Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and ex-FEAR FACTORY singer Burton C. Bell made their first-ever co-panelist appearances together on the latest Support Life And MusicSLAM Summit episode, hosted by Jack Mangan. The topic was musician infighting, a subject familiar to both of them, on the heels of highly public, contentious departures from their star-making marquee bands.

Reflecting on where things started to go downhill in MEGADETH, Ellefson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "The '90s were a good decade for me career-wise, but toward the end of the '90s, there was a lot of transitions, new managers coming in, divide and conquer. I literally had a manager sit in my living room one day and say, 'You know, Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist] is Bruce Springsteen; you guys [the rest of MEGADETH] are just the E STREET BAND.' And my wife was ready to throw a fucking frying pan at his head. It's, like, 'Get the fuck out of my house.' The guy who'd been there for, like, a year comes in and says that. And that really was the beginning of the divide and conquer of MEGADETH; it really was. That was a dividing moment that we never — we didn't survive it, and we never came back from it. And all it takes is sometimes an outside ear to come in and start chirping, an outside voice to come in and start chirping in the right ear. And sometimes those are unsurvivable equations that are hard to come back from. And that was on the [controversial] 'Risk' album. So there it is. That was as we were going into the 'Risk' album. So this isn't a feeling; this is a fact of what happened from that leadership regime."

David also discussed ways for musicians to deal with "abusive" behavior in bands, saying: "Well, look, I think when you walk into any room, any situation, if you're honest with yourself, you know what you're walking into. If your bullshit detectors are up, you know, like, 'Yeah, this could be a problem.' 'Oh, that was an off-color comment.' 'Hmm, I saw something go down that I don't think was so cool.' And we can sweep it under the rug, we can pretend, 'Well, maybe it didn't happen.' Or 'maybe this will get better over time.' I'm here to tell you it won't. So if it looks like a duck, it walks like a duck, it talks like a duck, I promise you it's a duck. So, if you see that happening early on… because our personalities, especially by the time we're starting musical ventures and artistic ventures… Let's assume we're adults. We've been on the planet for a few years, and who we are generally tends to come out. And these personality types, whether you're reserved, passive aggressive, super aggressive, abusive, whatever it may be, if you see the very tip of that iceberg, just assume that there's an iceberg down below the surface. And I think, look, how do you deal with it? Well, look, in a past band, we had a drug and alcohol counselor come in to help us to learn how to talk to each other as we were getting sober. METALLICA made a movie about this stuff. I know another pretty famous band that they do check-ins 30 minutes before they go on stage. They check in what's going on in their personal lives, their professional lives, 'Is there anything we need to work on on the show? And then they come off stage and they sort of debrief. So there's sort of like a briefing before you go on stage to go into the mission, and then there's a debriefing after the mission. And these are healthy groups. Because what we realize — things don't stay the same. People are allowed to change, they're allowed to grow, and I think that's one of the hardest things when you're in a career group, for instance, is we change. People grow up, they change their lifestyle, maybe they get married, they have children. Now you're on the road. We're growing as people too. So, it isn't like we just walk into it and this is who we are forever. There's a lot of changes that happen, and the more we can support each other and be supportive to each other, I have found the better chances of success. Again, as much as my past group had a very publicly kind of tumultuous reputation. I will say we also took the time — especially during the '90s — where we really took the time to try to heal each other and give each other the space, whether it was sobriety, whether it was things at home that we were dealing with. We took the time to really be supportive for each other, and I think that's why we had such a great career during that decade."

Ellefson went on to say that most people's personalities are set early in their lives, making it even more important for musicians within a band to communicate with each other openly about business matters.

"We are who we are," David explained. "Add fame, add money, add all those things, while those are not necessarily evil in and of themselves, those things put into someone who — and it's happened to me too. In my early years, drugs and alcohol and success and all this sort of stuff, at a time in our business when this stuff was kind of celebrated… As they said, if you remember the '80s, you weren't there. So, there was a lot of that. There's another thing too, and that's the creative side, which is who is sort of the creative force of the group? Is it the whole group? Does the band get in a room together and write? Does one or two people do — are they sort of the creative force? I read Geddy Lee's book and he talks about how early on [the members of RUSH] just decided, I think it was by album two or three, they just decided, 'Let's just split everything equal. No matter who wrote it, let's split it equal.' And that just took that money discussion off the table. And I've been in groups like that, where that always works the best. Now look, it always works the best on the first album, 'cause everybody's trying to bring it together. And then sometimes by albums two and three, you go, 'I'm doing more work than him,' or somebody says, 'I'm doing more work than you,' these kind of things. So money is a hot-button topic in a creative world. So all of a sudden money comes in, some publishing, songwriting… And certainly if someone, maybe their role isn't the writer and someone else has this talent to write, it's by that person's talent that all of it is happening, that suddenly the band is rising, the merchandise is selling, you're performing to more people, the records are selling. So I think having those discussions upfront about, 'Hey, how are we splitting the money here?' It's an uncomfortable conversation. I think it's for sure an important one. When the check shows up, that's not the time to be talking about how we're splitting the money. As soon as you make a dollar, you're in the music business, 'cause your commerce has changed hands. So have that discussion before the money shows up, because I'm telling you, in that discussion, you will be able to tell very clearly who is gonna behave in a certain way, whether it's ten dollars that showed up or ten million that showed up. They will behave the same, because it's all about their behavior at that time. And even how you behave, because you can't control always what other people are gonna do. How do I look at that? What is that in my life? So I think that's an important discussion to have right upfront as well."

Ellefson was originally in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, when the group briefly broke up because MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine suffered severe nerve damage that left him unable to play.

Mustaine reformed MEGADETH 21 years ago. Originally setting out to record a solo album, Mustaine enlisted studio musicians to play on what ultimately became MEGADETH's 2004 "The System Has Failed" comeback album, subsequently recruiting former ICED EARTH bassist James MacDonough to take Ellefson's place for the album's touring cycle.

Ellefson sued Mustaine in 2004 for $18.5 million, alleging that the MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist still owed him substantial merchandise and publishing royalties. In January 2005, the case was dismissed in court, and five years later, Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH.

In his first book, Ellefson admitted that he became a salaried employee upon his return to MEGADETH 15 years ago. He told Metal-Rules.com in an interview: "Going from being a co-founding owner to just a sideman musician was initially why I didn't come back in 2004. I was not happy with the participations that were presented to me. In recent times, coming back, I found great joy in doing music with a lot of other people in other settings that helped me fall back in love with playing music. Now I can come back into or go into musical situations and be able to be there for a purpose and level of pay. Being a sideman absolves you from being involved in all the other stuff. At this point in my life, I would rather leave that stuff on the sidelines. Like American Express says, 'membership has its privileges,' being a sideman has its benefits. In my case, it helps retain a friendship too. In order to have a friendship, I had to give up some ownership."

In his 2004 lawsuit against Mustaine, Ellefson claimed that he "attempted to resolve his differences with Mustaine on an amicable basis and offered to continue to perform with [MEGADETH]." However, his "offers were met with verbal abuse, threats, lies and continued invective from Mustaine." Ellefson also said that Mustaine — a veteran of at least 17 drug rehab stints, according to the bassist — resented Ellefson, a former drug addict, for having kicked his own habit. According to Ellefson's court papers, the battle of the band spread to the Internet when Mustaine posted on Megadeth.com that Ellefson was trying to extort him.

Mustaine gave his version of why the 2004 reunion with Ellefson didn't pan out in a message posted on the MEGADETH web site. In lengthy essay, Mustaine claimed that Ellefson missed several deadlines to accept his offer, which included 20% of the artist royalties on "The System Has Failed", none of the publishing royalties and a $2,500-a-week salary while the band was on the road.

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH nearly four years ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

Photo credit: Maciej Pieloch (courtesy of Napalm Records)

In a new interview with Nick Bowcott of Sweetwater, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King spoke about how he chose the musicians for his eponymously named solo band. Joining the 60-year-old musician in the group are drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER),bassist Kyle Sanders (HELLYEAH),guitarist Phil Demmel (formerly of MACHINE HEAD) and vocalist Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL). He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wanted, first and foremost, it to be a friend of mine, in my age group. I don't have anything against people like… I don't even have an example, 'cause I don't pay attention that much, but somebody my age getting in a band with somebody 25. I've got nothing against it; I just didn't wanna do that. I wanted us to look like a cohesive group of people. And first and foremost, it was a friendship. No divas, no drama backstage. We get done playing, and if somebody messes up, we'll all make fun of 'em. [Laughs] It's a good environment, man. I'm having a fucking blast."

Regarding what advice he would give to young musicians who would like to follow in his footsteps, Kerry said: "Well, after being decades in the same band, and it became work, it becomes a business. You're not the same person you were when you were 20. People grow up, they grow different. Now that I've been able to do this, the importance of playing with your friends and being in a fun environment is more important than I gave it credit for. Of course, practice, get good people, but at the end of the day, get people you dig being around and who like the same music, because if you don't like the same music, that's gonna be a problem down the line. [Laughs] But, yeah, for me, my number one thing I talk about in interviews is I've got my friends [playing in my band]. And they all happen to be good. [Laughs]"

King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", came out in May 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music. All material for the LP was written by the SLAYER guitarist. The LP was recorded in 2023 at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles with producer Josh Wilbur, who had previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.

Last month, Kerry told Igor Miranda of Rolling Stone Brasil about his plans for a sophomore solo album: "I made up two songs since I've been home from this U.S. run [in late February]. So we keep working on stuff. We haven't played together yet, but we have stuff to work on when we get together.

"What the plan is, is whenever [the] cycle [for 'From Hell I Rise'] is done, and right now that looks to me like October, Paul and I have always talked about going straight from playing live, taking maybe a week off and go right in the studio to keep your tour chops, so you're firing on all cylinders — you don't gotta practice to get good; you're already good — and get in there and record it. So, ideally, in my perfect world, it would be done this year and then just hand it to the record company and say, 'Put it in line, whenever you want it to come out.'"

Asked if he would like to "maybe explore some different influences, like going a little more into punk rock" on the next album, Kerry said: "I don't know. I think punk was pretty well covered on ['From Hell I Rise'], from 'Everything I Hate About You' to 'Two Fists', two very different punk styles. So it wouldn't surprise me if that shows up 'cause it's part of my history. And I think, overall, my thought would be just make an extension from what 'From Hell I Rise' is, just keep doing [things the same way], see what the next 10 or 12 [songs] sound like."

King kicked off his first-ever headlining tour on January 15 at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California. The trek, which featured MUNICIPAL WASTE as special guest and ALIEN WEAPONRY supporting, wrapped at House of Blues in Las Vegas on February 22.

King authored all the lyrics on "From Hell I Rise", mainly for logistical reasons. "I finished everything before Mark knew he had the gig," he explained. "But that's not to say he will or won't write on record two." Circumstances dictated that King sing on all "From Hell I Rise" demos. "I did scratch vocals on everything," King said, adding, "I'm not a singer. I'm a guitar player. I've got conviction when I sing, but I have no range, and I need some distortion to help me out a little bit. There was always, 'I got this if whatever we're looking for doesn't work.' Luckily, we didn't have to go that route."

Last year, Kerry said that he knew people would compare "From Hell I Rise" to SLAYER. "I'm not afraid of that because I think it stands up to anything we've done in our history, musically, performance-wise," he said. But he was quick to add: "There will be people complaining, 'Why does it sound like SLAYER?' And 'why doesn't it sound more like SLAYER? That's just what people do."

In early May 2024, the KERRY KING band performed its first live show at Reggies in Chicago. In the days following, the band went from playing an intimate venue to performing at the huge U.S. festivals Welcome To Rockville (Florida) and Sonic Temple (Ohio).

KERRY KING launched a European tour on June 3, 2024 — King's 60th birthday – in Tilburg, The Netherlands. The trek combined headline shows in the U.K., The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Spain but also festival appearances such as Rock Am Ring, Hellfest, Tuska, Download, Sweden Rock Festival and many more.

The SLAYER guitarist's solo band played its first concert as the support act for LAMB OF GOD and MASTODON on July 19, 2024 at the Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas. The six-week "Ashes Of Leviathan" tour wrapped on August 31, 2024 in Omaha, Nebraska.

Photo credit: Andrew Stuart

KISS's Paul Stanley has praised David Lee Roth's return to the live stage, saying he "loved" the "whole thing".

The legendary VAN HALEN frontman played his first full concert in more than five years Saturday night (May 3) at the 2025 edition of the M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. His 75-minute set consisted of classics by VAN HALEN, in which he was accompanied by a band that included guitarist Al Estrada and four backing vocalists.

The following day, Stanley took to his X account to write: "I watched Diamond Dave's return at M3 Festival and LOVED IT! Looks Great. Great staging. Great band. Great vibe. The whole thing was cool. Back-up posse too. Check it all out on YouTube. Welcome Back Dave!! @DavidLeeRoth".

The 70-year-old Roth opened the M3 concert with "Panama" and went on to play "You Really Got Me", "Dance The Night Away", "Runnin' With The Devil", "Jamie's Cryin'", "Hot For Teacher" and other VAN HALEN classics before closing with "Jump".

At one point during the show, Roth joked onstage that his M3 performance marked "the end of my first retirement" — a reference to his announcement in late 2021 that he was calling it quits. "How many retirements did Rocky have? Nine?" Roth added.

Prior to M3, Roth's most recent performance was a private corporate gig for Home Depot in 2023.

David performed as the opening act for the February/March 2020 North American leg of KISS's farewell tour, but did not make any appearances on the rescheduled KISS shows which kicked off in August 2021 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons explained Roth's absence from the trek by telling Rolling Stone at the time: "[Roth] took being a frontman way beyond anything. And then, I don't know what happened to him … something. And you get modern-day Dave. I prefer to remember Elvis Presley in his prime. Sneering lips, back in Memphis, you know, doing all that. I don't want to think of bloated naked Elvis on the bathroom floor."

Apparently irked at Gene's comments, Dave took to Instagram to share an image of a young boy wearing shades and extending the middle finger to the camera along with the words "Roth to Simmons:" Dave posted the image 18 times.

Simmons later clarified his original statement, telling US Weekly that his words were misconstrued.

"I am so sorry and ashamed, actually, that I hurt David's feelings," Gene said. "I'm the guy, actually, that saw [VAN HALEN] at a club [in the 1970s], signed them to my production company, flew them to New York, produced their first 24-track 15-song demo and championed the band. And, actually, we took David out as our opening act on the [KISS 'End Of The Road'] tour. And in the course of an interview… You hear me talking — I just sort of stream of consciousness… I don't mean to hurt people's feelings, and every once in a while, diarrhea of the mouth comes out."

He continued: "I read that quote, and somehow the way they put it together… I think I said something like, 'Nobody touched David in his prime — not Robert Plant, not Jagger, not anybody… He was the king.' And then somehow there was a segue to Elvis bloated on the ground and fat and naked and I don't wanna see that. I wasn't talking about David, but that doesn't matter. What matters is I hurt David's feelings, and that's more important than the intent. So I sincerely apologize for that. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. It reminds me of the guy that gets out of a truck and says, 'Hey, I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to run you over.' Well, what the fuck's the difference? You've been run over."

Asked if he thought the reason Roth felt so slighted by his comments was the fact that he respected Gene and valued his opinion, Simmons responded: "I don't know. Nah. I don't think anybody gives two shits about what I think, and that's the way it should be — treat everybody sort of on an equal plane. This is gonna get me in trouble too — even the Pope poops every day. You know, this kind of the humanity of it all. I'm not better than you; you're not better than me. And feelings — that includes the Pope, who's a good guy and everything — feelings are human. And anybody can hurt your feelings. I mean, you can be the king of anything, and a kid can come over and say, 'Eh, you stink,' in front of everybody else, and it can hurt your feeelings.

"So, for that I'm really sorry about. I never meant to hurt his feelings. But in the way the words came out, yeah, I could see where that was the impression. Not my intention."

In a January 2020 interview with Eric Blair of "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show", Stanley was asked what the best part was of having Roth opening for KISS. Stanley said: "Well, Dave's got so many great songs. All the VAN HALEN catalog is terrific, and that's what he's doing. So, people get to hear all those great songs, and it was something that really appealed to us."

Simmons has repeatedly taken credit for "discovering" VAN HALEN and flying the band to New York to record a 15-song demo at Electric Lady Studios, with Gene at the production helm. But he ended up not working with the group after his KISS bandmates and manager, Bill Aucoin, expressed little interest in his demos. "I gave the demo back to the band, told them I had a tour to go on and afterward I would try to get them a record deal, but until then, I tore up our contract and set them free," he said. "It didn't take them long to get on Warner Bros."

Earlier this week, Roth announced nearly two dozen summer 2025 solo tour dates. The 21-date trek is scheduled to launch on July 22 in Paso Robles, California and conclude on September 14 in Napa.

Roth originally left VAN HALEN to pursue a solo career following the success of the band's album "1984", but he returned for a stint in 1996 and then took over as VAN HALEN's frontman again from 2007 until 2020, although the band had not toured since 2015.

In recent months, Roth has been releasing solo versions of several VAN HALEN classics, including "Jump", "Unchained", "Everybody Wants Some!!", "You Really Got Me", "Dance The Night Away", "Panama" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". The tracks were laid down on May 3, 2022 during a session at Henson Recording Studio in Hollywood, California. Joining Roth in the studio were Al Estrada on guitar, Ryan Wheeler on bass and Francis Valentino on drums. A total of 14 songs were recorded in two hours. The music and the vocals were tracked live with "no samples" and without the pitch-correction technology Auto-Tune.

In January 2022, Roth canceled the remaining farewell shows he was set to play in Las Vegas after he vowed to retire from performing live.

In a statement, event organizers said the cancelations were made "due to unforeseen circumstances related to COVID and out of an abundance of caution for those working and attending the shows."
I watched Diamond Dave’s return at M3 Festival and LOVED IT! Looks Great. Great staging. Great band. Great vibe. The whole thing was cool. Back-up posse too. Check it all out on YouTube. Welcome Back Dave!! @DavidLeeRothpic.twitter.com/74mK1KV4jc

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) May 4, 2025

In a new interview with the Columbus, Ohio radio station 99.7 The Blitz, FILTER frontman Richard Patrick spoke about how the music industry has changed in the 32 years since the band's formation. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Streaming has taken a massive, massive toll on our industry. [FILTER's debut album, 1995's] 'Short Bus' was written and recorded and we made the record for, like, three or four hundred thousand dollars. Now we make records for 20 grand, 40 grand. We are streamlined. Everyone has their own computer, a studio system with preamps and compressors and stuff like that, but they're all in our bedrooms. So I'll send the song to Jonny Radtke [FILTER guitarist] to have him do overdubs or Bobby Miller [FILTER bassist] to have him play bass. And then I'll take the song, as it is when it's completed, to a studio with my drummer, and we'll record eight songs in a day drum-wise in Stag Street [a studio in Burbank, California]. And that usually, just that right there was, like, 50 grand to do drums back in '95. So we've had to learn how to save money, be thrifty. And that's the difference."

Richard continued: "And other things, like movie soundtracks. We made so many movie soundtracks back in the '90s — 'Demon Knight', 'The Crow: [City Of Angels]', [the song] 'Jurassitol', we did 'Trip Like I Do' with THE CRYSTAL METHOD for the 'Spawn' soundtrack. And those paid a lot of money, so those made a lot of bills go away. But now there's no soundtracks anymore. It's not like the old days.

"Everyone's, like, 'What's the difference between now and then?' It's really the business — the business has completely changed," Patrick explained. He went on to say that because recording technology has evolved so much, "a lot of really great people are not being paid what they deserve — engineers. I've had to learn how to become an engineer," he said. "I'm recording myself in front of my computer, in my studio, and I have a big microphone and a bunch of preamps and stuff like that. And I sit there and record it, and I'm the only one there. There used to be like a guy behind the glass, someone running a tape machine. It was a big operation. And hats off to the next gen, like Billie Eilish, her and her brother Finneas with a laptop making amazing music. Same with Rezz. She's amazing. I love her. So it's all good. It's just different. But creatively, it's awesome to be in this world with technology being so freeing."

Last month, Richard told Kevin McKay of Florida's 99Rock WKSM radio station that he is currently working on the follow-up to FILTER's 2023 album "The Algorithm", tentatively titled "The Antidote".

Patrick recently wrote a song called "The Gunslingers Of Redemption" and composed all the music for writer-director Brian Skiba's just-released western "Gunslingers".

Richard had previously composed soundtracks for several films, including "Dark Crimes" (2016) and "Last Rampage" (2017). He also contributed to the soundtrack for "The Last Rampage" with his brother, Robert Patrick. In addition, he has composed music for TV series like "Comedy Kitchen".

"The Algorithm" came out in August 2023 via Golden Robot Records.

Originally conceived in 2018 as a collaboration between Patrick and fellow FILTER founding member Brian Liesegang, "The Algorithm" was given a tentative title, "ReBus", as a nod to FILTER's 1995 debut, "Short Bus", before being changed to "They Got Us Right Where They Want Us, At Each Other's Throats" and later to "Murica" and then back to "They Got Us Right Where They Want Us, At Each Other's Throats" and eventually "The Algorithm".

Photo credit: Chapman Baehler

California thrash metal pioneers DARK ANGEL performed as a four-piece at the Bangers Open Air festival in São Paulo, Brazil on May 3 after an alleged airline mishap forced guitarist Eric Meyer to miss the show. Speaking to The Adventures Of Pipeman about the circumstances that led to Eric not being to make the gig, DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That show in São Paulo was very notable for the fact that our guitarist, Eric Meyer, he missed his first flight and they canceled every other flight after that. So we had to play the show as a four-piece. And our guitarist, Laura Christine [Hoglan's wife], boy, she stepped up."

He continued: "We found out in rehearsal [that Eric was probably not going to make the show], 'cause we were at rehearsal in São Paulo. We had one day to rehearse, 'cause I was coming directly from Europe, straight down there. And so we had one night of rehearsal. We're finding out at the time. We got the text thread going, and Eric's, like, 'I ain't gonna make this flight.' He had already missed the flight the night before, and the next flight is in the process of getting canceled. Both Laura and I are pretty seasoned travelers, so she was the one that's saying, 'Hey, when they're delaying this flight, when they just pushed it back and then pushed it back again,' she's, like, 'Hey, they're gonna cancel that flight. Get on it, tour manager.' We tried our best to get Eric — they tried every single thing they could, and it just turned out Eric was not gonna be able to make it. And so right then and there, right at rehearsal, she kind of put everything on her shoulders and said, 'Look, okay.' She just kind of figured out all Eric's parts on the fly. Songs where he does the intro, okay, well, she's doing it now. She's just working it all out as we're going."

According to Hoglan," the show was so crushing, it was so amazing. You can see the YouTubes, you can see just all the elements of the show," he said. "It was so tight, so killer, so crushing. It was never gonna be a disaster. It could have been a little thin, missing two guitars. Our soundman, A.K., one of the best in the business, if not the best metal soundman in the business, he made us sound crushing. Laura did great, Ron [Rinehart, DARK ANGEL singer] did great, Gonz [DARK ANGEL bassist Mike Gonzalez] did great, I did whatever it is I do, and the show came out fantastic. Such a great challenge to, 'Okay, we've gotta be a four-piece. We've done that before 30-something years ago, but we'll try it again and we'll see how it works.' And we got a different element of that fourth piece. So it all worked out great. That was incredible. That was a really exciting show. Check it out on YouTube. It turned out really good."

The day after the São Paulo show, Eric took to his Facebook page to write: "All of our LEGIONS OF DARKNESS in BRAZIL!! THANK YOU for giving DARK ANGEL such a warm welcome!!! As you may have heard, the airlines completely FUCKED ME on this one."

He added: "I was truly gutted that I wasn't there. This was the FIRST time I've not played a show with [DARK ANGEL]. And, it REALLY HURT. I am looking forward to seeing ALL THE BRAZILIAN METAL FANS NEXT TIME!!!!"

Last month, DARK ANGEL released "Extinction Level Event", the title track of the band's first new album in 34 years, which is due later in 2025 via Reversed Records. The LP was recorded and mixed at the Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, executive produced by Hoglan, produced and engineered by Rob Shallcross and mixed by Mike Fraser.

The "Extinction Level Event" title track was written by guitarist Jim Durkin a decade ago, long before he suffered from severe liver disease, and, to the surprise of everyone, passed away in 2023.

"Jim Durkin left us with this badass tune," Hoglan said in a press release in April. "It is so DARK ANGEL and I'm just so excited about it. We made it the lead-off song on the record, not as a tribute to Jim or because of sentimental reasons — like, 'Here is the song that Jim left us' — but because it's just a totally killer song. He wrote it ten years ago, and by today's standards it's still ball-crushing."

The "Extinction Level Event" artwork and layout was designed by Cain Gillis, with concepts by Hoglan.

Earlier in April, Hoglan told the "Everblack" podcast about "Extinction Level Event": "It's a pretty ferocious record. I'm stoked with it. It took long enough for it to come out, but now that we're getting closer to the release, things are starting to get closer to finalized with it."

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

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

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

In a new interview with J.J. Caithcart of Different Stages Radio, singer Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW, MSG) spoke about the status of the sophomore album from ELEGANT WEAPONS, the band led by JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When I joined the band, the [first] album was recorded already. They had a different singer, so the songs were there. I just needed to listen to the songs and the previous singer and then try to record on my own way, but [there was] still a lack of personality of my voice in that way. But this time we were working together with [producer] Andy Sneap and with Richie Faulkner, the three of us, working on the lyrics, working on the vocal lines, working on the harmonies, working all together. We spent a lot of time in the studio together doing all this work, the vocal production."

Regarding the musical direction of the new ELEGANT WEAPONS material, Ronnie said: "It is an evolution of the band. We have this stable lineup with Christopher Williams from ACCEPT and Dave Rimmer from URIAH HEEP. They recorded the album already also. So, it is more ELEGANT WEAPONS than the first one, I would say. The songs are great. There is a few great songs that — I was talking with Richie yesterday and I said, 'Every day I like a different one.' It's, like, today I like this one very much, and then I listen to the album again and now I like this other one because it's a different thing. But, yeah, I think it's a great album. And it's gonna sound like an evolution of the band, for sure."

Asked if there is "a target" release date for the second ELEGANT WEAPONS album, Ronnie said: "Not really. I just finished the vocals, like, two weeks ago, and since the guys [Richie and Andy] are doing the JUDAS PRIEST tour now, I guess they'll come back from the tour and they stop for a little bit. They're gonna finish the production and then we will see."

Last month, Faulkner told Igor Miranda of Brazil's Rolling Stone magazine about the status of ELEGANT WEAPONS: "We are almost finished recording the second record. We were recording vocals a couple of weeks ago. So it's nearly finished. We don't know when it's gonna be released because, obviously, we've got commitments with PRIEST and other bands. But it's great. Obviously, it's me, Ronnie Romero, and it's like an evolution, the second time around, because the band is solidified. It's Christopher Williams on drums, Davey Rimmer on bass and Ronnie and myself. So it feels like an evolution of the band. So we're excited to get it finished and get it out to you guys. But it's almost done. So, watch this space."

Last October, Faulkner told Clint Switzer of On The Road To Rock about ELEGANT WEAPONS:  "Ronnie's fantastic. Again, he's one of those guys, he's not only a singer, he's a frontman. He fronts the band. There's a lot of people I know, they've got great voices, but it takes a frontman or frontwoman, front person to do that job. So Ronnie's definitely got that.

"We did some dates [in 2023] in Europe, which was fantastic," he continued. "We did some dates with PANTERA, which was nuts. You can imagine opening up for them."

Richie went on to say that he never intended ELEGANT WEAPONS to just be a one-album project. "That's what it was about, really. It wasn't about the one record recorded during COVID; it was about a band that goes on," he explained. "We've all got our different things, obviously — PRIEST, ACCEPT, Ronnie's got his stuff — but we wanted it to be a proper band with multiple records doing live dates, which we've done. But it's just, obviously, when PRIEST are out, ACCEPT are out, URIAH HEEP are out at the moment as well, when we find a window in between for that, then we'll look at releasing the second record. So, that's an exciting thing to think about, too."

In 2023, Richie told Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global that he plans on focusing on ELEGANT WEAPONS full-time once PRIEST has officially called it a day.

"PRIEST music is gonna be around a lot longer than we are," he said. "It's legendary music. They're genre-defining musicians and it's a genre-defining band. It will be around for a long time. But none of us gets out of this alive. That's just the reality of it. So if one day that call comes in and that's the last tour or the last album, whatever it is… I mean, I joined the band on what was the farewell tour. Luckily it wasn't, and we're still here 12 years later. [It's] fantastic. But at the time, I think I would have been silly not to consider what I was gonna do after the band, because of the circumstances of the tour. It was a farewell tour — it was [supposed to be] the last tour — so what am I gonna do after? So it's always been in the back of my mind. And this is a band that seems natural to me to continue with if that call ever came in."

ELEGANT WEAPONS made its first two festival appearances in June 2023 at Hellfest in Clisson, France and at Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium.

ELEGANT WEAPONS' debut album, "Horns For A Halo", was released in May 2023 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was recorded with bassist Rex Brown (PANTERA, DOWN) and drummer Scott Travis (JUDAS PRIEST) and was helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, EXODUS and MEGADETH, among many others.

ELEGANT WEAPONS played additional shows in Europe through July 2023. The trek included performances with PANTERA, festival appearances and headlining shows.

Maryland rockers CLUTCH have reteamed with Grammy-winning producer Gene "Machine" Freeman (LAMB OF GOD, KYNG) for the recording sessions for their next studio album, tentatively due in early 2026. Freeman previously worked with CLUTCH on 2004's "Blast Tyrant", 2013's "Earth Rocker" and 2015's "Psychic Warfare" LPs.

In a new interview with That Fuzzing Rock Show, CLUTCH frontman Neil Fallon revealed that he and his bandmates are "currently working on the next record… Actually, we're gonna start our very first pre-production week this coming Monday with Machine," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

Fallon went on to say that CLUTCH might "play a new song or two" on its upcoming June 2025 tour, "because it's always best to practice them in front of a live studio audience because that's a much more demanding proving ground than the studio…

"There's something to be said about things that you could do in a studio that are fun and irreplicable live to some degree, but it's easy to paint yourself into a corner," Neil explained. "And then you can't do that unless you're bringing 80 other people on tour with you, and we don't wanna do that. So, we'll see. I'm excited to play some of these songs."

Two months ago, Neil told the Mark And Me podcast about the progress of the songwriting sessions for CLUTCH's follow-up to the "Sunrise On Slaughter Beach" album, which was released in September 2022: "Yeah, we're writing now. It's taken longer than I think we would've liked to have, but to be honest, we toured a lot in the past three years, like really grounded down. When you come home from tour, you don't wanna turn around the next day and say, 'Let's get together and write a song.' Gotta take a bit of a break. And we took off maybe four weeks and then got back together. And we get together maybe once, twice a week for four or five hours. But again, it's, like you gotta write a lot of garbage to get to the good stuff. And it seems the less premeditated it is, those are the songs that end up as part of the canon, almost the accidental songs. Those are the ones that seem to be the best."

This past March, CLUTCH announced the second leg of the "Full Ahead Flank MMXXV" North American tour. Support on the trek, which will launch on July 30 in Little Rock, Arkansas, will come from BLACKTOP MOJO and THE INSPECTOR CLUZO.

The first leg of "Full Ahead Flank MMXXV" will take place in June, with special guests TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN and Nate Bergman.

CLUTCH has been writing new music on and off around its touring commitments, preparing for what will be the band's fourteenth studio LP. Although CLUTCH previously announced it was working with producer Tom Dalgety once again, those plans appear to now have been abandoned.

Fans keen for the latest tidbits should sign up to CLUTCH's newsletter, News From The Doom Saloon, via their official web site. Its recent instalment exclusively revealed two working titles for new songs: "Church Of The Mountain Wolf" and "Wild Kingdom".

CLUTCH shares more in common with THE GRATEFUL DEAD, RUSH and THE ALLMAN BROTHERS than their heavy riffs and heady twists-of-phrase might suggest. Because like those bands, the supporters who adore CLUTCH are there for the experience, community, and authentic connection. To love CLUTCH is to feel a sense of ownership, membership, and belonging.

Seneca Valley High School classmates Neil Fallon (vocals),Tim Sult (guitar),Dan Maines (bass) and Jean-Paul Gaster (drums) share an unshakeable musical and personal bond now three decades strong. Shaped by the same region which birthed BAD BRAINS, MINOR THREAT and RITES OF SPRING, CLUTCH crafts hyper-literate and libertine jams informed by hardcore fury and fuzzy, athletic, stoner rock.

Live shows over the years include tours with SLAYER and SYSTEM OF A DOWN and more recent co-headlining treks with DROPKICK MURPHYS, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and MASTODON. Like SLAYER or IRON MAIDEN, CLUTCH outlasted rock bands anchored to "hit songs" and the pressure of replicating them. The foursome from Germantown, Maryland, isn't bound by trends. Across thirteen studio albums and assorted releases since 1991, they've earned a reputation as one of the best around.

On a new episode of the "Talk Louder" podcast, hosted by veteran music journalist "Metal Dave" Glessner and lifelong hard rock/metal vocalist Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS),L.A. GUNS guitarist Tracii Guns expressed his appreciation and respect for METALLICA frontman James Hetfield. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I think James Hetfield has ended up being the bravest man in rock. Because I've known James, musically and personally, from a distance, but when we see each other, it's, like, 'Whoa, what's up, bro?' We're not good friends, but we respect each other. And they came to the very first L.A. GUNS release party here. Those guys have been around L.A. GUNS. And I always liked METALLICA.

"We had a weird exchange once in New York when [L.A. GUNS' 1989 album] 'Cocked & Loaded' was coming out and [METALLICA's] 'Black Album' was coming out [in 1991]," he continued. "Somehow we ended up alone at the Scrap Bar in New York. It was like a Tuesday night and there was nothing else to do. We were both there doing press; he was doing press for his album. And I came in, and he was the only person in there, and the bartender. So I went, 'Hey, man.' He goes, 'Tracii Guns.' And right away I knew he was wasted. I knew he was gone. I knew he was off his tree. And I go, 'I have a cassette of your new album.' He's, like, 'You don't like METALLICA.' I go, 'Yeah, I do. This is a fucking great record.' He goes, 'Well, I got the CONTRABAND record [early 1990s supergroup featuring Guns]. He goes, 'Fucking great playing, but those songs are shit, bro.' I'm, like, 'Yeah. Cool, man. Whatever.' And he just started getting kind of amped up, and I'm, like, 'I'm gonna talk to you later.' 'Where are you going?' 'I'm not gonna sit here and just listen to you be mad at me.' He goes, 'I'm not mad at you.' 'You sure sound like you're mad at me.' He goes, 'Whatever.' He was just drunk. I left. So, years go by. I'd see him every now and then. I saw him at Download festival when Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] didn't show up, and we talked for a few minutes, and I saw Kirk [Hammett, METALLICA guitarist]. And there's always been this cool kind of vibe between me and those guys. But then I saw that he opened up his heart in public. And he started talking about the demons that he has dealt with and how long. You go play stadiums and you go to the grocery store in your neighborhood. So it's a big shift. And how he used to deal with things."

Elaborating on what impressed him about the way Hetfield confronted his issues, Guns said: "It is very difficult for a man to talk about those things with his friends, let alone talk about that sincerely in public, especially being the singer of fucking METALLICA. So I have even more respect for James now than ever. I just think he's so bold and so brave. And although I think it's a shame what happened to his relationship, relationships don't last forever. But I really gotta give him massive kudos, man. Just, like, way to go, dude. And that healing process. A lot of people are, like, 'Oh, he's a millionaire. Who feels sorry for a millionaire?' It's, like, dude, what does that got to do with…? Money doesn't solve everything internally… And he got sober. That's tough. That's hard shit to do, man. And on top of it, he wrote all that great music and those songs. I don't say this very often, but God bless that fucking dude. What a badass."

Back in November 2021, Tracii was asked by the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire" to pick a METALLICA song so that it could be played on the show after the interview. Tracii said: "Oh, man. 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' is always the one, but let's just do 'Whiplash'. It just doesn't get any gnarlier. There's something about that song. It's so young. Unbelievable… It has this thing… It's what I like about the early L.A. GUNS and even some of the newer stuff, is that incorporation of… When the metal hits a certain tempo, and it's not necessarily the speed of the tempo, it's the way the tempo is played, it's mistaken for kind of a punk edge. And I think MAIDEN had it too on the early records. And I always loved that song more than other METALLICA songs, 'Whiplash'."

L.A. GUNS' latest album, "Leopard Skin", was released on April 4. It marked the first fruit of L.A. GUNS' reunion with Cleopatra Records, a label known for its diverse roster and innovative approach to music production.

Not only is "Leopard Skin" hot on the heels of 2023's "Black Diamonds" album, but is also L.A. GUNS' fifth studio effort in seven years, since the core team of Guns and singer Phil Lewis reunited in 2017.

In a new interview with Mexico's Summa Inferno, LAMB OF GOD's Mark Morton spoke about his decision to open up about some of the most personal details of his life while putting together his memoir, "Desolation: A Heavy Metal Memoir", which came out in June 2024 via Hachette Books. Co-written with Ben Opipari, the book explored both Mark's life in music and his tumultuous path through addiction and into recovery. The guitarist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think I just made a decision. Once I decided to write that book, I really didn't look over my shoulder much at all. I think the challenge was deciding to do it, and then once I flipped that switch and said, 'Okay, I'm gonna write this book and tell this story,' I just told the story.

"I'm not really ashamed or embarrassed of anything," Morton added. "It's my life, you know what I mean? So, hopefully people find something they relate to in it or find some kind of spirit in the book, if they take the time with it. And if not, that's cool too. It's my life, so it just kind of is what it is. It's not good, bad, better or worse; it's just what happened."

During a July 2024 appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, Morton was asked what the most surprising thing was that he discovered about himself in the process of writing "Desolation: A Heavy Metal Memoir". Mark said: "Yeah, that's an interesting question. I went into this wondering, I went into the book project wondering if it would be cathartic or therapeutic or this process of self-discovery, as you alluded to. I'm not sure that it was, Jackie. I think the big takeaway for me… I essentially wrote the book just to see if I could do it, and it wound up being a mountain of work. And it was kind of — the joke was on me, because, yeah, I could do it, but it was a monumental project. But also, I think the big takeaway for me was just this sense of relief and gratitude that I had gotten past so much of the stuff that happens in the book.

"My life has by no stretch been a sob story," he continued. "There's a lot of just absolutely thrilling things that I've been fortunate enough to be a part of, and there's a lot of humor in the book, but there's some tragedy and some trauma as well. And so for me to be sitting where I'm sitting now and being able to reflect on that informs all of those experiences with a sense of hope. And I'd like to think that's one of the takeaways of the book, is that there's always hope and there's always a chance to get better."

When Full Metal Jackie noted that it must have been "a tough line to walk" in terms of how much of his "personal tragedies and low points" he wanted to share in the book, Mark concurred. "Yeah, it's a scary thing to try and balance how much you wanna let go of," he said. "'Cause there's some really, really personal stories in here. And those can be handled a lot of different ways, and you can go for shocking or you can go for guarded; there's a lot of different angles you can take with some of those stories. And that was a learning process for me. I'd never written a book. And I barely read books, frankly. When I do, they're usually rock memoirs. So I had some point of reference. So I think I had to learn that as I went.

"The big thing I found was to just be genuine and to try to tell those stories with a sense of respect, not only for the experience that I had, but for people who may have had a similar experience," Mark added. "So to try and be respectful of people who have lived through similar things as I have, but to also be genuine and not wear things as a badge or water things down to take the weight out of them, just to be authentic with it."

In a separate LiveSigning discussion with Opipari to promote "Desolation: A Heavy Metal Memoir", Mark revealed that the "hardest" chapter for him to write for the book was the one about the passing of his daughter. In 2009, Morton's baby, Madalyn Grace Morton, died the day after she was born after developing an infection during delivery. He wrote about the loss on the song "Embers" which came out on LAMB OF GOD's 2015 album, "VII: Sturm Und Drang", and in an essay that Noisey published.

Regarding why that chapter was especially difficult for him to write, Mark told LiveSigning: "It's not because I discovered anything new about that situation. I just think that I struggled to honor it and word it just right. And I remember telling you, 'I don't want a lot of notes on this one.' That was one of the things I was, like, 'If there's grammatical stuff…' I spent some time with that one. I was in a really bad mood those few days. So, in that sense, it just drummed up stuff. It's not something I bury. It's not something I forget. It's not something I wanna commodify either. I didn't want this to be a book about that, but I can't tell my story without touching on that. So it was more about finding the balance of all those things and kind of making it feel like I honored that, but didn't exploit it and told my authentic version of that. And I think that's what we did."

Morton also talked about the chapter that was "the most fun" for him to write, saying: "I really, really enjoyed kind of going through all the memories of the BURN THE PRIEST era of LAMB OF GOD and then the early LAMB OF GOD stuff and just really trying to characterize what an absolute just cyclone of chaos and idiocy we were back then. And that was fun to explore and to revisit. And even with the stuff before that, like my high school bands, I did a lot of checking in with folks and seeing if I was remembering this right. I even — when I talk about some of the early LAMB OF GOD days when we were playing, like, squats and warehouses in Philly and that kind of underground punk metal scene that we were a part of down there, I had a guy that I spoke to — he had reached out via one of my social media platforms and was saying he was at certain shows that I was kind of referencing as a touchstone from that point in time. And we got on the phone and I just checked my memory of that show versus his, and he gave me some real insight. And that was pretty cool. I thanked him in the book."

"Desolation" was described by the publisher as "the story of Morton's lifelong quest for clarity and self-acceptance, and shows how the pressures of career success and personal battles eventually came into conflict with Morton's dedication to the creative process. Intertwined with addiction, self-destruction, and the path to eventual surrender and recovery, Morton also reveals the greatest personal tragedy of his life: the death of his two-day old daughter, plunging Morton further into hopelessness. Surrounded by bandmates living their wildest dreams, Morton wanted nothing more than to disappear, ingesting potentially lethal cocktails of drugs and alcohol into his system on a daily basis.

"And yet, amidst the harrowing heartbreak, there were moments of triumph, hope, and incredible personal connection. Morton developed close relationships with his bandmates and crew members, sharing experiences that have made for some strange and hilarious tales. He's also gained a greater sense of purpose through interactions with his fans, who remind him that his work reaches people on a deeply personal level. Through the highs and the lows, Morton learns how to find presence and gratitude where he once found fear and resentment, a process that he considers a gift of spiritual awakening.

"'Desolation' is, at its core, about Morton's journey as a musician navigating self-doubt, anxiety and the progressive disease of addiction, and ultimately finding relative serenity. Perfect for fans, new and old, as well as anyone who has ever been tested and brought to their limits, "Desolation" is a highly satisfying, full-throttle investigation of the human experience."

When the book was first announced, Morton commented: "Initially, I started writing this book just to see if I could do it. But as the writing process unfolded, it quickly took on much more meaning. Unpacking my story, I was able to observe events in my life with an objectivity that I hadn't experienced while I'd lived them in real time.

"Through a lens of hindsight and recovery, I made friends with my past and found value in my most difficult days," he continued. "I hope that by offering my experiences, I can create a point of connection and commonality. There are a lot of fun stories in here and a few really sad ones. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to share them."

Morton co-founded LAMB OF GOD, which was initially called BURN THE PRIEST, in 1994.

In 2019, Morton released his debut solo album, "Anesthetic". A follow-up effort, "Without The Pain", came out in April via Snakefarm.

LAMB OF GOD's latest LP, "Omens", arrived in 2022.

In a new interview with Bass Magazine, DISTURBED bassist John Moyer reflected on how he joined the band in 2004 as the replacement for DISTURBED's original bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "So, in 2004, the band had already had out 'The Sickness' and the 'Believe' record. And they parted ways with their bass player, I believe in October of 2003. And I kind of knew the guys. I had played in a band called THE UNION UNDERGROUND and we had done some touring on Ozzfest together. So I initially had hit them up and I said, 'Listen…' And my band UNION UNDERGROUND also broke up in October of 2003. It was weird. So I hit 'em up and I said, 'Man, I heard you guys lost your bass player. I lost my band. If you guys need someone temporarily or you're looking for someone more permanent, please keep me in mind.' I didn't really hear anything from them. And then I knew some managers in the business and so I asked them to kind of reach out to the DISTURBED camp and let 'em know that I was interested. And nothing really took. So then the holidays pass. January, February, I'm hearing through the grapevine that they're auditioning some select few bass players, guys who I know. So I made a couple of phone calls and I talked to some dudes, and it was, like, 'Yeah, I auditioned. I don't think I'm gonna get the gig, though.' Blah, blah, blah. So I'm thinking, 'Okay, good. There's still a chance.' But I'm still not getting the call. So then DISTURBED decided to — and it was the most amazing thing — they held an open audition. Anyone can show up. They did one in L.A. and one in Chicago. And they were two weeks apart. So, I chose to go to the Chicago one so I could make sure I learn the songs properly, what they wanted, and just have a little more time.'

John continued: "So the L.A. [open audition], I think it was about a hundred people who showed up, stood in line, and I don't think there was any callbacks from the L.A. auditions, minus some people who they personally knew. And then I went to the Chicago auditions, and it was a scene, man. There was three hundred people in line. I was, like, number seventy, something like that. A lot of great players — touring musicians. And I didn't tell the guys I was there. I had their phone number. I could have told them. And I saw their manager. When the manager walked the line, I hid my face. And the reason for that was I didn't want any special treatment. I wanted to show these guys I was willing to jump through any hoops they wanted. I was willing to stand in whatever line. I was willing to make any sacrifice to get the gig. And that's always how I've treated my musical life and anything I've done — I've always put in the work, and I'm not afraid to. So, I stand in line. It's like an hour before we get in. Now people are starting to recognize me from my UNION UNDERGROUND days. And people are coming back, 'Hey, will you sign this?' I'm, like, 'Yeah, I'll sign it. Shut up.' And then I get in line, and there was three songs we had to learn. It was 'The Game', 'Prayer' and I forgot what the third one was. But Dougie Thomson, who was part of DISTURBED's management, who would eventually become my manager, hands me a tuner. And he goes, 'All right, John. Your song is 'The Game'.' I'm, like, 'Okay.' So I walk in. The guys see me. David's [Draiman, DISTURBED singer], like, 'John, what are you doing here, man?' [I said] 'I'm here for the gig, just like everybody else, dude.' I said, 'It's a really cool thing you're doing. There's a lot of good people out here, a lot of good players, and they're really excited about this. And I appreciate having the opportunity.' So, I stood on a stage. They kind of sat there sort of 'American Idol' style. And I tore into the song and played it in front of them — like a minute and a half, 30 seconds, a minute. The music stops. I said, 'Guys, thank you very much.' I put my bass in the case. And I said, 'You've got a lot of good people waiting out there. I'm gonna get outta your hair.' And I kind of walked out, kind of 'leave 'em wanting more' mentality. And my heart was racing, though. I played it cool, but my heart was racing. And I already knew where the exit was too. Before I got on stage, I had my exit planned. I'm, like, 'I'm gonna walk out that door. I'll put my bass right there. I'm gonna play the song.' So I did exactly that. I walk out. And their manager, Jeff Battaglia, the other part of the management team, chases me out. [In his] thick Chicago accent, 'Hey, John. Wait. Where are you going? Where are you going?' I'm, like, 'Oh, I just did my thing.' 'Well, the guys really like you. Why don't you come back tomorrow?' So, tomorrow was — I was flying out. And I didn't have a whole lot of money at the time, to be honest. I just looked at the manager and I was, like, 'So you want me to change my flight and come tomorrow?' But I had to change my flight. I just kind of looked at him and he goes, 'You want the gig or not?' [Laughs] I guess I want the gig. It was no big deal. So I came back the next day, and this time I jammed with the band. I remember the first song we did was 'Prayer'. And I couldn't help but notice a little smirk on Dan's [Donegan, DISTURBED guitarist] face when we started playing. And I think that's when I knew I had the gig. And then one thing led to another, and they invited me back out, which is a whole other story for another time. The other bandmembers like telling the other story. And then a week later they flew me back out and we had dinner and they gave me the gig."

Prior to joining DISTURBED, Moyer played in rock bands THE UNION UNDERGROUND and SOAK, both major label acts hailing from Texas. He has also toured and/or recorded with ADRENALINE MOB, ART OF ANARCHY and ex-QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate.

While he is still capable of playing finger-style, Moyer prefers picking because it has a more aggressive feeling.

In 2011, John released a bass instructional video titled "Modern Metal Bass" for Rock House Publishing.

DISTURBED was rejoined by Fuzz at the March 8 concert at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois during "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour". Produced by Live Nation, the tour celebrates 25 years of DISTURBED's seminal debut album which launched the band into public consciousness and is one of the most important and influential heavy metal albums of all time. Each night features two sets of music, opening with DISTURBED playing the five-times-platinum "The Sickness" in full, followed by a full set of greatest hits. Fuzz played with DISTURBED for "The Sickness" portion of the set in Chicago, while Moyer handled the bass duties for the rest of the show.

Fuzz played on the first two DISTURBED albums, the aforementioned "The Sickness" and 2002's "Believe", before being fired in 2003 after more than six years with the band.

A short time later, Draiman told MTV.com about Fuzz's departure: "I don't want to drag anyone through the mud, there were just personality conflicts. It wasn't a relationship that could continue anymore, and we had to go our separate ways. When you're in a band, chemistry is very important. But we wish him all the best. We bear him no ill will."

Regarding how Moyer was chosen to replace Fuzz, Draiman told Launch Radio Networks in a 2005 interview: "He showed a lot of guts. You know, he came to the tryouts and waited in line with everybody else on his own dime, without an invitation. That said a lot. That he knew the material and played it well said a lot. That we vibed well together onstage — you know, all those things involved, and when we added them up and compared them to the rest of the potential candidates, he won."

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Sammy Hagar has commented on David Lee Roth's return to the live stage, saying he is "happy" that Roth is "out there supporting some of the greatest rock songs in history."

The original VAN HALEN frontman played his first full concert in more than five years on May 3 at the 2025 edition of the M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. His 75-minute set consisted of classics by VAN HALEN, in which he was accompanied by a band that included guitarist Al Estrada and four backing vocalists.

Hagar — who replaced Roth in VAN HALEN in 1985 and recorded four studio albums with the band, all of which topped the U.S. chart — weighed in on Roth's stage comeback in an Instagram post, writing (edited for clarity): "If I may add my two cents here, comparing us today or comparing us in the old days really is not what it's all about. It's all about VAN HALEN, one of the greatest bands, some of the greatest songs in rock history. We were both involved and both had pluses and minuses.

"I am happy that Dave is out there doing it like Mikey [former VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony] and I," he continued. "Supporting some of the greatest rock songs in history, like I said. The fans deserve it, good or bad. I believe we're both doing our best and I'm actually happy. Dave is supporting his era and I will support mine as well as my solo career and side projects for the rest of my life. Everyone should enjoy what we're both trying to do. Keeping the music alive [and] his legacy is important and so is the music both Dave and I wrote with Eddie [Van Halen, VAN HALEN guitarist]."

The highest-charting Roth-led VAN HALEN album was a No. 2, and it took until "1984" to achieve that. (2012's "A Different Kind Of Truth" also landed at No. 2.)

Hagar, who, along with Roth, spent the summer of 2002 co-headlining the laboriously titled "Sammy Hagar And David Lee Roth Tour 2002: Song For Song, The Heavyweight Champs Of Rock And Roll", reflected on the run of shows during an April 2023 appearance on Steve-O's "Wild Ride!" podcast. He said: "At that time [Roth] didn't have a solo career, really. I mean, he did, but he wasn't selling out. I was selling out arenas. I was selling out amphitheaters as Sammy Hagar with the WABOS. And I had a solo career.

"Ask Mick Jagger. Ask Robert Plant. You can be the biggest band in the world and you can't necessarily have a solo career," he continued. "But I had a solo career. So when I joined the big band, I went back to my solo career, I'm good. I still sell a lot of tickets. Dave, he had that sort of a big album, one kind of a big album, but he didn't have a solo career. He was playing small places. So when he came in with me, he was making, like, 25 grand a night, I was making 150 grand a night, and they said, 'Oh, you guys are gonna make the same money. Dave gets to make 150.' I said, 'He ain't fucking made 150 in his life except in VAN HALEN.' But I said, 'I've gotta do this.' So I bent over backwards. And he still always tried to fuck with the rules. He's not a fun guy. He doesn't play well with others. I'm not sure what his problem is… He just always is about, 'How can I make this guy look bad?' And not just me — in life. He's a chest-beating motherfucker. And God bless him, 'cause the early stuff is frickin' great. I personally, I've tried to say… [I thought] he'd be a fun guy to know. But he ain't like that. He ain't like his persona. When you get around him, he ain't that guy. He's some other cat. [Laughs]"

Hagar went on to praise Roth's skills as an entertainer, saying: "He's a showman. Hey, listen, I'm a showman too. But that's his gig. He doesn't care about singing. If he did, he'd take care of his voice or he'd take voice lessons and get warmed up and do something. 'Cause the guy sang so bad last time he was doing shows, it was embarrassing… But he's a showman. Everything's show, show, show, show, show, show, show. And he doesn't care about his voice, which drives me nuts, man. I care more about my voice than I do my dick. If my dick didn't work a couple of times, I'd be okay with it — I'd be bummed out — but if my voice fucks up onstage, I'm fucking bummed, man."

Back in October 2021, Hagar said that he had "no problem" with Roth, telling "The Mike & Carla Morning Show" on the 96.3 KKLZ radio station: "Him and I don't even have a feud. To be honest with you, I have no problem with Dave. I don't know what he's got going with me, but I think he always feels competitive. I think he feels like he has to raise his flag, like, 'I'm VAN HALEN.' 'Cause I had a solo career before VAN HALEN. I was in MONTROSE before VAN HALEN. I've had CHICKENFOOT. Dave has got VAN HALEN, so I think he has to hold on to that kind of tight. But I don't care about that. If someone said, 'Oh, I never knew you [were] in VAN HALEN,' I'd say, 'Eh…'"

In June 2021, Hagar blasted Roth, saying his voice "hasn't aged well" and describing the original VAN HALEN singer's onstage persona as "totally bullshit." He told Brazil's "Inside With Paulo Baron" Internet show: "[David is] a real character. He's a showman. He's all show. I enjoy him. But you talk about cringing. I can't imagine how he feels when he looks at some of them old videos, the way he was dancing and moving, and the way he was singing live sometimes. I don't know how he feels about all that, but I don't think he cares. The difference between him and I [is] I sincerely care — I care about everything I do and I care how it affects people and I care what they think. I care that it touches them and it makes them happy. And what is important to me is enlightening and elevating people spiritually and making them happy and making them have big dreams, making them want to be better themselves. And that's my goal with everything I do — is to bring that to people and change their life, if I can. I don't think he cares about anything like that. And that's the difference between our presence. He's very much into himself, very much into being a showman and doesn't really care. I don't know what he cares about; I really don't. I don't know him. I have no idea who that guy is; I don't think anyone does. But he entertains me. I enjoy watching him do stupid shit."

Asked what he thinks when he sees the way David presents himself to the public, Sammy said: "Well, the first thing I'd say is I look at him and I think, 'Wow. He's a strange person. He's a strange character.' He's not what he's saying he is; he's pretending. He's totally bullshit. Everything he does is thought up and it's an image. It's nothing to do with who he is; he's not exposing who and what he is. And I know this for a fact. I knew that the first time I saw him. I said, 'This guy, he's putting on an image, putting on a show.' He goes back home and goes in his house, and he's a whole different guy — nothing to do with that guy [you see on stage]. He's not honest about his image and his performance. That's what I see when I see him; that's how I feel. But I tried to be friends."

Referring to the time when he and Roth teamed up for the co-headlining tour in 2002, Sammy continued: "When we did our together, I thought it was gonna be so much fun. I thought, 'If he's anything like he claims to be, we're gonna have a good time.' But he wasn't. He was the worst guy to be around. He wasn't ever around. He hides out. You never see him. He puts on this whole big front and comes out, 'I'm here. David Lee Roth is here,' and then he goes and hides again. I don't think he's happy. He's never been married; never had a relationship; never had children. It's, like, man, how do you live like that? I don't know. I'm a family man. And I love women — I love women and children… He hasn't aged well — his voice. [Laughs] I don't know. It's hard."

According to Hagar, he has tried a number of times to be respectful to Roth, particularly because of David's immeasurable contribution to VAN HALEN's legacy.

"I used to not wanna cause trouble," he said. "First, in the old days, before I was in VAN HALEN, I ripped him through the fucking coals when I [did] the press, before I ever was in that band. And then when I joined the band, I tried to be nice. And then when I left the band, I tried to be nice about him. And then we did our together, and then I fucking said, 'Fuck this guy. He's an asshole. You can't get along with him. He's no fun. He's full of shit.' And then now, after [VAN HALEN guitarist] Eddie's [Van Halen] death, I feel, once again, he's part of the VAN HALEN legacy and he's important. So I wouldn't wanna ruin anything to do with what he brought to that legacy. I want VAN HALEN to go down as one of the greatest rock bands of all time — but not just my [era]; Dave's era [as well]. I want Eddie to be the legend and get the respect that he deserves, and the only way to preserve that is by being kind about the past. And, like in my [2011's autobiography, 'Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock'], like I said, that's the only thing I would probably [change in the book if I was writing it now is I would] soften it up [as it relates to Eddie]. But it's too late — it is what it is. And it's honest. So I'm not lying, I'm not backpedaling — nope, nope. It's all true. But God rest his soul. He brought a lot to this planet, to this business of rock and roll, Eddie Van Halen did. And Dave was a part of it. It's too bad what he's become. [Laughs] But that's different. It's not VAN HALEN anymore."

In November 2020, Eddie's son Wolfgang revealed that his father had contemplated a "kitchen-sink tour" that would have included classic-era bassist Michael Anthony, as well as vocal turns from both Hagar and Roth. There was even talk about bringing back Gary Cherone, who sang with VAN HALEN on one poorly received album, 1998's "Van Halen III".

Eddie died in October 2020 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

The 70-year-old Roth opened the M3 concert with "Panama" and went on to play "You Really Got Me", "Dance The Night Away", "Runnin' With The Devil", "Jamie's Cryin'", "Hot For Teacher" and other VAN HALEN classics before closing with "Jump".

At one point during the show, Roth joked onstage that his M3 performance marked "the end of my first retirement" — a reference to his announcement in late 2021 that he was calling it quits. "How many retirements did Rocky have? Nine?" Roth added.

Prior to M3, Roth's most recent performance was a private corporate gig for Home Depot in 2023.

Earlier this month, Roth announced nearly two dozen summer 2025 solo tour dates. The 21-date trek is scheduled to launch on July 22 in Paso Robles, California and conclude on September 14 in Napa.

Sammy Hagar photo credit: Leah Steiger

In a new interview with the "Jim Kerr Rock & Roll Morning Show" on New York City's Q104.3 radio station, Gene Simmons spoke about KISS's upcoming appearance without makeup at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas as part of the three-day "KISS Army Storms Vegas" event, which runs from November 14 to November 16.

"KISS Army Storms Vegas" celebrates the KISS fan club's 50th anniversary and will be the band's first appearance since Simmons, guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer wrapped up their "End Of The Road" farewell tour at Madison Square Garden in New York in December 2023.

Simmons told Kerr (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, this is not a KISS concert. We promised when we sold the IP [KISS intellectual property rights] to Pophouse, an amazing company — they're futurists — about a year and a half ago when we finished touring at Madison Square Garden. There's gonna be a film and there's a lot of stuff coming up. We promised we would never tour again, because, as you noticed, I'm stunning in real life and that's when you want it… While you're on top, get out of the ring. Don't wait for some chump to knock you out. We've all seen boxers and rockers and everything that stayed around too long. 50 years, half a century is plenty of time."

Simmons went on to say that he and his KISS bandmates still want to honor the group's fans. "So that's what we're doing," he explained. "We are showing up for a fan-run event. Three days in November at the Virgin Hotel. Be there or be square. And it's really for the fans. There'll be lots of questions — if they want a back rub or anything. But it's not a KISS concert. We will jump up [and] jam, but certainly we are not bringing the flying rigs and 60 people on the crew and the jets and all that stuff… Other bands will pop up on stage and stuff, but it's really a chance to be more intimate with the fans — actually, to be cornball about it, to our bosses. Because without the fans, I would surely have been asking the next person in line, 'Would you like some fries with that?'"

50 years ago in Terre Haute, Indiana, a small group of fans lit the spark that would become the loudest and proudest fan movement in rock history: the KISS Army. Now, five decades later — and 30 years since the first official KISS convention — KISS is cranking it up to 11 in Las Vegas for the ultimate celebration.

Gene said: "Strange story. There was a guy in Terre Haute, Indiana, as a matter of fact, and in the early days, radio didn't play KISS 'cause we didn't do John Denver kind of namby-pamby stuff… But we just didn't do the la-di-da kinds of songs. We liked to turn the guitars up and have fun, and radio wouldn't play us. So this one guy, [Bill] Starkey, his name was, called the radio station, which was a small building outside of town. 'Play KISS.' 'I'm sorry, kid. We don't play that song.' And he threatened them. He said, 'If you don't play KISS by 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, the KISS Army will surround your building and everything.' Of course they did not. So what happened? The cover of the [local] newspaper [ran the headline] 'Kiss Army Invades WXYZ', whatever it's called, and that's where the name came from. And by the way, afterwards, they played KISS. Because they knew that we knew what their home address was, and when they weren't home, we might set their pets on fire. There's that."

Earlier this month, Gene told Rob Rush, the evening host on Long Island, New York's 94.3 The Shark radio station, about KISS's upcoming Vegas appearance: "This is much more a fan gathering. The Kiss Army … are taking over the Virgin Hotel and we will show up, but I don't even know if the entire band's gonna be there. I know Paul and I are gonna be there, and Tommy. [Former KISS guitarist] Bruce Kulick probably will show up, and we'll jam, answer questions and stuff. It ain't a concert — we're gonna do none of that stuff. I may even bring my solo band up there just for [shits] and giggles. So this is more a fan event, like a fan gathering that we're gonna be guests at."

This past March, Gene told Las Vegas Review-Journal that he and his KISS bandmates "will not do the makeup" at "KISS Army Storms Vegas". "We will hold true to the promise [of never playing another KISS show in makeup]," he explained. "There's no stage show. There's no crew. We won't have 60 people levitating drum sets and all that stuff. This is more personal gathering of the tribes, where we meet them, greet them, maybe have a Q&A."

Regarding what else fans can expect from "KISS Army Storms Vegas", Simmons said: "There might be some KISS tribute bands, almost like a convention, if you will. So it's much more personal. And of course, we can't get by without playing, so we'll get up and do some tunes. What they are, how long, I don't know."

When KISS officially announced "KISS Army Storms Vegas", the band said that Stanley and Simmons — along with "special guests" — would play at least one show "unmasked," meaning without their iconic makeup. It was later revealed that Thayer would also appear at the event, along with Thayer's former band BLACK 'N BLUE, as well as former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach and the tribute acts MR. SPEED and KISS NATION: THE KISS TRIBUTE SHOW.

KISS's official "KISS Army Storms Vegas" announcement made no mention of Singer, making it unclear if he will be part of the event.

There will also be question-and-answer sessions with Stanley and Simmons, as well as KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee, where they will share stories, behind-the-scenes moments and answer fans' most burning questions.

Fans can also expect guest performances, including from Kulick, as well as surprise appearances, guest sets and tribute bands.

KISS had previously set a 12-show residency at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas in 2021 and 2022 but ultimately canceled all of the dates.

For more information, visit kissarmystormsvegas.com.

Simmons told Rolling Stone in a November 2023 interview that the second Madison Square Garden "End Of The Road" concert would mark "the final KISS-in-makeup appearance."

Kulick was a member of KISS from 1984 until 1996.

According to Billboard, Kulick is one of only two musicians to have not worn makeup while a member of KISS, the other being Mark St. John.

Kulick had performed with the band again at their Kiss Kruise events in 2018 and 2021.

Former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry has released a cover of the band's classic power ballad "Faithfully", featuring a guest appearance by country legend Willie Nelson.

Recorded at Ronnie's Place in Nashville, Tennessee and at Steve's studio, Love Box, the track, which was made available via Dark Horse Records, was produced by Kent Wells and Steve Perry, engineered by Joel McKenne, Kyle Dickinson and Steve Perry.

Additional musicians featured on the duet include Mike Rojas on piano, James Mitchell on electric guitar, Kent Wells on acoustic guitar, Scott Sanders on steel guitar, Steve Mackey on bass, Mickey Raphael on harmonica, and Nir Z on drums.

All proceeds from the new version of "Faithfully" will go to the non-profit Farm Aid organization, founded 40 years ago by Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young in response to the growing crisis faced by American family farmers during the 1980s.

On the reimagined track, Perry shares: "No one has a voice or vocal phrasing anything like Willie Nelson. Singing this duet with Willie has been something I've always wanted to do. After recording 'Faithfully' with JOURNEY, I always felt it would be a great song for Willie too. What a wonderful experience it was to finally sing with Willie. I'm so proud of what we have accomplished together."

Nelson adds: "Working with Steve Perry on 'Faithfully' was a meaningful experience. It was a pleasure to collaborate on this song. I'm proud that we could create something meaningful and use it to give back through Farm Aid."

"Faithfully" was recorded in 1982 and released as the second single from JOURNEY's album "Frontiers" in 1983. It peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the band their second consecutive Top 20 hit from "Frontiers". Despite featuring no chorus, it has gone on to become one of the band's most recognizable hits and has enjoyed lasting popularity. In a Classic Rock article, "Faithfully" was called the greatest power ballad ever recorded.

JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain began writing the song with only the lyrics "highway run into the midnight sun" on a paper napkin while on a tour bus headed to Saratoga Springs, New York. The next day, he completed the song in full in only a half hour. Cain finished composing the song on a backstage grand piano at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where the band performed it for the first time. According to the liner notes in JOURNEY's "Time3" compilation, Cain paid tribute to then-road manager Pat Morrow and then-stage manager Benny Collins when he wrote "we all need the clowns to make us smile." He characterized the song as a "road song," remarking, "You know I'm being a good dog out here — don't worry about it."

The inaugural Farm Aid concert, held on September 22, 1985, in Champaign, Illinois, marked a historic moment in the farm movement, raising more than $7 million to support struggling family farmers, but more importantly, raising awareness of the impacts of the crisis. More than 50 artists came together to highlight the urgent need to address the challenges farmers were facing, including skyrocketing interest rates, mounting debt, plummeting land values, crop and market failures, and policies that were tailor-made to push farmers out of business. Since 1985, Farm Aid has grown into an annual festival that has raised more than $85 million, featured performances by more than 500 artists who generously donated their time and talent and championed policies that support family farms, promote sustainable agriculture and strengthen rural communities.

Farm Aid is heading to Minnesota for the first time for its 40th anniversary festival on Saturday, September 20, at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The event will launch a year-long celebration of four decades of impactful advocacy, historic cultural moments and unforgettable music.

Farm Aid 40 — a full day of music, family farmers, Homegrown food and agricultural experiences — will feature performances by Farm Aid board members Nelson, Young (and the CHROME HEARTS),Mellencamp, Dave Matthews (with Tim Reynolds),and Margo Price, as well as Billy Strings, NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS, TRAMPLED BY TURTLES, WAXAHATCHEE, Eric Burton of BLACK PUMAS, Jesse Welles, Madeline Edwards and more artists to be announced.

During an appearance on the May 12 episode of SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, POISON drummer Rikki Rockett spoke about the band's plans to return to the road in 2026 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of POISON's debut album, 1986's "Look What The Cat Dragged In". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " We are [still] planning [on going out next year]… We got a great offer, and to be honest with you, it's in [POISON frontman] Bret's [Michaels] lap right now — honestly. So, we're good to go, and hopefully we can make a deal and do it. I think it would be a shame not to do it, because this is our 40th anniversary — all original members. We're not getting any younger. We can tear it up. We've still got it. Let's do it. That's how I feel about it."

Rockett went on to say that the offer he and his bandmates received was for a "headlining" tour and that most of the POISON members have already agreed to do it. "I'm good to go, [and so are bassist Bobby Dall and guitarist C.C. DeVille]. It is [up to Bret at this point]. And that's just being truthful… I mean, as far as I know, we're good to go. There just hasn't been anything solid. I haven't signed anything or anything like that. But it's more than a year away, or about a year away, so we have time. But hey, with the economy, who knows? [Laughs] I just wanna get out there while we can."

After host Eddie Trunk noted that POISON was considered by many fans to have been the highlight of the 2022 "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and Joan Jett, Rikki said: "Well, I really appreciate you saying that, for sure. We had a great run. Everybody was energetic. Everybody can play, everybody can sing. When we get to a point where we can't do those things, then that would be the time to shut it down. We're not gonna play to track. Now, there are some bands that play to track — industrial bands, different types of bands where what they create is impossible to replicate on stage — so I'm not cutting any of those bands down, that that's what they do. But when bands like ours start to like not be able to do what they did before and then they start making up for it by having recorded tracks, that I don't care for. For our band, I don't want that to ever happen. I think it would be so obvious. We're just not built that way. And I don't think our audience would accept it or really respect it if we did it that way. I really don't."

In response to Trunk saying that POISON is doing it "right way" by having a keyboard player and backing vocalist on stage, Will Doughty, who helps fill out the band's sound when POISON performs live, Rikki explained: "When we did those [early POISON] records — you do a record and then you go and do the vocals. Bret does his vocal part. And then we do backgrounds. So we're all standing in front of a mic, and then you can layer it. So then you do another track of all four of you doing background. So it's really full. And you can't really do that live. We tried not to paint ourselves into a corner too much when we were recording those records. And we had some people that go, 'Well, live is live. And studio is studio.' It's, like, yeah, but our thing's always been that we write our songs to be a soundtrack for our live show. So we can do that a little bit, because people expect a sonic level on record, a particular level, but I don't want it to be a letdown, though, then when they see us live; I don't want that either. And so with Will, it's, like, hey, right there he is. We've got a guy helping us out. It's fucking obvious. We just saw this with David Lee Roth [at the M3 Rock Festival]. He's got those background singers. Did anyone mind that they were there? I didn't mind that they were there. I'll tell you what I would've minded — if I was hearing backgrounds come out of nowhere, and I'm going, 'Where the hell did that come from?' And if that's coming out of nowhere, what else is coming out of nowhere?' And I think that's what the audience thinks. I think the audience just thinks, 'Wow, what else are they doing that's pulling the…? Is this whole thing an illusion?' And most of the time it isn't… But anyway, you have to rehearse a little harder to do that — you do — to be able to pull it off, to be able to sing every night, to play your instrument and sing at the same time."

Last December, Michaels told Ethan Dometrius about POISON's 2026 touring plans: "So here's the deal. I go through '25. We're doing a bunch of these big festivals [with my solo band] … So I'm doing a bunch of those. And then 2026, C.C. and Bobby and Rikki, I'm here because of them, because of us having each other's back in the beginning, through the middle, through right now. And it'll be four years since we've toured, since 'The Stadium Tour', together, and we're just hoping to make this absolutely 40 awesome dates, and just putting every, as we do, putting every ounce of energy on that stage and just bringing an absolute party."

Regarding POISON's mindset when performing live, Bret said: "POISON just goes out there. And I say this, that stadium tour, I was so grateful to be on it. And I just hit that thrust and I couldn't stop… I told 'em, I said, 'I can't stop smiling right now. It's ridiculous.' And we just went out there, and we play real live music. We don't mess around. We just give it, thrills and frills and good times."

Speaking specifically about DeVille's skills as a guitar player, Bret said: "I kid you not, and I get it, POISON's had some good parties, some good times, some highs, lows — that's what you go through as a human being and as a musician — but C.C. and Bobby and Rikki, and I like to put myself in there, we grew up just playing real live music, and C.C. can play; that guy can play… And C.C. up there, his tribute [on 'The Stadium Tour'] to Eddie [Van Halen], who was a friend and he loved, I thought it was not only engaging but it was really sincere. He wasn't doing it just to throw it away; he really meant it."

In September 2024, Bret told Arizona Republic about POISON's plan to tour in 2026: "Yeah, that would be incredible. We've just got to work out all the moving parts. But all original members. There's so much planning goes behind that. When I'm out as Bret Michaels, it's simpler because I'm making all the end decisions. When you're in a band like POISON, it's a committee. You go in there, and you figure it out together. You make sure everyone's good. And hopefully, we can make that work in '26."

Asked if things were "good" between him and his POISON bandmates during "The Stadium Tour", Bret said: "Absolutely. I want to be very clear. Other than an occasional throw down fistfight — I'm not making this up — we're like best friends. But there's no gray area. All of a sudden, we'll get in a fistfight. But the next day, we'll go out and play. We'll work it out like a band of brothers. 'The Stadium Tour' was amazing. We were having fun. We didn't get too many soundchecks. We just dealt with what we were given and were grateful to be there. DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY, they were amazing. They played great. But we just came out, and we knew we had one hour at 6 o'clock to go out there and give it everything we had. And it was one of the only stadium tours that from Live Nation's lips to everyone's ears, it was 98 to 100% filled when POISON went on."

Earlier in September, Michaels released a statement via social media in which he said that he was planning to "perform limited shows" in 2025 to focus primarily on his health, "starting with my diabetes which needs a tune-up, not to mention a little R&R." He added that 2026 "would be the perfect" time for a POISON 40th-anniversary tour, "with 40 awesome limited dates to go out, play real live hit songs, and rock the world."

Bret's explanation came two days after Rockett revealed on social media that Michaels was no longer interested in touring with POISON in 2025.

On September 10, 2024, the POISON drummer took to his official Facebook page to write: "I keep getting asked multiple times a day, 'Why isn't POISON touring in 2025 now?' Super simple answer, Bret doesn't want to." The following day, Rikki clarified: "People, I never said that Bret is cancelling the 2025 tour. It didn't get booked. I said the reason POISON isn't touring in 2025 is because Bret doesn't want to. Doesn't matter what the reason for him is as far as what I said. I'm simply telling you why so that CC, Bobby or myself doesn't get blamed. It isn't dirt. It isn't a fight. Just the facts, ma'am. Surmise what you want from it. You will anyway!"

More than a year ago, Bret spoke about POISON's plans to regroup for more shows following the band's 2022 participation in "The Stadium Tour" alongside MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD and Joan Jett. During a February 25, 2024 question-and-answer session aboard the Rock Legends Cruise XI, he said about his motivation for going back out on the road with POISON after spending most of his time touring with his solo band: "We've known each other since we've been in junior high school… I wouldn't be here without Bobby or Rikki or C.C. And then, as you go along, we've been together a long time — still great friends. If anyone saw 'The Stadium Tour', that was a party. And when you're out there with that DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY and Joan, you're talking A-plus awesomeness. And we just came out and brought it.

"For me, what it is, we do about a couple of years solo, and then we'll go out and do 35 or 40 dates with POISON," he explained. "And we set it up, we schedule it."

POISON's long-delayed North American trek with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally planned for 2020 and later moved to 2021 and then to 2022.

In 2018, POISON completed the "Nothin' But A Good Time" tour with CHEAP TRICK and POP EVIL.

POISON's last album of new material was 2002's "Hollyweird". An album of covers, "Poison'd", followed in 2007.

Danish rock and rollers VOLBEAT — Michael Poulsen (vocals, guitar),Jon Larsen (drums) and Kaspar Boye Larsen (bass) — will release their ninth album, "God Of Angels Trust", on June 6 via longtime label Vertigo/Universal. The LP's arrival will coincide with plenty of summer touring on the band's "Greatest Of All Tours Worldwide".

Ahead of the "God Of Angels Trust" release, VOLBEAT has shared the video for the impactful track and the album's third single "Time Will Heal". Watch it below. The track is a supremely catchy, mid-tempo anthem that captures everything you love about VOLBEAT's sound. The visual pairs performance footage with some sanguine-soaked action in a red room. And a G.O.A.T. Literally.

Overall, though, it's an intensely personal track for the band and its frontman.

"Through life, we go through these ups and downs, and sometimes, it's like turning on a switch and it can change from one minute to another," says Poulsen. "We suddenly get in a sad, emotional mood where there just doesn't seem to be a way to see the light or good in anything. But we always find a way to make things good again. I'm good at turning those moments around quickly, but that comes with accepting the good with the bad and using the bad moments to grow and learn instead of letting them bother you more that it should and having your mind manipulate reality. The important thing is to realize that while nothing can be good forever, do not let the dark side of life take over. Have the confidence to know there will be better days ahead when we're dealing with these moments or demons and we're struggling to find anything good in what we're doing."

He pulls the curtain back even further, sharing, "I'm still struggling with the loss of my father. I would say 80 percent of the time I'm coping with the loss and doing well. But then sometimes, I'm falling into these black holes where everything is empty and nothing is fair. I'm so grateful I have kids because when they come into your life, suddenly, everything is not about you. It's about the kids and you can't spend too much of your energy being down because they need you. So, it's been a blessing having kids. It's the best thing that ever happened to me."

With "God Of Angels Trust", the Danish band — which has scored ten No. 1 songs on the Billboard Mainstream Rock airplay chart, the most ever for a band based outside North America — has thrown caution to the wind, ignored comfort zones, and paid little heed to traditional songwriting in the search for something more immediate and surprising. The end result will thrill VOLBEAT's dedicated legion of fans.

"In the past, I've taken a long time to write and obsessed over so many elements of the songs before finishing them," says Poulsen. "This time, I wanted to make a VOLBEAT record without thinking too much about it. Instead of following any kind of structure I said, 'Okay, there are no rules. I can do anything I want. I can start with a chorus or do songs that are just a bunch of verses stacked on top of each other. Anything goes.' That was freeing for me and made it exciting to write this album."

Poulsen's excitement to thwart convention is palpable throughout "God Of Angels Trust", a punchy, crunchy album that's undeniably VOLBEAT, yet marches to a fresh new metallic and melodic energy.

Poulsen started working on songs for the follow-up to 2021's "Servant Of The Mind" in the summer of 2024. VOLBEAT was taking a year-long break from touring to give Michael a chance to recover from throat surgery and to tour with his death metal band ASINHELL. Driven equally by his excitement to record a new VOLBEAT album and by his determination not to follow convention, Poulsen worked on songs for a mere three weeks with bandmates drummer Jon Larsen and bassist Kaspar Boye Larsen. Amazingly, they worked on a new song at every rehearsal. Three weeks into the process, VOLBEAT had arranged half of "God Of Angels Trust". That's when Poulsen decided that having no rules meant he could follow his muse wherever it took him, and he veered off on a different path. He and the band still wrote and rehearsed two songs a week, but they started composing more familiar rock songs that drew from traditional elements.

The band entered the studio with their longtime producer Jacob Hansen in the fall of 2024. As with the songwriting, Poulsen wanted to work quickly and rely on instinct, so they just plugged in and started to play. To keep the music sounding urgent and immediate, VOLBEAT recorded live in the studio, playing as few takes as possible before moving from one song to the next.

When it came time to add lead guitar, there was no question that VOLBEAT would tap Flemming C. Lund, who currently tours with the band and worked with Michael in ASINHELL. A mere 13 days after they started working with Hansen, VOLBEAT were finished.

As impressive as it is that VOLBEAT wrote and recorded an entire album in about five weeks, what's more incredible is that "God Of Angels Trust" sounds as fleshed out, eclectic, and fulfilling as albums that have taken 10 times longer (or more) to create. In the end, creating such a strong album so quickly was a tremendous challenge that demanded Zen-like calm, a joy for exploration, maximal creativity, and razor-sharp concentration to pull off.

"In some ways, it feels like we've come full circle," Poulsen explains. "If you start drawing a circle over an extended period of time, eventually you've going to get back where you started, and that's how I feel now. I've dealt with medical operations, lineup changes, and all these things, and now it feels like a rebirth. It doesn't feel like we're doing our ninth studio album, it feels like we're on our first album again and there's something really refreshing about that."

VOLBEAT will return to the road on the "Greatest Of All Tours Worldwide", beginning in June and running throughout 2025. The tour begins in June with a co-headline Canadian run with THREE DAYS GRACE and special guests WAGE WAR, which will be followed by headline treks in the U.S. with special guests HALESTORM and THE GHOST INSIDE, and Europe with special guests BUSH and WITCH FEVER, including today's newly announced second show at Copenhagen's Royal Arena on September 20.

"God Of Angels Trust" track listing:

01. Devils Are Awake
02. By A Monster's Hand
03. Acid Rain
04. Demonic Depression
05. In The Barn Of The Goat Giving Birth To Satan's Spawn In A Dying World Of Doom
06. Time Will Heal
07. Better Be Fueled Than Tamed
08. At The End Of The Sirens
09. Lonely Fields
10. Enlighten The Disorder (By A Monster's Hand Part 2)

The official music video for "Reach For The Sky", a previously unreleased track recorded during the sessions for RATT's 1984 debut album "Out Of The Cellar", can be seen below. The song was included on limited-edition versions of the "Out Of The Cellar" 40th-anniversary release celebrating RATT's massively successful first studio album, issued last November via BMG, in partnership with Rhino Entertainment.

The "Reach For The Sky" clip was created by award-winning artist Bob East of Art Of Beast LLC, who has worked as a professional for the past 20 years producing animation, illustration and caricatures for feature films, television, web and print.

Formed in Los Angeles, RATT was featured as an unsigned act on Uncle Joe Benson's "Local Licks Drive Time" show on KLOS-FM. This was their first time on radio and led to their signing to Atlantic Records.

Featuring the classic lineup of Stephen Pearcy (vocals),Warren DeMartini (guitars),Robbin Crosby (guitars),Juan Croucier (bass/vocals) and Bobby Blotzer (drums),RATT exploded on to the national scene in 1984 with the release of "Out Of The Cellar".

Featuring an undeniable hook and legendary music video, the lead single "Round And Round" hit No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Out Of The Cellar" reached No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified triple platinum. Two more charting singles followed with "Back For More" and "Wanted Man".

"Out Of The Cellar" became a huge success, and after the album was released, the band went on a world tour, selling out stadiums and arenas worldwide and sharing a stage with acts such as OZZY OSBORNE, IRON MAIDEN, MÖTLEY CRÜE, TWISTED SISTER and more.

This limited edition of "Out Of The Cellar" was released on November 8, 2024 in red-and-black splatter vinyl with a lenticular cover and an additional neon orange 7" with the previously unreleased track "Reach For The Sky", as well as a limited-edition CD format with lenticular cover and unreleased track.

"Out Of The Cellar" 40th-anniversary reissue track listing:

01. Wanted Man (Cristofanilli/Crosby/Pearcy)
02. You're In Trouble (DeMartini/Pearcy/Crosby)
03. Round And Round (DeMartini/Pearcy/Crosby)
04. In Your Direction (Pearcy)
05. She Wants Money (Croucier)
06. Lack Of Communication (Croucier/Pearcy)
07. Back For More (Pearcy/Crosby)
08. The Morning After (DeMartini/Pearcy/Crosby)
09. I'm Insane (Crosby)
10. Scene Of The Crime (Crosby/Croucier)
11. Reach For The Sky (Crosby/Pearcy/Torien) (bonus track)

Also available are brand new limited-edition color vinyl versions of the albums "Reach For The Sky", "Invasion Of Your Privacy", "Detonator" and "Dancing Undercover".

RATT returned in 1985 with its second full-length album, "Invasion Of Your Privacy". Certified double platinum and also reaching No. 7 on the Billboard 200, "Invasion Of Your Privacy" also featured the classics "Lay It Down" (No. 40 on Billboard Hot 100) and "You're In Love".

"Dancing Undercover" followed in 1986 as RATT toured North America with a then-brand new Los Angeles band called POISON as the opening act. Lead single "Dance" hit the Billboard Hot 100 and spawned another music video hit with "Slip Of The Lip", while "Body Talk" was featured in a key scene in the Eddie Murphy film "The Golden Child". "Dancing Undercover" became RATT's third consecutive platinum album and reached No. 26 on the Billboard 200.

1988's "Reach For The Sky" saw RATT return to the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 album charts, peaking at No. 17. Driven by the bluesy hit and MTV favorite "Way Cool Jr.", "Reach For The Sky" was also certified platinum and became RATT's fourth album in a row to move well over a million copies. "I Want A Woman" was also a successful single and the video captured the excitement and energy of RATT live.

RATT released its last full-length record of the Atlantic era, "Detonator", in 1990. Music was changing, but "Detonator" was still a success, peaking at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 and going gold. It was the first RATT album to feature major outside songwriting contributions (Desmond Child, Diane Warren) and guests (Jon Bon Jovi, Michael Schenker). Lead single "Lovin' You's A Dirty Job" hit No. 18 on the rock chart while the power ballad "Giving Yourself Away" reached No. 39.

In 1991, they released the single "Nobody Rides For Free" from the hit film "Point Break", starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze.

In January 2021, Pearcy told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he was open to the idea of making a new RATT album with all the surviving members of the band's classic lineup.

RATT hasn't released any new music since 2010's "Infestation" LP.

Hailing from Forth Worth, Texas, FUGITIVE features guitarist and bandleader Blake Ibanez and vocalist Seth Gilmore, who have been pulling double duty by globally selling out shows with both POWER TRIP and FUGITIVE throughout 2024. With FUGITIVE, Ibanez offers up even more of the tectonic plate-shifting aggression he's become known for.

FUGITIVE introduced itself and immediately grabbed the metal scene by the throat with 2022's self-released "Maniac" EP and its two-track follow-up, featuring "Blast Furnace".

Today, the band has announced its signing with Blue Grape Music and has released a new track, the thoroughly crushing "Spheres Of Virulence".

Produced by Ibanez and mixed by Tom Dalgety, the track is the first taste of new music from FUGITIVE since 2023 — and it was well worth the wait.

If you like classic, '80s-era METALLICA and OBITUARY, then you're going to flock to FUGITIVE.

A new video from director Raul Vela IV is coming soon.

More music is expected later this year, with details to be revealed in due course.

FUGITIVE will hit the road this July as part of the "Summer Slaughter" tour, featuring HATEBREED, GRIDIRON, MALEVOLENCE and more.

FUGITIVE is:

Seth Gilmore - Vocals
Blake Ibanez - Guitar
Victor Gutierrez - Guitar
Andy Messer - Bass
Lincoln Mullins - Drums

In 2022, industry veterans David Rath and Cees Wessels formed Blue Grape Music. The name will be familiar to rock music fans, as it was the merchandise company also launched by Wessels, who founded the venerable and esteemed record label Roadrunner Records in the '80s. Rath spent 21 years in the A&R department at Roadrunner, working on albums by a variety of RIAA-certified and culturally important acts, including but not limited to SLIPKNOT, KORN, TURNSTILE, GOJIRA, COHEED AND CAMBRIA, WHITE REAPER, SLASH, TRIVIUM, DREAM THEATER and more. When the label changed management and ownership, Rath guided the company and oversaw the signings of bands like YOUNG THE GIANT and VANCE JOY. Ultimately, the Blue Grape executive team is powered by experience and a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-your-hands-dirty, by-any-means-necessary work ethic. Having just announced the signing of Texas thrash heavyweights FUGITIVE, Blue Grape's inaugural signing was the two-time Grammy nominee CODE ORANGE and since then, the label has gone on to sign an array of rock, metal, and hardcore acts that include SPIRITUAL CRAMP, SUPERHEAVEN, GEL, GRIDIRON, DOFLAME, BIKE ROUTES, SILLY GOOSE, GASKET and HEAVY//HITTER, with several new signing announcements expected this year. Blue Grape Music is distributed globally by The Orchard.

Photo credit: Shirley Salinas