Former JUDAS PRIEST and current KK'S PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens performed on February 20 at Crowbar in Sydney as part of his ongoing Australian solo tour. Joining him on the trek is a backing band of Australia's metal maestros Joel McDonald on guitar, Jordan McDonald on drums, Voya Milutinovic on guitar and Andrew Hudson on bass. Fan-filmed video of the Sydney concert can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the Scars And Guitars podcast, Owens was asked if he has ever thought about writing an autobiography. Tim responded:  "Yeah, I'd like to do one. I just don't know if I can talk about everything in my career. I don't know if it's right. There's bands that can do that because they were known as being — they'd come up in the '70s and '80s, so there's there's things they'd done and in their career and they like to talk about it because they were into that. But I don't know. I don't necessarily wanna throw people under the bus.

"I think it might be a little bit boring 'cause I'm not gonna talk about everything. On the other hand, I guess I do have a lot to talk about, and maybe talking about everything would be a pretty good idea. It could make me look a little more adventurous, too. I can make things up.

"I've said this: I will write a book, but I'm not writing a book that's not paying me. 'Cause I see so many musicians and so many people write books, and I know they haven't made much money from it. I'm not saying I'm gonna be super rich, but I've always said if I'm writing a book, it's paying me — it's paying me to write the book. I'm not just putting it out there to put it out there. I've gotta retire at some point.

"But, yeah, I've had one hell of a career. Just a kid from Akron, Ohio that's done and played with the musicians that I have, and all because of JUDAS PRIEST giving me a break and a chance to sing for 'em. And, yeah, just a book on who I've played with and when I've jammed with them, whether it was Ace Frehley [KISS] or Scott Ian [ANTHRAX] or whoever it's been, it's pretty crazy 'cause, again, I'm still just a fan and a kid from Akron, Ohio that gets to do what I do."

Owens previously discussed the possibility of writing a book last month in an interview with Australia's "Everblack" podcast. He said at the time: "I've never been offered [a book deal]. I'm not writing a book unless I get paid money, 'cause they loosely made a movie about me; I didn't get paid nothing for that. So, they would have to pay me some money. But I don't know how to do it 'cause I don't wanna… I'll probably hurt some feelings doing that book. But I won't spill all the beans. I might be in trouble if I spill all the beans."

He continued: "I would be nice about it. But it is a great story, isn't it? I mean, it's an amazing story. And it's continued to be. I love when people go, 'What have you done since JUDAS PRIEST?' More? I don't know. I've toured the world more. I've played in front of the same amount of crowds, sold more records. This is all after JUDAS PRIEST. So I think it's pretty crazy when someone says, 'What have you done?' Or they diss me by saying, 'Oh, the guy that used to be somebody.' I'm, like, 'What do you mean used…?' I'm doing more now than I ever did in my life. So it's kind of, like, 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

"I've done a lot," Owens added. "I said I've been fired from more bands than people have been in, so it's kind of funny. But, yeah, I've met so many great people. And I always say JUDAS PRIEST was my college, and they opened up the door for me to make a living out of it. And I've worked hard at trying to make sure I'm in top form and ready to go."

The 2001 Warner Bros. movie "Rock Star", starring Mark Wahlberg as a salesman-turned-rock star, was loosely based on Owens, who fronted a JUDAS PRIEST cover band before being tapped to become the new lead singer of the actual group.

Asked in a 2014 interview with Russia's Classic Rock magazine how much of "Rock Star" was styled after him, Tim said: "When they first [got the idea to do] the 'Rock Star' movie [under its original name 'Metal God'], it was really gonna be about me. And then JUDAS PRIEST pulled away from it, because they didn't like some things. So [the producers] really made their own movie, I think. The similarities were that I auditioned for JUDAS PRIEST and I sang one line of a song and hit a note and made the band. But then a lot of the things, they kind of went out… I mean, I wasn't that kind of fan when I made the band, because I was that kind of crazy kid in high school in the '80s. But this was 1996, so I wasn't living at my parents' with posters on the walls. I mean, it was still pretty cool. I mean, to have a movie loosely based on you is pretty cool."

Regarding whether it was ironic that the "Rock Star" movie became almost prophetic in the sense that Mark Wahlberg's character in the film ends up playing small clubs with his own material after the band's original lead singer rejoins the group, Owens said: "For me, the movie was almost [like real life]. Rob [Halford] came back [to JUDAS PRIEST], which was good for me, to be honest. My career, I went on to do a lot of stuff. It was better for the band, it was better for Rob. So it was kind of funny. I think I became a little bit bigger than the coffee shop singer that Mark Wahlberg was in the movie in the end, just playing there. I still get to play in front of thousands of people in Russia. But it is similar how he went on to do his own thing."

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 after being discovered when PRIEST drummer Scott Travis was given a videotape of Tim performing with the PRIEST cover band BRITISH STEEL. JUDAS PRIEST at the time was seeking a replacement for Halford, who has since rejoined the band. Asked in an interview with The Vinyl Guide podcast what kind of advice or preparation he had for stepping into those shoes, Owens said: "Well, listen, I was confident. They were confident with my voice. I knew some fans wouldn't like me, but I also knew that I could sing really good, and I could sing really good live. One advantage I felt I had as a singer was I could sing what I recorded in the studio; whatever I recorded, I'm gonna be able to sing that live. And I felt when fans came to the show, they would be happy that they have someone who's coming in the JUDAS PRIEST that could still keep the voice going. So if someone didn't like me, there's nothing I could do. K.K. [Downing, then-PRIEST guitarist] used to always say, ''The proof is in the pudding. Come to the show and see.' And I think a lot of people used to come to the shows and they just couldn't wait to hate me. They hated me showing up and wanted me to fail. And so many of 'em, I'd win 'em over when I started singing, because they could tell that I loved it; I loved what I was singing, and I wanted to do the songs justice. So I always felt confident."

Addressing the fact that the two albums PRIEST recorded with Owens — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — sold poorly, and he was ultimately pushed out to clear the way for the return of Halford, Tim said: "It was a really bad time of heavy metal. So it wasn't like I joined them in the heyday. I mean, when Rob left JUDAS PRIEST, they were playing in front of a couple thousand people on the 'Painkiller' tour, a lot of shows So, it really wasn't a great time of heavy metal. So I understood that, and I understood people would want Rob back. But all I cared about was getting on stage and sound[ing good]. I just wanted the band to be happy and me to be happy with me doing it. That's all I worried about."

He added: "I know a lot of the the musicians at the time, especially the hair metal bands, because hair metal was gone at that time, they hated me in L.A., 'cause they were, like, 'Who's this guy? He comes from Akron, Ohio. What's he done? How's he here?' And I still am the same Ohio guy, [with the] same friends. I have the same attitude. And all of us are the same. I tell musicians this all the time: we're all the same. I mean, nothing different."

Asked if he had any sort of communication or relation with Halford at that time, Owens said: "No, just in the press. They always tried to get us to say mean things and bad things. And every now and then, one of us would say something. Now, this was pre-Internet. So, I couldn't imagine doing that nowadays, how screwed up it would be. But, no, because there was a respect. I don't think Rob liked me much, probably at the time, because someone's going to his band, his songs and singing this, but we always had this respect. And when we met each other, we always had great talks. And I think it made a lot of people mad that we liked each other. I think it made a lot of people mad, and I think it still does. But whenever I've seen him, I love talking to him, and he knows what's going on with me, and he's, like, 'Oh, I see that you're playing in Russia,' whatever."

Tim continued: "Back in those days, [journalists] would have the old tape recorder hidden. Now they could just turn their phone on, and no one would know it. But you would do an interview, and then they go, 'All right, the interview's over.' And then they'd turn the tape recorder off, but they'd have another one going in their pocket trying to get you to say stuff. And you know this, doing interviews, you get people to feel comfortable so you talk like you're friends. And then you just start saying stuff. And I put my foot in my mouth a few times. Oh, now I do all the time, because now — I always do."

In 2019, Owens told Ultimate Guitar that he believes his era of JUDAS PRIEST is largely overlooked. "Yeah, I think it definitely deserves more [attention]," he said. "I mean, they don't do anything. [Laughs] It's kind of amazing that they just totally erased it that they won't play... I mean, 'Burn In Hell' [off 'Jugulator'], the crowd would like to hear 'Burn In Hell'.

"They don't have to give me a tribute or anything, but it would be nice to play a song from... You know, that was a pretty big thing, I did two studio records, two live records, and a DVD, starting from '96 to 2004. So it's kind of crazy that it's just been erased and they won't even play a song from it live, because it is JUDAS PRIEST."

"Demolition" and "Jugulator" are included on "50 Heavy Metal Years Of Music", JUDAS PRIEST's limited-edition box set which contains every official live and studio album to date plus 13 unreleased discs. Released in October 2021, it is the most extensive release of previously unreleased music the band has made from its vast archives.

TIM ‘ RIPPER’ OWENS
Australian/New Zealand Tour dates:
14/02 Melbourne, The Corner
20/02 Sydney, Crowbar
22/02 Brisbane,...

Posted by Tim Ripper Owens on Tuesday, February 4, 2025

In a new interview with Music Radar, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Dave Murray insisted that he and his bandmates will know when it's time to quit.

"To me, there's nothing worse than seeing a band you like on stage and they look like they shouldn't really be there doing it," he said. "We're nearly hitting the seventies mark now, but I think we will all know when it would be time. It would be a mutual decision.

"I think there's a time and a place to bail out with dignity and grace — as opposed to dragging it out," he continued. "If you can leave it at that high level, and then bow out gracefully, I think it would be satisfying for us. And not just flog a dead horse, when you're doing it for the wrong reasons."

Referencing MAIDEN's upcoming "Run For Your Lives" world tour, which starts in May 2025 in Hungary, with dates announced so far going through August 2025 in Poland, Dave said: "We're all set up for this tour, and after that we'll see what the future holds. But at the moment the band sounds great, we still have that excitement and adrenaline when we go on stage. We're still enjoying it, and that's what it's all about, really."

IRON MAIDEN's longtime drummer Nicko McBrain played his last-ever gig with the band more than two months ago in São Paulo, Brazil.

The 72-year-old British musician, whose real name is Michael Henry McBrain, announced his retirement on December 7 in a statement on MAIDEN's web site and social media. He also said that night's concert at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil would mark his final show with the iconic heavy metal act.

Despite the fact that he is stepping away from touring, McBrain said that he will remain closely connected to IRON MAIDEN and continue to be involved in "a variety of projects" with the band, while also focusing on personal ventures and his existing businesses.

On December 8, IRON MAIDEN announced Simon Dawson as its new touring drummer. Dawson is a former session drummer and MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris's longtime bandmate in BRITISH LION.

Back in 2019, Harris told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that there has been no talk of MAIDEN retiring anytime soon, despite the fact that all the members are in their late 60s.

"We all feel that if we feel we're not cutting it anymore, then we'll discuss it and that will probably be the end of it," he explained. "But at the moment, we don't feel like that. We feel that we definitely still are pulling our weight, so to speak. We're just doing well. So far so good. I don't wanna tempt fate, but we are doing good."

In 2022, MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show about the band's longevity as well as the group's multigenerational appeal: "We're not planning to retire at all, really. I think we'll probably drop dead onstage. I can think of worse places to drop dead. But no, we're not planning on retiring. We're all still firing away [with] loads of energy and loads of enthusiasm.

"With respect to our fans, we've got generations of fans now," he continued. "Even at [my] spoken-word shows, I can crack jokes about the age of the audience only because half the audience is, like, my age, but the other half of the audience is often way, way younger. So it's brilliant. We've got this whole intergenerational thing going. And, obviously, at the MAIDEN shows, it's even bigger, the emphasis on that. And huge numbers of women. It's fantastic. 'Cause it always used to be cliché, back when I was starting in the early '80s, that heavy metal was just, like, misogynist, male-dominated stuff… But no, it's not true. There's loads and loads of heavy metal fans who are girls."

The São Paulo performance marked the final show of "The Future Past" world tour, which began in May 2023.

Last September, IRON MAIDEN promised fans "a spectacular and elaborate new show" on its 50th anniversary tour in 2025 and 2026.

MAIDEN said it will "cover classics and fan favorites from the first nine albums, from 'Iron Maiden' to 'Fear Of The Dark', many of which we haven't played in years and many we will likely never play again in the future. We have already been hard at work for months putting together an even more spectacular and elaborate new show which will bring the songs to life more than we have ever been able to do before."

"Fear Of The Dark" marked Dickinson's last album before he exited MAIDEN and then later returned in 1999.

In a new interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, RISE AGAINST frontman Tim McIlrath was asked if America's political turmoil has made the community at the band's concerts stronger. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've noticed that. It sort of sharpens the blade a little bit. It sort of hones the mission. It reminds me why we started RISE AGAINST in the first place, in a post 9-11 America with the Bush administration. It reminds me of that era. It makes you hear the songs differently. It makes people come to the shows in a different way.

"I like to think that people come to our shows no matter what, but there's something about people coming to our shows now where they need it," he continued. "They need to be at the show, under the same roof with like-minded people who are concerned about the future of the world. And we're concerned about the future of America and the future of the world."

Tim, who has never been shy about expressing his social and political beliefs, added: "A Trump White House is a disaster. It's been a disaster every single day it's been there. Lots of sad things are happening, lots of things that make you really angry. And so this is the kind of era that our band was built for. This is what we were made for, this is why we're here. So we have these songs to play to kind of talk about the same things we've been talking about for 25 years."

Asked how the current political situation in America has changed his everyday life, Tim said: "I guess to answer your question, yeah, you walk out of your door into an ecosystem of a lot of anger. A lot of the things in the news are enraging you. People are divided. What's happening in America tends to be contagious and it spreads across other borders. And so that kind of stuff, it makes you concerned. People look at you differently as Americans, 'cause they're watching the news and they're angry about it, and they should be angry about it. So, yeah, it affects everybody. It's definitely — it's concerning."

Last October, McIlrath told RVA Magazine about RISE AGAINST's political activism: "Navigating this band politically in such a divisive era is a little trickier, but it is also more important than ever. We have a direct connection to our fan base, whatever size it is, and I want to be part of the solution and not the problem. I feel a responsibility to steer our fans in the right direction — at the very least, not steer them in the wrong direction."

Tim further explained that the band started out in punk rock which was "synonymous" with politics. "It was something that was very close to my heart as the lyricist," he said. "If you would accuse us of anything back then, it was preaching to the converted. It wasn't that radical to be the guy from RISE AGAINST saying, 'fuck the war in Iraq.'"

RISE AGAINST recently released a new single, "Nod", via Loma Vista Recordings. The track, which marks RISE AGAINST's first new music in three years, will appear on the band's upcoming follow-up to 2021's "Nowhere Generation" album, tentatively due later in the year.

"Nod" was 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).

Last month, bandmembers McIlrath (lead vocals/guitar),Joe Principe (bass/vocals),Zach Blair (guitar/vocals) and Brandon Barnes (drums) hit the road for an extensive run of shows across Europe, before playing dozens of U.S. arenas, amphitheaters and pavilions with PAPA ROACH, as part of the co-headline "Rise Of The Roach" tour.

Multi-Grammy Award-winning Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame guitarist Carlos Santana has announced that his passion-filled retrospective album, "Sentient", will be released via Candid Records on March 28. The album is available for pre-order now. The record's heavenly, soulful first single — a "'Sentient' version" of Smokey Robinson's "Please Don't Take Your Love" — is out today.

"Sentient" is composed of 11 dazzling tracks — three of them previously unreleased — compiled by the virtuoso guitarist, remastered and sequenced in a way that allows a new and dramatic story to emerge. As is often the case when the spark of musical magic strikes, Santana was surprised, delighted and receptive. "I'm always driven by passion, emotion and inner instinct," he says. "When I first heard these tracks floating around in the house, I said, 'Why don't we put these all in one place?'"

The songs that make up "Sentient" are complex compositionally, but they float by like a dream. There are brilliant collaborations with Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Miles Davis, Paolo Rustichelli, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels and Cindy Blackman Santana, but no matter the mood or genre — whether it's lush pop or high-intensity cosmic jazz — it's all part of a common thread. As Santana says, "From Stravinsky to James Brown, it's all the same song, meaning it's all connected to the umbilical cord of humanity and planet Earth."

The album's first single offers listeners a new view of "Please Don't Take Your Love", the heavenly slice of funky, soulful seduction that paired Santana with the incomparable Smokey Robinson. The original version, featured on Robinson's 2009 album "Time Flies When You're Having Fun", saw Santana contrast Robinson's shimmering vibrato with searing, soul-shaking soloing. The alternate take on "Sentient" is no less emotionally wrenching, but as Santana notes, it boasts a never-before-heard guitar performance. "I went to the studio and did my own thing," he says. "I said, 'Let's just roll it.' I did another take with Smokey sort of guiding me. Smokey loved them both, so he wound up combining the two. What's on 'Sentient' is the first version."

March 14 will see the debut release of a live instrumental cover of Michael Jackson's haunting ballad "Stranger In Moscow", recorded in 2007 with producer and drummer Narada Michael Walden's band. It's a devastating masterclass performance — Santana's guitar playing is by turns soulful and poetic, blitzing and blinding, and always breathtakingly imaginative.

"Narada knew that I loved the song, so he arranged it with his band," Santana remembers. "I showed up and we played it with no rehearsal. I'm basically singing it with my guitar. I'm visualizing Michael Jackson and what he would do — I got pretty close. I think when Michael listened to it, wherever he is, he smiled and said, 'Yeah, that's it.'"

"Get On", a jazz-groove masterpiece from renowned composer Paolo Rustichelli's lauded 1996 album "Mystic Man", featuring the extraordinary collaboration of Santana with the iconic Miles Davis, will be officially released to radio for the first time on March 17.

Exceleration Music partner and Grammy-winning music executive John Burk, known for his work with legendary artists, shared his excitement about the project, saying: "Santana has always been a trailblazer in music, combining musical styles and cultures in ways that have forever changed the face of music. This amazing collection demonstrates his unique ability to transcend genres and lift our spirits through his music. It also highlights collaborations with a diverse lineup of musical trailblazers — including Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, Smokey Robinson and DMC — each, like Carlos, an iconic innovator, united on this album by the musicality, spirit, and passion of Carlos Santana at his finest."

Santana's "Oneness" tour kicks off in Highland, California at Yaamava' Resort & Casino at San Manuel on April 16 making stops in Phoenix, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; San Antonio, Texas; Sugar Land, Texas; Thackerville, Oklahoma; Tulsa, Oklaohma; and Nashville, Tennessee. The Europe portion of the tour begins on June 9 in Lodz, Poland with stops throughout Europe, ending in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 11.

For more than five decades — from Santana's earliest days as a groundbreaking Afro-Latin-blues-rock fusion outfit in San Francisco — Carlos Santana has been the visionary force behind artistry that transcends musical genres and generational, cultural, and geographical boundaries. To date, Santana has won ten Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards, with a record-tying nine Grammy Awards for a single project for 1999's "Supernatural" (including "Album Of The Year" and "Record Of The Year" for "Smooth"). He has received the Billboard Century Award (1996),was ushered into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (1998),received the Billboard Latin Music Awards' Lifetime Achievement honor (2009),and was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors Award (2013).

Among many other distinctions, Carlos Santana has been cited by Rolling Stone as No. 11 on their list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time;" and has joined THE ROLLING STONES as one of only two bands to have an album reach the Top 10 in every decade since the 1960s. In 2018, he released his first "MasterClass", and celebrated two epic milestones: the 50th anniversary of his legendary performance at Woodstock, and the 50th anniversary of his masterpiece "Abraxas".

In 2024, he celebrated the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking album "Supernatural". Santana's most recent release, "Let The Guitar Play" (feat. Darryl "DMC" McDaniels),follows on the heels of his powerful, energy-infused "Blessings And Miracles" (2021) that features collaborations with Rob Thomas, Chris Stapleton, Steve Winwood, and many others. The epic feature documentary "Carlos", produced by Sony Music Entertainment and Imagine Documentaries, is a celebration of Carlos Santana's life and career. It had its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival and is now available to stream worldwide. Santana has been in residency in Las Vegas for over 15 years and will continue to perform at House of Blues Las Vegas, where he recently celebrated his 10th anniversary in the intimate venue.

During an appearance on the debut episode of the "Stories To Tell With Richard Marx" podcast, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley spoke about adjusting to his new life after the completion of the band's "End Of The Road" farewell tour more than a year ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There are people who are touring constantly because they're empty and because they need that audience positive response. Years ago for me, probably decades ago, that may have been the case. At this point, it's been incredibly gratifying. The last tour was just a chance to really take in how valuable and how much this meant to me. But I couldn't keep doing it any more than Michael Jordan could.

"I've always been more than a musician or performer — I've been an athlete — and you realize that you can only do that so long," he continued. "I've been blessed to do it into my 70s, which if you told me that 50 years ago, I'd say you're out of your mind. So, yeah, I miss it, but I don't crave it. I think the people who really crave it are the ones who don't find other means for gratification either from other people or self-gratification, whether it's, for me, painting or my family or friends.

"I think ultimately, hopefully, I would hope that most people find that in life, at some point, you start to narrow down what's really important," Stanley added. "And ultimately, what's important is family, friends and how you feel about yourself. You face yourself every day when those crowds aren't there. It doesn't matter whether there's 20,000 or 100,000 people, if you don't like who you see in the mirror, it's kind of meaningless.

"Dopamine and endorphins, that's human-produced heroin. And, sure, it's addicting. I think I've just come to some sort of terms with — I don't wanna say settling, but at least realizing that you can't do that forever. And I hate to draw the analogy, but people who are in AA or any of those groups, you realize that you need to stop, you need to put that behind you. And then it's a matter of how you fill your time. I've seen people who went from drugs to becoming workout junkies. So you need to find something. And you also need to understand that it's never going to match the high. It can't."

Elaborating on how he has dealt with the fact that he will never be in a touring band again, Stanley said: "To do shows where there's that kind of love and gratitude from an audience, well, guess what? It's love and gratitude from me. And that's that reciprocity takes it to a whole different level. And will anything ever replace that? No. I have the memories of it. And is there a void? Of course. That's life.

"It's actually been a year, December 2nd [of 2024, since we played the final KISS show]. So, I was actually in New York this [last] year on December 1st and 2nd and passed the [Madison Square] Garden on both of those nights we had been playing [the year before]. And, yeah, there's something almost feeling like a fantasy, like an out-of-body experience. You're looking at something and it's hard to relate to that you were there. I look at videos of me on stage a year and a half ago and I go, 'Wow.' And I also have to go, 'That's not gonna happen again.'"

Regarding when the decision was made for KISS to put an end to its touring career, Paul said: "I remember Gene [Simmons, KISS bassist/vocalist] and I talking about it years ago. You have to remember that COVID and the pandemic put a two-year break. We started the last tour before COVID. And then, all of a sudden, it's, like, 'Well, wait a minute. We're not done. And we're getting older. So the clock is ticking.'

"We just came to the decision quite naturally that we need to decide when it ends rather than just have it peter out," Stanley explained. "That wouldn't be KISS-like, to finish a tour and never go back out. For us, it was a matter of going around the world and sharing that one last night or nights with either the people who've known us for decades or new people. And hopefully what we did was left a memory that justified that connection and adulation that people had for us. And also kind of not only validated us to them, but also kind of became — once upon a time there was a band. And that's what KISS is. Like it or not, KISS is mythical. And that was the idea, was to leave it on a legendary note. But also to intellectually decide something is gonna come to an end and actually deal with that that day was years away because we had a worldwide tour.'

Reflecting on when the conversations first took place about announcing a farewell tour, Paul said: "I think it may well have taken place on the jet. [The discussions involved] me, Gene and Doc [McGhee], our manager, who's been with us for [decades]. It wasn't fatalistic and it wasn't in any way depressing. It was just a practicality that we just said, 'We can't do this forever. And we can see the end. Now what do we do? We can see that this needs to have a finite time. What do we do between now and then?' Doc and I have an acronym, which is QTR — Quality Time Remaining. At some point, that's what it comes down to. You have so much time in life. What do you wanna do with it? Because one thing you do precludes you from doing another. And at some point, the idea of being in hotels, when you're young and frisky and having a great time, that's the best time in your life. I remember going home between tours when I was single and much younger, going home was like a bummer. I sat on my sofa waiting for life to start again. I'm on my sofa. Life is out there. That slowly becomes not the case, hopefully."

KISS frontman Paul Stanley has revealed that the band is currently working on a five-part documentary about its "End Of The Road" farewell tour.

The 72-year-old musician shared the news of the documentary's production by posting a photo of his wife Erin being interviewed for the film.

KISS played its two final shows ever in December 2023 at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

The last show, held on December 2, 2023, streamed live on pay-per-view.

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

Early last year, KISS sold its entire music catalog, likeness and brand name to Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment, which is behind "ABBA Voyage". A biopic, an avatar show, and a KISS-themed experience are already in the works, with Simmons and Stanley playing key roles in the development of all these projects, working closely with Pophouse.

Using cutting-edge technology, Pophouse Entertainment Group, which was founded by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus, will create digital versions of KISS. The project was previewed at the final KISS show.

In a new interview with the Iron City Rocks podcast, George Lynch once again spoke about LYNCH MOB's "The Final Ride", a farewell tour celebrating the band's 35-year legacy. The trek kicked off in January 2024 and will conclude in March 2025. Asked how he feels about completing one final tour with LYNCH MOB, George said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's a mixed bag. I thought that it would make sense to go out with a band that, or a version of the band, which this is, that has remained intact for a while. LYNCH MOB has a history of having a revolving door, so that's been frustrating for me because when I first put the band together in '89, I was hoping for the exact opposite… And, of course, that did not happen. But we have a great time, and when we spend time together and tour, it's just really a dream, fun band. We joke around a lot. We work hard and the band — we bring it when we get on stage and we get in the studio. I thought, 'Well, that's the way to go out.' And also, on the other side of the coin, I'm not getting any younger. I didn't want to be that guy up there on crutches, having to sit down. I wanted people to remember it with some sense of vitality. Yeah, so I think we're kind of ending on a positive note, I would say. And we gave ourselves quite a long window. We decided this last year, and it gave us an eight-month, nine-month window. So it's a long, slow kind of fade into the sunset. We'll be done March 23rd, I believe, or 25th, something like that. So we've got a lot of work ahead of us. And we've got, actually, two records [in the works] — we've got a live album and a live DVD and a studio record."

Asked if he is planning on getting involved in more recording projects in the future once the LYNCH MOB tour is done, George said: "Well, I love being in the studio, and I have a pretty nice studio situation, both in California, where I have my own studio, and in New Mexico, where I have found a home out there and a really wonderful venue, where I'm working now, actually. So, as long as I have something to say, I'll try to say it musically. But I will say that I've sort of spent my — I've done a lot of recording, I've written a lot of songs in the last group of years, since COVID and so forth, so I find myself kind of treading over old ground and saying the same thing, and I don't like that. And I think on occasion I've gotta slow down in my output a little bit. So, as I mentioned, we are working on a LYNCH MOB 'Final Ride' studio record. It's been written and recorded, except [for] the vocals now. And beyond that, I've got other records in the pipeline that I am obligated — well, I can do, let's say; I don't know how obligated I am. If I don't wanna do 'em, I don't have to do 'em. One is a fourth THE END MACHINE record for Frontiers. And the other one is a third 'Heavy Hitters' album, which is a series of records that [ex-DOKKEN bassist] Jeff Pilson and I have been doing for Cleopatra Records, which are covers, and that's always really fun to do. I enjoy working with Jeff. I'll be working with Jeff Pilson on both those records. So that might be something that I decide to finish up. But, having said that, those are obligations consistent with my past work, doing THE END MACHINE records and 'Heavy Hitters' records and LYNCH MOB records and various other projects, with KXM and so forth, that I have been doing. But what I'm thinking is I would really like to — not to be super self-indulgent, but do something different. And that requires kind of banking a bunch of experiences and exposure, different kinds of music and styles and saying something unique. Or doing a master guitar record, what I consider would be my magnum opus guitar record. That's easier said than done, but maybe I need [to do something like that]. I don't know. I'm not sure what I wanna do yet. But I'm gonna let this touring schedule ride out till the end of March and then I'm gonna sort of collect my thoughts [about what my next step will be]."

LYNCH MOB was formed in 1989 after Lynch parted ways with his former band DOKKEN. Their debut release, "Wicked Sensation", was met with critical and fan acclaim and went on to be certified gold in sales by the RIAA. The band would continue on through the years with a cast of talented players joining Lynch throughout their musical journey over the course of six more studio albums.

LYNCH MOB's eighth studio album, "Babylon", came out in October 2023. Joining revered guitarist and band founder for the LP were vocalist Gabriel Colón, bassist Jaron Gulino (TANTRIC, HEAVENS EDGE) and drummer Jimmy D'Anda (ex-BULLETBOYS).

In August 2020, Lynch announced that he was ending LYNCH MOB due to the racial insensitivity of the moniker, saying he would no longer record or perform under that name. Two years later, George had a change of heart, explaining that he had to "live with the fact that [the name LYNCH MOB] has some negative connotations that I probably have to continue explaining for the rest of my life, and I don't mind doing that. But it is a brand that I built, and I'm just gonna stick with it. As far as a marketing thing and a brand thing and a business thing and a working thing, and it keeps my band guys working and it keeps the fans happy, it makes sense."

In a new interview with Rashid AlKamraikhi of Australia's Sense Music Media, Brendon Small, co-creator of "Metalocalypse", the hit animated series on Adult Swim featuring the fictitious metal band DETHKLOK, spoke about the various heavy metal musicians who did voiceover work for the show, a list which includes METALLICA's Kirk Hammett, ANTHRAX's Scott Ian, EVANESCENCE's Amy Lee and KING DIAMOND/MERCYFUL FATE frontman King Diamond. Asked if there was anyone who came in for a guest spot that really blew him away with how well they adapted to the voiceover work, Brendon said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Everyone rose to the occasion, everyone that we had on the show. Some would start out a little bit more shy, and then the advice I would offer is, 'If you start feeling silly, you start feeling stupid, you're doing it right. Let's just break through that stupid, silly feeling and then get to the other side and have fun.'

"I remember Michael Amott from ARCH ENEMY came in, and his voice was nice and hoarse, 'cause he does a little bit of vocalization in ARCH ENEMY," Small continued. "And he came in, and his accent is kind of Swedish and English and he had a gravitas about him and he understood how to speak… And I gave him a direction and he'd take it and work with it really well. He was just a natural. So I always remember him being really great. And then we had everybody from guitar heroes of mine — Billy Gibbons [of ZZ TOP] came and did a voice, and he just, of course, is a total showman and understands how to do all that stuff. Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, they all kind of got it. Slash [of GUNS N' ROSES] came in. Dave Grohl [of FOO FIGHTERS] came in. He was funny. He's a natural. I mean, it makes sense with him. And then members from ENSLAVED, from EXODUS — all funny."

Brendon added: "Everyone's perception of heavy metal is so different than the reality because heavy metal is brutal, and it evokes a feeling and a mood that's so dark and so awesome. But everyone's got a sense of humor, everyone's got levity, and I wanted everyone to participate and become part of the joke of the show. I didn't wanna be a them-or-us thing, I wanted everyone to go, 'This is your playground. Let's give you an opportunity to be funny. What can we do? Let's play.'

"It was so cool that those guys said yes. I was trying to be extra clever when we started the show. I thought, 'If we can get METALLICA on the first episode, then I bet I can get other people, too, to come into our world of silly, weird absurdity and play with us.'"

"Metalocalypse" is a cartoon series about a fictional death metal band called DETHKLOK that's bigger (and far more powerful) than THE BEATLES. The show ran for seven seasons, with the final episode being an hour-long rock opera, "The Doomstar Requiem".

After "Metalocalypse"'s rise in popularity, Small assembled DETHKLOK as an actual live band to play the music featured on the show, with Small himself handling vocals and guitar.

DETHKLOK's first three albums charted in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and the third release, "Dethalbum III", peaked at No. 10, making it the highest-charting death metal album of all time. In addition, "The Doomstar Requiem: A Klok Opera Soundtrack" made it to No. 7 on Billboard's soundtrack chart in 2013.

After several years of dormancy, DETHKLOK returned in 2023 with a new album, "Dethalbum IV" and an animated movie, "Metalocalypse: Army Of The Doomstar". It was hard fought since Adult Swim abruptly pulled the plug on "Metalocalypse" show more than a decade ago, despite its rabid following amongst the metal crowd, many of whom came to appreciate the show's regular easter eggs and voice appearances from the likes of King Diamond, Hammett and CANNIBAL CORPSE's George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher. Indeed, "Metalocalypse" may be the only quasi-mainstream show to be truly catered to a metal audience, which can explain its enduring popularity and the steady drumbeat of requests for its revival.

DETHKLOK's 2023 "Babyklok" co-headlining trek with BABYMETAL was the first DETHKLOK tour in over a decade.

After an extensive search to find a new drummer, PRIMUS is pulling back the curtain on their unique audition process with the launch of the "Primus Interstellar Drum Derby", a brand-new episodic YouTube series chronicling the entire journey. The first episode, released today, features drummer Rory Dolan jamming with Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde, providing an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the dynamic and demanding audition process.

The band put out a global open call for submissions, attracting some of the world's most talented drummers. "Taking submissions from all points in the universe for the position of PRIMUS drummer/percussionist," the band wrote, adding, "Flashy chops are wonderful, but groove, pocket, and the ability to listen, react, and contribute to the musical conversation is a must."

As the process unfolded, PRIMUS documented each audition, capturing the exciting and unexpected moments that unfolded in the studio. Future episodes will feature performances from a stellar lineup of drummers, including Thomas Pridgen, Mike Stone, Stan Bicknell, Sam Groveman, Nikki Glaspie, John Hoffman, Gergo Borlai and Thomas Lang, as well as surprise cameos from special guests.

"The Primus Interstellar Drum Derby" gives fans an unprecedented look at the band's inner workings, their approach to chemistry and collaboration, and what it takes to step behind the kit for one of rock's most innovative trios. With each episode, the series will build anticipation and excitement as the band moves toward its next chapter.

"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity," said John Hoffman, who was ultimately selected as PRIMUS's new drummer. "I came and did my thing the way I do it. It went as well as I could have hoped."

The debut episode is now live on PRIMUS's official YouTube channel, with new episodes rolling out soon.

PRIMUS will kick off its first live performance of 2025 at TOOL's "Live In The Sand" in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where Danny Carey (/b>TOOL) will be sitting in on drums. The band will then hit the road for the second leg of the "Sessanta" tour, a highly anticipated run featuring PUSCIFER and A PERFECT CIRCLE in celebration of Maynard James Keenan's 60(ish) birthday.

Hoffman, who is based in Shreveport, Louisiana, had documented his process of preparing to audition on social media, and afterwards he wrote: "I came and did my thing the way I do it. It went as well as I could have hoped. Maynard James Keenan was sitting directly in front of me and watched my entire audition. He gave me this towel. It's been one of the most incredible days of my life. I love you all. We did this. #primusdrumaudition #primus".

On December 30, PRIMUS played the first concert since longtime drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander's departure at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California. Sitting behind the drums for the show was Bryan "Brain" Mantia, who previously played with PRIMUS when Alexander originally left the band in 1996.

In light of Alexander's latest departure, PRIMUS also enlisted musicians from frontman Les Claypool's side projects, THE HOLY MACKEREL and FROG BRIGADE, to perform during the December 30 performance.

With Mantia, PRIMUS recorded two studio albums — "Brown Album" (1997) and "Antipop" (1999) — as well as the covers EP "Rhinoplasty" (1998) and the original theme song for the TV show "South Park".

In November, Alexander shared a letter with Rolling Stone magazine explaining his decision to leave the band.

"A lot of times, you do something you love for a long time, and sometimes the passion turns into a job, and sometimes that job doesn't feel like it's your being anymore," he said.

He reflected on the impact his decision had on his physical, mental and family life.

"When I discovered that I'm struggling with all these things, I had to sit and think about exactly what am I doing," Alexander said. "I don't think I've ever chosen my path in life, I think I've just always thought 'I'm a drummer, I'm just gonna do music,' and things came to me, accepting whatever happens."

The news of his departure was initially shared on October 29 by his now-former bandmates, who claimed that they received an e-mail from him nearly two weeks earlier saying he had "lost his passion for playing."

Alexander joined PRIMUS in 1989 and left in 1996, then rejoined when they reformed in 2003. He exited the group again in 2010 but returned in 2013.

In July 2016, Alexander revealed that he suffered a second heart attack after he previously endured a similar health scare in 2014.

A decade ago, Les Claypool's plan to reform the "classic" PRIMUS lineup — with Alexander and guitarist Larry Lalonde — was put on hold when Alexander suffered his first heart attack, a "minor" attack that resulted in the drummer requiring triple bypass surgery. To fulfill its touring obligations, PRIMUS recruited Carey to fill in for a few dates. Three months after open-heart surgery, Alexander rejoined PRIMUS on the road.

In a new interview with Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece, DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy was asked why he wasn't involved with the production of the band's latest album, "Parasomnia", after being credited as co-producer for the six prior DREAM THEATER LPs he appeared on, starting with 1999's "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, to be honest, it was one of the very first things that [DREAM THEATER guitarist] John Petrucci brought up to me when the two of us began discussing the possibility of me coming back [to DREAM THEATER in 2023]. There were a lot of things that happened while I was away that they wanted to remain intact, and that was one of the things that was very important to John, was to maintain the sole producer credit. And what can I say to that? Would I have liked to have reunited the production team the way it always was? Yeah, I would have. But the reality is when he brought that up to me, I needed to respect that."

Portnoy continued: "When I left the band [in 2010], [John and I] were producing the albums together, and after that he began producing on his own. So, obviously, over the last five albums, that was the way that the band functioned. If that's very important to him, then I need to respect that. I can't just come back into the band and demand things to be the way they used to be. It's impossible. We're not the same people and things have transpired over a decade and a half at this point. So I needed to be respectful of his request for that. And that's pretty much it in a nutshell.

"But to be honest, it didn't dilute any of my ideas," Portnoy explained. "All of my ideas were always welcome. And some of the things that I did suggest, like the conceptual, thematic stuff, a lot of that stuff falls under the category of producer, but if John wants the sole credit, that's totally fine. All that meant for me is that I don't have to be in the studio 24-7 babysitting the keyboard tracks or the bass tracks, and that's fine with me. I live three hours away. So, I was more than happy to delegate that all to John and be able to get home and spend a little time with my family here and there."

DREAM THEATER kicked off the North American leg of its 40th-anniversary tour on February 7 at The Met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The trek is "An Evening With Dream Theater" and is the first tour of North America since Portnoy's return to the lineup, joining Petrucci, singer James LaBrie, bassist John Myung and keyboardist Jordan Rudess. The tour will conclude on March 22 in New York City.

DREAM THEATER's sixteenth studio album, "Parasomnia", came out on February 7, 2025 via InsideOut Music. The LP marks DREAM THEATER's first release with Portnoy since 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings".

"Parasomnia" was produced by Petrucci, engineered by James "Jimmy T" Meslin, and mixed by Andy Sneap. Hugh Syme returns once again to lend his creative vision to the cover art.

Portnoy co-founded DREAM THEATER in 1985 with Petrucci and Myung. Mike played on 10 DREAM THEATER albums over a 20-year period, from 1989's "When Dream And Day Unite" through 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", before exiting the group in 2010.

Mike Mangini joined DREAM THEATER in late 2010 through a widely publicized audition following the departure of Portnoy. Mangini beat out six other of the world's top drummers — Marco Minnemann, Virgil Donati, Aquiles Priester, Thomas Lang, Peter Wildoer and Derek Roddy — for the gig, a three-day process that was filmed for a documentary-style reality show called "The Spirit Carries On".

In a new interview with Chuck Armstrong of Loudwire Nights, SEVENDUST singer Lajon Witherspoon was asked if he and his bandmates are working on material for the follow-up to their latest album, "Truth Killer", which was released in July 2023 via SEVENDUST's new label home, Napalm Records. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes, things are in the works… We are now looking inside the SEVENDUST music box with 20 or so songs that we're kind of weeding through right now to see what we like, [that] we're gonna work with this. And these are the cats in the band that are writing stuff and sending it in and put it into the box."

He continued: "Honestly, I feel like our best work is when we get together in a room in a setting when we are with the instruments, just those young men like we were when we first started. That's where the magic happens. So we're already in the making of coming to the farmhouse. [We're] just trying to figure out a date in between, 'cause we've got a lot of stuff to do. Even after the DISTURBED run, I think we only have a week off before we get on the CREED cruise. But, yes, we are writing an album. Even on the road, when we get on the bus, which I can't wait to get on the tour bus, we'll be out there, we'll be listening to tracks and stuff and probably going over things if we have time at soundcheck to play new music. So, yeah, it's rolling right now… So there's new music [in the works], yes."

The follow-up to 2020's "Blood & Stone", "Truth Killer" was once again tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who has previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH, among others.

"Truth Killer" showcases the original and current SEVENDUST lineup, comprised of Witherspoon, guitarists Clint Lowery and John Connolly, bassist Vince Hornsby and drummer Morgan Rose.

Last fall, SEVENDUST celebrated the 21st anniversary of its iconic album "Seasons" on a U.S. tour. "Seasons" is the fourth album from the band's catalog and exploded on to the metal world when it was released in October 2003. The album spawned a Top 10 Rock single with "Enemy" and the album closer "Face To Face" is a show staple and fan favorite of SEVENDUST to this day.

SEVENDUST's fourth studio album, "Seasons" was the band's final LP with TVT Records and was dedicated to the memory to both Dave Williams (DROWNING POOL's original singer),who died of cardiomyopathy in August 2002, and Reginald Witherspoon (Lajon Witherspoon's younger brother),who was murdered in November 2002.

"Seasons" was, for a time, the band's last album with Lowery as he left in 2004. Lowery returned to SEVENDUST in March 2008 and has remained with the group ever since.

In a new interview with Germany's Rock Bottom, GIRLSCHOOL guitarist/vocalist Kim McAuliffe and guitarist Jackie Chambers spoke about the absence of original drummer Denise Dufort from the band's ongoing European tour as the support act for SAXON. Kim said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Denise is still in the band, very much so. It's just she's having a few problems with her hands at the moment. And it is a long tour, obviously, and a lot of travelling and stuff, so she thought it better to sit out on this one."

Jackie chimed in: "She can play a gig, but if her hands swelled up in the middle of the tour, she'd have to go home."

As for Denise's temporary replacement, Larry Paterson, Kim said: "The thing with Larry is we've known him for a long time now, because he's the drummer in ALCATRAZZ, who are great friends of ours, and we've toured with them many times. And he was a big fan of GIRLSCHOOL as well, back in his native New Zealand, so he was ideal, really. And he knew all the songs."

GIRLSCHOOL originated in the U.K. during the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal scene in 1978 and is frequently associated with contemporaries and friends MOTÖRHEAD. They are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active and rocking hard after more than 40 years.

Formed from a school band called PAINTED LADY by McAuliffe and Enid Williams, GIRLSCHOOL enjoyed strong media exposure and commercial success in the U.K. in the early 1980s with three albums of "punk-tinged metal" and a few singles.

In the 1990s and 2000s, they concentrated their efforts on live shows and tours, reducing considerably the production of studio albums. During their long career GIRLSCHOOL toured all over the world, performing at many of the biggest rock and metal festivals as well as co-headlining with or supporting some of the most important hard rock and heavy metal bands in the genre.

They maintain a worldwide cult following and are considered an inspiration for many succeeding female rock musicians, such as THE DONNAS.

Original members McAuliffe and Dufort are still in the band to this day. Original lead guitarist Kelly Johnson died of cancer in 2007 and was replaced by Chambers in 1999.

In a new interview with Bradley Hall, AVENGED SEVENFOLD frontman M. Shadows spoke about the realities of post-pandemic touring, including increased travel expenses — gas, tour buses, hotels and flight costs. The singer, whose real name is Matt Sanders, said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's really crazy because when you get to our kind of level, everybody on the crew is 'A list' and they're all being pulled in different directions, so they all make high-end amounts of money. More trucks, more drivers, more gasoline, more travel. And we've already seen a lot of bands canceling tours. You're gonna see a lot more. 'Cause I know where we're at. I know what we make. And I know that it's incredibly hard for us even. Unless you can really put something together that keeps you in one city and not a lot of movement and keeps you in places where you can play multiple nights somewhere, you really are doing some of these things… Like, for instance, a big reason we're going to all these different countries is because we can go to the same countries and make very little to no money, or we can go to new countries and make very little to no money. And so the idea has been, 'Let's go build the band out.'

"Back in the day, we were starting out in Indonesia, which is our second-biggest market now," he continued. "It was our biggest market when we went there in May; it actually had more listeners than America. But we've grown something in Indonesia that has been incredible. Back in the day, we would go there and nobody at the label would support it, really, or care because they couldn't sell CDs. They didn't have the money to buy CDs or they didn't have the production or people just didn't collect physical music. With the change in getting paid by streaming services, the kind of hack is, like, you can grow all these Third World countries, Second World countries, places that traditionally couldn't afford to buy from your webstore or buy a CD, because one stream in Indonesia is the same as one stream in Los Angeles. And the more you grow the worldwide kind of coalition and get to these places that maybe aren't introduced to Western music as much — I would say India, a place where it's just so disconnected from what we're all doing over in Europe and America. There are fans, but it's just not a thing because bands aren't going there and it's just that whole thing hasn't been developed yet. It reminds me of Indonesia 10 years ago or 15 years ago. My belief is that if you keep going to these places and opening up new markets and kind of putting a flag there, that if you can get the whole world streaming, it's gonna kind of supplement this sort of gap that we were missing in the '90s and the early 2000s when the labels and no one would pay attention to these places 'cause there was no money to be made.

"So, yeah, it's one of those things where, again, going back to touring, touring is very hard right now for bands," M. Shadows added. "It's almost impossible. And you're also having a big downturn in ticket sales right now. People have been blown out by ticket prices, because of the touring, because of the inflation, so every single thing stacks on top. And then you've got people that are very upset about what ticket prices are, which I get. It's kind of crazy to go see a couple of bands and it's gonna cost you five, six hundred bucks, or if it's country artists, it's a thousand dollars if it's Taylor Swift, it's $3,200, or whatever it is. And there's a whole argument there — there's a whole argument of people not understanding how the ticketing works in the music business, people blaming and pointing fingers, but what really is happening is there's inflation, there's higher costs, it's much harder to get around, and if you think about every aspect of a touring band's life, it's making it increasingly impossible. And you've gotta think, if there's not gonna be CDs coming in to the record label, there's no tour support. They're not making that kind of money anymore. So you've got this whole situation that is kind of dire, when you, when you think about it that way. That's why you've gotta kind of pick and choose what you're doing."

M. Shadows also talked about the concept of dynamic pricing as it relates to concerts, where prices are adjusted to maximize profit and to shape consumer behavior. Ticketmaster, which is owned by the U.S. entertainment giant Live Nation, has defended its dynamic pricing model — similar to that used by hotels and airlines — and said it is designed to discourage ticket touts by setting prices closer to market value. It says the "in demand" fees are agreed in advance with artists and their management.

M. Shadows said: "If I was to get into numbers right now and show you what we make at a show and what it costs, I think you would just go, 'Are you kidding me? How can you bring in that much money and then no bandmembers make anything?' And you'd be, like, 'There's gotta be somewhere in there that you have someone that's just messing up.' But it's a true thing. It wouldn't even be appropriate to get into that; it just doesn't make sense. But just know that there are crazy amounts to get 38 people on a crew that need to be there… To headline Rock In Rio, you've gotta have a show. You've gotta have the show, and everyone's got to fly in, and they don't have the right pyro and you've gotta bring it in from Germany because they don't have the right things in Brazil. And there's four or five days of pre-production and hotels. It just becomes insane. And then I also think that people, they want to ignore that we live in a capitalist society where there's two things going on. Artists want to be compensated for whatever the fair market value is for their work. So what that means is if there's two thousand seats in a venue, the artist could be really nice and charge 50 bucks and not make any money or go do it because they just wanna do it. And then you could have a reseller that could sell a few hundred of those tickets for up to a thousand dollars because there's fans that will pay a thousand dollars. Now, the reason dynamic pricing even ever got introduced is because the artist and the management said, 'Why is the reseller making 10 [times] what the artist that's on stage is making? There's this many tickets that will sell for this much. Why aren't we charging that much?' And so what Ticketmaster did is they created a tool that allows artists to opt into this dynamic pricing. Now it's very clear Ticketmaster created a tool to allow artists to opt into this. It's not Ticketmaster just taking all the top end. It's the artists. And artists love to hide behind Live Nation and Ticketmaster and go, 'Oh. We had no clue. Can't believe it.'"

He continued: "The reality is if you ask most people and you say, 'If someone's buying a ticket for a thousand dollars, do you want it going to a reseller or the artist?', most people will say, 'We want it going to the artist.' But they also don't want the ticket to be that highly priced. And then they also don't want you to take away their ability to resell the ticket, because that's very un-American. You don't buy a Range Rover and they tell you you can't resell it. You don't buy a house and they tell you, 'Oh, can't resell it. Sorry. Housing market's getting too high. You're not allowed to resell your house.' So, the ticketing kind of falls under that same thing of, like, we're giving you something that you've purchased. Now, if we tell you you can't resell it, it's almost unethical in a way. So you have all these little arguments and there's macro and micro arguments about all of it. And that's really what's happening. So, at the end of the day, ticket prices go up when somebody in the queue sees … there's too many people in there, [and] they raise the prices until people stop buying. And that is what the music industry calls fair market value.

"Now, I don't think people would disagree with the premise," M. Shadows added. "They just don't like when it's happening to them. And so that's the situation we're in. And I'm not here to make a statement on whether they should be mad or not. It's just that's what's really happening… And if people can afford it, the artist would rather see that upside than the guy that bought 20 front-row tickets and now he's selling them to all your biggest fans."

Asked if he sees the situation getting better or worse for touring bands in the future or if it's impossible to say, M. Shadows replied: "It's hard to say, because right now it just seems like it's on a complete runaway. It feels like, what brings us back in? Is it regulations on pricing? Is it bringing down inflation? And bringing down inflation is hard because then do you get people to bring their prices back down? And that goes for so many things in the economy and not just the bands. Because for the bands to bring their prices down, you're gonna have to have hotels go down, flights go down, gasoline go down, workforce go down. So, so many things have to happen for the band to get their costs down. Rental gear, lighting, staging, venue, rental… So many things have to happen for their costs to go down for that to happen. And maybe people just need to stop going to concerts, and then it resets everything.

"I really don't know what the solution is, but I do know with the runaway pricing, it's just gonna bring ticket prices up for the fans, which is just gonna supplement what the costs are already for the artists," he added. "And then the artists are gonna stop going on tour, which you've already seen. You already see artists put tickets on sale and they cancel. And that's kind of the biggest trick in music right now is throw out a crazy price, throw out a festival, and if it doesn't sell out within the first day or two, you cancel the festival, because that money coming in is what's paying for all the artists on the back end and being able to get that thing set up. It's better just to cut your losses right away. And we've been seeing that recently. And so that's kind of the M.O. of what people are doing. And the whole thing is just not healthy. And that's why, again, the best mindset has to be a completely different mindset of not getting in the weeds of all this and just kind of going where you wanna go. Am I gonna be happy going there? Do we wanna hit fans that have never seen us? Cool. Are we gonna make any money? No. But what are we gonna get from it? Well, we're gonna get in front of people that never got to see us, never thought they were gonnta get to see us, and hopefully that kind of spreads in the streaming world and it just plants a flag that maybe in five years we'll come back and maybe it'll be a little bigger. You've kind of just gotta think macro… And don't make yourself miserable. Don't go grind in Europe for six weeks, be away from your family, make no money, maybe lose money, and basically play the same places you played 25 years. You've just gotta change the mindset. You've gotta free yourself from that and just go, 'Well, we don't need that. I don't care. We're not doing that.'"

As previously reported, AVENGED SEVENFOLD will embark on a European tour in June 2025. The 12-date trek will consist of appearances at some of the continent's biggest rock festivals, including Norway's Tons Of Rock, Czech Republic's Rock For People and Greece's Release.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD launched the 2024 leg of the "Life Is But A Dream…" North American tour on March 6 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The band's 2024 run included AVENGED SEVENFOLD's first-ever performances in Manchester, New Hampshire; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Newark. The group performed in Des Moines, Iowa for the first time in 18 years; Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the first time in 15 years.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD has been touring in support of its latest album, "Life Is But A Dream…", which sold 36,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD made its first festival appearance in five years on May 19, 2023 at Welcome To Rockville at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's first concert since June 2018 took place on May 12, 2023 at AREA15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To date, AVENGED SEVENFOLD has sold over 10 million albums worldwide and earned two consecutive No. 1 albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart (2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King") to go along with over a billion video views and a billion-plus Spotify streams, as well as multiple No. 1 singles on rock radio.

KANSAS vocalist Ronnie Platt will undergo surgery for thyroid cancer in early March.

On Thursday (February 20),Platt took to social media to write: "I met with my doctor today and found out I have surgery scheduled for March 4. So far, the prognosis has been very good. I'm looking forward to getting this behind me and being back in the saddle as soon as possible. I appreciate the outpouring of support I've been receiving. Thank you."

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. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase.

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."

UPDATE - February 20, 2025

An updated statement from Ronnie Platt regarding his thyroid cancer diagnosis:
"I met with...

Posted by Kansas on Thursday, February 20, 2025

UK death metal titans, Cancer, return with news of their new album, Inverted World, coming April 25 via Peaceville.

For over 35 years, Cancer have been delivering some of the most brutal and uncompromising music in the genre. Now, they return with Inverted World, their highly anticipated follow-up to 2018’s Shadow Gripped. The album promises a return to their signature blend of serrated riffing, guttural vocals, and relentless aggression. Expect a dark and visceral journey into dystopia, corruption, and existential horror.

Cancer burst onto the UK extreme metal scene over 35 years ago, and quickly established a strong global following over the early part of their careers, primarily due to the release of the legendary debut, To The Gory End, swiftly followed by the equally revered Death Shall Rise album, which notably also featured death metal maestro James Murphy on lead guitars.

The band’s trajectory increased further with follow-up opus, The Sins Of Mankind, leading to a stint with major label EastWest under Warner Music. 2018 saw the band return after a long period of inactivity for comeback release and Peaceville debut, Shadow Gripped, which reunited the original core trio for the first time since 1995 for a stellar nod to the glory days of old; savage, thrash-tinged deathly odes to the macabre, gaining the approval of old fans and a new generation of death metal maniacs alike.

In a year which also marks the 35th anniversary of the genre-classic debut, To The Gory End, founding member and vocalist/guitarist/songwriter John Walker leads a now-revamped quartet for Cancer’s seventh full-length album in the form of Inverted World. A relentless attack of masterful song-writing and brutal hooks, Inverted World explores the dark and murky world of manipulation and barbarity both past and present, with themes relating to shadowy entities and cult mentalities, including the brainwashing of people into compliance and the weaponizing of religion. And as an extra treat for the band’s fanbase in particular, the track “Corrosive” also resurrects the old and familiar tale of the acid bath murderer.

Inverted World was recorded at The Empty Hall Studio with Simón Da Silva , and mixed by V. Santura (Triptykon, Obscura, Pestilence, Dark Fortress, etc.) at Woodshed Studio .

Inverted World will be released on limited purple vinyl, black vinyl, CD and digitally. Vinyl editions include printed inner sleeve featuring full lyrics, CD edition includes 12-page booklet with full lyrics.

Pre-order the new album here.



Tracklisting:

“Enter The Gates”
“Until The Died”
“Inverted World”
“Bodies”
“Test Site”
“Amputate”
“When Killing Isn’t Murder”
“Covert Operations”
“Jesus For Eugenics”
“Corrosive”

Witness Cancer live in Italy this weekend on the band’s pre-album mini-tour, featuring a special To The Gory End themed set.

During an appearance on the "Sound Up!" podcast with Mark Goodman and Alan Light, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley was asked if "a lot of the negativity" surrounding the band fades away when he reflects on KISS's 50-year run, particularly as it relates to former members. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't see a lot of negativity. People talk about the glass half empty or half full. I see it overflowing. I mean, I don't have any negative memories because everything that happens both happens for a reason and is part of the end result. So, if you're living with bitterness or anger, it means you haven't gotten past it. And I have nothing but good things to say about everybody who's been in the band. And we couldn't have made it without all of them. Everybody contributed something, and certainly Ace [Frehley, original KISS guitarist] and Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer], above everyone else, are the foundation of this. So, whatever spats there have been, or whatever bickering, I put it in perspective. If you win the lottery, you don't complain about taxes."

Back in March 2023, radio host Howard Stern asked Stanley why he and fellow original KISS member Gene Simmons didn't perform with Frehley and Criss at the band's 2014 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. Stanley said: "[The Rock Hall organizers] were demanding, quite honestly, that we play with the two original guys, Peter and Ace, and at this point, that would be demeaning to the [most recent KISS] band, and also would give some people confusion. 'Cause if you saw people on stage who looked like KISS but sounded like that, maybe we should be called PISS."

KISS played its two final shows ever in December 2023 at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

The last show, held on December 2, 2023, streamed live on pay-per-view.

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

Early last year, KISS sold its entire music catalog, likeness and brand name to Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment, which is behind "ABBA Voyage". A biopic, an avatar show, and a KISS-themed experience are already in the works, with Simmons and Stanley playing key roles in the development of all these projects, working closely with Pophouse.

Using cutting-edge technology, Pophouse Entertainment Group, which was founded by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus, will create digital versions of KISS. The project was previewed at the final KISS show.

In a new interview with Belgian Jasper, LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia was asked how she initially felt about being featured on the cover of the February 2006 issue of Revolver where she was also included in the magazine's "The Hottest Chicks In Metal" article. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The thing is that I never saw the malice in it. I always thought that it's actually a very powerful thing for a woman to be feminine. I love women power. I love to be empowered by who I am, and I don't want to hide myself because I'm a woman and if I show my legs that means I'm worth less. That's not my problem. So when I actually went on that cover of Revolver magazine, because I was the very first woman to to actually appear on that cover, for me, it was just the biggest honor because it was the first time that a magazine, an American magazine, would give a woman the pleasure of being on a cover. So for me, it was something that blew my mind back then."

Cristina continued: "I was just happy if more women could come on board of this women-fronted, the female-fronted band [movement], stuff like that, even if that's a definition that I never liked. Maybe because I was coming from a different world before LACUNA COIL — I was listening to a lot of dance and R&B music, so, for me, it was already normal to see women playing music and singing. It was nothing new. Metal was predominantly followed by guys because it was a more aggressive and heavy sound, but I never looked at myself as the different element or I am different or I'm worth less because I'm a woman. So it was never my personal problem. It is true that perception of people — you have to deal with it. You have to expect a reaction. Everything you do, everything you say, you have to expect a reaction. And I would never go over the line, showing myself, but that's because I don't want to do it. But I don't care about what other persons want to do, other women want to do with their body — it's up to them, and I'm not going to judge them, but for sure you have to prepare to a reaction as soon as you do something. It's discouraging that they only see the look of it, but I'm also sure that every woman included in those Revolver magazine 'Hottest Chicks In Metal' were talented as well. So at least we got attention back then. And I mean, it happened to ladies as well to look at a singer because he was hot or considered sexy a singer. So whatever. If you can use it as a tool to get attention and you're okay with it, as long as it's your decision, you can do whatever you want."

Two years ago, Cristina was asked as part of Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series if she believes that women are being taken more seriously in the metal scene than they were three decades ago when her band was first formed. She responded: "Do I feel that things changed? Absolutely, yes. When I started, there were not so many bands with a female in the lineup. Metal was still a no-no for females, because it was a very male-dominated scene. Which it still is, but of course there are many more bands with a female in the lineup, which makes me happy even though we are still seen differently. I don't think that it will ever happen that we are going to be seen equally, and partially it is okay like this because we're different. I think that we are sort of a different world.

"What I don't like about being a female in a male-dominated world is the fact that very often we are judged by our looks, which I get it; many guys get the same," she continued. "But for women, it's kind of like… Let's say for the guys, if they have the look, it's a plus. For women, if they have the look, it's a plus in terms of media attention; it's a plus in terms of — I don't know — people drooling with you; but it doesn't necessarily add up to the potential you already have. And that is a shame, because people should not be judged by their looks. I understand that the look is first thing that you see, but it will cool if it will be possible to go beyond that, especially in music, where the instrument you play, the voice you're pushing out of your body and the feelings you're trying to convey with your music are the most important things."

LACUNA COIL's latest album, "Sleepless Empire", was released on February 14, 2025 via Century Media Records.

Last October, Italian guitarist/producer Daniele Salomone confirmed that he has joined LACUNA COIL as the replacement for the band's longtime guitarist Diego Cavallotti.

Salomone made his live debut with LACUNA COIL on August 4, 2024 at the Rockstadt Extreme Fest in Râșnov, Romania.

In June 2024, LACUNA COIL announced Cavallotti's departure. Diego, who joined LACUNA COIL in 2016, initially as a fill-in guitarist following the exit of Marco "Maus" Biazzi, later said in a social media post that "this decision is not the result of my dissatisfaction or desire to explore new opportunities."

Cavallotti and Salomone played together in the Italian metal band INVERNO, which released its debut album, "Stasis", in December 2023.