sure."

Front Row Bobby has uploaded video of DISTURBED's March 10 concert at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Check out the clips below.

DISTURBED's setlist was as follows:

The Sickness

01. Voices
02. The Game
03. Stupify
04. Down With The Sickness
05. Violence Fetish
06. Fear
07. Numb
08. Want
09. Conflict
10. Shout (TEARS FOR FEARS cover)
11. Droppin' Plates
12. Meaning Of Life

Greatest Hits

13. Ten Thousand Fists
14. I Will Not Break
15. Bad Man
16. Land Of Confusion (GENESIS cover)
17. Indestructible
18. The Sound Of Silence (SIMON & GARFUNKEL cover)
19. The Light
20. Inside The Fire

DISTURBED kicked off the U.S. leg of "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour" on February 25 at Ford Idaho Center Arena in Nampa, Idaho. The trek celebrates 25 years of DISTURBED's seminal debut album which launched the band into public consciousness and is one of the most important and influential heavy metal albums of all time. Each night features two sets of music, opening with DISTURBED playing the five-times-platinum "The Sickness" in full, followed by a full set of greatest hits. Openers on the U.S. shows include THREE DAYS GRACE, SEVENDUST, DAUGHTRY and NOTHING MORE, depending on the date.

A few days prior to the launch of "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour", DISTURBED singer David Draiman told the 100.3 The X Rocks radio station that getting ready for the trek was "a ton of work," requiring "a ton of preparation. Lots of little Easter eggs, so to speak, [are] part of the performance. Definitely dipping heavily into the nostalgia. So, getting into it, it's been a nice little trip down memory lane, it's been sort of a humbling experience kind of, 'cause we've never actually played the first record front to back before. This is gonna be our first time doing it. Some of these songs we haven't played in — I don't know — 15, 20 years. So it's been a while. It was nice running through everything with the guys last week. It's like revisiting old friends. It's really, really cool. I'm really looking forward to the whole entirety of it. There's definitely lots of production-element surprises that are complex and theatrical, definitely hearkening back to the whole 'Sickness' era, but done in a new and modern way. So it's definitely been a challenge, but one that we've been enjoying as we've been going along."

Asked how much fun he and his DISTURBED bandmates have in coming up with ideas and trying to push the limits of what they can make happen on the stage during a live show, Draiman said: "Well, that all depends. Unfortunately, things like that cost money [laughs], and a lot of it, and if we had an unlimited amount of money, it wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, we do have a limited amount of money. And if we were able to do everything we wanted to, we would be accomplishing all of my dear guitar player's wildest dreams and production fantasies coming to life. He's definitely the mad scientist when it comes to that kind of stuff. He's got a great vision for that sort of thing, and he's been working closely with our production staff, and I've been kind of hanging back, seeing what he's coming up with and what they're coming up with… But it's been challenging, because the environment is tough, and we wanna put on as big of a show as possible, but we don't wanna have to pay from out of our pockets to do it. We'd like to actually make some revenue on it. So it's been challenging, but I can pretty much guarantee everyone, from everything that I've seen over the course of the past couple of weeks, that it is going to be a huge-looking show. It's going to be impressive as hell. And I think that everyone's really going [to enjoy it]."

Earlier this month, DISTURBED announced the European leg of "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour" with support from MEGADETH.

Since "The Sickness" was released in 2000, the album was certified five times platinum by the RIAA, spent a total of 106 weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart, and Revolver named it one of "Top 25 Debut Hard Rock Albums." Billboard said of the title track upon release: "'Down With The Sickness' is, of course, the quintessential DISTURBED song, harnessing all the band's seethe and its now-famous tribal beat and guitar chug into three and a half minutes of alt-metal mayhem. It's menacing, it's rhythmic, it's rebellious."

DISTURBED recently announced the 25th-anniversary edition release of "The Sickness". To commemorate the anniversary, the band reissued the five-times-platinum-certified LP on March 7, exactly 25 years to the date of their original release.

On February 21, DISTURBED released a new single, "I Will Not Break", via the band's own label, Mother Culture Records.

DISTURBED has become one of the most celebrated and commercially successful metal acts of all time. To date, DISTURBED has seen record-breaking success with sales of over 17 million units and 14 billion streams. It all began with "The Sickness", which includes their songs "Down With The Sickness" (recently certified eight times platinum),"Stupify" (two times platinum),"Voices" (gold),and "The Game" (gold). The album peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 chart and spent a total of 106 weeks on the chart. To date, "The Sickness" has been streamed 2.5 billion times worldwide. It was included as No. 24 on Loudwire's "Top 25 Debut Hard Rock Albums" list, one of Metal Hammer's "20 Best Albums Of 2000," and was highlighted in Revolver magazine's "20 Essential Nu Metal Albums" list. Billboard said of the title track upon release: "'Down With The Sickness' is, of course, the quintessential DISTURBED song, harnessing all the band's seethe and its now-famous tribal beat and guitar chug into three and a half minutes of alt-metal mayhem. It's menacing, it's rhythmic, it's rebellious."

Emerging out of Chicago at the turn of the century with an insidious, infectious, and inimitable vision without comparison, DISTURBED have quietly dominated hard rock on their own terms. They make the kind of music that pushes you to hold on tighter, fight harder, and persevere forever. It's why they've claimed a place at the forefront of 21st century rock with record-breaking success, sales of over 17 million-plus units, nearly eight billion streams, and sold out shows around the globe. The band have six RIAA album certifications, and singles from all eight albums have reached the top ten of the Mainstream Rock chart.

The two-time Grammy Award-nominated quartet have notched five consecutive No. 1 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 for "Believe", "Ten Thousand Fists", "Indestructible" and "Asylum", occupying rarified air alongside METALLICA — the only other hard rock group to accomplish this feat. Since their influential five-times-platinum debut "The Sickness" in 2000, they have built a bulletproof catalog highlighted by a procession of smashes, including the platinum "Stupify", "Inside The Fire" and "Land Of Confusion", two-times-platinum "Stricken", six-times-platinum "Down With The Sickness" and seven-times-platinum "The Sound Of Silence" to name a few. The latter notably received a Grammy Award nomination in the category of "Best Rock Performance" as the band earned "Best Rock Artist" at the 2017 iHeartRadioMusic Awards. Still, DISTURBED never stop, and their most recent 2022 album "Divisive" featured their 17th No. 1 at Rock Radio "Hey You", "Unstoppable" and more.

Swedish godfathers of epic doom CANDLEMASS will celebrate their 40th anniversary of pioneering the genre with a four-track EP, "Black Star". Packed with craterous riffs, this celebration of doom metal mastery is set for release on May 9 via Napalm Records.

With "Black Star", the genre-defying band unveils two brand-new songs alongside two cover versions of timeless classics. The EP will be available in various formats, including a strictly limited vinyl edition featuring a 12-page vinyl booklet, an A3 poster, and a tote bag.

CANDLEMASS mastermind Leif Edling comments: "Not all bands get to see their 40th birthday and it certainly hasn't been an easy ride. But many ups and downs later, we stand here as survivors, veterans even… a bit scarred perhaps? Still ready though to unleash another piece of doom-laden metal upon an unsuspecting world. You have to do something when you turn 40, right? Anyway, as always, it's been fun recording some new stuff as well as covering a couple of old favorites."

Title track "Black Star" blends haunting melodies with deeply introspective lyrics, brought to life by the dark, romantic voice of vocalist Johan Länquist. Songwriter Leif Edling's lyrics delve into themes of existential struggle, temptation, and the allure of darkness — creating an intense atmosphere imbued with CANDLEMASS's signature sound. The second new track, "Corridors Of Chaos", marks a true old-school instrumental containing both classic metal riffing and stunning guitar playing by Lars Johansson, showcasing the band's mastery of dynamics. Adding to this tribute, CANDLEMASS delivers a cover of BLACK SABBATH's iconic "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", taking listeners back to 1973. This is followed by their rendition of PENTAGRAM's classic "Forever My Queen", further cementing CANDLEMASS's remarkable contribution to shaping the genre into what it is today.

"Black Star" track listing:

01. Black Star (new song)
02. Corridors Of Chaos (new song)
03. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (BLACK SABBATH cover)
04. Forever My Queen (PENTAGRAM cover)

As previously reported, a one-off world-exclusive performance of CANDLEMASS featuring the band's former vocalist Messiah Marcolin will take place at this year's edition of the Rock Hard Festival Greece, slated for September 12-13, 2025 in Athens, Greece.

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.

Marcolin exited 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 Johan Längqvist. Längqvist sang on CANDLEMASS's debut album, 1986's "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus", before exiting the group and being replaced by Marcolin.

Photo credit: Linda Åkerberg

During an appearance on the latest episode of the Guitar Hang podcast, THE WINERY DOGS frontman and acclaimed solo artist Richie Kotzen spoke about his upcoming second collaborative album with IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, "Black Light / White Noise", due on April 4 via BMG. Regarding how he and Adrian go about writing music and lyrics together, Richie said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There is a bit of a method to our madness. As far as how we record, we kind of adopted a little bit of the approach that I take with my solo albums, because the truth is that we kind of are writing as we go. And so the part that we adopted is this whole notion of everything is mic'd up and ready to go all the time. So the drums are downstairs in the drum room, mic'd up, there's a bass path for the signal to go, the guitar setup. And so what happens is as we're throwing it down, recording the ideas, we can, over the course of a week, two, three days, whatever, go back and change stuff until we get it how we like it. Even to the point that we can change the drum fill. It's, like, 'All right, well, yeah, I wanna rewrite this bridge, and it doesn't really work with the drum fill. If we change the drum fill somehow,' so I can go punch it in, and, bam, there it is."

Kotzen continued: "And then as far as the actual, where the stuff is coming from, the material, it comes from both of us. So, on one hand, Adrian will show up here in this room [at my house] with his laptop and start going through, 'All right. I got this idea. I got this,' and he'll play me five or six ideas. And so, for argument's sake, let's maybe say four of 'em I connect with: 'Oh, yeah, we can do something with that.' I'll put 'em in my computer, 'cause my computer has the software and it's connected to the outboard gear. So, then I'll say, 'Okay, well, I've got this,' and I'll play him six or seven [ideas].' And he'll say, 'All right, well, I like those three.' So we got seven things that are worth messing with. And this is where the process takes a lot of time, because we'll work on something and we'll build what we call a template. And so the template can be built on sometimes a simple drum beat that we play and program or the template can be me downstairs playing a form. And we've done both. And so what we'll do is build the track on that. And then from there we can decorate it however we wish."

Richie added: "The real fun is the lyrics and coming up with what do we wanna sing and talk about, which, depending on what day of the week it is, is sometimes obvious and then sometimes not so obvious. But something that happens is very interesting for us is that — and it happened on several songs. I know on the first record happened on 'Solar Fire' and on this record, it happened on 'Heavy Weather'. I would be singing something on my demo, and I would not be singing real words. It would be, like — I think the word's phonetic or something like [that]… And so it's, like, fake words, and I would do that. And I'd play it for him. And he'd say, 'Well, I like that chorus.' And he'd say, 'It sounds like you're saying 'heavy weather'.' I'm, like, 'Really?' I said, 'What do you mean? Like a bad storm?' He said, 'Yeah, exactly. Like a thunderstorm — heavy like a snowstorm, heavy weather.' I'm, like, 'Wow.' So, how would you write a song with the title 'Heavy Weather'? Well, it's something you have to face. You've never faced the heavy weather. And it's, like, 'Yeah, yeah, I like that. Let's write something off that.' And so now it turns into this conversation, and we're just talking. It's, like, well, imagine if you had a child and they grew up in a situation where everything was pretty much there for you. Everything is lined up for you to either take the ball and run with it or run it into the ground. And maybe they run it into the ground and then they kind of have an attitude or they wanna blame. It's, like, well, wait a minute. You've never faced the heavy weather the way I have — meaning being left alone to your own devices, go figure it out for yourself. And so now we've got something to write about. And so that's how this stuff happens. All of 'em, really. You come up with a situation that either you went through or you fabricate. That's the other thing. A lot of people have this misconception, like, everything that an artist writes about has to have happened to them. Not necessarily. It could have happened to somebody they know. It could be a fantasy or something imagined. Let's not close all the doors of creativity."

Recorded at The House, Los Angeles, California, produced by Richie and Adrian and mixed by Jay Ruston, "Black Light / White Noise" was previously described in a press release as a "ten-track … masterclass in modern rock, with Adrian and Richie's prodigious talents as songwriters, musicians and vocalists on full display."

The official music video for the LP's second single, "Black Light", can be seen below. The dynamic, multi-layered clip, again produced and directed by Kevin and Richard Ragsdale a.k.a. The Ragsdale Brothers (DAUGHTRY, Dorothy feat. Slash, THEORY OF A DEADMAN),features the duo performing with bassist Julia Lage and drummer Bruno Valverde, alongside acclaimed Russian acrobat, contortionist and former Cirque Du Soleil performer Gyulnara Karaeva.

"Black Light" was a song that very nearly didn't make it on to the album until a late-night session saw them strike studio gold. And it's lucky they did as not only is it a song about deceit and deception, where the black light is a metaphor that reveals the truth about a person lurking under the surface, but it's become a true album highlight, even lending its name to the album title. With help from U.K. photographer John McMurtrie, it also inspired the album cover with his UV lights picking up special paint on the black/rosewood custom Fender and Charvel guitars.

"It was a fun video to make," Richie previously said, "as they have all been when we play together. Adding the UV performance section was fantastic and took us back to the album shoot that we did in London last year."

"Our friend Gyula really added something to it," added Adrian, "it helped the song's narrative of all is not what you see!"

The track itself rides in on a thunderous drum beat and a seething riff before Adrian's raw bluesy vocal explodes from the speakers complemented by Richie's higher pitched rock tones. A dramatic bridge leads into a knockout chorus, demonstrating the quality and infectious hooks that are to be found throughout "Black Light / White Noise".

"We had a lot of fun making this," Adrian said. "We'd be writing and I'd want something inspired by some of my old hard rock or blues go-to bands then it'd go into a more progressive feel — and then Richie has these strong soul influences so there's a lot to dig into there too. Influences are what makes the musical world go round — they go through you and come out slightly differently."

"SMITH/KOTZEN is all about finding common ground," added Richie. "Maybe Adrian will tend to go heavy, and then I'll lean more in the fusion or funk or soul side of things, but somewhere in the middle is our sound: that heavy blues rock vibe that we really connect on."

"Black Light / White Noise" is a truly magnificent collection of songs that stands shoulder to shoulder with some of Smith and Kotzen's finest work to date. Atmospheric, ambitious, diverse and brilliant, the LP not only features stratospheric guitar solos and raw, bluesy vocals but soulful touches, intricate playing, beautiful songwriting and an assured poise and style that brings to mind a host of legendary musicians (THIN LIZZY, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, CREAM, FREE, DEEP PURPLE) but is undeniably the work of Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen in perfect harmony.

Kotzen commented: "We're so proud of this new album. It follows on from our debut and the EPs by focusing on collaborating on riffs, lyrics, harmonies and vocals. There's a SMITH/KOTZEN DNA now and it's definitely something we need to get out on the road with. I was pleased to work with my friend Jay Ruston on the mixing of the album, let alone my wife Julia (Lage) — who actually plays on 'White Noise' as well as four other tracks."

"We're like an extended family now," added Smith. "We have a sound and a vibe and I don't think many artists are doing what we do — sharing the vocals and the guitars. It takes me back to those classic bands like HUMBLE PIE and CREAM — which is not a bad place to start!"

The full track listing of "Black Light / White Noise" is:

01. Muddy Water
02. White Noise
03. Black Light
04. Darkside
05. Life Unchained
06. Blindsided
07. Wraith
08. Heavy Weather
09. Outlaw
10. Beyond The Pale

Last July, Smith joined Kotzen on stage at the Islington Assembly Hall in London, England to perform THE YARDBIRDS classic "Shapes Of Things".

SMITH/KOTZEN released the "Better Days …And Nights" EP in September 2022 via BMG. The effort comprised five previously unreleased live tracks, plus for the first time ever on CD, the four studio tracks featured on their sold-out, limited-edition 12-inch vinyl EP, "Better Days", released in conjunction with Record Store Day in November 2021.

The live songs were recorded during SMITH/KOTZEN's inaugural whistle-stop tour of the U.S. and U.K. at the start of 2022, which attracted unanimously rave reviews from fans and media alike, celebrating the duo's debut on stage together with stellar back-up from Richie's wife, internationally acclaimed bass player Julia Lage (VIXEN),and drummer Bruno Valverde of ANGRA.

Japan's metal bible Burrn! magazine reviewing the Whisky A Go Go show in Los Angeles pronounced it, "An amazing night….this rock n' roll band is very different from any other…totally unique …and bringing you great songs!". U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine said the show was a, "masterclass in guitar playing and performance".

The original EP tracks were produced by Kotzen and Smith and mixed by Kevin Shirley. The live tracks were produced and mixed by Kotzen and Smith.

SMITH/KOTZEN's eponymous debut album was released globally through BMG in March 2021 to media and fan acclaim, charting No. 10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart in the U.S., Top 20 in the U.K. as well as in other major markets such as Germany, Japan and Canada.

Smith is best known as one of IRON MAIDEN's principal guitarists, having also enjoyed success as a solo artist. Kotzen is the frontman for THE WINERY DOGS as well as having been the guitarist for both MR. BIG and POISON during his long and acclaimed career, which has to date seen him release more than 20 solo albums. Both artists are also prolific songwriters.

Photo credit: Piper Ferguson

In a new interview with American Musical Supply, ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist/vocalist and acclaimed solo artist Jerry Cantrell spoke about the evolution of his singing style. Asked how he first started contributing lead vocals to ALICE IN CHAINS after initially focusing mainly on songwriting and playing guitar, Jerry said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, that's how I started out. I mean, standing next to [late ALICE IN CHAINS singer] Layne Staley, [I thought] I don't really need to be singing too much. That guy's pretty badass. So I was very happy just to be a songwriter and pipe up on some backups once in a while. But he gave me some encouragement early on, like, 'You write a lot of this shit. And I love this stuff. Don't get me wrong, what I'm saying to you, 'cause I love it and I love singing it. But a lot of this stuff's really personal to you. So you should sing a few of these.' I'm, like, 'I don't wanna [do it]. Come on. You've got it.' And he was, like, 'No, no. Really, you should sing a few.' So I did. I started doing stuff on like the acoustic EP, on 'Sap' —I think it was the first time I took a lead. And then I just kind of built from there and kept doing more and more and more. And then, when Layne passed, of course, we welcomed William [DuVall, current ALICE IN CHAINS vocalist] in. And that blueprint needs to be maintained of a two-lead-vocal system that we had in ALICE — it's kind of identifiable — that Layne and I created with Sean [Kinney, drums] and Mike [Inez, bass]. But I had to step up a lot more.

"I'm like a lot of guys — like Layne, for example, or [SOUNDGARDEN's Chris] Cornell. There's a shit-ton of guys that didn't start off wanting to be singers. Both those guys were drummers. Nobody else could sing, [so they were], like, 'Okay, all right. I'll be the singer.' They didn't start off wanting to be a singer. I didn't start off wanting to be a singer either, but by necessity, that's just what happened. And I like to think that I've gotten better at it and I feel more confident in each [solo] record. This new one [2024's 'I Want Blood'] in particular, I think I've gotten into some territory that I never reached before — some more power, some more control, a little bit more range, a little more edge. 'I Want Blood' is a very demanding record vocally. And that's kind of satisfying, 'cause you're still pushing yourself, you're still putting yourself in an uncomfortable place that you don't know if you can pull it off. That's exactly where you wanna be when you're creating. 'I don't know if I can do this.' You're gonna make some good doing that."

"I Want Blood" was released in October 2024. The LP, co-produced by Cantrell and Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, MELVINS),was recorded at Barresi's JHOC Studio in Pasadena, California. The album features contributions from bass heavyweights Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) and Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),drummers Gil Sharone (TEAM SLEEP, STOLEN BABIES) and Mike Bordin (FAITH NO MORE),and backing vocals from Lola Colette and Greg Puciato (BETTER LOVERS, ex-THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN).

Ahead of the album's release, Cantrell was featured on the cover of Revolver, participated in a career-spanning conversation with Rick Beato, and received widespread praise album for the collection's heavier sound. Metal Hammer described "I Want Blood" as having an "iconic sound, sludgy guitars and soulful vocals."

"I Want Blood" was recently reimagined as a spoken-word series, featuring video animations by Boy Tillekens. Additional collaborators on the project include Barresi, Greg Puciato (BETTER LOVERS, THE BLACK QUEEN),Roy Mayorga (MINISTRY),Gil Sharone (STOLEN BABIES, TEAM SLEEP),Rani Sharone (STOLEN BABIES),George Adrian (THE MAYBIRDS),composer Vincent Jones, and producer Michael Rozon.

Cantrell's first headlining tour supporting "I Want Blood" kicked off on January 31 in Niagara Falls, with FILTER opening on all dates.

Cantrell's previous solo album, "Brighten", came out in October 2021. The LP was Jerry's first project without ALICE IN CHAINS in 19 years.

Jerry's career outside of ALICE IN CHAINS has consisted of two other solo albums and contributions to major film soundtracks. Cantrell's first solo album, "Boggy Depot", was released in 1998, followed by his second album, "Degradation Trip". In addition to his solo artist work, Jerry has released music on soundtracks for several films, including "Spider-Man", "The Cable Guy", "John Wick 2", "Last Action Hero" and "The Punisher".

ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, "Rainier Fog", in August 2018.

Legendary hard rock guitarist Pat Travers's acclaimed series of archive live performances has already served up some exhilarating performances. But the latest, "Statesboro Blues (Live In Baltimore 1982)", is sure to be ranked among the greatest yet, and while we await its April 4 release, the title track peels off as a thrilling new single.

Of course Blind Willie McTell blues was long ago proclaimed a classic, with THE ALLMAN BROTHERS having already granted it an incendiary work-up at the dawn of the '70s. It was Travers, however, who made the song his own, and this version illustrates why.

Musically, Travers was truly in his prime. "I'd added some people to my live band and recording band," he explains. "I had a keyboard player and another guy who sang backing vocals so I had a five piece band behind me.

"I was trying to do something a little more sophisticated," he continues with a laugh, and his then-latest album, 'Black Pearl', bore that out. "For me, that was one of my best records with the playing and the production." Its opening number, "I La La La Love You" (included here, of course) was a smash even before it was included in the cult movie "Valley Girl".

By the time this show was recorded, in Baltimore just three weeks before Christmas, Travers and the band had been on the road for most of the year, a back-breaking outing that had long since been aptly nicknamed "The Steelworkers Ball".

Tonight, however, the lineup welcomed a very special guest as Buck Dharma, guitarist for the BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, took the stage first to introduce the band ("some good friends of mine and the BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's"),and then for the final song, an epic take on CREAM's "Sunshine Of Your Love". "It was a great version," muses Travers, but it was also no more than the natural culmination to a show that still blazes in the mind, from the moment the band strikes up the tempest that was their interpretation of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

"Black Pearl" dominates the set, naturally, but there was plenty of room for the oldies, too — "Life In London", written and recorded while Travers was living in that city during 1976-1977, and capturing both the mood and the madness of the city as it braced itself for the incoming punk scene; "Snortin' Whiskey, Drinkin' Cocaine", another Travers great that would one day make the movies (Alexander Payne's 2004 classic "Sideways"); Little Walter's blues leviathan "Boom Boom, Out Goes The Lights"; and all leading up to that stunning multi-guitar layered climax.

Travers himself is thrilled that this show is finally seeing the light of day. "I had nothing to do with the recording, but I'm glad they did it, as it captures a very interesting time.

"It sounds live," he says. It may be a little rough compared to some of the over-produced and much over dubbed live albums that are out there, but "I've found that people often prefer a rougher sounding live mix, even if they don't know it. They're not conscious of it, 'this one's too high fidelity', but when it's a little trashy, it has more energy and sounds more urgent.

"Rock'n'roll is not supposed to be clean and slick live. It's got to have an edginess to it, and not be too predictable. There should always be surprises. Especially unintentional ones."

In a new interview with Chile's PowerOfMetal.cl, drummer Gene Hoglan of reunited California thrash metal pioneers DARK ANGEL was asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's long-awaited new album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " Well, we are going to be debuting a couple of new songs, some new material, at these upcoming couple of South American shows that we have. I know we are playing Buenos Aires [in Argentina on March 21], and that's two nights before the Metal Beer [Open Air] fest [in Chile on March 23]. So, at both of those shows we are debuting some new material, and we're really excited to be able to play some new stuff after all this time. And hey, man, hopefully that's gonna lead to a whole bunch more stuff. And we're very excited to be unleashing some new material on the metal world."

Regarding the possibility of a new DARK ANGEL album being released this year, Gene said: "Boy, you never know. We're working and trying to make things happen. And so hopefully at some point — I've said this many times in the past — hopefully at some point we'll be able to give some kind of exciting update on progress of anything. And so hopefully we'll be able to do that somewhere in the near future. And everybody, keep your eyes peeled to DARK ANGEL. We'll see what happens."

DARK ANGEL was originally scheduled to play new music for the first time since 1991 during its January 29 concert at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. However, that show ended up getting postponed due to the wildfires in the state.

In July 2024, DARK ANGEL officially entered the studio to begin recording its new LP. Two months earlier, Hoglan told Rocking With Jam Man that he had "been working diligently for the last couple of years on some projects that are gonna make DARK ANGEL fans really happy, I think. So, everybody, just sit tight," he said. "I just don't wanna nebulously announce something and then have circumstances beyond my control come along and make things delayed. I just wanna be able to be able to say, 'Yes, this is gonna be a solid date that we can announce for people, and we're gonna be able to stick to that date.' That's what I'm all about. So, keep your eyes and ears peeled, everybody."

Asked what it has been like making new DARK ANGEL music more than 30 years after the release of the band's last album, 1991's "Time Does Not Heal", Gene responded: "Well, that's one thing. It's like we had a choice. I had an entire DARK ANGEL album written that was ready to start getting recorded after the 'Time Does Not Heal' record, and circumstances occurred where the band just had to dissolve. So, I had a bunch of material written. And when [DARK ANGEL guitarist] Jim Durkin and myself — Jim is no longer with us, but when we put DARK ANGEL back together and we started talking about, like, 'What do we wanna do for the future? Do we wanna write some new material?' And 'I've got some ideas, Gene, and you probably have some ideas.' And I have a number of songs that I sent to Jim. And when Jim heard that — I sent it to him on a CD — he freaked out and he was, like, 'My God, here's our new album. This is gonna be our next record. Hell yeah.' And he got really excited about that material. But I was, like, 'Hey, Jim, tell you what. I feel really strongly about my writing chops, and the songs I'm hearing from you right now are crushing. So how about we just write new stuff, get together and start writing new material?' And so we kind of went that route."

He continued: "For my elements of what I wanted DARK ANGEL to sound like, Jim Durkin is a huge influence on my writing style. So I wanted this to have a lot of the Jim Durkin influence on it. In terms of riffs, there's not as many from Jim as we were hoping for, but Jim's entire presence is all over the new DARK ANGEL material that I've been working on. And he's a huge guitar influence on me, as well as a lot of people. So, there's definitely gonna be a pretty hardy Jim Durkin influence. And I just wanna write a kick-ass metal album. So what I've tried to do is not go back 35 years or 37 years or whatever, 'Darkness Descends' or even 'We Have Arrived', those early albums, or 'Leave Scars' or 'Time Does Not Heal', I've not tried to duplicate anything from any of those albums, but I tried to put myself in the mindset of what if DARK ANGEL just kept writing albums for the last 30-whatever years, 32, 33 years, where would we be at now? And so that has been my approach on the new DARK ANGEL material."

Durkin died on March 8, 2023 at the age of 58. An original member of DARK ANGEL, Durkin played on the band's first three albums — 1985's "We Have Arrived", 1986's "Darkness Descends" and 1989's "Leave Scars" — before departing the group in 1989. He was part of DARK ANGEL's lineup when the band reformed in 2013, and had been playing with them, on and off, ever since.

Prior to his death, Durkin had been sitting out some of DARK ANGEL's gigs. He was replaced at the shows by Hoglan's wife Laura Christine, who has since joined DARK ANGEL as a permanent member.

DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — the aforementioned "We Have Arrived" and "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — "Leave Scars" and "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992.

Hoglan previously talked about DARK ANGEL's upcoming LP in May 2023 in an interview with Friday 13th. He said at the time: "Jim and I, we had gotten together a number of times to write some new material for DARK ANGEL. And we weren't able to get it down on tape too much. If DARK ANGELhas any new material, there's a song that he's got on there that is pretty darn DARK ANGEL-esque.

"In tribute to Jim, DARK ANGEL's new material will have a ton of his spirit all over it — his feel. Whether he actually wrote stuff on the new stuff or not, his spirit is very there. His imprint is felt throughout thrash metal, I feel. Even before I was in DARK ANGEL, I'd see Jim's influence on bands. Absolutely. So his legacy will live forevermore in the realm of extreme metal. His style will always be a part of DARK ANGEL, absolutely, big time."

Asked how the next DARK ANGEL album will compare to the band's previous efforts, Hoglan said: "Well, I can't really even comment on the fact that there might or might not be an album yet. But put it this way — if I were to have any new DARK ANGEL material, I would want it to be an extension of where the band is at now and where I'm at now. And I would probably approach the writing of it in a way as if DARK ANGEL never disappeared for a decade, two decades, three decades, or whatever it's been. It's just like we just kept doing what we do, and this would be where we're at right now. Which I would want to be putting out the most savage, heaviest material that DARK ANGEL could. And I'm no slouch with writing psychotic, heavy material. So I would be very, very excited with where DARK ANGEL's new material would be if that would be able to confirm."

DARK ANGEL press photo courtesy of Metal Beer Open Air

TWISTED SISTER's Dee Snider joined Lita Ford and her band on stage on February 22, 2025 at Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tennessee to perform the TWISTED SISTER classics "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock", Lita's "Close My Eyes Forever" and a cover of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell". Fan-filmed video of Dee's appearance can be seen below.

During a November 2024 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Ford spoke about her long-awaited new studio album. Lita'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. She said at the time: "We actually just have to master it, which takes a day. And that's it. I mean, it's pretty much done. But I've been working on this record with Hoey for a long time now. And I feel like a lot of the songs were in such a personal place, and I would never wanna go back and record those again. So what you're gonna hear from this record is the real deal. It came from the heart, it came from the soul. I feel like I had to live it before we could write it."

Regarding her working relationship with Gary, Lita said: "And Hoey is the greatest. He just captures stuff. And you start a sentence, and he finishes it. And we work very well together."

In July 2024, Ford told Joe Rock of Long Island's rock station 102.3 WBAB about her upcoming LP: "The studio, for me, has always been trying to teach everybody what I wanna hear. And a lot of that is because they basically don't know themselves as a producer or an engineer. I've had some of the greatest engineers and I've had some of the greatest producers, and this album — we're finished with it now — [was produced by] Gary Hoey. Gary Hoey is a great musician, great guitar player. And Gary and I — I can throw any idea at Gary, and he would try and make it happen. And the thing about being in the studio is you try and make things happen, and if they don't happen, then they don't happen. You can only try. And so we got real creative with guitars and we played — there's a lot of great guitars on this new record. I'm really excited about it."

Lita went on to say that the creation of her new album was completely in her control. "There were no songwriters that I had to work with because somebody else wanted me to work with them," she explained. "This is strictly Lita and what Lita wanted to do. And it's a concept record. There's a big story behind it. And so it's gonna open a lot of doors for a lot of things. And a lot of people are gonna be able to relate to this record. And it has some great musicians. Bobby Rock played drums on it. Jean Beauvoir wrote one of the songs with me. And it's just a great record. And Gary Hoey, of course, produced it. Max Norman, who mixed it — Max Norman did a lot of stuff for Ozzy [Osbourne] and MEGADETH, and he's just a metal guy. So it's all in the right hands. I've got all the badass people behind me. Got a new manager, and it's all good."

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

In a 2023 interview with "THAT Rocks!", the 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 [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. Just memories of just pure badassery."

Regarding what her plans are for live shows in support of her upcoming LP, Lita said: "Well, what I would like to do is put together a theatrical show, sort of like a rock guitar opera kind of thing. It's been done before and different bands have done it before, but I think in this case, it might be a little different and just to bring the whole show not to life just for audio, but for visual reasons also."

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.

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

YouTuber and session musician Ben Eller has commented on his appearance with Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON at their concert on Sunday, March 9 at "Tool Live In The Sand", a destination festival which was held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Royalton Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. He took to his Instagram to write: "What an incredible weekend playing with @mastodonrocks as a part of @toolinthesand . You guys who have followed me for a while know how much I love this music, so to be asked to play alongside the band is a TRUE honor. I've seen your kind and supportive words for me out there, and it means the world to me! My inbox is so stuffed, there's no way I can respond to every single thing, but know how much I appreciate yall. Thank you all, and thank you to @billy_butterslax , @creamale , and Troy for trusting me to get the job done. Playing the parts of one of my favorite guitarists ever is no easy task, but it was a joy. Cheers, everyone!"

MASTODON recruited Eller to step in for founding guitarist Brent Hinds, whose exit from the band was announced on March 7.

Eller is a guitarist and bass player from Tennessee who has gained popularity for his awesome chops on his guitar lesson series "This Is Why You Suck At Guitar".

Growing up as a home-schooled child, Eller had plenty of time on his hands after finishing his homework. He got hooked on playing guitar at the age of 16 after his older brother came home with a bunch of old METALLICA albums like "Ride The Lighting" and "Master Of Puppets". Initially, he just wanted to learn how to play his favorite songs by WEEZER, SILVERCHAIR and the FOO FIGHTERS, but after listening to guitar virtuosos like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Eddie Van Halen, Eller decided to share his newly discovered passion and curiosity for learning with other guitar aficionados.

When Eller isn't making guitar lessons for his social media channels, he's busy demonstrating his musical talent on stage in several outfits, namely 1980s hair metal tribute SKANKBANGER, the southern blues-rock KENNEDY WOOD BAND as well as laying down bass and guitar with Andy Wood's instrumental project. He has also featured as a guest guitarist for the deathcore act WHITECHAPEL, laying down leads for their self-titled release, as well as the albums "Our Endless War" and "Mark Of The Blade".

Eller has been uploading content to YouTube since 2010, started tutorials in 2012, and developed the popular series "This Is Why You Suck At Guitar" in 2013. Since then, he has also created well over 200 episodes of his weekly lesson series "Weekend Wankshop".

When MASTODON announced Brent's departure from the band, they wrote in a statement: "Friends and Fans, After 25 monumental years together, MASTODON and Brent Hinds have mutually decided to part ways.

"We're deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we've shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavors.

"We are still very inspired and excited to show up for fans in this next chapter of MASTODON. As we move forward, all 2025 touring plans will remain intact. We look forward to seeing you on the road."

Since 2000, Hinds had served as lead guitarist and vocalist for MASTODON, alongside bassist/singer Troy Sanders, drummer Brann Dailor, and rhythm guitarist Bill Kelliher.

MASTODON's lineup had remained the same for 25 years, recording eight studio albums, beginning with 2002's "Remission" until the band's latest LP, 2021's "Hushed And Grim".

MASTODON has had nine Billboard 200-charting albums and has been nominated for a Grammy Award six times. The band won a "Best Metal Performance" Grammy for "Sultan's Curse" in 2018.

MASTODON and LAMB OF GOD's collaborative single called "Floods Of Triton" was released in September 2024. The track, which was recorded prior to the launch of the two bands' "Ashes Of Leviathan" summer 2024 tour, was made available via Loma Vista Recordings.

"Hushed And Grim" was a double LP recorded at the band's Atlanta studio, West End Sound. The effort was produced by David Bottrill (TOOL, RUSH, MUSE, PETER GABRIEL) and was MASTODON's most expansive song cycle to date, featuring 15 distinct tracks. It achieved the band's third consecutive No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart and earned MASTODON a Grammy Award nomination for the track "Pushing The Tides". Additionally, the album's single "Teardrinker" secured a top 10 position on the rock radio charts, a further testament to the band's widespread acclaim.

"Floods Of Triton" was recorded at MASTODON's own West End Sound in Atlanta and was produced by MASTODON and Tyler Bates, highly regarded in his own right for his scores for "Guardians Of The Galaxy", "John Wick", "MaXXXine" and more.

In December, MASTODON and COHEED AND CAMBRIA announced "The Infinite Arc" tour with special guests PERIPHERY. Produced by Live Nation and FPC Live, the 20-city trek kicks off on May 10 in Salem, Virginia, spanning the East Coast and Midwest before wrapping up in Waukee, Iowa on June 8.

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MASTODON guitarist Bill Kelliher says that last week's surprise departure of guitarist Brent Hinds was "a hard decision we all had to make."

Since 2000, Hinds had served as lead guitarist and vocalist for MASTODON, alongside bassist/singer Troy Sanders, drummer Brann Dailor, and Kelliher.

MASTODON's lineup had remained the same for 25 years, recording eight studio albums, beginning with 2002's "Remission" until the band's latest LP, 2021's "Hushed And Grim".

Speaking to Guitar World magazine, Kelliher stated about Hinds's exit: "What can you say about the legacy of MASTODON's first 25 years with Brent? It's been a fun, wild fucking ride, that's for sure. We achieved a lot of things that I never in a million years would have imagined. There's been Grammys, touring with our heroes, like IRON MAIDEN, METALLICA, MOTÖRHEAD and TOOL. I cherish all of that.

"Like a marriage, sometimes people grow apart, and they get interested in other things," he explained. "We wish nothing but the best for Brent in chasing his dreams."

Touching upon the musical and personal chemistry between MASTODON's longtime members, Bill said: "You know, it's amazing that we made it 25 years with the four of us. I mean, it's like being married to three other dudes, traveling the world, trying to stay the course, and having everybody agree. That we managed to do it this long, I feel like that's a feat in itself. You could never replace any of us because we [are the] the sum of four parts. That doesn't mean there's not someone else out there that has stuff to offer in a new direction. I think I'll just leave it there, you know? It was a hard decision we all had to make. It's just… it was just time."

MASTODON recruited YouTuber and session musician Ben Eller to perform with the band at their its on Sunday, March 9 at "Tool Live In The Sand", a destination festival which was held at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Royalton Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Eller is a guitarist and bass player from Tennessee who has gained popularity for his awesome chops on his guitar lesson series "This Is Why You Suck At Guitar".

When MASTODON announced Brent's departure from the band on March 7, they wrote in a statement: "Friends and Fans, After 25 monumental years together, MASTODON and Brent Hinds have mutually decided to part ways.

"We're deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we've shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavors.

"We are still very inspired and excited to show up for fans in this next chapter of MASTODON. As we move forward, all 2025 touring plans will remain intact. We look forward to seeing you on the road."

MASTODON has had nine Billboard 200-charting albums and has been nominated for a Grammy Award six times. The band won a "Best Metal Performance" Grammy for "Sultan's Curse" in 2018.

MASTODON and LAMB OF GOD's collaborative single called "Floods Of Triton" was released in September 2024. The track, which was recorded prior to the launch of the two bands' "Ashes Of Leviathan" summer 2024 tour, was made available via Loma Vista Recordings.

"Hushed And Grim" was a double LP recorded at the band's Atlanta studio, West End Sound. The effort was produced by David Bottrill (TOOL, RUSH, MUSE, PETER GABRIEL) and was MASTODON's most expansive song cycle to date, featuring 15 distinct tracks. It achieved the band's third consecutive No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart and earned MASTODON a Grammy Award nomination for the track "Pushing The Tides". Additionally, the album's single "Teardrinker" secured a top 10 position on the rock radio charts, a further testament to the band's widespread acclaim.

"Floods Of Triton" was recorded at MASTODON's own West End Sound in Atlanta and was produced by MASTODON and Tyler Bates, highly regarded in his own right for his scores for "Guardians Of The Galaxy", "John Wick", "MaXXXine" and more.

In December, MASTODON and COHEED AND CAMBRIA announced "The Infinite Arc" tour with special guests PERIPHERY. Produced by Live Nation and FPC Live, the 20-city trek kicks off on May 10 in Salem, Virginia, spanning the East Coast and Midwest before wrapping up in Waukee, Iowa on June 8.

In a new interview with Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X, GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge discussed his theatrical and occasionally comedic stage presence, including his tendency to address the audience with a fake Italian accent. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I believe that part of my drive to entertain comes from… When I grew up, I had a 13-year older brother, and he had his group of friends, and there were people around. Often when he was home, he had friends and they had girlfriends and it was just an overall very teenagey vibe when I was little. And I remember feeling a great gratitude or great satisfaction when I got their attention. And when I got them laughing, when I said something funny, that was amazing. And I think that that's the basic of, why do you want to entertain people? I guess it's because you get recognized and you [become] center of attention, I guess."

He continued: "I think a lot of people, especially… obviously, I'm not a comedian, professionally at least, but like comedians, I think that there's this drive to constantly move everything forward. It becomes a little bit of a spasm that becomes a little bit of an obsession that you wanna constantly keep the vibe going. Sometimes you have other people there who can joke and everything becomes just a laugh fest. And sometimes someone is funny to the point where you need to outsmart that person. Or sometimes you can just enjoy someone being funnier than you. But it's a constant mission to push energy forward and make people laugh and have fun and [keep] the momentum joyous all the time."

GHOST's new album, "Skeletá", will arrive on April 25 via Loma Vista Recordings. The LP's first single, "Satanized", was made available earlier in the month.

The "Satanized" music video introduces the new character who will be fronting GHOST for its 2025 touring cycle: Papa V Perpetua.

GHOST's sixth psalm, "Skeletá", is its most unflinchingly introspective work to date. Where previous GHOST albums dealt largely with chronicling and/or observing outward facing subject matter — such as "Impera"'s meditations on the rise and fall of empires and its predecessor "Prequelle"'s evocations of the ravages of era-defining plagues — "Skeletá"'s lyrics render the distinct individual emotional vistas of each of its 10 songs in one-on-one fashion, at times as if in a dialogue with oneself in a mirror. The end result is a singular collection of timeless, universal sentiments, all filtered through a prism of a uniquely personal point of view.

GHOST has also launched an interactive element dubbed The Satanizer, a first-of-its-kind music video experience for fans who wish to be "Satanized." Developed in partnership with Jason Zada (Elf Yourself),The Satanizer will morph its users into characters featured in the song's melodramatic video. With a quick upload of your photo, The Satanizer will send out a personalized music video clip featuring the participant, who can in turn share via social media that they too have been "Satanized."

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of 2018's "Prequelle". In March 2020, at final show of GHOST's "Prequelle" tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the character who fronted the act for its "Impera" (2022) album phase.

As previously reported, GHOST will embark on a world tour in 2025. The European leg of the trek will kick off on April 15 in Manchester, United Kingdom and conclude on May 24 in Oslo, Norway. The North American leg of GHOST's 2025 tour will launch on July 9 in Baltimore, Maryland and wrap up on August 16 in Houston, Texas.

The physical home video of GHOST's worldwide Top 10 box office smash feature film debut "Rite Here Rite Now" was made available on December 6, 2024.

IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris has paid tribute to the band's former singer Paul Di'Anno who died last October at the age of 66.

Speaking to U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine, Steve said: "Paul was a lovable rogue. He liked to annoy me by dressing up like Adam Ant. Anything to wind me up. He liked to ruffle a few feathers, let's put it that way. And ruffle he did. He used to call me Hitler. I've been called the Ayatollah and Sergeant Major, but Hitler takes the biscuit, really."

Referencing Di'Anno's early work with MAIDEN, Harris said: "Paul's voice had a certain quality to it. A rawness. But he didn't look after himself. He had this self-destruct button. And I got the impression that he never really believed he had it in him to go to the next level. I think there was an insecurity there."

Shortly after Paul's death, IRON MAIDEN issued a statement in which the band wrote: "We are all deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Paul Di'Anno. Paul's contribution to IRON MAIDEN was immense and helped set us on the path we have been travelling as a band for almost five decades. His pioneering presence as a frontman and vocalist, both on stage and on our first two albums, will be very fondly remembered not just by us, but by fans around the world. We were very grateful to have had the chance to catch up a couple of years ago and to spend time with him once more.

"On behalf of the band, [managers] Rod [Smallwood] and Andy [Taylor], and the whole IRON MAIDEN team, we extend our deepest sympathies to Paul's family and close friends. Rest in peace, Paul."

Harris added at the time: "It's just so sad he's gone. I was in touch with him only recently as we texted each other about West Ham and their ups and downs. At least he was still gigging until recently, it was something that kept him going, to be out there whenever he could. He will be missed by us all. Rest in peace, mate."

Di'Anno, whose real name was Paul Andrews, passed away at his home in Salisbury.

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

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

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

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

The book "To Hell And Back With The Beast (And Mini Beast)" about Di'Anno's final years is available for pre-order at www.maidencroatia.com. It is the sequel to "666 Days With The Beast", which was made available last December and sold out very quickly.

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

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

"Dear fans and friends," the statement began. "We have received permission from Paul's family to bring you the news of Paul's cause of death, after the results of the autopsy have been received."

It continued, "His sisters Cheryl and Michelle confirmed the following: 'Basically he had a tear in the sac around the heart and blood has filled inside it from the main aorta artery and that has caused the heart to stop.' Paul's death was instantaneous and hopefully painless. May he rest in peace."

In December 2022, Di'Anno spent time in Split, Croatia recording an album with his new project called WARHORSE. The band was formed earlier that year by Di'Anno and two guitarists/authors, Hrvoje Madiraca and Ante "Pupi" Pupačić. The resulting LP was made available in July 2024 under the PAUL DI'ANNO'S WARHORSE banner.

WARHORSE previously recorded three songs, two of which — "Stop The War" and "The Doubt Within" — were released in May 2022 as a special DVD single along with Paul's video message to all fans who bought the single and thus helped raise funds for his knee operation.

The WARHORSE single marked Di'Anno's first music release after a seven-year hiatus due to severe health issues.

Di'Anno, who finally underwent his knee surgery in September 2022, played the first show since the operation on October 1, 2022 at the Keep It True Rising II festival in Würzburg, Germany.

In May 2022, Di'Anno came face to face with Harris for the first time in three decades before the band's concert in Croatia. Also in May 2022, Paul played his first full solo concert in seven years at the Bikers Beer Factory in Zagreb. The show was filmed and parts of it will be included in the upcoming Di'Anno documentary, which is being helmed by Wes Orshoski, co-director and producer of the acclaimed 2010 film "Lemmy" about the MOTÖRHEAD icon, and 2015's "The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead", about punk rock legends THE DAMNED.

Photo credit: Wes Orshoski / Stjepan Juras

In a new interview with NME, LAMB OF GOD frontman D. Randall "Randy" Blythe, who is promoting his just-released second book, "Just Beyond The Light: Making Peace With The Wars Inside Our Head", was asked if there are plans for a new studio album from him and his bandmates. He said: "You bet. There will definitely be a new record; it's just a matter of us getting it all together. We're always writing. I've been writing lyrics. My dudes write riffs all the time, and we're always documenting stuff. For now though, our guitar player, Mark [Morton] has got a new solo record ['Without The Pain'] coming out, so he's been working on promoting that. I got my book out too, so people are always doing various things. But yes, there will most definitely be new LAMB OF GOD music and it won't take five years to come out, I promise. As of right now though, there is no concrete release date."

Blythe previously talked about the prospect of new LAMB OF GOD music last month in an interview with Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco Bay Area radio station 107.7 The Bone. He said at the time: "We will eventually start getting together and going through demo ideas." He then quickly clarified: "No, we're not in the studio right now. Our bass player [John Campbell] did an interview [recently] where he's, like, 'Well, it's time to start working on music again.' Everybody's, like, 'Are you going into the studio?' It's, like, no, dude, we're always working on music. It's just we're off the road for a minute. But for me right now, my main focus is promoting this book. And I've been doing a lot of press for it, a lot of podcasts and so forth. And that will continue on after the book's release, because I think books sell slower than records do. It takes a while sometimes for them to find their audience. So I'm gonna continue to promote this thing. And 'cause we have a pretty light touring year, I'd like to just kind of enjoy myself a little bit."

Elaborating on LAMB OF GOD's decision to play fewer shows in 2025, Randy said: "We do not have to tour forever. We're not slaves. It's okay. We can take time off and relax. We don't live in New York City or Los Angeles. We live in Virginia. It's not as expensive. You can be wise with your money and take a little time off and enjoy your life. We're getting old. Sometimes that's best for a band.

"There's always pressure to tour from everyone, not necessarily management or whatever," he continued. "I mean, they've offered us some gigs [for later this year], and we're, like, 'No. We're chilling for a little bit.' We're gonna do a few."

"A lot of my guys [in LAMB OF GOD] have young children," Blythe explained. "It's, like, you only get a chance to raise that kid once. And we've been doing this for almost 30 years — 30 years. It's not like we haven't paid our dues. So if we wanna kick back for a little bit and work a little smarter, not harder, then we will. We've played everywhere — everywhere — multiple times. It's okay if we don't come back the next month. And also I think absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say. If you're playing somewhere three times a year, people are gonna be, like, 'Ah, I'll catch 'em next time.'"

Last summer, LAMB OF GOD completed its "Ashes Of Leviathan" co-headlining tour with MASTODON. The trek, dubbed "Ashes Of Leviathan", also featured openers KERRY KING and MALEVOLENCE.

"Ashes Of Leviathan" celebrated the 20th anniversary of LAMB OF GOD's "Ashes Of The Wake" and MASTODON's "Leviathan" albums, both of which were released on the same date in 2004 (August 31).

On August 30, 2024, Epic Records and Legacy Recordings marked the two-decade anniversary of "Ashes Of Leviathan" with "Ashes Of The Wake (20th Anniversary Edition)", featuring new mixes by Justin K Broadrick (GODFLESH, JESU),HEALTH and KUBLAI KHAN TX and MALEVOLENCE, as well as demo and live versions of the album's classic songs.

LAMB OF GOD is Randy Blythe (vocals),John Campbell (bass),Mark Morton (guitar),Willie Adler (guitar) and Art Cruz (drums). Formed in 1994, the Richmond, Virginia-based band have released nine critically acclaimed albums, received five Grammy Award nominations and are widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative forces in heavy music. The band's most recent collection, "Omens", arrived in late 2022, with Kerrang! noting that the album finds the band "as reliably heavy, violent, and pissed off as ever," and Consequence saying the "album will break you down to nihilistic pieces."