Multi-platinum hard rock powerhouse FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is celebrating its 20th anniversary with the release of "Best Of - Volume 1", a collection of re-recorded versions of their most iconic chart-topping songs. This move comes in response to the recent sale of the band's original master recordings by their former label, an action made without their knowledge or the opportunity to reclaim their own work.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's founding guitarist Zoltan Bathory says: "We would have loved to have a shot at reclaiming our masters, or at least to be involved in the transaction but we found out after the fact. Surprised, but not surprised. These kinds of behind closed doors deals have become far too common in the music industry. Labels buy, sell or trade artist's work without their knowledge or consent, reducing them to soulless commodities. But life is a chess game so when this happened to Taylor Swift, she responded by re-recording her catalog. After that respectably bold move, her fans switched to streaming the new version out of protest and loyalty. We have one of the most hardcore and loyal fan bases on the planet so I know our fans will do the same."

Coincidentally, this year marks FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's 20th anniversary, and they were already thinking about how to commemorate two decades worth of music, so when this curveball was thrown, they chose to turn it into something positive and powerful. The idea of a remix or remaster wasn't enough, so the band created a completely re-recorded 2025 edition to honor the songs and the fans who have made them matter by being with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH every step of the way.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH emphasized their respect for the original recordings and the people they made them with but are also excited to breathe new life into fan favorites like "The Bleeding", "Bad Company" and "Wrong Side Of Heaven" and to share this new chapter with fans around the world.

The first offering from the 20th-anniversary edition, in a poetic coincidence, happens to be titled "I Refuse", a fan favorite that was always meant to be a single. This reimagined, re-recorded version of "I Refuse", now features guest vocals from Maria Brink of IN THIS MOMENT.

With over 12 billion streams, numerous No. 1 hits under their belt and multiple gold and platinum certifications, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has firmly cemented their place as one of the most successful rock acts of the 21st century. "20 Years Of Five Finger Death Punch (Best Of - Volume 1)", released via Better Noise Music, is available now for pre-order. The collection includes 14 re-recorded hits — including smash singles like "Wrong Side Of Heaven", "Jekyll And Hyde" and "Bad Company" — alongside three bonus live recordings: "Trouble", "Welcome To The Circus" and "The Bleeding".

"Best Of - Volume 1" will be available across all streaming platforms on July 18, 2025, and will also be released worldwide in physical CD and vinyl formats. Fans can choose from a variety of configurations, including a standard CD and a Walmart exclusive CD. The vinyl edition will be offered in several collectible versions, such as a standard vinyl, Walmart exclusive, Best Buy exclusive, a special FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH web store edition, an indie retail exclusive, and a limited edition through Revolver magazine. A special-edition merchandise collection to commemorate the band's 20th anniversary is also available now in the band's official webstore.

"Best Of - Volume 1" track listing

01. Under And Over It (2025 Version)
02. Wash It All Away (2025 Version)
03. Battle Born (2025 Version)
04. I Refuse (feat. Maria Brink of In This Moment) (2025 Version)
05. Jekyll And Hyde (2025 Version)
06. Wrong Side Of Heaven (2025 Version)
07. Lift Me Up (2025 Version)
08. Far From Home (2025 Version)
09. Bad Company (2025 Version)
10. House Of The Rising Sun (2025 Version)
11. Gone Away (2025 Version)
12. Remember Everything (2025 Version)
13. Coming Down (2025 Version)
14. The Bleeding (2025 Version)
15. Trouble (Live)
16. Welcome To The Circus (Live)
17. The Bleeding (Live)

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has held firmly to a top three position on the Billboard Hard Rock charts for the last five years and amassed a record-setting 11 billboard mainstream rock airplay #1s in a row, the longest run of leading consecutive entries in the history of Mainstream Rock Airplay. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has 28 top 10 hit singles and 16 Active Rock No. 1 singles to its name, and the band has released nine consecutive studio albums since 2007, seven of which were certified gold or platinum by the RIAA, as well as two chart-topping greatest-hits albums.

Photo credit: Chad Martel

EVANESCENCE's Amy Lee and Grammy-nominated singer Halsey performed their collaborative song "Hand That Feeds" live for the first time when EVANESCENCE supported Halsey at her show last night (Wednesday, May 14) at the famed Hollywood Bowl. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

"Hand That Feeds" is taken from the new John Wick spin-off movie "Ballerina", which is due in theaters on June 6. The film marks the first big-screen spinoff for the popular "Wick" series. It stars Ana de Armas as Eve, an assassin seeking revenge on the people who killed her family.

When "Hand That Feeds" was first announced on May 6, Lee took to her social media to write: "So thrilled to bring you a new song, 'Hand That Feeds' with Halsey. We've been fans of each other's work for a long time and it really feels like the universe pulled us together for this moment. We already had the Hollywood Bowl show in place when Lionsgate invited us to work on a song for the Ballerina Movie together, and it's finally time to serve it UP! Cannot wait for you all to hear!!"

In a text message to fans, Halsey shared a snippet of "Hand That Feeds", writing in an accompanying message: "I really hope I see some of you guys on the For My Last Trick tour. Here is something to hold you over … (the answer is yes, I am freaking out about it)."

Halsey has reportedly been a fan of EVANESCENCE since childhood. When promoting her 2024 album "The Great Impersonator", Halsey dressed up as 18 of her musical heroes, one of whom was Lee. Recreating the EVANESCENCE "Fallen" album cover, Halsey wrote on Instagram that Lee was her "OG dark rock queen". Halsey also shared a childhood photo in which she sported an EVANESCENCE t-shirt. "I wore that shirt into the ground," she wrote.

Directed by Len Wiseman, "Ballerina" is produced by John Wick's Chad Stahelski and features performances from Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, with Ian McShane and Keanu Reeves alongside de Armas.

EVANESCENCE last released new music in March, with the arrival of the song "Afterlife" for the Netflix series "Devil May Cry". The track, which was co-written by critically acclaimed producer, songwriter and musician Alex Seaver, professionally known as Mako, and Lee, was performed live for the first time last night during the Hollywood Bowl show (see video below).

Delivering a number of dynamic rock hits over the last two decades, EVANESCENCE recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its landmark debut album, "Fallen", originally released in 2003. They recognized the milestone with a special anniversary edition of the smash album, which spawned gigantic rock hits like "Bring Me To Life", "Going Under" and "My Immortal", kickstarting a thriving career they're still carrying out today.

To date, EVANESCENCE has released a total of five studio albums, including the multi-platinum "The Open Door" (2004) and "Evanescence" (2011),both of which topped the Billboard 200. In 2021, the band thrilled fans with their first album of new material in a decade, "The Bitter Truth". Now 20 years on, EVANESCENCE continues to scale new heights. Featuring a lineup of Amy Lee (vocals, keyboards),Tim McCord (guitar/bass),Will Hunt (drums),Troy McLawhorn (guitars) and Emma Anzai (bass, backing vocals),the band continues to travel the globe, staging some of the most successful shows of their career, having wrapped a run of sold-out shows in Latin America, including Allianz Parque, a soccer stadium in Sāo Paulo, Brazil, which was the biggest headline show of EVANESCENCE's career to date, drawing 40,000 fans.

Shortly following its release in March 2021, "The Bitter Truth" rose to the top of the iTunes Album charts in 22 countries and also landed the top spot on Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums chart.

EVANESCENCE first topped the Hard Rock Albums chart in October 2011 with its self-titled effort. The album stayed atop the list for three weeks.

"The Bitter Truth" was recorded during the pandemic and confronted the dark realities of the world head-on. Yet its resounding message was one of light: pushing through is better than giving up.

We are so excited to be joining Halsey at her Hollywood Bowl show on May 14th! The signup for the Ticketmaster presale...

Posted by Evanescence on Thursday, February 13, 2025

In a new interview with Markus Brandstetter of Rolling Stone Germany, GHOST leader Tobias Forge was asked if religion played a "big part" in his upbringing. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes, but not in the traditional sense… We all know people who grew up in religious homes, or maybe in times where religion was more part of the mainframe. However, I grew up with religion from a cultural aspect because my mom is just a very cultural person and very interested in art and films. And so there was a natural sort of influx of more the cultural aspect of…"

He continued: "Whenever we were traveling someplace, we would always go to a church — not for religious reasons, [but] because of cultural reasons, for the artwork, like a museum. And as an imaginative kid, of course I was interested in the fairytale aspect of it. It was almost from an Indiana Jones point of view, because it was magic. But that was a positive thing. That felt historical, that felt magical, that felt ancient and cool. And then the other aspect of it was people in my vicinity that were religious who weren't necessarily very nice, or at least I didn't find them to be very pleasant. And one of them was my teacher in first and second grade. This was late '80s, and she was probably around retirement age at the time. So, she was born in, like, 1915 or something, or '20. I don't know. I don't remember. But she was very much like an old-school disciplinarian — very unmodern, mean. Everybody hated her. And even before I started school, just because in my kindergarten, there was a lot of kids who, who were older and they were, like, 'Yeah, you're gonna end up in her class. She's a real bitch.' So it was sort of served that way as well, and as soon as I started, we immediately clashed. And I remember her so clearly telling — I mean, anybody who was in my class might say that, 'Oh, she never said that,' but I remember clearly that she was, like, 'Had this just been a few years ago, I could have hit you.' And she was, like, 'Back in in the day — it was not very far, very long ago — I would've been allowed to hit you kids.' And you could really tell that she wanted to be that sort of physical disciplinarian. And you can argue maybe that maybe someone like me deserved it. I was very stuck up. I didn't like authoritarian people when I was a kid, so I didn't like it at all. And she was very deeply religious."

Forge added: "As my memory of it, and this might go against what anybody else's memory of it was, but there was a lot of singing psalms, or hymns, and there was a lot of biblical… I think she went off course in the amount of biblical study that we did. On the other hand, that served also my interest in history. So it wasn't like a waste, but she was definitely like an embodiment of, to me, the paradox of her self-proclaimed representing the good side and she was actually evil. She was mean and petty and bitter and represented negativity and regression, and I'd say that skewed me a lot. But I definitely, obviously fell out of favor of her. And then that sort of continued throughout school. We had another [teacher]… When I started seventh grade — I don't know to whatever extent she was religious, but she was definitely a righteous woman and she hated me. And this was right when I was in my most blooming satanic adolescent, 13-year-old kid. And I came into her class and she was, like… I know afterwards, because when my kids started school, for a brief time they actually went to the same school that I attended in seventh grade, and they had the same teacher as I had at the time, and he [told me], like, 'She was really mean to you.' 'Oh, that was not just in my head?' He was, like, 'No. She went around to other teachers trying to color their perception of you and how she wanted you to fail.' But I was very, very opinionated and I tried to diminish her thing with the class. I was the sort of kid that that would stand up in the middle of class and, like, 'Nobody here likes you. You're just a dumb cow.' [Laughs] So I was also a little shit. But as a kid and a teenager, I was in constant sort of collision with the world. I also have a great respect thinking about my own role in it. But if I wanna give myself a little slack, I would say that had I had nicer teachers, it would've been better. There are definitely others that I knew that had other teachers — had I been in their classes, I probably would've succeeded better. Succeeded with what? Things turned out okay. So it's, like, it's fine. But, yeah, that's the short answer to your question."

Forge previously spoke about religion while discussing GHOST's cover of GENESIS's 1992 song "Jesus He Knows Me". He told Australia's The Music at the time about the song's subject matter — a satirical look at televangelism: "It's frighteningly horrible. It's easy not to laugh about the accuracy in which Phil Collins wrote a lyric that ten years ago felt almost dated, even outdated, which now feels so contemporary and important."

He continued: "When we started touring America, I was asked so many times, 'Do you have a problem with the Christian fundamentalists or picket fencers or any of that stuff?' I was, like, 'No, never.' Like, there seems to be a sort of undercurrent of that stuff over there. I didn't see that, we were all over the place, even in the South, and definitely a lot in the heartland.

"My impression of those cities is just wonderful — a lot of nice people who come to rock shows, and they're super friendly, and everything is just fucking dandy," he added. "And then, obviously, the last five or six years, the people are still the same, I still feel that they're in the same climate. But obviously, parallel to that, there is this complete Flat Earth cult that has just decided to throw in the towel. I don't know what their aim is."

Referencing the fact that some televangelists ask people to give cash to earn financial favor from God, Forge said: "I cannot neglect to underline the fact that the followers, they are people who don't know better. I pity them — they are being used and humiliated and the leaders are just completely exploiting them. The exchange is supposed to be: 'Give me money, and I will give you the past back'. Look, I'm a nostalgic person as well. I wish it was 1985, too, believe me. But if anyone would come to me and say that, 'If you pay me $1 or $10 — anything you can spare — and I will give you 1985 back,' I would know you're lying. You're obviously lying. You're obviously telling me something that is not true. But yeah, such is the world now.

"You never reach the status quo. Unfortunately, the pendulum swings and sometimes you're in the shitter and sometimes the opposite side, that's how it's always been," he said. "That's the horrid thing about the shit that they're trying to sell you, especially when they're trying to sell it as some sort of religion sandwich because they're telling you that the world is linear, and time is linear. In this case, they're talking about heaven or hell. That is not how it really works. Everything else in this world is circular. So why wouldn't that also be circular? That's the true essence of evil — tricking people into believing something in order to get something out of them and trying to sell them salvation."

Earlier this month, GHOST's new studio album, "Skeletá", landed at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 86,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the LP's first week of release. 89% of that figure (77,000) consisted of traditional album sales, with vinyl purchases accounting for over 44,000 copies. Notably, "Skeletá" was the first hard rock album to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 since AC/DC's "Power Up" in 2020, according to Billboard.com.

"Skeletá" arrived on April 25 via Loma Vista Recordings.

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of 2018's "Prequelle". In March 2020, at final show of GHOST's "Prequelle" tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the character who fronted the act for its "Impera" (2022) album phase.

The European leg of GHOST's 2025 world tour kicked off on April 15 in Manchester, United Kingdom and will conclude on May 24 in Oslo, Norway. The North American leg of GHOST's 2025 tour will launch on July 9 in Baltimore, Maryland and wrap up on August 16 in Houston, Texas.

CANDLEMASS leader Leif Edling has reiterated that the band's upcoming reunion concert with Messiah Marcolin will be a one-off event, with no chance of further dates being added.

As previously reported, Messiah will front CANDLEMASS for an appearance at this year's edition of the Rock Hard Festival Greece, slated for September 12-13, 2025 in Athens, Greece. It will mark Marcolin's first performance with CANDLEMASS in nearly 20 years.

In a new interview with Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece, Edling stated about CANDLEMASS's upcoming concert with Messiah (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it feels great. And we [are celebrating CANDLEMASS's] 40-year anniversary with many happenings, so this is one of the happenings that we have. So we have a special EP out with a couple of tracks, and we will have a special line of merchandise out. And we will do special shows in Sweden, and we will also do the thing with Messiah Marcolin in Athens. So there's several ways we can celebrate. We put a lot of old photos up on social media right now, for example, and I think there's a documentary about CANDLEMASS being filmed during the year as well. So, we celebrate in many ways."

Regarding the possibility of more concerts with Messiah being added, Leif said: "Yeah, it will be a one-off show. Absolutely. And we have no recording plans, we have no reunion plans. There are no plans whatsoever but just one show and one show only. So that's the entire thought behind it. Go down to Greece where we have a lot of true fans, loyal fans, and have a blast. Play a great show and enjoy ourselves for the 40-year anniversary's sake. Not many bands survive to have a 40-year anniversary. So we feel very lucky that we have managed to survive this long."

Asked if he sees the upcoming concert in Athens as "the perfect closure" of CANDLEMASS's chapter with Messiah, Leif said: "I think we had a closure, like, 20 years ago, actually. [Laughs] I mean, we didn't know that we would survive one year after Messiah left. And we didn't know that we would be playing 20 years after. So this is a bonus. And it's a bonus for all the people that would like to see us live with Messiah. So why not? Let's do it. Let's have fun for an evening in Athens."

On the topic of the setlist for the Rock Hard concert, Edling said: "I think we'll do the classics with a couple of surprises. So, I'm sure people will enjoy the setlist that we are discussing right now, actually. But I don't wanna give anything away right now. Let it be a surprise. So I don't think anybody will be disappointed. That I can say."

During the chat, Leif also reflected on some of the "biggest challenges" CANDLEMASS's career, particularly in the first couple of decades of the band's existence. He said: "Well, difficult times — I guess it was when Messiah left the first time, and also the second time. It's not easy for a band to recover after that. We had quite a few changes of singers, and every time you make a singer replacement, you go through a difficult time. But it's been 40 years, so I think it's also kind of a natural thing, when you have such a long career. So, I don't think of it as we have a band with a lot of problems or anything. I mean, if you change a singer every eight years or whatever, I think that's quite natural that some members come and go. If it's not the singer, maybe it's the guitar player or the bass player or the drummer. So this happens in every band on the planet — they change the personnel. But we have four people playing for 40 years together — me, Jan [Lindh, drums], Mats [Björkman, guitar] and Lars [Johansson, guitar]. And now we have Johan [Längqvist, vocals] back in the band, and it's fucking fantastic. So I think we are very lucky to have survived these 40 years, and we are lucky enough to still be regarded as a headliner band or co-headliner band. And we play great shows for a lot of people. And every gig we play, we have all the hands in the air and people are cheering. So it makes me feel fucking fantastic every time, because you still attract people, you still make people happy with your music. That's absolutely fantastic."

In a recent interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Längqvist (a.k.a. Johan Langquist) was asked if he will be a part of CANDLEMASS's upcoming performance featuring Messiah. He responded: "No, I'm not a part of that performance, because the Greeks, they loved CANDLEMASS from the very beginning, and we are very popular in Greece. And I think the reason is because [Messiah] has a part of their history, the music listeners in Greece. So I do respect they wanted us to do a gig with Messiah."

Johan continued: "What can I say? I wish him the best. And he was a character in the band and we've actually met two nights together, partying together. And I wish him the best. I hope they're gonna make a great show down there. Yeah, that's it."

As the godfathers of epic doom metal, CANDLEMASS defined the genre with releases such as "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" (1986) and "Nightfall" (1987). Through their evil riffs, crushing rhythmic attack and dramatic vocals, they changed the landscape of metal worldwide. Led by Edling, CANDLEMASS reunited with Längqvist in 2018, 32 years after the singer performed on "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus".

Längqvist originally exited CANDLEMASS after "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" and was replaced by Marcolin.

Marcolin exited CANDLEMASS for the presumably final time in 2006, one year after the release of the band's self-titled album. He was later replaced by Robert Lowe (SOLITUDE AETURNUS),who sang on the band's "King Of The Grey Islands" (2007),"Death Magic Doom" (2009) and "Psalms For The Dead" (2012) LPs. CANDLEMASS's frontman between 2012 and 2018 was Mats Levén, who previously recorded and toured with YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and THERION. Seven years ago, CANDLEMASS fired Levén and rehired Längqvist.

Back in October 2022, Messiah and longtime CANDLEMASS guitarist Mats "Mappe" Björkman joined Canadian metallers ANVIL on stage at the Slaktkyrkan venue in Stockholm, Sweden to perform the classic ANVIL song "Metal On Metal". The event marked the first time in 16 years that the two musicians performed together.

CANDLEMASS's new EP, "Black Star", came out on May 9 via Napalm Records.

Johan's solo project JOHAN LANGQUIST THE CASTLE will release its self-titled debut album on CD and vinyl on June 27 via I Hate Records. The record was initially made available digitally without a label in 2024.

Photo credit: Linda Åkerberg

During a recent episode of the "100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal" podcast, Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel discussed SLAYER's "Raining Blood", from 1986's "Reign In Blood" album, with the man who played drums on that track, Dave Lombardo. Asked where the song's iconic intro came from — a burst of thunder, three drumbeats and lightning-strike guitars — Lombardo said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[Late SLAYER guitarist] Jeff [Hanneman]. Jeff recorded the demo. He recorded the drums and the guitar and presented that to us at rehearsal. And we thought it was a little odd. It was, like, 'What? You just want it to start this way?' And I don't know where the idea, where the rain came in. But the song was practically done, and it was on cassette. And we thought it was great, at least once the riff kicked in. That blew us away."

Regarding his drumming approach in "Raining Blood", Lombardo said: "I think — well, especially with that song… I had an idea of what I was doing in the first three records that we did, three, four records, from learning by listening to other drummers. At that time, obviously, it was IRON MAIDEN, MOTÖRHEAD, JUDAS PRIEST. So the drummers at that time laid the groundwork for me. And learning those songs and playing those songs with SLAYER really helped me hone in my ability to contribute drums to music that was presented to me. But then later, [when we recorded] 'Reign In Blood', [the album's producer] Rick Rubin really kind of honed my creativity and he helped me apply the creativity in very special places that impacted the next part of the song. So let's say when the vocals — let's say in the verse. You keep that space open. You can add little, tiny nuances, but you don't wanna overplay, because then you're taking away from the vocals. And then when the chorus comes in, or the bridge or whatever, he helped me hone in my creativity and add, let's say, a creative drum roll to lead into the next section. So I think that's where you're hearing, as a listener, the drums being played in a more melodic form as it's part of the song instead of, 'I'm playing drums and I need to show you how good I am at these chops that I've developed through the years.' It wasn't about that. It's about the song and making it as special and giving it the right amount of drumming."

According to Lombardo, another thing that "helped immensely" in elevating SLAYER's musicianship "was the amount of touring that we were doing. That's where you really develop your chops, your stamina, and you start hearing things a little differently from the stage perspective," he explained. "And I think, at least in my experience, that's where I started hearing music in a different way, in a more performance way, rather than just creative. It's, like, you know the power that certain rhythms have when they're performed live, so you try to record those rhythms as authentically as possible. It just comes with experience, and I believe the touring really helped us in developing not only our sound, but our style."

"Reign In Blood" was released on October 7, 1986 through Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band's first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band's sound evolve. Kerrang! magazine described the record as "the heaviest album of all time," and a breakthrough in thrash metal and speed metal.

"Reign In Blood"'s release was delayed because of concerns regarding its graphic artwork and lyrical subject matter. The opening track, "Angel Of Death", which refers to Josef Mengele and describes acts such as human experimentation that Mengele committed at the Auschwitz concentration camp, provoked allegations of Nazism. However, the bandmembers stated numerous times they do not condone Nazism, and are merely interested in the subject.

On the topic the controversy surrounding "Reign In Blood"'s lyrical content, Hanneman previously said, "'Angel Of Death' was a big problem. I remember getting a phone call after the album was done: Sony wasn't going to release it. I remember being at home, pissed, throwing things. What the fuck? I didn't think anything was wrong with 'Angel Of Death' or anything else we did, it's a documentary! There's no 'Heil Hitler' or 'white people rule,' it's a documentary; grow up, people. It took months before they picked it up again. Finally, we got signed by a distributor."

"Reign In Blood" was SLAYER's first album to enter The Billboard 200 chart (at No. 94). The LP was certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) on November 20, 1992 for sales in excess of 500,000 copies.

In a 2009 interview with Filter magazine, SLAYER frontman Tom Araya stated about "Reign In Blood", "On that first album [together], Rubin made sure that he recorded. He wanted to duplicate what he was hearing." Guitarist Kerry King added, "It was the first time you actually heard SLAYER in its pure ferocity, and it made a big difference. One funny thing about that album is if it came out today, no one would give a shit. They'd say, 'That's cool.' But at the time it came out it made such a difference. People still reflect on that as a poignant time, where shit changed."

Back in October 2021, Lombardo told Metal Injection about "Reign In Blood": "I look at that album as a masterpiece. And it's one of those albums that will stand the test of time. It's brilliant. The fire, the energy that that album has. I don't hear that in other records. I don't know if it's because I'm listening to a band that I was part of that I have this perspective that's objective. But you know, it's brilliant and I'm very appreciative … I think that album will forever be like the epitome of thrash music and part of a historic time in music history… SLAYER had a certain energy that's unlike anything else. And so that definitely is for me one of the greatest metal records ever made."

Lombardo, who splits most of his time between crossover pioneers horror-punk icons MISFITS, hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS and MR. BUNGLE, was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other bandmembers. He has since been replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001.

Shortly after his dismissal, Lombardo said that he discovered that 90 percent of SLAYER's tour income was being deducted as expenses, including fees to management, costing the band millions and leaving them with about 10 percent to split four ways. While he and Araya hired auditors to figure out what had happened, Lombardo said he was never allowed to see any of the information obtained.

A few years ago, King said that "when Dave was in [SLAYER] this last time, I figured I'd be on the stage with him until one of us fell off the stage, dead. Things change. He got some bad advice and listened to some bad advice, gave us an ultimatum ten days before we went to Australia [to do the Soundwave festival tour]. And I said, 'I can't have this over my head.' And I feel bad for Dave to this day; I really feel bad for him because he shot himself in the foot. Maybe he thought he had the upper hand, but you ain't gonna get me."

Photo credit: Ekaterina Gorbacheva

LED ZEPPELIN frontman Robert Plant and his band SAVING GRACE performed live at Göteborgs Konserthus in Gothenburg, Sweden on Sunday, May 11. Fan-filmed video of the entire concert can be seen below.

Plant formed SAVING GRACE back in 2019. He is joined in the band's current lineup by Suzi Dian (vocals),Oli Jefferson (percussion),Tony Kelsey (mandolin, baritone, acoustic guitar) and Matt Worley (banjo, acoustic, baritone guitars, cuatro) and Barney Morse Brown (cello).

Plant continues to push boundaries and blow audiences away with SAVING GRACE. His current European tour, which kicked off on May 3 in Brussels, Belgium, is a rare opportunity to witness the collective's unique blend of folk, Americana, and blues.

In a 2021 interview with Express & Star, Plant admitted SAVING GRACE's sound was hard to characterize.

"A lot of people call it Americana, but it is definitely not Americana," he said. "I would describe it as psychedelic soul."

Since forming six years ago, SAVING GRACE has received numerous acclaims for its live shows, with Bob Harris describing it as "one of the best gigs I've seen in years" and Toni Woodward of Americana UK providing a perfect summary: "These five musicians have produced a supreme ninety minutes of music with considered interpretations of others' compositions, ensuring they present an innovative exploration of the songs whilst maintaining their true essence. Furthermore, this odyssey has been undertaken in the spirit of appreciation, musicianship, and exultation: they truly are a band of joy!"

Robert Plant presents Saving Grace feat. Suzi Dian, Spring Fever tour 2025 dates. Visit http://robertplant.com/ for...

Posted by Robert Plant on Monday, March 17, 2025

AURI, the project featuring NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen and his wife, popular Finnish singer Johanna Kurkela, will release its third studio album, "III - Candles & Beginnings", on August 15, 2025.

Propelled by the celestial voice of Kurkela, the lush sonic landscapes of Holopainen, and the boundless instrumental artistry of Troy Donockley, AURI once again invites listeners into a world that defies genre. Fusing elements of folk, progressive and symphonic music with touches of world, pop, and avant-garde, "III - Candles & Beginnings" promises an immersive journey for the senses.

The creative process for this new chapter began in 2023, shortly after the completion of NIGHTWISH's 2024 opus "Yesterwynde". While Troy composed in the serene landscapes of Yorkshire, Tuomas and Johanna crafted melodies and lyrics from their home base in Kitee, Finland — bridging worlds both musically and geographically.

As a first glimpse into AURI's evolving soundscape, the hauntingly beautiful lead single "Shieldmaiden" is available now, accompanied by a stunning cinematic video directed by longtime collaborator Ville Lipiäinen.

Donockley comments: "Our new album 'Auri III' is waiting to be released, and one of its songs, 'Shieldmaiden', has already escaped. It's a mysterious song, obscured by its own slow rising power. AURI thrives on mystery and ambiguity so all is well…"

The drums for "III - Candles & Beginnings" were laid down in January at the Petrax facility in Hollola, Finland by Kai Hahto, best known as the drummer of NIGHTWISH and WINTERSUN. Hahto will also tour with AURI when the band hits the road later this year.

AURI released its second album, "II - Those We Don't Speak Of", in September 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The effort was the follow-up to AURI's self-titled debut LP, which came out in March 2018 via Nuclear Blast.

AURI began its life with three people, united through their shared need to hear a kind of a music which can't be described by words alone. The first song born of this mindset, "Aphrodite Rising", appeared in 2011.

Kurkela lent her unique voice, while Holopainen and English composer and multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley (also of NIGHTWISH) cast their spells with various other instruments. Now complemented by the dynamic percussive talents of Kai Hahto (NIGHTWISH),the threesome carves fantastical worlds entirely their own.

In a 2018 interview with Dead Rhetoric, Donockley stated about AURI's formation: "It was always there for us, since 2010. We decided back then that the three of us wanted to do something together. Tuomas and I are huge fans of Johanna's voice. I had been involved in one of her albums as a guest musician, and Tuomas had written a song for her on a solo album. So the three of us realized pretty early on that we wanted to do something together, musically. It was obvious that it couldn't be like NIGHTWISH. But it was something we felt really strongly about, that we had to release this atmosphere we all felt, and were tuned into. I know that sounds fairly vague, but that's truly what it was. It was a kind of music that we wanted to get out of ourselves. We are close friends and have very similar tastes and attitudes towards life so we made our plans, but NIGHTWISH is a behemoth. We have our commitments there and we did 'Imaginaerum' and 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful' after our decision to work together on some music. As it turned out, fortune smiled on us with a sabbatical year. We decided to dive in and work on it."

Asked how he would compare the spirit/essence of AURI with that of NIGHTWISH, Donockley said: "We don't see it as very different from NIGHTWISH at all. Sonically it is, for sure. We were struggling to find a label for it, as it usually happens, so I just tossed out 'celestial metal.' So this Polish journalist said to me, 'I know what you mean about celestial metal. It's kind of heavenly music. It has the metal attitude, but without all of the electric guitars and bass.' Metal is an attitude. The metal scene — the metal fans are open-minded, as I said before. The Italian [NIGHTWISH] fan club, I did an interview with them, and this was brought up and she told me that she was a fan of DIMMU BORGIR as well as Ed Sheeran. That's it right there! So I think the NIGHTWISH connection is inevitable because of Tuomas and I are in it, so there are those elements. But I think the spirit is the same as NIGHTWISH. It does cover a lot of the same themes, it's just not obviously NIGHTWISH. It's down to the sonic side, honestly."

Holopainen and Kurkela have been married since October 2015.

Having been a studio endeavor in the past, AURI is finally going on tour, with its first-ever live European trek kicking off in August 2025. Check out the dates below.

AURI's "A Trail Of Candles & Beginnings" tour dates:

Aug. 13 - FI - Kitee, Kiteesali
Aug. 14 - FI - Kitee, Kiteesali
Aug. 16 - FI - Tampere, Tampere-talo
Aug. 20 - FI - Oulu, Madetojan Sali
Aug. 22 - FI - Vaasa, Ritz
Aug. 23 - FI - Helsinki, Helsinki Festival / Huvilateltta (+ Eye Of Melian)
Sep. 12 - UK - Manchester, RNCM Theatre
Sep. 13 - UK - Edinburgh, Queen ́s Hall
Sep. 15 - UK - London, Union Chapel
Sep. 16 - BE - Gent, Theaterzaal Vooruit
Sep. 17 - FR - Paris, La Cigale (+ Eye Of Melian)
Sep. 18 - NL - Utrecht, Tivoli Vredenburg (+ Eye Of Melian)
Sep. 20 - CH - Zürich, Volkshaus
Sep. 21 - DE - Stuttgart, Liederhalle
Sep. 22 - DE - Cologne Theater am Tanzbrunnen (+ Eye Of Melian)
Sep. 23 - DE - Essen, Lichtburg
Sep. 25 - DE - Mannheim, Capitol
Sep. 26 - DE - Munich, St. Matthäuskirche
Sep. 27 - AT - Vienna, Simm City
Sep. 29 - HU - Budapest, MOM Kult
Sep. 30 - CZ - Prague, Hybernia
Oct. 01 - DE - Berlin, Passionskirche
Oct. 02 - DE - Leipzig, Kupfersaal
Oct. 04 - PL - Warsaw ,Palladium
Oct. 06 - DE - Hamburg Laeiszhalle
Oct. 07 - DK - Copenhagen, Amager Bio
Oct. 08 - SE - Stockholm, Nya Cirkus
Oct. 09 - NO - Oslo Sentrum Scene
Oct. 10 - NO - Bergen Grieghallen

AURI is:

Johanna Kurkela - voices, violin, viola, keys
Tuomas Holopainen - keys & backing voices
Troy Donockley - guitars, bouzouki, mandola, uilleann pipes, low whistles, aerophone, bodhran, keys, voices

Photo credit: Pete Voutilainen

MOTÖRHEAD has shared an official video recap of the unveiling of the statue of the band's founder and bassist/vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, which was held on Friday, May 9 during the "Lemmy Forever" ceremony in Burslem, Stoke on Trent, England. Check it out below.

With MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell attending to place Lemmy's ashes in a magnificent statue created by local sculptor, and huge MOTÖRHEAD fan, Andy Edwards, the day was filled with fun, friends, and some volume too.

The ceremony commenced in Burslem town center at approximately 4:00 p.m., with friends invited to come early and make a day of it by enjoying some pre-ceremonial MOTÖRHEAD beverages at the various site-adjacent hostelries including Old Post Office bar and Ale House, while the Market Place Café also had refreshments, including a special MOTÖRHEAD roast of the day.

Some of the ceremonial festivities included a biker's corteo accompanying the ashes, various speakers, and a roaring 21-rev salute which hit the skies in ceremonial reverence. The statue itself captures Lemmy in all his live glory from the 1981 era, which saw MOTÖRHEAD headline the Heavy Metal Holocaust just down the road at Port Vale Stadium back on August 1, 1981.

MOTÖRHEAD fan Nobby, who was at the ceremony, told BBC Radio Stoke he had been following the band since he was 15 and described the unveiling as "absolutely awesome".

"It's unbelievable — it looks alive. Looking at it now, he really has captured Lemmy to a tee. It's brilliant," he said.

"It's well worth the wait, well worth everything and I hope it brings people to Burslem to see it."

Edwards, who had previously created sculptures of THE BEATLES, Bob Marley, Sir Alex Ferguson, Muhammed Ali and the BEE GEES, said: "Of all the figures in music, there aren't that many that have the unique stature that Lemmy does. He's like an avatar of the purest spirit of rock and roll — he's one of us. I think it's right that it [the statue] has been made locally."

MOTÖRHEAD is a Grammy Award-winning British rock band renowned for their groundbreaking contributions to a variety of musical genres including heavy metal, punk rock and rock'n'roll, as well as their rebellious, free-wheeling attitude. 2025 sees the band celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of "Motörhead For Life" and "Lemmy Forever" events to carry on the lifestyle perpetuated by the band and its iconic frontman Lemmy Kilmister.

Lemmy, who was born in Burslem and later lived in nearby Newcastle-under-Lyme and Madeley, died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy's poor health, although the band did manage to complete a European tour a couple of weeks before his death.

In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, "Lemmy", will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, "Lemmy".

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

Lemmy statue

What a fantastic day we've had in Burslem.

Hundreds of people turned out to honour Motörhead frontman Lemmy with a brand-new statue in Market Place.

Cllr Lyn Sharpe paid tribute to Lemmy before the statue was unveiled this afternoon.

Posted by Stoke-on-Trent City Council on Friday, May 9, 2025

Wicked day at the Lemmy statue unveiling in stoke. Met some great people and listened to some great music.

@...

Posted by Ethan Quinney on Sunday, May 11, 2025



The legend has returned to Burslem!

What a fantastic turnout for Lemmy's statue unveiling.

Now time for the after party in typical Motörhead style.

Posted by Stoke-on-Trent City Council on Friday, May 9, 2025

Christian rockers STRYPER enter the studio in late April to begin recording their first-ever full-length Christmas album. The 10-song effort will include five original Christmas tracks and five traditional Christmas cuts, including remakes of "Reason For The Season" and "Winter Wonderland", both of which originally appeared on a 1985 single and were also made available on the 1986 re-release of STRYPER's debut EP, "The Yellow And Black Attack".

Earlier today (Tuesday, May 13),STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet took to his social media to write: "Update on Christmas album: Today the guys are going home.

"We accomplished a lot in 13 days! Everything is sounding absolutely amazing. [Longtime STRYPER collaborator] Danny [Bernini at SpiritHouse Recording Studios in Northampton, Massachusetts] and I will go through all the songs today and make some adjustments to levels and prep mixes for me to sing too. I'll then go home and take a day or two off and then I'll start singing and tracking vocals. I'll have that wrapped up before we leave for Sweden. And then when we get back from Sweden, mixes will be finalized and it will be mastered and get turned in by the end of June or the very beginning of July.

"This album has its own unique signature to it and it's becoming a favorite of mine. There's just something about it that's really special and unique. An album weve wanted to do for so many years and here we are.

"We tried some different things on this album in terms of the sound but yet we didn't venture too far away from who we are and what we do. It's 100% STRYPER yet it has some new flavors here and there and it's really amazing how it turned out. It will be released this year.

"We'll also be starting on a brand new album in January of next year. It will be our 18th studio album (unless my math is wrong). We're almost at my goal of 21 albums. Then I have to catch up with the solo albums. With the release of the inspirational album, I'll be at 12. My goal with that is also 21."

STRYPER's latest studio album, "When We Were Kings", came out in September 2024.

The band recently completed the U.S. leg of its 40th-anniversary tour, which was described as "a celebration of both classic hits and new-era fan favorites, including outfit changes and an exciting new show production."

In December 2023, Michael underwent partial thyroidectomy, the surgery to remove part of his thyroid gland. It is the most common surgery for thyroid cancer.

Formed 41 years ago, STRYPER's name comes from Isaiah 53:5, which states: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

STRYPER's albums include "To Hell With The Devil", "Second Coming", "No More Hell To Pay", "Fallen", "God Damn Evil", "Even The Devil Believes" and "The Final Battle".

In a recent interview with The Front Row Report With Reggie Edwards, Michael Sweet spoke about how his songwriting process has evolved over the four decades of STRYPER's existence. He said: "I personally think that that's my greatest gift in terms of the abilities God's given me. I'm a guitar player, I'm a singer, but I feel like I shine more at songwriting, and I get more excited about it.

"When I sit down to write, it's always a few weeks before we start recording," he continued. "I don't have any songs, and I sit down in my studio and I write a song a day. Once I have one song finished, I go down the next day, I write another song until there's 11 songs or 12 songs. And then we go in a studio, I teach the songs to the guys and we record them. And it's been that way really from the beginning, starting with [the 1984 EP] 'The Yellow And Black Attack', but the difference between now and then is we spent more time working out songs [back then]. Now it's a lot faster process, and it's not because it's rushed [or] because we have to; it's just because that's the way it is. That's the way it works.

"But I love writing," Sweet added. "Everyone has this perception that we've always written songs as a band. That's just not true. It's never been that way. I've always been open and honest about that. And sometimes people think I'm a dictator and I hold a gun to the guys' heads and I don't let 'em write and whatnot, and it's just not true. I give music to my brother all the time and say, 'Hey, why don't you write the lyrics?' Because Robert's [Sweet, STRYPER drummer] a good lyricist. I say, 'Why don't you write the lyrics for the song?' And three months later, when it's time for me to sing the song, the lyrics aren't done. So I wind up doing it myself. And it's perceived often as I don't let the guys do anything, and it couldn't be further from the truth. And I'm letting you know that, I'm going off on that a bit of tangent, because I see this online every day. I just saw something at breakfast an hour ago, someone saying that very same thing."

Michael also addressed his reputation as one of the most outspoken musicians in metal when it comes to his beliefs and thoughts. He said: "The thing is, I'm a very open book. So when I do interviews, I speak my heart. The other guys don't. And what I mean by that is when my brother does interviews, he's much more reserved and cautious about what he says. Now, behind the scenes, he'll say what's on his heart, and I hear it all. I hear it all, 'cause I travel with him. Same with Oz [Fox, STRYPER guitarist]. Same with Perry [Richardson, STRYPER bassist]. I hear everything that you hear me saying in interviews and then some. But see, people's perception is they don't say anything bad, I say everything bad. I'm the dictator, I'm the tyrant, I'm this, I'm that. And then when I talk about it, like I'm doing now, I'm a crybaby. I'm going off and I'm getting upset about it. And I guess the point I'm trying to make — as much as I love these guys, the public perception of this band isn't at all true. It's always been that way. When I left the band, people hated me. I still have people come up to me to this day and say, 'I hated you. I was so mad at you because you left the band, you left the other three guys. You betrayed them. You abandoned them.' And I'm, like, wow. I left this band to save my marriage. I had to. I had to. And I wanted my marriage to survive. I wanted to be a father to my children. And the perception is I was an asshole."

Update on Christmas album:

Today the guys are going home. We accomplished a lot in 13 days! Everything is sounding...

Posted by Michael Sweet on Tuesday, May 13, 2025

This past March, CHEVELLE unleashed its first new music in four years with the single "Rabbit Hole (Cowards, Pt. 1)". It's a gnarly, riffy rager with more hooks than a tackle box and alternately snarling and melodic vocals. Push and pull tension define the song, which leads to thrilling, dissonant breakdown at the end of the song. Put simply, it was worth the wait.

Today, the band, fresh off an appearance at Coachella, shares the official video for "Rabbit Hole (Cowards, Pt. 1)", which is rife with the same tension as the song. The black-and-white footage is stark yet startling, and is unlike anything the band has done in the past.

"The sea was angry that day, my friends, for sometimes you cast your net and win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you just don't get that happy ending. Either way enjoy the new 'Rabbit Hole' music video, friends!," the band says.

In a recent interview with "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, CHEVELLE drummer Sam Loeffler spoke about "Rabbit Hole (Cowards, Pt. 1)". The track is taken from CHEVELLE's as-yet-unannounced tenth studio album, which will arrive later in the year. The follow-up to 2021's "Niratias" will mark CHEVELLE's first release through Alchemy Recordings following a long run with the Epic label. Alchemy Recordings is a record label created in partnership between Dino Paredes, former American Recordings vice president of A&R, and Danny Wimmer, the founder of Danny Wimmer Presents, the premier production company for rock music festivals in the United States.

Asked why he and his brother, CHEVELLE vocalist/guitarist Pete Loeffler decided to produce the band's new LP themselves after working with Joe Barresi for almost a decade and a half, Sam said: "Well, I'll tell you this. We did four records with Joe [starting with 2011's 'Hats Off To The Bull'], and he was awesome. And he said to us, he goes, 'You guys should do something different. Go try doing a record yourselves. See how it goes.' So we did. And it's the hardest thing we've ever done, for sure. It's probably not worth it, but we did it, and we can say we did it."

As for the decision to part with Epic and find a new label home, Sam said: "After we did eight full-length records with Epic Records, which we still have a very good relationship with them, yeah, we branched out and became part of a label with our friends that we've known for 25 years in the business. And our old friend Danny Wimmer tried to sign us to Flawless Records back in like 2000, and it didn't work out, and we went to Sony instead. So now, after all these years, we've signed with him and his current label, so it was kind of cool."

Asked what lyrical themes are covered on CHEVELLE's upcoming album, Sam said: "Well, [Pete is] definitely our lyricist, and he likes to write about things going on around him, of course — anything that's just interesting that you can make interesting in an interesting way. That's a lot of 'interesting' words there. So, yeah, on this one — 'Rabbit Hole' is really about going down a rabbit hole. And that's 'Cowards, Pt. 1'. And there's a 'Cowards, Pt. 2', which deals with the same stuff but just a different part of it. And I don't wanna give that away yet 'cause I'm hoping that's gonna be the second single. And that'd be really rad if it was. But it's definitely about going down rabbit holes."

On the topic of a possible release date for CHEVELLE's tenth studio album, Sam said: "Well, I'm hoping record will be out by the time we go on tour [in August]. It's just a matter of getting all the artwork and everything finished to get in the queue for printing LPs and stuff. So, we should have a date hopefully soon, the actual date. But this album's pretty well-rounded as far as heavy songs go. I mean, it's mostly really, really hard rock, 'cause that's our thing, but there's two lighter songs on it. And this song, 'Rabbit Hole', is, as far as the rock songs, the lightest song on the record, for sure. So you just end up going with the mid-tempo song as your first single. It happens every time."

This past March, Sam told Audacy Music about the musical direction of the new CHEVELLE material: "We've worked really hard on it, and I think it's some of the best stuff we've ever done, honestly. It's so much fun to play, that's for sure."

Pete added: "We're just happy maintaining — we're trying to maintain, anyway — and put out shit that's fun to play live. And a lot of these tracks are. I'm running through four of 'em right now that I can rip out at any time. That goes both ways too. A lot of fans wanna hear the old stuff, some wanna hear the new, but we just try and mix it up. But I think this new album's gonna be a blast to see it live. So, come out to a show, please."

This summer CHEVELLE will embark on a massive tour with special guests ASKING ALEXANDRIA and DEAD POET SOCIETY. Produced by Live Nation, the 38-city trek kicks off on August 7 at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas, making stops across North America in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and more before wrapping up in Airway Heights, Washington at BECU Live at Northern Quest on October 2.

Last July, Sam told TribLive.com about CHEVELLE's next LP: "We kind of did expect to have it done [already]. It's like pulling teeth. This is what I described: Writing an album and doing all that is like pulling your hair out and then trying to put it back in. Writers love having written, is what I learned. It's just torturous on my brother. It's torturous because there's just so many factors to making something great. And then the longer you can live with it, the more changes you're gonna make. So that makes you never want to put it out. You never want to pull the pin and throw the grenade because you're like, well, it gets better every time I look at it."

As for what the 10-song album sounds like, Sam said: We're always skewing towards heavy. [But] these [last] two songs that we've been working on right now are definitely different from everything we did, although 'Niratias', our last album, I think was a really important snapshot of what we've been learning about writing and about music and stuff. This one definitely sounds different than just rock music, definitely different."

Back in 2022, Sam told Knotfest's Cori Westbrook about CHEVELLE's songwriting process: "Well, Pete's our songwriter so he's our lyricist and everything. Basically, he just writes about what's going on around him. If he's taking the garbage out that night or has a bad day driving, he's watching a documentary that really affected him, he hears a podcast — so he's writing about those kinds of things. So if you're able to internalize that kind of a thing, I think you have a lot to write about. It doesn't just have to be a relationship that — a relationship with your dad or your significant other. I think those are some pretty powerful feelings — I get it — but if you are able to bring in all those other things in from your everyday life, there's a lot more to write about. So as far as inspiration goes, it's not hard to find; it's everywhere; it's all around you. And especially nowadays, we have so much access to what's going on around us that there's even more ideas to pull from."

In a separate interview with Heavy New York, Sam said that he and Pete had "a whole bunch of music written... Because that's what we do — you put music out, you write… It'll be our first record in a long time not with a major label, which is just neither here nor there," he added. "Epic Records did a lot of good stuff; we were with them for a long time, but we're finished with that contract now. So now we're doing something different. And we'll see how different it is."

Released in March 2021 via Epic Records, "Niratias" was recorded throughout 2019 and 2020 with Barresi. The album artwork was designed by Boris Vallejo — the famed and award-winning artist is responsible for the posters used for films like "Knightriders" and "National Lampoon's Vacation", as well as iconic '70s and '80s science fiction novel covers and magazines (such as Heavy Metal).

Over the course of its career, the Chicago rockers have generated nearly half a billion streams, notched seven No. 1 hits, and sold out shows worldwide. Their catalog spans the double-platinum "Wonder What's Next", which boasts the double-platinum smash "The Red" and the platinum hit "Send The Pain Below". "This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)" attained platinum status, while "Vena Sera" was certified gold. CHEVELLE has landed four Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200, including "Sci-Fi Crimes" (2009),"Hats Off To The Bull" (2011),"La Gárgola" (2014) and "The North Corridor" (2016). The latter two each captured the No. 1 slot on the Top Rock Albums chart.

In a new interview with the Play That Rock N' Roll podcast, Billy Sheehan was asked how he feels about the fact that MR. BIG is now a closed chapter of his career, at least as far as recording new albums and playing live shows is concerned. The 72-year-old bassist responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I really feel great about it. 'Cause we did accomplish a lot. We had a Number One single, we had platinum records. We had a Number One in 14 countries. We played all over the planet. Having a hit single is your passport to the world. We played everywhere — India, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Korea, Japan, Russia, every country in Europe, pretty much every country in South America as well, and Australia, all over. Quite amazing. I wish everyone — I know it's impossible, but I wish everyone could at least go through that or just have a shot at having a Number One single and going all over the world."

Asked what he is working on right now, Sheehan said: "Writing like a fiend. Practicing my bass like a supreme fiend. I've got a lot of new things I'm working on and some of them take a great amount of effort and time to really get my hands and muscles grooved in on 'em, 'cause they are complex and complicated. Not necessarily sounding complex, but there's things that are difficult to do. So I'm just so happy that I get up every morning, feed the cats, and I go downstairs and I start hitting it hard. And usually when I'm off the road, I don't have calluses — my calluses are major — and I play guitar and write on guitar as well. Just learning a whole different approach to some of the chording that I've done in the past. And so I just wanna write a lot. And I have about two or three groups of people that I will be working with on some records and possibly touring as well. Nothing that I can speak of at this point, but a lot of folks."

MR. BIG played the final show of its "The BIG Finale!" tour on February 25 at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. Earlier that same month, the band played three other shows: on February 14 at the Bloomverse Festival in Meghālaya, India, on February 16 at the Bloomverse Express in Bengaluru, India, and on February 22 at the Osaka Music Hall in Osaka, Japan.

In an October 2024 interview with Ruben Mosqueda of We Go To 11, Sheehan was asked if the band's "The BIG Finish" farewell tour was just the end of extensive touring for him and his bandmates, with plans to make special appearances from time to time, or if MR. BIG was going to become a studio-only project going forward. Billy responded: "The end is the end. It's finished. If some extenuating circumstances come up, we might do a show or two, maybe, but touring and recording… We kind of wanted to put a period at the end of the sentence. And as I've said many times, we wanted to run over the finish line, not crawl over it. And for us, a fully functional band is on tour playing live and doing the thing and writing recording, and then go out on after the record and do another tour, to do that, we've done that for 34 years, and it's been an amazing run. We have friends all over planet earth. It's fantastic. And it's probably our greatest asset, personally, for me, the amazing people that we've touched around the world. But we decided to really, 'Let's do it the right way,' and not to have some continual farewell thing that goes on for an eternity."

He continued: "Our last show [of 2024] was in Romania [in August 2024]. Unusual. That's where the roulette ball fell into that as we spun the wheel. And we had a great time. And our last shows in Europe, we did a bunch of shows in Germany. Amazing. We have a lot of friends in Germany. We had big hits in Germany as well. And all over Europe and England. We got to play Ireland — Belfast and Dublin. And I'm an Irishman, so that was very nice. We played Liverpool, the Holy Ground. It was quite amazing. I had to put one little BEATLES melody in my solo at the end. Pretty cool. So it was a nice way to go out. I'm glad we did it. We did it with as much class as we're capable of. We did the final tour, and I'm very, very pleased about it."

In a separate interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM, singer Eric Martin once again admitted that he was second guessing the group's decision to stop touring after the completion of "The BIG Finish" farewell tour. Asked what "The BIG Finish" means to him, he said: "Yeah, I'm not pulling the wool over anybody's eyes. It means the touring is over. Which kind of bums me out, because I was there in the meeting a year and change ago going, 'Yep. I agree. It's time that we call it quits.'

"I didn't wanna quit for the longest time," he admitted. "I mean, this was brought up, like, five years ago. 'Should we do a farewell tour?' We've got other projects going, and it's kind of hard to keep the MR. BIG thing alive. And I was, like, 'No,' cheerleading, 'Please, no. We've gotta keep it going.' But yeah, a year and a few months ago, I was totally in agreement with everybody going, 'Yeah, this is it.' I even thought of the name 'BIG Finish'. So I put the nail in the coffin. But now I'm, like, oh, I wish I had a nice big hammer to unclog that nail. 'Cause the band's so good and so tight. The crowd's coming out. New album came out. The momentum is there. And the band just sounds so tight on stage.

Circling back to what "The BIG Finish" meant as far as the possibility of future MR. BIG live shows, Eric said: "What I mean by 'The BIG Finish' is there's no touring anymore. I would hope that we still leave the door open. I mean, I brought this up many times online. Even Nick D'Virgilio, our drummer, he goes, 'Man, we should do a residency in Indonesia or Japan or just anywhere,' like do a residency. And I go, 'Man, I just hope we can play in a few years, play four or five shows here and there, maybe play a festival with bands in our ilk.' It'd be great to keep that door open. And no response. I think also, a whole year and almost a half of touring, everybody just kind of wants to take a break. But I'm, like, 'Let's ride this wave, brother. Let's do this.' But yeah, no more touring. No more multiple dates. It's over. The big lady has sung."

In August 2024, Eric told Roppongi Rocks's Stefan Nilsson that there was no chance of him and his MR. BIG bandmates going back on their word that they would not tour ever again. "We're not the kind of band — when we say that we're gonna quit and it's over and we're not touring anymore… We may do a one-off here and there every couple of years or whatever, but we're not going to be like the MÖTLEY CRÜEs and the KISSes," he explained." And no offense to them, because the crowds keep coming to see 'em, but we're not gonna do it. We just maybe have too much pride in it."

Asked if there was a chance of MR. BIG making more studio albums in the future, Eric said: "I did an interview the other day with Billy, and… I'm not my brother's keeper. I don't know what he thinks. I know what I think, that I'd like to do albums. If we're not gonna tour anymore for different reasons — I mean, I just don't wanna tour lengthy…. This has been a year. I just can't do it. I'm too old to… Everybody goes, 'Oh, what about THE ROLLING STONES?' Yeah. What about THE ROLLING STONES? Flying in, playing one show and two weeks later playing another show. Yeah, this is back-to-back touring. Hardly any hotels. I mean, the bus will suffice, but it's like a big camping trip for older men. So, I would like to do other albums. But the interview went like this. The guy goes, 'You gonna do another album?' And I'm, like, 'I'd like to.' And Billy goes, 'No, that's it.' I'm, like, 'All right.' But he's the guy that always says, 'Never say never.'"

MR. BIG played the last show of its "The BIG Finish" farewell tour on August 23, 2024 at the Way Too Far Rock Festival in Bistrița, Romania.

After the concert, Sheehan took to his social media to share a picture from the gig and he included the following message: "Romania!!! Crowd was a little bit light, but they made up for it in enthusiasm! The last MR. BIG show (not MY last show, goddammit!!).

"What a great run we've had since 1988. We made Great memories and millions (literally) of friends all around the world. My unlimited love and respect to all who listened, watched, purchased records, tickets and T -shirts. — without you we would have been nothing. Fact. Moving on now to other adventures, but never forgetting this amazing experience."

Gilbert added: "What an adventure! MR. BIG wraps up over a year of touring! Many thanks to ALL! I'll get home just in time for my son's 10th birthday. I hope he remembers who I am!"

D'Virgilio, who joined MR. BIG in 2023 as the replacement for the late Pat Torpey, commented: "It has been an amazing run with @billysheehanonbass @paulgilbert_official and @iamericmartin I've been able to rock n roll all over the world with the guys and I will be forever thankful. Big Love for MR. BIG!"

MR. BIG's tenth studio album, "Ten", was released on July 12, 2024 via Frontiers Music Srl. The LP features 11 new original tracks written by Martin and Gilbert, along with André Pessis and Tony Fanucchi. "Ten" was produced by Jay Ruston and MR. BIG.

D'Virgilio missed most of the final European leg of MR. BIG's "The BIG Finish" tour due to his commitments with his band BIG BIG TRAIN. He was temporarily replaced on the trek by Edu Cominato, an experienced drummer from São Paulo, Brazil who has previously played with Sheehan and Martin, Jeff Scott Soto and Geoff Tate (QUEENSRŸCHE),among others.

When MR. BIG announced "The BIG Finish" tour in 2023, the bandmembers said that it was "time to mark the end of this chapter of their legacy" after drummer Pat Torpey lost his battle with Parkinson's disease in 2018. The first leg kicked off in Japan and Southeast Asia in July and August 2023, where the band performed for hundreds of thousands of loyal fans at 11 sold-out shows including Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.

MR. BIG's last-ever live album release was "The BIG Finish Live", which came out on September 6, 2024 via the Evolution Music Group.