In a new interview with with Paltrocast host Darren Paltrowitz, EPICA vocalist Simone Simons was asked if it was a "difficult" process making the band's upcoming album, album, "Aspiral". She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "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. Tickets and VIP upgrades will go on sale this Friday, February 28 at 10 a.m. local time.

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 the latest episode of her "After Dinner Thinks With Ann Wilson" podcast, HEART singer Ann Wilson addressed the fact that she has been performing while sitting in a wheelchair during the first few shows of the 2025 North American leg of the band's "Royal Flush" tour, which kicked off Friday night (February 28) at the BleauLive Theater in Las Vegas. The show marked HEART's first live performance since the band postponed the remaining dates of its 2024 North American tour in July in order for Ann to undergo cancer treatments. Ann said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I think some people thought that I was in a wheelchair because of cancer, which I just kicked its ass and I'm nice and clear now. It's not about cancer. It's about me being a klutz [five days before the tour] and missing a step and falling into a parking lot and busting my elbow in three places and then having to have it pinned back together with screws and all that kind of stuff."

Ann continued: "In other ways, I'm perfectly fine. It's just I don't have the use of my left arm right now. So it's hard to navigate when you just have one hand and your other whole arm is in a sling… And you don't have the same balance. So I had to get used to that. And singing on stage, I really think that the pain level is still way too high for me to take it out of the sling. So I chose to sit because then I can just concentrate on singing and not on keeping my balance and having somebody out there catching me when I reel to the side."

Regarding the fact that some HEART fans have expressed their disappointment to see Wilson in a wheelchair, she said: "I've gotten so many suggestions, like 'Make it look like a throne.'

"I think it's looked on as some kind of an admission of vulnerability," she added about her decision to perform while sitting in a wheelchair. "And we have to look at the person and go, 'Oh, that's too bad' and bring negativity into it. It doesn't have to be that way. No, it's a great tool. And I'll be up and out of it after a while."

Wilson went on to say that her arm "just hurts too much" for her to be standing right now. "Yeah, there's pain involved with this injury," she explained.

Referencing some of her other recent health ailments, Ann said: "This is number three. First I had my knees done, then I had cancer, now I have the elbow. So that's gonna be it."

The rescheduled "Royal Flush" tour will wrap up on April 16 in New York City.

Earlier this week, HEART announced the "An Evening With Heart" spring/summer 2025 U.S. tour. The trek, which will see the band performing two separate sets each night, will kick off May 31 at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City and conclude on June 28 in Hollywood, Florida.

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

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

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

The 2024 leg of "Royal Flush" featured CHEAP TRICK as support on most of the North American leg. HEART was also scheduled to join DEF LEPPARD and JOURNEY for summer stadium shows in Cleveland, Toronto and Boston.

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

Ann and Nancy had a falling out during HEART's 2016 tour, when Ann's husband Dean Welter was arrested for assaulting Nancy's then-16-year-old twin sons in a backstage altercation at a gig near their hometown of Seattle. He pleaded guilty to two lesser assault charges to avoid jail time.

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

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

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

Don't miss Heart in Los Angeles next week on Monday, March 3! Get your tickets now.
🎟️ https://crpto.la/heart24fb

Posted by Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, February 25, 2025

In a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, former SCORPIONS drummer Herman Rarebell was asked if he would consider rejoining the band, if the other guys were open to it. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It depends, really, what the plan would be. At the moment, I see no reason. I offered them a while back, when [former SCORPIONS drummer] James Kottak was not them anymore, I wrote them an e-mail, the three of them [Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs], and I said, 'Why don't we do something again?,' just like between friends. And they didn't even answer me. So I said to them, 'Okay, fuck it. If you don't want [to consider it], I'm not gonna kiss your ass. Then fuck it.' Or like Paul McCartney would say: let it be."

Back in September 2021, Rarebell blasted his former SCORPIONS bandmates, calling them "rude" and accusing them of "greed" over their apparent refusal to allow him to rejoin the band. Rarebell, who was a member of the SCORPIONS from 1977 to 1995, discussed the possibility of his return to the group in an interview for Classic Rock magazine. Asked if he was disappointed not to have been invited back into the fold following the 2016 dismissal of longtime drummer James Kottak, Herman said: "I'll tell you how disappointed I am. I sent them a message offering my services, and never even got a reply. I thought that was very rude. Now I hear the SCORPIONS are claiming their new album will be a return to the glory days of the eighties. If they're serious about that, they should get [former bassist] Francis [Buchholz] and me back, and also Dieter Dierks who produced all those classic albums. You know why they won't do that? Greed. It would mean having to share everything five ways and not three."

Rarebell also criticized his former bandmates for seemingly not giving him enough credit for their commercial success in the 1980s. "The band never mention me in interviews, which I find ridiculous," he stated. "But there's a new documentary in the pipeline from ITV on the band. I am being interviewed for this, so I can finally set the record straight on my role."

In an interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Herman stated about the huge commercial success of SCORPIONS' 1982 album "Blackout": "Mercury Records was totally behind us and they believed in us. They wanted us to keep making albums. They wanted us to grow and do better each time out. 'Lovedrive' went gold. 'Animal Magnetism' went gold and then 'Blackout' was the first one to go platinum. [Rudolf] Schenker / [Klaus] Meine / Rarebell was a great songwriting team. You can see that from how many successful albums we had. After I left the band, they didn't have any more hits."

Rarebell also talked about the inspiration for the lyrics to "Rock You Like A Hurricane", which was released as the lead single from SCORPIONS' ninth studio album, 1984's "Love At First Sting". "Those lyrics were very easy to write," he said. "I woke up early in the morning after fucking and doing cocaine all night and I opened up the curtains. 'It's early morning, the sun comes out. Last night was shaking and pretty loud. My cat is purring and she scratches my skin.' She had scratched my back during our lovemaking. I just sat down and wrote it right then and there. It was five in the morning and the girl was still in bed as I was sitting there writing it. The next day, I said to Rudolf, 'I have some great lyrics for that riff you have.'"

Rarebell is currently promoting the upcoming HERMAN RAREBELL & FRIENDS studio album "What About Love?", which will be released on April 11 via Metalville Records. The LP features Herman's re-recordings of 12 songs with good friends and great musicians as a tribute to the greatest hits of the 1980s — a time that was a golden age for him personally. Former OZZY OSBOURNE bassist Bob Daisley can be heard on this album, as can Dann Huff, who was a studio musician on some of the greatest albums in pop history, as well as Howard Leese from the legendary U.S. rockers HEART and singer Michael Voss (CASANOVA, MAD MAX, MICHAEL SCHENKER).

KANSAS vocalist Ronnie Platt has undergone successful surgery for thyroid cancer.

On Tuesday (March 4),Platt took to social media to write: "I am home! The doctor said my surgery couldn't have gone any better!!!

"I felt the power of everyone's prayers and positive energy! You all have helped me [through] this, how do I? or can I? ever thank all of you for that!!!????

"Day 1 of recovery here I am!!!

"I am looking forward to getting back to what I do best! Yes, singing, but my true job is entertaining you all and helping you at least for a couple hours forget about your problems and recharge your batteries. I take a lot of pride in that!!!!

"Thank you all again, CARRY ON!!!!"

As a result of Platt's cancer diagnosis, KANSAS canceled two previously announced shows in Louisiana — in New Orleans on February 21 and Lake Charles on March 1.

When the 64-year-old singer first announced his cancer diagnosis on February 15, he wrote that "it has a 99% survival rate" and "it has not spread. It's contained to my thyroid. I just have to have my thyroid removed," he added. "Go through some rehab time and be right back in the saddle."

Platt joined KANSAS in July 2014 after the departure of longtime singer Steve Walsh.

Ronnie can be heard on KANSAS's last two studio albums, 2016's "The Prelude Implicit" and 2020's "The Absence Of Presence".

Formed in Topeka, Kansas in 1974, KANSAS has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and has a catalog that includes 16 studio albums and five live albums, eight of which are gold and three that are platinum.

In a 2024 interview with Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Platt stated about how he landed the KANSAS gig: ""It's such a wild story. I've been telling it for 10 years, and it's still surreal to me. One day, while I was at work — I used to be a truck driver — I received a text message from a friend of mine, Dina, who knew what a fan I was of KANSAS. All of my cover bands back in Chicago would play KANSAS. ... Dina saw the announcement of Steve Walsh's retirement, and I reached out to Rich Williams (the original guitar player for KANSAS) on Facebook to ask him if they would consider me. I was in a band called SHOOTING STAR from 2007-2011, and we played with KANSAS a couple of times, so we already knew each other. The very next day, I get a message from him saying, 'We're about to go on stage in Houston, Texas. If you get this in the next 90 minutes, give me a call.' Before I knew it, I was flying to Atlanta, having a great conversation with Phil (Ehart) and Rich, I get back home to Chicago, and then I get a congratulations e-mail from Phil saying I'm in."

On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, KANSAS lead vocalist Ronnie Platt underwent outpatient surgery to treat thyroid cancer. Below is an update directly from Ronnie:

Posted by Kansas on Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Brian James, founding member of THE DAMNED, died peacefully on Thursday, March 6, with his wife Minna, son Charlie and daughter-in-law Alicia by his side. He was 70 years old.

Writer of the first-ever U.K. punk single "New Rose", Brian was the principal songwriter of THE DAMNED's debut album, "Damned Damned Damned", which was released in February 1977. Parting ways with THE DAMNED following the release of the group's second album, the Nick Mason-produced "Music For Pleasure", Brian created the short-lived TANZ DER YOUTH, before he formed THE LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH with his friend and fellow rocker Stiv Bators.

In a wave of excitement, headed by the twin powers of Brian James and Stiv Bators, three successful studio albums followed for THE LORD OF THE NEW CHURCH, spawning singles such as "Open Your Eyes", "Dance With Me" and "Method To My Madness". Always looking for new challenges and keen to work with different musicians, over the years that followed, Brian formed THE DRIPPING LIPS and guested on different records, while creating the BRIAN JAMES GANG and working on his solo albums.

Incessantly creative and a musical tour de force, over a career which spanned more than six decades, with his music also gracing film and television soundtracks, in addition to THE DAMNED and THE LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH, Brian worked with a plethora of punk and rock and roll's finest, fromIggy Pop to Wayne Kramer, Stewart Copeland to Cheetah Chrome. Most recently, more than four decades after the release of the epoch-making "New Rose", the original members of THE DAMNED reformed for a series of very special and emotional U.K. shows in 2022.

GOODBYE TO A PIONEER & TRUE GENTLEMAN

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of the true...

Posted by Brian James on Thursday, March 6, 2025