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."

Iron Maiden singer, Bruce Dickinson, seriously considered quitting the band in 2015 while he was being treated for throat cancer. Speaking with MusicRadar, Dickinson reveals that he would have left the band if he had been unable to sing with the same power and range as before.

Dickinson was diagnosed with throat cancer just as Maiden were completing the recording of their 2015 album, The Book Of Souls. And as he now recalls, he always felt confident that his treatment would be successful.

“I felt good,” he says. “I believed I was going to come through fairly strongly. It was going to be a hard ten months, but at the end of that, I thought – I hoped – I should be able to do what I’d done before. But if not, I was quite prepared to leave – because if you can’t sing like you should be able to sing, that’s it.”

He explains: “I would have wanted the band to carry on properly. But I would have offered to help them find another singer, because there are other people out there.”

Symphonic metal frontrunners EPICA return with a spellbinding third single off their upcoming album, "Aspiral", which will see the light of day on April 11 via Nuclear Blast. "T.I.M.E." is a track that takes listeners on a journey through self-discovery, as the title stands for "Transformation, Integration, Metamorphosis and Evolution" and delves into the art of dying — more specifically, the death of the ego, and the necessary steps one must take to achieve personal and spiritual growth. Bringing this vision to life is the new music video created by Dave Letelier, which captures the song’s haunting aesthetic.

In a recent interview with Paltrocast host Darren Paltrowitz, EPICA vocalist Simone Simons was asked if it was a "difficult" process making "Aspiral". She responded: "It didn't feel difficult. It was definitely more intense because we had scheduled more writing camps where we would get together to spin off each other's brains or spawn ideas back and forth, also together with our producer. And I think compared to how we did it back in the day, let's say before [2021's] 'Omega', we were often writing, recording while still being on the road. And that, I think, is more difficult. And we learned from that mistake by making more time, clearing our schedule to really focus on the writing and recording of the album, to stay in the flow and to keep a better balance. We toured a lot in our whole career, but for us it's also important that we get to put the right amount of energy and focus into creating new music because that definitely has the priority. Without music, we cannot tour. Of course, we have a lot of albums now, but still it's a new way how we roll nowadays."

To celebrate the "Aspiral" release, EPICA will play three exclusive shows in the United States in early May: in New York City, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.

The "Aspiral" LP title is derived from the eponymous bronze sculpture made by Polish sculptor and painter Stanisław Szukalski back in 1965 and stands for renewal and inspiration — key words that define EPICA in 2025. In Szukalski's work every detail is a piece of art in its own right, and there's always more to the story than you initially think. The band saw this as the perfect analogy for the creation of this ninth album: each song stands on its own with a distinctive vibe and meaning, while together they enforce each other into a monumental effort.

The album, featuring stunning cover artwork by Hedi Xandt (RAMMSTEIN, GHOST, PARKWAY DRIVE),is now available for pre-order. The special editions even include the Blu-ray and audio recordings of the full monumental "Symphonic Synergy" performance in Amsterdam that the band recorded in 2024 with an orchestra and choir.

Recorded once again at Sandlane Studios and expertly mixed and produced by Joost Van Den Broek, "Aspiral" boasts 11 new tracks:

01. Cross The Divide
02. Arcana
03. Darkness Dies In Light - A New Age Dawns Part VII
04. Obsidian Heart
05. Fight to Survive - The Overview Effect
06. Metanoia - A New Age Dawns Part VIII
07. T.I.M.E.
08. Apparition
09. Eye Of The Storm
10. The Grand Saga Of Existence - A New Age Dawns Part IX
11. Aspiral

The band's music video for the uptempo anthem "Cross The Divide", directed by Kunststoff, can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Mexico's Euphonico, Simons stated about the inspiration for the LP's first single, "Arcana", she said: "Well, it was kind of a lot of things coming together. Rob [Van Der Loo, EPICA bassist] and I are, besides colleagues, we're also really good friends. And he had a deck of tarot cards with him. And I thought, 'Just for the fun of it, let's do a session. Let me draw some cards and then you explain to me what they mean.' And it was a very enlightening experience, I guess. The song, the music was also written by Rob. And then I came up with the idea, like, 'What if I write a song that's kind of inspired by the meaning of the tarot cards and the session that I had with him and what I think it meant for me at that time in my life and where I am now?' So, yeah, it's a very — how do you say? — soul-searching kind of topic, and that's something EPICA has been writing about for quite a while, but so far we haven't touched on the tarot subject. So I thought this could be a cool topic to integrate in the new album, which is all about reinventing yourself, like a rebirth, renewing yourself. So it kind of a cool thing to draw inspiration from."

Elaborating on the writing and recording process for EPICA's upcoming album, Simone said: "I think 'Arcana' was one of the songs that came together quite quickly. We had many writing camp sessions in Holland. We rented a house where we were meeting a couple times for, like, a week in a row, and we were all just sitting together. And Rob had also kind of a clear view of what he wanted vocal-wise, and then he just let me do my thing. And it went very naturally to write the lyrics.

"The vocal recordings [for the new EPICA album] took place in the summertime, which is a good time to do so because autumn [and] winter is a time when everybody gets sick," she explained. "So, for me, it's great if I'm in the summer in the studio, so I'm in a good shape or not running a risk of getting a cold and that it affects the voice, because I did have to record albums back in the day where I did get sick. And luckily you can't hear it. I know which songs are the ones. But it was a very smooth process. We worked together with the same producer, Joost Van Den Broek, who became a little bit like the seventh EPICA bandmember. And it's great working with him. Yeah, we were diving into all the little details and we were really concentrated on making the songs as a band together.

"I think people that don't know EPICA, they don't know that we don't live in the same village," Simone added. "We live, actually, in four different countries. So for us to get together and really work on the songs is tricky. And we started doing that already for 'Omega', and we really liked that, to clear our touring schedule, because we tour a lot and to really be there together and not everybody at home in their home studios. You get a total different result if everybody's there in the same room; you feed off each other's creativity, and that's very beneficiary for the songs."

Asked if there is a main songwriter in EPICA or if everybody contributes to the songwriting process, Simone said: "Everybody gets to write songs. And some songs, I think the guys did write demo songs on their own, because we all have our home studios, and when we were together in the writing camp, then we were sparring off ideas and sending each other the files, and then everybody was working on a random song at the same time. There was a funny moment where, I think, Coen [Janssen, EPICA keyboardist], Ariën [Van Weesenbeek, EPICA drummer], Rob and I were sitting in the living room area, but kind of far apart from each other, and Coen was working on a song and he thought he had his headphones plugged in, but it was running out of the speakers. And then we said, 'Oh, cool. That sounds great. Which song are you working on?' And he was, like, 'Oh shit, you guys could hear what I was working on.' So it was everybody in different rooms. Isaac [Delahaye, EPICA guitarist] was in the attic playing the guitar, and I had to wait until very late before I could go sleep 'cause he went on writing music, recording guitars until almost one o'clock in the morning. But it was a really lovely experience. And everybody gets to write songs and everybody gets to work on those songs. So, we all put our little own salsa on the songs. [Laughs]"

"Arcana" marked EPICA's first new release since "Omega" and the collaboration EP "The Alchemy Project".

The single is now available on all streaming platforms. It also includes "The Ghost In Me (Danse Macabre)", EPICA's recently released collaboration with Europe's second-most visited theme park, Netherlands's magical De Efteling, and their much-anticipated new attraction, Danse Macabre.

The previously released music video for "Arcana", directed by Remko Tielemans, can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Spain's Mariskal Rock, Simone stated about EPICA's upcoming album: "I'm so happy with the songs, I'm so proud how everything turned out and it's gonna be another amazing EPICA album. We added a couple of new elements, but also went back to the roots, the old EPICA. And yeah, I just can't wait for people to hear this.

"I loved 'Omega' and we toured so much with 'Omega' and had wonderful experiences, but then when you reach the end of a touring cycle, you start to get itchy and feel, 'Okay, now it's time to do the new album. Can we do it as good or maybe even better than the last album?' That's always the thing we strive for, ways to renew ourselves a little bit. And we feel a very strong spiritual connection also that it's our ninth album. So there's gonna be themes around the symbolic meaning of nine, the number nine."

Elaborating on the musical direction of EPICA's next album, Simone said: "The songs are heavy. There's a beautiful ballad, a very cinematic song, very uptempo, very doomy, melancholic and amazing, amazing power riffs. It's the most epic EPICA, I think, so far. Yeah, I think so. I mean, I'm feeling it. I'm very happy with it. I'm proud of it."

In a recent interview with Clare Lane of the Chicago radio station WBEZ, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello spoke about his participation at what he has called "the greatest heavy metal show ever", the upcoming "Back To The Beginning" charity event on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The concert will mark the original lineup of BLACK SABBATH's last-ever performance and Ozzy Osbourne's final appearance as a solo artist. Asked what it has been like to work in the Osbourne universe, Morello, who will serve as the "musical director", at the show, said: "Heavy metal is the music that made me love music, and BLACK SABBATH is the band that invented heavy metal. So, when Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne asked me to be the musical director of what's going to be the last BLACK SABBATH show — the last Ozzy Osbourne show in the soccer stadium that's like a half-block down from where Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler, the bass player of BLACK SABBATH, grew up — I was honored to do that.

"Right now, we have, like, 14 bands. You know, it's METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES. It's, like, all the biggest bands in the history of heavy metal. The show is gonna be about 10 hours long, but it's gonna be a salute to a genre that people all around the world love. You know, it's been the music that has really made me love music. I'm interested in a lot of different kinds of music now, but I never would have been interested in any kind of music had it not been for metal."

Asked if he is going to take the stage, Morello said: "Oh, of course, I will be up there. Speaking of Northern Illinois, this may be a little bit of a spoiler alert, but Adam Jones, the guitarist of TOOL, he and I went to Libertyville High School together and played in a band. Billy Corgan, the singer of SMASHING PUMPKINS, grew up a few suburbs over. The three of us are going to play together for the first time ever at the show. So, there'll be an 847 connection."

"Back To The Beginning" sold out in less than 10 minutes last month. The concert will mark the first time that the original lineup of BLACK SABBATH — Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward — have played together in 20 years.

Also set to appear at the event are METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES, TOOL, SLAYER, PANTERA, GOJIRA, ALICE IN CHAINS, HALESTORM, LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX and MASTODON.

In addition, there will be a performance by a "supergroup of musicians" including Duff McKagan and Slash (GUNS 'N' ROSES),Billy Corgan (THE SMASHING PUMPKINS),Fred Durst (LIMP BIZKIT),K.K. Downing (JUDAS PRIEST),Jake E. Lee (OZZY OSBOURNE),Wolfgang Van Halen (VAN HALEN, MAMMOTH WVH),Andrew Watt, Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),David Ellefson (MEGADETH),Vernon Reid (LIVING COLOUR),Whitfield Crane (UGLY KID JOE),David Draiman (DISTURBED),Frank Bello (ANTHRAX),Jonathan Davis (KORN),Lzzy Hale (HALESTORM),Mike Bordin (FAITH NO MORE),Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT),Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (ANTHRAX),Sleep Token II (SLEEP TOKEN) and Papa V Perpetua (GHOST).

Ozzy — who hasn't played a full show since late 2018 — announced his last-ever performance on February 5.

Proceeds from the "Back To The Beginning" show will support Cure Parkinson's, the Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice, a Children's Hospice supported by Aston Villa.

The original lineup of BLACK SABBATH last performed in 2005. Since then, SABBATH has played in partial reunions but never in its original lineup.

The legendary BLACK SABBATH frontman was diagnosed in 2003 with Parkin 2 — a very rare genetic form of Parkinson's. During a TV appearance in January 2020, the singer disclosed that he was 'stricken" with the disease which occurs when the nerve cells of the body degenerate and levels of dopamine are reduced. Dopamine is an essential chemical that is produced by these nerve cells which send signals to different parts of the brain to control movements of the body.

Ozzy's health issues, including suffering a nasty fall and dislodging metal rods placed in his spine following a quad-bike accident in 2003, as well as catching COVID-19 three years ago, forced him to cancel some of his previously announced tours.

While Osbourne's health issues forced him to scrap most of his live appearances, the musician said he would return if his condition improved.

Despite his health problems, Osbourne has performed a couple of times in the last three years, including at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022 and at the NFL halftime show at the season opener Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills game in September 2022.

Reigning Phoenix Music proudly introduces Perception, its latest label imprint. Following the success of ROAR, a sub-label dedicated to emerging talents and artists, Perception is set to provide a strong foundation for regionally and stylistically leading bands with high growth potential.

Jochen Richert, managing director of RPM Europe, shares his vision for Perception: “My responsibilities at Reigning Phoenix Music have often taken me away from what I love most – working directly with bands, nurturing their growth, and helping them reach their full potential. With Perception, I now can dive back into artist development, which I’m truly excited about. Of course, my main mission remains unchanged: to help Reigning Phoenix Music to become one of the leading metal labels in the world.”



To celebrate the birth of RPM’s new sibling, Perception proudly announces its first signing – one that perfectly embodies the label’s core value of passion, professionalism, and ambition: Serious Black.

More than ten years of Serious Black and highly melodic power metal with the license to create hymns: since 2014, the band led by bassist Mario Lochert, have been delighting fans not only by releasing six studio albums so far, but also by frequently playing much-lauded concerts and festival appearances, and that’s why Perception is even more proud to begin its journey by signing such a well-known act.

“We’re really happy, and we couldn’t have found a better partner than Reigning Phoenix Music as they greatly combine expertise and experience. We have a comfortable new surrounding, and re-connecting with old companions makes this new union even more special to us: Everything that belongs together comes together over and over again,” comments founding member Lochert.

Jochen Richert as Perception A&R adds: “Mario and Dominik [Sebastian; guitars] are incredibly passionate about Serious Black, and that’s exactly what it takes to elevate this band even further. They are built for the top tier of power metal – with outstanding songwriting and an electrifying stage presence already in place. We’ll make sure they reach the level they truly belong to: the very top of the scene!”

On the heels of their latest album Rise Of Akhenaton [2024], Serious Black are celebrating their 10th anniversary with an own headline tour this spring, following an enormously successful European run alongside Sonata Arctica, Firewind as well as Tungsten. Special guests Autumn Bride, Dragony and Rigorious will complete the line-up for the upcoming festivities.

Serious Black bassist Mario Lochert states: “Ten years, six charting albums, over 250 concerts, festival shows and gigs worldwide. A look back that lets me indulge in many memories. Personally, I’m really looking forward to this tour, not only because it’s our birthday headline tour, but also because old friends like Autumn Bride, Dragony [March 18-30], and Rigorious [March 11-18] will be joining us on this tour with new albums at their hands. Get your tickets and spend an unforgettable power metal party full of hard riffs and hymns with us!”