This past February, it was announced that singer Guernica Mancini, drummer Emlee Johansson and bassist Mona Lindgren were exiting THUNDERMOTHER and were forming a new band together. At the same time, guitarist Filippa Nässilrevealed that she would continue with a new THUNDERMOTHER lineup featuring singer Linnéa Vikström (THERION and AT THE MOVIES),bassist Majsan Lindberg. Nässil has since also recruited drummer Joan Massing (HONEY CREEK).

In a new interview with Bloodstream TV, Filippa opened up about the latest THUNDERMOTHER lineup changes, saying (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we were together seven years — and that is Guernica, the singer, and Emlee, the drummer. And it [was] amazing; we did so much together. But in the end, we couldn't communicate. 'Cause you travel and you live together all the time. Not even when you say 'hi' to each other. I cannot live a rock and roll lifestyle like this. So I tried to solve it for a long time — like, 'This doesn't work. We have to communicate and be respectful,' and whatever. And it didn't work out. One person didn't come to the meeting, so we had to move forward. Because this is a business as well, and a rock and roll band, and it's supposed to be fun and good and loving also, because we need to support each other. And when that's not the case… Well, I fired [Guernica] — that's the first time I'm saying that now, actually — because she didn't come to the meetings I set up to mediate. We need to talk and be able to work together. Because it's more and more business, and then you can't work and then you can't do your shows. Because it's e-mails and everything — it's a lot of stuff."

Nässil continued: "So friendship — okay, I can buy that; you don't have to be friends. But I think it's much better now anyway. And I'm very happy with… 'Cause I took the old singer… Not the old singer, but a singer that I really loved and admired for a long time called Linnéa Vikström. I actually asked her for the job in THUNDERMOTHER seven years ago, but she wasn't available. She had too much to do, 'cause she sang with THERION, a big metal band, around the world. And [she has] a lot of experience, but we're also good friends. So it's been hard for her to sort of take over something, but it's been fantastic. And everyone says it's really good."

The new THUNDERMOTHER lineup made its live debut on April 20 by playing a "secret" show at Pub Anchor in Stockholm, Sweden.

The latest THUNDERMOTHER incarnation played its first "official" concert on April 22 at Ski & Rock in Sälen, Sweden. They then kicked off a series of European shows as the support act for the SCORPIONS on May 9 in Lille, France.

In recent months, Mancini, who joined THUNDERMOTHER in 2017, gave several interviews in which she described her time with the group as "six tough years" and "a very bumpy ride". She also said that Filippa decided to fire her from the band without consulting the other members of THUNDERMOTHER, a move which they perceived as "very disrespectful towards them, being that they believed that we were a democracy and that we had a say in these things," according to Guernica.

In March, Mancini, Johansson and Lindgren announced that their new band would be called THE GEMS. They have since signed a worldwide deal with Napalm Records and have issued their debut single, "Like A Phoenix".

THE GEMS made their live debut on March 22 at Pustervik in Gothenburg, Sweden as the support act for THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA.

THE GEMS' live performances include material from THUNDERMOTHER's last two albums, 2020's "Heat Wave" and 2022's "Black And Gold", both of which featured songwriting contributions from Guernica and Emlee.

Guernica discussed her departure from THUNDERMOTHER in February in an interview with the "Rock And Roll Geek Show". Regarding how she found out she was being fired from THUNDERMOTHER, Guernica said: "I was blindsided. It's almost like I'm in an episode of fucking 'Survivor'. [Laughs]

"I got an e-mail [letting me know that I was no longer in the band]. I had a feeling it was coming because the week prior, [Filippa] had taken me off all our social media accounts. And I thought we had gotten hacked. I wrote to the group; I was, like, 'Girls, I think we're getting hacked. I can't get into our e-mail or Instagram — none of the accounts.'"

Asked if Filippa had any issues with Guernica's live performance or what she was doing on stage, Mancini said: "No, that's not something that I've… no information that I've received. I think that there's nothing you can complain about my performance or my singing, 'cause I've always brought my 'A game.' And if you have problems with that, I think that's strange, considering that's something that people really enjoy and respect the band for. So I think that would be weird."

Clarifying that the reasons for the split were "a hundred percent personal", Guernica revealed that "a lot of things happened behind my back, and I was the last one to know… Like there were meetings behind my back, trying to convince my fellow bandmates that I'm an awful person, I'm all these things that I'm not."

When interviewer Michael Butler noted that all the girls in THUNDERMOTHER looked like they were getting "along really well" when they were supporting the SCORPIONS on a tour of North America last fall, Guernica said: "I deserve an Oscar nomination for my acting. [Laughs]"

Asked how Emlee and Mona found out Guernica was being fired from THUNDERMOTHER, Mancini said: "[Filippa] had a secret meeting behind my back. She just told the girls, 'I wanna fire Guernica, and I already have a new singer.' And the girls were, like, 'Woah. Hold up. Wait a second. We did not sign up for that. And we thought we were a democracy in this band,' because that's something that we'd been told and that's how we've done everything.' So they were shocked."

In early March, Nässil shared a six-minute video in which she addressed some of the questions surrounding the departures of Mancini, Johansson and Lindgren as well as her decision to carry on with a new lineup. She said in part: "Some stuff you read online and even now in some magazines is true and some stuff has more to it," she explained. "I mean, there's a depth to what happened and it's impossible to read in a few lines or a quote from someone. And I wanna assure you and tell you guys that I did my absolute best to work everything out between the old members. I think we should be conscious in what we're saying and trust that I have done my absolute best for peace, love and rock and roll and I did everything in my power to work it out with the previous bandmembers. I would never throw anybody under the bridge. I think that's another private matter. What happened has been behind the curtain, so to speak, so it's not everything that people need to know about or should know about because it's just unnecessary to throw stuff at each other, I think."

After first releasing a cover of Linkin Park's "Numb", Tarja has chosen In Flames' "Alias" as the second single taken from her brand-new live series release, Rocking Heels: Live At Metal Church. Watch the "Alias" video below.


Rocking Heels: Live At Metal Church is the document of a very special concert in the idyllic setting of Wacken Church. It will be released on August 11 via earMUSIC and is the first release of the live series Rocking Heels.


In front of just 300 hand-picked fans, this one-time-only event opened the Wacken Open Air Festival in 2016. Tarja presents unique arrangements of rock and heavy metal classics by her favorite artists including Metallica's "The Unforgiven," songs by Joe Satriani and Slipknot, as well as a Nightwish song and Tarja originals.




With its captivating performances of well-known songs paired with Tarja's iconic voice, this live album is a treasure for fans, as well as a discovery for Tarja-newcomers and all those who missed the chance to attend this exclusive concert. Rocking Heels: Live At Metal Church will be released as a Ltd. 2LP Vinyl Edition, CD Digipak in LP-replica design and on Digital.


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Always With Me, Always With You" (Joe Satriani)
"Numb" (Linkin Park)
"Alias" (In Flames)
"Vermillion Pt. 2" (Slipknot)
"Trust" (Megadeth)
"Ohne Dich" (Rammstein)
"Afterlife" (Avenged Sevenfold)
"The Living End" (Tarja)
"The Unforgiven" (Metallica)
"Sleeping Sun" (Nightwish)
"I Walk Alone" (Tarja)
"Ave Maria" (Tarja)


"Alias" video:





"Numb" video:

PAPA ROACH's latest album, "Ego Trip", was released in April 2022 via New Noize Records in partnership with ADA Worldwide (WMG's independent label and artist services arm). Speaking to the "Behind The Setlist" podcast about what he and his bandmates have learned by releasing the LP through their own label, PAPA ROACH vocalist Jacoby Shaddix said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "For us, it was, like, just 'Don't talk about it. Be about it.' You can't just say a bunch of shit. It's, like, 'All right. Let's talk about how we're gonna create this and then let's go find the people to do it and then execute it.' And that's very important, 'cause that's the shit that we would get mad about with working with other teams and other people. We'd be, like, 'Well, fuck, you talked a big game but then you didn't come through.' So then it's, like, we had to talk the big game and dream big dreams and then come through with it. And we've hit the mark on some it and we've missed the mark on a few things. And I think the thing that we really learned — I've learned — is, like, you've gotta be way ahead of the fucking… To execute a plan, the vision has to be a year before, a year and a half before. Because to get people to jump into the fucking vision with you, it takes time. I feel like we have a good track record, I guess, song release-wise and the songs that we choose to release as singles."

He continued: "The thing that I've learned is that the life of a song… It's hard to predict the life of a song — when you release it to the fans and it goes to radio and then you release the music video, how long that tail will be for that, what's the arc of it. It's hard to predict those things. And so this next time around, we're kind of, like, 'Are we gonna do a full album? Or are we just gonna release…?' 'Cause we've released so much music in the last two years, whether it's a livestream of our first album, 'Infest'; we re-recorded some of those songs; we did multiple remixes; I did multiple guest vocal tracks with other groups; and then we released our whole album; and then we released remixes of songs on the album and reimaginations. And we've, like, inundated our fans with tons of art that next time, for the next full release that we do, it's gonna be, like, what's the tip of the spear? It's just gonna be one song that is waterfalled with a reimagination and a remix and maybe a guest that'll drop a month later, two months later, three months later to, like, reinvigorate the track, but really just focus on one track worldwide and try it like that and see how that goes."

Shaddix added: "It's all fucking experimentation; there's no formula to this thing. People just start doing things 'cause other people start doing things. Really, that's what this business is. It's, like, 'Oh, they did it. That works. Let's try that.'

"I think the next time it's just, like, more focused. We'll do a full release down the road, but right now I think we're just gonna release a few tracks, just kind of ride it for a minute."

PAPA ROACH recently announced the digital deluxe edition of the band's eleventh studio album "Ego Trip", and the long-awaited release date of "Ego Trip" standard edition on vinyl. The 20-track digital deluxe release features remixed versions of songs from the original record, as well as new music.

An album that sprouted almost by mistake in the throes of a global lockdown, "Ego Trip"'s seeds were planted when the quartet entered a COVID-secure mansion in Temecula, California in the summer of 2020. What started as an escape and an exercise in keeping the creative juices flowing, in a world that had completely ground to a halt, quickly grew into something bigger.

PAPA ROACH are two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock music, who in 2020 celebrated the 20th anniversary of their iconic album "Infest".

Photo credit: Bryson Roatch

TMZ is reporting that a rare piece of Jimi Hendrix's music history, the guitar legend's 1961 Epiphone Wilshire guitar, is up for sale through Moments In Time, and the mahogany-bodied instrument has a $1.25 milion price tag attached to it.





Says TMZ: "The piece holds a lot of significance... when Jimi was discharged from the army back in 1962; he traded in his Danelectro for the Wilshire - only paying $65 bucks for it.




Jimi played the Wilshire in his early days with his group, The King Kasuals .. marking it as one of the first guitars in his professional career! The guitar was last seen on the open market back in 2008, and now Moments in Time is selling it on behalf of a private collector."


In other Hendrix news, Titan Comics has announced a November 7 release date for the new graphic novel, Jimi Hendrix: Purple Haze, by writer Mellow Brown, DJ Benhameen, and artist Tom Mandrake.


Description: This epic adventure sees the iconic Jimi Hendrix as you’ve never seen him before! The story sees Hendrix embark on a perilous quest to the very center of the universe in search of a magical talisman powerful enough to unlock the incredible latent power of his trademark sound, so that he can free a diverse population starved of rock ‘n’ roll by a tyrannical intergalactic force hellbent on silencing music and enslaving all life. Jimi Hendrix: Purple Haze blends classic sci-fi pulp, and Afro-futurism to craft a psychedelic space odyssey that captures the magic, hope and rebellion that Jimi’s legendary music is known for.

On the full moon, Monday, July 3, Peter Gabriel released the seventh track from the album i/o. This month the song is "So Much" and the first version to be heard is the Dark-Side Mix, by Tchad Blake.


Written and produced by Peter Gabriel, "So Much" is ‘a simple song’, that features a string arrangement from John Metcalfe and contributions from Tony Levin on bass, David Rhodes on guitar and backing vocals from Peter’s daughter Melanie Gabriel. The song was recorded at Real World Studios, Bath, The Beehive and British Grove, London.


"I was trying purposefully not to be clever with this. I wanted to get a very simple chorus but one which still had some substance to the harmony and melody. Something that was easy to digest but still had a bit of character to it. 'So Much' is about mortality, getting old, all the bright, cheerful subjects, but I think when you get to my sort of age, you either run away from mortality or you jump into it and try and live life to the full and that always seems to make a lot more sense to me. The countries that seem most alive are those that have death as part of their culture."




As Peter goes on to explain, there’s a duality to the meaning of "So Much", which is just as much about revelling in all the experiences and joyous distractions still to be had right now as it is about contemplating the future; ‘The reason I chose 'So Much' as a title is because I’m addicted to new ideas and all sorts of projects. I get excited by things and want to jump around and do different things. I love being in a mess of so much! And yet it also means there's just so much time, or whatever it is, available. Balancing them both is what the song is about."





This month’s full moon release comes with artwork from the artist Henry Hudson and his work "Somewhere Over Mercia".


"I started looking at Henry's work and thought it was great. He's done some dense and intricate work with plasticine, but then he also has this other more expressionist, horizon work with different colours and they're very simple and pure. I connected quite strongly with him. The works where Henry's got horizons are minimalist in a way. They are quite layered and there's a physicality or three-dimensional element to the way he puts the work together. The idea of cutting the horizon in a different colour, in this case he wanted it to be yellow, and then effectively letting it bleed onto the painting I thought was beautiful and powerful. In the one sense, the horizon is the infinite but it's also the limit. It had some good symbolism. I think it's a great piece of work."


"There’s a universalness about the song," says Hudson. "I think the relationship between that song and my horizon lines are quite poignant – dealing with our understanding of what time is, dealing with voids or horizons or places that can appear to be closer or further away."


Just like the previous full moon releases, "So Much" comes with differing mix approaches from Tchad Blake (Dark-Side Mix), released on July 3, and also from Mark ‘Spike’ Stent (Bright-Side Mix) and Hans-Martin Buff’s Atmos mix (In-Side Mix), released later in the month. "One of the privileges of working with these extraordinary mixers is that they bring personality, sound textures, pictures, environments out of the elements that you throw at them that have strong individual characters. You can really hear what these very smart people are doing."


Further details on the release plans for the full album will follow.





Since the release of "Road To Joy", last month, Peter Gabriel has completed the European leg of the i/o tour, to rave reviews. Shows in North America taking place in September and October. All dates are on sale now.





Tour dates:


September
8 - Quebec City, Quebec - Videotron Centre
9 - Ottawa, Ontario - Canadian Tire Centre
11 - Toronto, Ontario - Scotiabank Arena
13 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
14 - Boston, Massachusetts - TD Garden
16 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Wells Fargo Center
18 - New York, New York - Madison Square Garden
20 - Washington, D.C. - Capital One Arena
22 - Buffalo, New York - KeyBank Center
23 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - PPG Paints Arena
25 - Columbus, Ohio - Nationwide Arena
27 - Cleveland, Ohio - Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
29 - Detroit, Michigan - Little Caesars Arena
30 - Chicago, Illinois - United Center


October
2 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Fiserv Forum
3 - St. Paul , Minnesota - Xcel Energy Center     
7 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Rogers Arena
8 - Seattle, Washington - Climate Pledge Arena
11 - San Francisco, California - Chase Center
13 - Los Angeles, California - Kia Forum
14 - Palm Springs, California - Acrisure Arena
16 - Denver , Colorado - Ball Arena
18 - Austin, Texas - Moody Center
19 - Dallas, Texas - American Airlines Center
21 - Houston, Texas - Toyota Center


(Photo - Nadav Kander)

Punctually on the 4th of July, Marc Urselli's SteppenDoom present their unique take on Soundgarden's doomy classic, "4th Of July". This beautifully strange rendition features an actual member of Soundgarden in drummer Matt Cameron (also Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters) as well as Igor Sydorenko of  Ukraine's Stoned Jesus, multi-instrumentalist Alain Johannes (Queens Of The Stone Age, Eleven) and throat singers Utelo and the legendary Albert Kuvezin (of Tuvan throat singing collective Yat-Kha).


Marc Urselli comments: "The Seattle grunge scene changed my life", the project's mastermind explains. "I was wearing flannel and listening to anything from there I could get my hands on, and out of all the bands from that scene, Soundgarden were one of my absolute favorites. When Magnetic Eye invited me to do '4th of July', I jumped at the opportunity to do a sludgy and weird rendition. I immediately thought about inviting Matt Cameron to play drums on it. Matt graciously agreed to participate and this clearly is a major honor. For the vocals, the obvious choice to add throat singing, which is the essence of SteppenDoom, was Albert Kuvezin of Yat-Kha, because he's the only throat singer with experience doing kargyraa throat renditions of rock songs. I also invited Utelo to add some extra layers in different styles of overtone singing (khoomei or sygyt). The invasion of Ukraine had just started and I loved the idea of collaborating with a Ukrainian artist to show my support for the people of Ukraine. Igor from Stoned Jesus had turned his recording studio into a bunker to stay safe during the bombings. The fact that he could record his vocals while his country and city were under attack was a small miracle and a testament to his unwavering dedication to music, even in times of war!"







More information about the forthcoming MER Redux Series instalment, Superunknown Redux, can be found below. The massive double album has been scheduled for release on July 14. Pre-order here.


Parallel to Superunknown Redux, Magnetic Eye Records will release the by now customary companion album entitled Best Of Soundgarden Redux, that contains further 15 cover versions of deep cuts and all-time classics from across Soundgarden's extensive catalogue recorded by more exciting artists.





Superunknown Redux tracklisting:


Ufomammut - "Let Me Drown"
High Priest feat. Bobby Ferry (16) - "My Wave"
Marissa Nadler - "Fell On Black Days"
Somnuri - "Mailman"
Valley Of The Sun - "Superunknown"
Frayle - "Head Down"
Spotlights - "Black Hole Sun"
Horseburner - "Spoonman"
Witch Mountain - "Limo Wreck"
Beastwars - "The Day I Tried To Live"
Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows - "Kickstand"
The Age Of Truth - "Fresh Tendrils"
Marc Urselli's SteppenDoom feat. Matt Cameron (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam), Igor Sydorenko (Stoned Jesus), Alain Johannes (Queens of the Stone Age, Eleven), Albert Kuvezin (Yat-Kha) & Utelo - "4th Of July"
Dozer - "Half"
Darkher - "Like Suicide"


"Head Down" video:





"Let Me Drown":

Recite The Cynic have announced the July 14 release of their self-titled debut album.


Recite The Cynic is the illogical product of two folk metal artists. In 2021 after Falconmer disbanded after 20 active years, Stefan Weinerhall forced himself to think fresh. After trials and errors some songs took form in a mix of metal and EBM/electro with anything than positive or cheerful lyrics.


What was missing was voclas. Mathias Gyllengahm of the band Utmarken was already a known since he had been a session member on the final Falconer album. He was contacted and happened to be an old synth-fan. After laying down vocals for some songs they mutually agreed to make this a duo and further develop the direction and sound of RTC.




Although both members are from the folky side of metal it might appear strange that RTC is anything but folk inspired. The foundation is electronic music spiced up with metal elements and the “full-on" metal vocals of Mathias. If one is forced to make any likenesses it would be in the vicinity of Die Kruppsand Painbut with a emphasis on strong melodies.


In 2023 the material for the first album was finished and recorded. The mastering was handled by the great Jonas Kjellgren (Sabaton, Immortal, Dynazty, Pain etc.). What will the metal crowd say about this? Will they dare to look past the loops and drum machines and the see past the electronic front to embrace the melodic and bitter power of Recite The Cynic?





Tracklisting:


"Taunting The Jesters"
"Parasites And Leeches"
"Never Question"
"Take The Bullet"
"Valentine"
"Verbal Whore"
"Global Moneygods"
"Constant Discontentment"
"O Sweet Seclusion"

DISTURBED frontman David Draiman says that he has lost more than 30 pounds in the last six months.

The 50-year-old singer, who moved to Miami, Florida in early 2022 after residing in Honolulu, Hawaii for a few years, took to his social media earlier today (Tuesday, July 4) to share a shirtless bathroom selfie, and he included the following message: "180 lbs. Down 34 lbs since I started this whole thing in January. Haven't been this weight since the mid 2000's. In shape to kick everyone's asses this summer @disturbed #takebackyourlifetour #cantstop #wontstop #downwiththefitness".

As previously reported, DISTURBED was forced to cancel two shows on its just-completed European tour due to Draiman's "vocal issues."

In May, David underwent on operation to have a benign tumor removed from the radius in his right arm.

A month earlier, Draiman confirmed that he recently finalized his divorce from his wife of 11 years, Lena Draiman.

DISTURBED's latest album, "Divisive", came out last November. The LP was recorded earlier last year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee.

According to Billboard, "Divisive" sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales.

On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, "Divisive" debuted at No. 13.

DISTURBED has had five No. 1s on the all-genre chart, beginning with "Believe" in 2002.
180 lbs.
Down 34 lbs since I started this whole thing in January.

Haven’t been this weight since the mid 2000’s

NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen has canceled her previously announced solo concerts in the Netherlands: July 6 at Royal Park Live in Baarn and July 8 at Caprera in Bloemendaal.

Earlier today, the 42-year-old Dutch-born singer, who is several months pregnant with her second child, released the following statement via social media: "Dear everyone, with great regret, I have to cancel my shows on the 6th and 8th of July. The reason is that my health is not good enough to responsibly perform the shows.

"I became exhausted after my last show with NIGHTWISH in Finland. So much so that I collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. There, the doctors determined that my baby is healthy and I don't have any serious illnesses. However, I was so fatigued that continuing to work is no longer an option. The show with NIGHTWISH in Oslo had to be canceled as a result of this. That was 3 weeks ago. I had hoped that I would be able to rebuild enough energy to still perform those wonderful solo shows in the Netherlands. But unfortunately, that's not the case. To ensure the health of both myself and my unborn baby, I need to rest and focus entirely on my recovery and the final phase of my pregnancy.

"Canceling a show breaks my heart! It's a decision I definitely don't take lightly. But I hope to welcome you back to one of my shows in the near future! In good health. For now, I will temporarily bid farewell to the public stage and promise to take good care of myself and my little one.

"Love, Floor".

NIGHTWISH played its last concert before its current break from touring on June 17 at Lemonsoft Stadion in Vaasa.

In November 2022, Floor revealed that she was "cancer free" after recently undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

This past March, Floor and SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl announced that they were expecting their second child. Jansen and Van Dahl already have a six-year-old daughter named Freja, who was born on March 15, 2017.

In April, NIGHTWISH surprised fans by announcing that the band was not going to be playing any live shows for the foreseeable future and would be not be touring in support of the group's next studio album, which is tentatively due in 2024.

NIGHTWISH's statement read as follows: "As the 'Human :ll: Nature - World Tour' is drawing to a close, we feel now is the time to tell you of our plans for the next phase in our journey.

"After the planned shows for June 2023 we will be 'hanging up our spurs' for an indeterminate time, as far as live concert performances go, and won't be touring the next album.

"The reasons for this decision are personal, but, we all agree, vital to the wellbeing and future of the band. Be assured that we still love working together, and this decision has nothing to do with Floor's pregnancy or our other individual projects.

"However, an album of 12 new songs will see bright daylight in 2024, as will 3 music videos! The band is positively hyped beyond words over this new upcoming musical adventure.

"Stay tuned for updates from our legendary NIGHTWISH band camp & studio this summer!"

Last December, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said the band's upcoming follow-up to 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." will be the third part of a trilogy that began with 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album. He told Metal Hammer: "I immediately knew after getting that album ['Endless Forms Most Beautiful'] done that, 'Okay, we have to do more songs about this, because there's so much more to explore and tell the world. We're not done with this.' And the same thing happened after 'Human. :II: Nature.'; we're still not done. So let's do one more. At least one more.

"In a way, [the next album] is the third part of a trilogy, which started with 'Endless Forms…' and then 'Human. :II: Nature.' There are some major surprises there again, but it feels like a natural continuation to 'Human. :II: Nature.'"

According to Tuomas, NIGHTWISH's next LP will cover previously uncharted ground while continuing in the more cinematic style that has characterized some of the band's recent efforts..

"The wonderful thing is that we have had the demo [of the album] done since last spring. So it's been done for six months now. We really have all the time in the world to go through it all, and we have had a such great time with the band, just listening to the demo in our hotel rooms — me singing the lyrics and the melodies to Floor [Jansen, vocals]. She's recording them and then she's seeing them and throwing ideas to each other."

Last September, Tuomas was asked if NIGHTWISH's upcoming LP will once again be an exploration of evolutionary science, as was the case with the previous two releases. Tuomas said: "Yes and no. It sails on the same waters, but there's some new surprises there as well."

Holopainen went on to say that NIGHTWISH fans will have to wait a while before hearing new music from the band. "We'll enter the studio next year and the album is gonna come out maybe early 2024," he said.

In August 2022, Tuomas told Rock Sverige that he spent "about a year" working on the music and lyrics for the next NIGHTWISH album.

Asked if he got any kind of inspiration from the pandemic, Tuomas said: "Yeah, lyrically there's a couple of things that reflects the pandemic, but not in the way you would expect."

"Human. :II: Nature." was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

In August 2022, NIGHTWISH announced the addition of bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the last year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.
Dear everyone,

With great regret, I have to cancel my shows on the 6th and 8th of July. The reason is that my health is not good enough to responsibly perform the shows. I became exhausted after my last show with Nightwish in Finland. So much so that I collapsed and had to be… pic.twitter.com/QD77vyESda

— Floor Jansen (@FloorJansen_) July 4, 2023

In a new interview with Amy Harris of The Travel Addict, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine briefly touched upon the band's plans for the rest of 2023. He said: "So far, it doesn't seem like anything is out of reach. We have the elusive Grammy that we were trying to reach for so long. That happened and it was really exciting. We've completed our record deal, our publishing deal. Everything. I'm a free agent of a fortunately very large band that owes nobody anything.'

He continued: "Right now, the world's my oyster. We're getting ready to look for a new record deal, new publishing deal, merchandise deal, all of that stuff. We got rid of everybody from our past and we wanted a brand-new start. New broom sweeps clean, right? So, we've started the process and I've never been happier."

Mustaine added: "It's funny because one of the guys I fired used to say 'onward and upward' and I got to say right now to him, 'fuckin' A, baby.'"

MEGADETH's recently completed "Crush The World" tour kicked off in British Columbia, with shows in Abbotsford and Kelowna on April 28 and 29, respectively, before making stops in Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Ottawa, Quebec City, Montreal and Moncton, and wrapping up on May 15 in Halifax. BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and ONI provided support on the tour.

MEGADETH's current lineup includes guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based drummer Dirk Verbeuren, who had played with SOILWORK for more than a decade before joining MEGADETH, Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, who was previously best known for his work with ANGRA, and bassist James LoMenzo. James was MEGADETH's bass player in the mid-2000s and stepped back in as a touring member for the 2021 leg of "The Metal Tour Of The Year". In May 2022, it was announced that Lomenzo was officially rejoining the MEGADETH family.

Last September, MEGADETH's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", debuted at the top of the charts during its first week of sales, taking the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200 as well as number ones on Top Album Sales, Top Current Albums Sales, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums. "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" was the highest-charting MEGADETH album of all time around the world, notching No. 1 In Finland, No. 2 in australia, poland, Switzerland, and Scotland, No. 3 in the U.K., and more.

MEGADETH's previous top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 were "Countdown to Extinction" (No. 2, 1992),"Youthanasia" (No. 4, 1994),"Cryptic Writings" (No. 10, 1997),"United Abominations" (No. 8, 2007),"Endgame" (No. 9, 2009),"Super Collider" (No. 6, 2013) and "Dystopia" (No. 3, 2016).

MEGADETH recently received its thirteenth Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" for the song "We'll Be Back" from "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!".

MEGADETH won the 2017 Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the title track of the band's 2016 album "Dystopia". This marked the group's twelfth Grammy nomination in this category (including nominations in the discontinued "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category).

Image credit: Live Rock Music Concerts

QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT frontman Adam Lambert was honored with the International Award at last night's (Friday, June 30) O2 Silver Clef Awards at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London, England. Speaking to Music-News.com editor Marco Gandolfi at the event, Lambert said about what it has been like to sing parts originally written and recorded by iconic QUEEN vocalist Freddie Mercury: "Listen, there's no replacing Freddie Mercury. It's impossible. Freddie Mercury is a mythic rock god. Not only did he sing the hell out of those songs, he wrote so many of them. Those were his stories in a lot of those songs. And if I didn't have the recordings of Freddie Mercury, I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am with this music. So he's incredibly inspiring and he definitely gave me all of the ingredients that I needed to even pull it off on stage. So I look at it always as a celebration and a tribute to him."

Adam also touched upon Mercury's cultural legacy, saying: "I think Freddie's many things. I think the voice alone, it does something to you when you listen to it. He had an incredible voice, and I think that, as his tool, connected him with so many people out there. And then his songwriting — he wrote beautiful, human, emotive music about the human experience, and I think that also connected him with people. And then once you got him onstage, you look at old footage of him and he was very free and full of joy, and I think that inspired a lot of people as well, including myself."

This past March, QUEEN guitarist Brian May spoke to SiriusXM's Classic Rewind about the evolution of the band's live performance since he and drummer Roger Taylor first shared the stage together with Lambert more than a decade ago. He said: "I think our chemistry is better than it ever was. I mean, Roger and I go back hundreds of years, as you probably know. But with Adam, I mean, it was good from the beginning, but it's now amazing. We now have a real empathy on stage, a real kind of understanding. There's a connection. And you probably know, we don't have any clicks or backing tracks or anything, so we're completely free and we can feel what each other wants to do. So every night, it'll go a slightly different way. And I love that — the danger of that is brilliant. And we all feel more confident, I think. And I think as you get older, you get more forgiving of yourself. You don't regard things as mistakes. You regard everything as an opportunity. You get more forgiving of your younger self as well. You think, 'Okay, I was only young.' But it's a different feeling.

"I just think it's a privilege to be out there and to be able to do that and to get that incredible response from the audience," Brian added. "The QUEEN thing has been something amazing for all of us, and it's a real privilege to have that."

After SiriusXM's Mark Goodman noted that QUEEN managed to not only continue after the passing of Mercury, who died in 1991 of complications from to AIDS, but thrive following the arrival of Lambert, the guitarist said: "It's amazing that we didn't look for him. I always think that. We didn't advertise; we didn't audition. He just turned up out of the blue, out of heaven, and he had everything that we needed, plus more. And it is truly incredible."

Lambert, May and Taylor first shared the stage during "American Idol" in May 2009 for a performance of "We Are The Champions". They teamed up again in 2011 at the MTV European Music Awards in Belfast, Ireland for an electrifying eight-minute finale of "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" and in the summer of 2012, Lambert performed a series of shows with QUEEN across Europe as well as dates in Russia, Ukraine and Poland. They have since completed a number of tours and performed at some of the biggest festivals in the world.

In May 2019, Lambert said that he wasn't convinced it was the right move for him to record new music with QUEEN. Speaking to Hunger, he said: "People always ask if we want to record together, and I'm not sure it makes total sense, because it wouldn't really be QUEEN, because, to me, QUEEN is Freddie. My favorite thing is collaborating and putting these concerts together and creating on stage — it's super fulfilling and exciting. To present these ideas to these two gentlemen — especially when they like the idea."

May previously described Lambert as the only singer the band had found capable of filling Mercury's shoes. "Adam is the first person we've encountered who can do all the QUEEN catalog without blinking," said May. "He is a gift from God." Taylor echoed the guitarist's sentiments, adding: "[Adam's] incredibly musical, and we certainly take anything he says quite seriously."

Lambert, for his part, downplayed the Mercury comparisons, saying: "There's never going to be another, and I'm not replacing him. That's not what I'm doing. I'm trying to keep the memory alive, and remind people how amazing he was, without imitating him. I'm trying to share with the audience how much he inspired me."

In 2004, QUEEN recruited BAD COMPANY singer Paul Rodgers, with whom they completed two world tours and released an album, "The Cosmos Rocks", in 2008. They amicably parted ways a year later when Rodgers returned to BAD COMPANY. Since 2011, QUEEN has been fronted by Lambert.

During an appearance on this past Wednesday's (June 28) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler was asked how he feels about being considered one of the originators of the heavy metal genre. He replied: "I got used to it. It's just a term, like any other. People try and classify all kinds of music — try to put it in a bag or whatever and they come up with all these different things to call it.

"I think they called us heavy metal because we were a lot heavier than most hard rock bands that were around at the time. We'd gone one step heavier than anybody else, so they couldn't call it 'heavy rock'; they called it heavy metal."

Butler also acknowledged that SABBATH being called "heavy metal" tied in to the fact that he and his bandmates grew up in Birmingham, England, a city known for its former bleak industrial zones and often rainy streets, and worked in its factories.

"It was the first place to have factories — Birmingham was the very first place to have factories in the world, and it was part of the industrial revolution. That's where all the cars were made and all the ammunition and tanks and everything, Spitfires during World War II were made. It's always been an industrial part of England. I think that translated into the type of music that we wanted to play."

A little over a year ago, Geezer told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that the first time he heard the term "heavy metal" in connection with BLACK SABBATH, it was being used by a music journalist in a disparaging way.

"When we were on tour in America, I think it was the second tour in the [United] States," Butler told Trunk. "I read this review, and the guy said, 'This isn't music. It sounds like a bunch of heavy metal being smashed together.' Somehow that got over to England, and from then on it was like the sarcastic thing they used to apply to us — 'this isn't music, it's a load of heavy metal being smashed together.' And for some reason we got stuck with it."

Back in 2018, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi told BBC that he and his bandmates initially simply referred to their music as "heavy rock." He added: "The term heavy metal came about from a journalist when I came back from America [in the '70s]. He said, 'You're playing heavy metal,' and I said, 'No, it's heavy rock — what's that?'"

"At first, we didn't like being called heavy metal," Butler admitted in the same interview. "But everyone likes to put you into certain pigeon holes, so we sort of got used to it. And then instead of it being derogatory, it became a whole lifestyle."

"We wanted to create a vibe like you get off horror films — try and create a tension within the music," Iommi added. "We thought it would be really good to get this sort of vibe, this fear and excitement. It was a struggle. There was nothing like what we were doing. We'd taken on something because we believed in it, and loved what we were doing."

Butler concurred, telling What's On Birmingham: "To other people it may have felt like a new genre of music. But to us it just felt like an extension of the bands that we liked, like [Jimi] Hendrix, CREAM and Robert Johnson. We just made songs for ourselves. We didn’t think 'this is rock' or 'this is metal' or anything like that; it was just music to us."

Butler is promoting his autobiography, "Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath – And Beyond", which was released on June 6 in North America via HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books and on June 8 in the United Kingdom.

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The LORDOFTHE80S YouTube channel has uploaded video of METAL CHURCH's June 30 performance at Reverb in Reading, Pennsylvania. Check out the clips below.

METAL CHURCH made its live debut with the band's new vocalist Marc Lopes (ROSS THE BOSS, LET US PREY) on June 3 at the Legions Of Metal festival at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois.

Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Mike Howe, who tragically passed away in July of 2021. The band's current lineup is rounded out by founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and drummer Stet Howland.

Lopes's first studio album with METAL CHURCH, "Congregation Of Annihilation", came out on May 26 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The LP was produced by Vanderhoof.

In a recent interview with Chris Akin Presents, Lopes spoke about the inevitable barrage of criticism that he will receive as a result of stepping into the role previously occupied by Howe, David Wayne and Ronny Munroe. He said: "Being in ROSS THE BOSS [the band led by former MANOWAR guitarist Ross 'The Boss' Friedman], I have faced so much stupid bullshit from fans, from MANOWAR fans. At the beginning, it bothered me, years back. Now I can give two shits; I don't fucking care. Because, you know what? If you fucking start worrying about what other people think, you'll never get anywhere. And the way I look at it is, it's, like, look, if you like it, great. If you don't, then fucking go somewhere else. I don't really give a shit. I know that I'm giving it everything that I have to do it and make it sound as best as possible. And if you don't like it, why am I gonna sit here and try to fucking satisfy you? I don't fucking care. I mean, obviously, if everybody fucking hates it, then probably I shouldn't do the gig. But with much respect to the METAL CHURCH community, they've been amazing; they love this new stuff.

"I've gotta be honest — the anticipation is insane, and it's making me more… I'm definitely nervous," Marc admitted. "But at the same time, I'm, like, look, I've gotta go out and do my thing. And the reason that I was put in charge of doing this new era of the band was because I am putting my own spin on it. Am I gonna sound like David Wayne? Maybe in some aspects. Am I gonna sound like Mike Howe? Maybe in some aspects. Am I gonna sound like Marc Lopes? Abso-fucking-lutely. And that's really what it comes down to.

"If this is my era of the band, then I have to do what I do best. Trying to imitate it isn't gonna do anybody any good. And the funny thing is, Ronny Munroe is amazing — he's a great vocalist — and he sounded more like David Wayne than me.

"I've gotta be honest: at first, I was, like, 'Fuck, man. How am I gonna do this?' [Then I was, like], 'Wait a minute. You're already approaching it wrong.' Kurdt would always be, like, 'You're already approaching it wrong.'

"Those guys are not imitatable because they are who they are… And Ronny has his own style too, and the stuff that he did was great. It just was a weird era for the band, I think, in the totality part of it…

"I already know there are gonna be the haters," Marc added. "And I don't care. And for those people — if you wanna waste your time with that kind of shit, then go for it. There's way more things to spend time on in life than being out there going, 'I hate this.' It's kind of ridiculous.

"The biggest joke is I'm a huge IRON MAIDEN fan and I never liked the Blaze Bayley era. And we always used to joke about it. I was, like, I'm a huge MAIDEN fan. Do I spend my time going, 'Oh my God. I hate that. And I hate this.' It's, like, why? I don't listen to it. [Laughs] Not everybody's gonna like everything you do. It's just the way it is."

When Lopes's addition to METAL CHURCH was first announced in early February, Vanderhoof wrote in a social media post: "We auditioned a handful of vocalists and while they were all great, Marc quickly became the clear choice.

"Both David Wayne and Mike Howe had a very unique, irreplaceable quality to their voices, so we were not looking for a clone of either. We wanted someone new, who could embrace the past, and also bring something fresh and exciting to the mix.

"Marc brings a very classic yet modern feel to the songs."

In an interview with Heavy New York, Vanderhoof described "Congregation Of Annihilation" as "definitely more aggressive and more back to our thrash roots". Regarding how the LP's tougher sound came about, he said: "I had written an album. Mike and I had just started writing and working on a new album. So I wrote a new album. And Mike and I started the process of collaborating. And then, obviously, he passed away. Then there was a few months of trying to decide if I even wanted to continue. But then, when we decided to continue, it was kind of a step-by-step process. So when things started working with Marc, there was definitely much more aggressiveness in his vocals and his delivery, and that seemed like a good way to go. I didn't want a Mike clone. If we were gonna continue, I wanted to kind of have it be another chapter — something a little bit different. Just a new phase — a new old phase, I guess you could say. So when that started happening, when things worked out with Marc, it was, like, 'Okay, that's definitely making the trajectory that we're going.' So a good batch of the songs that I wrote with Mike in mind fell by the wayside, and a part of the album was brand new material, to fit with our new direction."

Asked if Marc adds a new dimension to the METAL CHURCH sound, Kurdt said: "Yeah, absolutely. He definitely brings his own thing to it. But he also very much honors the past and our sound and what METAL CHURCH musically is all about."

Howe was found dead at his home in Eureka, California in July 2021. According to TMZ, Howe's official cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to hanging. A spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept. told the site authorities are calling it a suicide. He was only 55 years old.

According to police, drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the death and no controlled substances or paraphernalia were located at the scene.

Howe, who fronted METAL CHURCH from 1988 until 1994, officially rejoined the band in April 2015.

Howe is not the first singer of METAL CHURCH to die. David Wayne passed away in May 2005 from complications following a car crash. He was 47 years old.

Wayne sang on METAL CHURCH's first two classic offerings (1984's "Metal Church" and 1986's "The Dark") before leaving the group and being replaced by Howe.

The Rockin Rick Belanger YouTube channel has uploaded video of FLYLEAF's July 1 acoustic set at the American Family Insurance House at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Check out the clips below.

The band's setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. I'm So Sick
02. Breathe Today
03. Tiny Heart
04. Broken Wings
05. All Around Me

FLYLEAF played its first concert with singer Lacey Sturm in 11 years on April 27 at Schoepf's BBQ in Belton, Texas.

FLYLEAF, which hadn't performed live since 2016 prior to the Belton concert, will make a number of festival appearances this year, including at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in September in Alton, Virginia.

Sturm left FLYLEAF in October 2012. She was replaced by Kristen May, who recorded one album with the group, 2014's "Between The Stars", before exiting.

Lacey opened up about her reasons for her departure from FLYLEAF in a video promoting her 2014 memoir "The Reason: How I Discovered A Life Worth Living". At the time, she said: "We were on our second album when I got married. And the album was called 'Memento Mori'. And 'memento mori' means remember you're mortal, remember that you'll die and remember that your life is short and precious and so are the lives of those around you.

"For two years, I toured with my husband and it was really amazing, and then after those two years, we ended up getting pregnant with my son," she continued. "And I recognized that my priorities were gonna change even more and that message of 'memento mori' and remembering how short your life is was really weighing on my heart.

"We toured for ten years. I mean, we weren't home for more than a month, probably, a year. So, for me, I just felt really blessed to be pregnant and to be in a place where I could stay home if I wanted to, and really ask that question: how is this gonna change my priorities? How is this gonna look? We had a few things happen that really brought that message home, but the one that hit the hardest was the death of our sound engineer [Rich Caldwell]. We did one last show with FLYLEAF as a benefit for his wife Katy and their son Kirby. And it was really hard to do a show without him, and it was really hard to think it could be our last show. So I remember looking at my son after Rich had passed and just wondering to myself, if this was the last year I had with my son, how would I spend it?

"It was really amazing to recognize this season changing in my life and the freedom that I was gonna be able to focus on my family. And I'm so thankful for that time. And although it was really hard, I'm thankful. And that's the reason I stepped down from FLYLEAF."

Back in 2016, Sturm was asked in an interview with RockRevolt Magazine if there was chance that she could reunite with her former bandmates after they had parted ways with May. She responded: "Well, you know, I feel like I'm the kind of person that I think so much happened that I never in a million years thought would happen, so I've learned to quit saying 'never.' But at the same time, I'm a really present person."

She added at the time: "I don't have any plans for that, but then again, you never know. I don't know… [Laughs] They haven't called me. And I don't have any plans [to go back]."

At several shows last year, Sturm joined SEETHER on stage to perform the FLYLEAF song "I'm So Sick".

In December 2021, Sturm released the official music video for her latest solo single, "Awaken Love". The track followed the previously released "The Decree" and "State Of Me".

The acoustic set today was 🔥 @summerfest

📷 by @dexas711

Posted by Flyleaf on Saturday, July 1, 2023

A thousand broken hearts carried by a thousand broken wings// Flyleaf shot for Summerfest

Stoked doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling for their full set tonight at 9:30

Posted by Bailee Logan on Saturday, July 1, 2023

In a new interview with "Paltrocast" host Darren Paltrowitz, Chris Robertson of Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY was asked how he feels about the "southern rock" tag that is sometimes attached to his band. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're just BLACK STONE CHERRY, man. We float through so many different stylistic kind of vibes. If you go back through our catalog, there's stuff that could touch on the fence of metal, there's stuff that could touch on the fence of country, and then there's this whole big pot of all kinds of shit that we like to throw together in the middle.

"Yeah, we're southern," he continued. "Listen [to] me. I obviously don't sound like you; it's [people from] New York and Kentucky [talking to each other] here. I think it's an age-old thing, man, of we're a rock band from the northernmost part of the South, essentially. We're in Kentucky; we're more Ohio Valley than South, really.

"Hell, I don't know. I talk like I talk, I'm from where I'm from, but at the end of the day, I like BLACK STONE CHERRY just being classified as good music. If that's what you think, and if you think it's shit music, classify it as that. But it's music for any kind of feeling. At the end of the day, you're putting yourself in a box; it only does that. So we've never said, 'We're this kind of band' or 'We're this kind of band.' At the heart of it, we're a rock and roll band, but we're a lot more than just a rock and roll band at the same time. And there's nothing wrong with being just a rock and roll band. AC/DC is the greatest rock and roll band that ever did exist, and they do it in a way that nobody can fuck with them when they do it.

"I don't know, man," he repeated. "I love the approach when bands do all kinds of different stuff. But then at the same time, I wanna hear METALLICA do '72 Seasons'. Their new record is exactly what we've all been wanting METALLICA to do. But at the same time, what if [LED] ZEPPELIN would have only done '[Led] Zeppelin I' and never experimented and got to 'In Through The Our Door'? You would have never heard 'The Crunge' or you would have never heard 'Fool In The Rain' or any of those iconic songs that were less of a rock song and more of just a great song.

"So, I guess that's a really, really long-winded way of saying we're a band that loves great music."

BLACK STONE CHERRY will release its eighth studio album, "Screamin' At The Sky", on September 29 via Mascot Records. The opus will be available in white solid vinyl, limited edition vinyl boxset, CD and digitally.

Chris Robertson (lead vocals/guitar),Ben Wells (guitar/backing vox) and John-Fred Young (drums/backing vox) are joined for the first time on an album recording by "new" bassist Steve Jewell Jr. (ex-OTIS). The band's fanbase will be more than familiar with Steve, as he has been touring with BLACK STONE CHERRY in 2021.

"Screamin' At The Sky" features all-new material written collaboratively while on tour, but when it came time to record, BLACK STONE CHERRY decided to try something it's always dreamed of doing: tracking an album at The Plaza Theater in Glasgow, Kentucky — a legendary 1020-seat venue built in 1934 that boasts meticulous acoustics.

BLACK STONE CHERRY's last album, "The Human Condition", released in October 2020 was their sixth consecutive No. 1 debut on the U.K. Rock Albums chart.

Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine

In a new interview with "Rock & Review With Eric Dahl", BUSH frontman Gavin Rossdale was asked if he would ever consider writing an autobiography. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "They do say everyone has at least one book in them. But, of course, Christopher Hitchens, the great English polemicist, said, 'And quite often, that's where it should stay.'

"There's a number of things that have happened to me that have not been appropriate to comment on, because — it has not been appropriate," he explained. "And insights and things that happened that are not part of a kind of a diary. And I think that one day it would be good to write a sort of a drifty, wannabe-Patti Smith-esque memoir… So I'd be interested in a kind of a leaf. Like if you go into a big painting and you take a little part of it, a smaller leaf of it. If I could just weave together a few things that would be surprising, then I would consider it. I would not do a sort of a, 'And then, after Christmas, January, there…' Anything people could read about or know already wouldn't make any sense to me."

BUSH released the deluxe edition of its 2022 album, "The Art Of Survival", on June 9.

AllMusic called "The Art Of Survival"BUSH's "best post-hiatus offering to date…an essential late-catalog installment that re-energizes their sound with fresh tricks and newfound purpose" while Billboard noted that "The Art Of Survival" "finds Rossdale and company full of bombast, huge guitars, and memorable hooks."

BUSH wrote and recorded what would become "The Art Of Survival" during 2022, reteaming with producer/writer Erik Ron (PANIC! AT THE DISCO, GODSMACK) who produced "Flowers On A Grave" and the title track for 2020's "The Kingdom", and collaborating once again on two tracks with film composer, musician, and producer Tyler Bates ("300", "Guardian Of The Galaxy"). The central theme speaks to both the human spirit's resiliency in the face of trials and tribulations as well as the band's own enduring place as rock outliers.