During an appearance on the Guitar Hang podcast, Australian guitarist Orianthi spoke about the injury which forced her to pull out of her previously announced return to Alice Cooper's touring band for the legendary rocker's January and February 2025 dates. Taking her place in Cooper's group was former GUNS N' ROSES axeman Gilby Clarke. Orianthi said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm recovering from a slightly torn hamstring and hip. And I had to cancel some Alice Cooper dates, which I felt terrible — really terrible about. But I felt this terrible pain and I was, like, 'I don't know, holding the guitar for two hours a night and not being able to move around.' And I called Alice, actually, when I was in Saudi Arabia, and I said, 'I'm in a lot of pain. I'm not too sure what's going on.' So I gave him a heads up, and I said, 'I don't know. I don't know what's happening.' Obviously I couldn't go see a doctor there. So when I got back, yeah, they were, like, 'Oh, you can't really do this.' So I was, like, 'Man.' I'd never canceled anything before. So it weighed heavy on me. But now I'm feeling better and all of that."

She continued: "So it's good. 'Cause I'm playing this show at the end of the month to raise some money for the fires, with Sammy Hagar and a bunch of people. And I really wanna be able to stand up and do that, 'cause playing the 40th anniversary for PRS sitting down on a chair, it was so bad. I was, like, 'Man, this is so embarrassing.' And I'm, like, in a tracksuit and playing with Dany [Daniela Villarreal] from THE WARNING; she's awesome. We played [AC/DC's] 'Back In Black'. You should never play 'Back In Black' sitting down. It was just weird because they didn't show me walking out. So my mother saw it. She goes, 'Did they wheel you out? You just appeared on a chair.' That was some weird shit. Whatever. Anyway. What can you do?"

Clarke was filling in for Cooper's longtime guitarist Nita Strauss, who was unable to make the shows due to a scheduling conflict with her solo tour.

Orianthi performed while seated at PRS Guitars' 40th-anniversary show on January 24. On January 26, she posted a picture from what appears to be a doctor's office where she was receiving treatment for her injury.

Orianthi toured with Alice from 2011 to 2014, along with longtime band members Chuck Garric, Glen Sobel, Tommy Henriksen and Ryan Roxie.

Orianthi (Orianthi Panagaris) looks as much like a rock star as she does a supermodel. But it's her extraordinary guitar chops that turn the most heads. She began playing professionally when she was thirteen years old before going on to perform and/or tour with Carlos Santana, Steve Vai, Alice Cooper, Richie Sambora and Dave Stewart. She was hired by Michael Jackson for his "This Is It" tour before his untimely death and performed with the supergroup HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES (Cooper, Joe Perry, Johnny Depp and Tommy Henriksen). Orianthi's debut album, "Violet Journey", was released in 2005 and she has issued five solo albums to date. She was featured accompanying Carrie Underwood during a Grammy Awards telecast, performed on "American Idol" and appears in Jackson's documentary concert film "This Is It". Elle magazine named Orianthi one of the "12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists" and she won the 2010 "Breakthrough Guitarist Of The Year" award from Guitar International magazine.

In a new interview with the Brutally Delicious podcast, DESTRUCTION frontman Schmier blasted Spotify for the paltry payments the music streaming service pays out to music rightsholders. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a new world. A couple of years ago, everybody was, like, 'Oh, streaming is bad.' Now everybody's streaming." Referencing METALLICA's decision to launch legal action against Napster in 2000, Schmier continued: "Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] got slaughtered for something that was actually a good idea. And he failed to get the government involved to control this bullshit. And now we're all suffering from it.

"At the end, I'm not against streaming. I'm just against the underpayment of streaming," Schmier explained. "And that's the true fact that those CEOs and those companies make far too much money and the artist gets just pennies. And many artists get nothing, because he doesn't pay out until a certain amount of money. And if you see, you only earn, like, 0.002 — two zeros behind the comma — cents a song, there's a lot of bands that don't make those one thousand dollars in the time period that you need to get your accounting…. Let's say there's one hundred thousand bands that don't make it to one thousand. He keeps one hundred times one thousand euros for himself. That's not a fucking fair model of distribution of music."

Asked if he thinks the current situation will discourage younger musicians from creating more metal and more art, Schmier said: "I think the problem is that young bands cannot afford to record anymore and to distribute their music. That means at one point, we're gonna have A.I. music and no more young bands, because it's easier. And that is a terrible dead end. So, we need to support real music, we need to support real art, and therefore it's important to go to concerts, to buy merchandise and support the bands.

"There's nothing evil about listening to Spotify — it's a new tool," Schmier clarified. "We have to use it. Sometimes people say, 'Yeah, go to Bandcamp. It's better paid,' which is true. But not everybody's using Bandcamp. And the Pandora's box is open. We've just gotta see how we deal with it best."

For years, Spotify has been criticized for offering paltry payouts to musicians and songwriters, with some claiming that the service gives major-label artists an unfair advantage via playlist placement and other promotional avenues.

In recent years, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has been trying to defend Spotify's payouts, telling CBS News in early 2023: "We don't pay artists directly. [Artists] have their deals with their record companies and their deals with their publishers, et cetera. And what Spotify does is we pay out to those record companies and these publishers, and don't know what individual deals these artists may have."

Four years ago, Spotify created a web site called Loud&Clear to clarify exactly who receives payments.

According to Forbes, "Spotify has been paying back nearly 70% of every dollar generated from music as royalties to rights holders who represent artists and songwriters. These organizations, which include independent distributors, publishers, performance rights organizations, record labels, and collecting societies, then pay the artists and songwriters based on their agreed terms."

DESTRUCTION's 16th studio album, "Birth Of Malice", is due on March 7, 2025 via Napalm Records. The LP was recorded at Switzerland's Little Creek Studio by V.O. Pulver. Guitarist Martin Furia mixed and mastered the LP at The Black Mancave in Hannover, Germany. The cover artwork was designed by talented Hungarian artist Gyula Havancsák, known for his works for bands like ACCEPT, KREATOR and BLIND GUARDIAN.

DESTRUCTION, known as one of the "Teutonic Four", alongside KREATOR, SODOM and TANKARD, were reunited with the other three acts at the "Klash Of The Ruhrpott" concert on July 20, 2024 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

In August 2021, DESTRUCTION officially parted ways with guitarist Mike Sifringer and replaced him with Martin Furia. The Argentinian-born, Belgian-based Furia is best known for his work as sound engineer and producer for such bands as NERVOSA and EVIL INVADERS.

Prior to his exit, Sifringer was the only member of DESTRUCTION to have remained constant throughout the band's career. Schmier appeared on DESTRUCTION's first three albums before exiting the band and being replaced by POLTERGEIST vocalist André Grieder. André's sole recorded appearance with DESTRUCTION was on the "Cracked Brain" album, which came out in 1990. Schmier rejoined DESTRUCTION in 1999.

During an appearance on the "Going Off Track" podcast, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan reflected on the more aggressive sound of the band's second album, 1991's "Slave To The Grind", compared to its predecessor, 1989's "Skid Row". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was very organic, the heaviness, just shifting to that heavier side. Our biggest mistake, and I'm saying 'our' — I disagreed with the decision, so I'm just putting that on record — was releasing 'Slave To The Grind' as a single, the song 'Slave To The Grind'. Radio didn't touch it. Our male fanbase went up. The female fanbase dried up. They all but disappeared. And then we took PANTERA on the road, and it was mainly guys at the show. But we lovePANTERA. But anyway, with 'Slave To The Grind', we came out with [the first single] 'Monkey Business'. It went breaker in two weeks, so we had a certified hit. We're on a fuckin roll now. Radio jumped on, before we even released the second single, or even thought of a second single, the radio jumped on 'Quicksand Jesus'. And I was, like, 'This is great. This is awesome.' I go, 'This is our 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.' I mean, the song is six minutes long. And I'm not saying it's as good as 'Bohemian'; you know what I mean. I'm, like, 'This is great.' Somebody — I think our manager at the time — said, 'We shouldn't release that song second.' And we had someone in the band that agreed with him. And I'm, like, 'But the radio's already playing it. Don't we see what's going on?' So someone came up with the fantastic idea — 'cause Snake [SKID ROW guitarist Dave Sabo] and I were the radio guys; we would do all the interviews; we did the rounds — 'why don't you and Snake start calling and ask them not to play it, until we decide on a single?' I'm, like, 'Are you serious?' 'Yeah.' So, I did as I was told and we called [and literally asked radio stations] to not play that song because we were coming with a different single. The responses we got were exactly what I thought. I had one guy yell at me, one PD [program director] yell at me. I forget which market it was, but it was a major market; I think it was out near Chicago. He goes, 'Are you out of your fucking mind?' And I go, 'Yeah, I think so.' And then we released 'Slave To The Grind' [as a single]. And radio wasn't only, 'We're not playing this. It's too heavy for our listenership.' They were also, like, 'We're not playing it. And fuck you.' And then we tried again with 'Quicksand Jesus'. Everyone was, like, 'Too late, too late.' And that was pretty much it for radio for that record. We had videos, we had 'Wasted Time' and 'Slave' and 'Monkey'. And what else did we have? Was that it for that record? I forget. But, yeah, that was a huge mistake. And I remember being in that hotel room [and saying], 'We can't release 'Slave To The Grind' as a single.' And I remember our manager at the time going, 'You guys can do whatever the fuck you want at this point.' Big mistake. Huge mistake. But, yeah, that that was our biggest mistake. I just remember seeing it in the room and seeing a few guys thinking it was a great idea, and I'm, like, 'It's not a great idea. This is not a great idea.' And I just got ignored, and that was it. And it was done. But I think that record would have sold a lot more had we stayed the course and let someone dictate for us, in a good way. But it is what it is."

Bolan went on to say that he felt his opinions were listened to enough at the time considering that he was one of SKID ROW's main songwriters. "It's my song. Snake and I, it was our band," he said. "The dynamics within were really strange for me. Because, like I said, that manager was treating me like I was on a need-to-know basis. And that was not cool. That was not cool. And a few times I lost my shit. And then it is what it is. So Snake and I handle everything now — everything goes through us."

Released in June 1991, "Slave To The Grind" quickly soared to platinum status and became the first LP to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart since it began using Nielsen Music data in May of 1991.

"Slave To The Grind" spent a week at No. 1 and sold more than two million copies in the U.S. alone.

Back in 2015, Bolan discussed the "Slave To The Grind" songwriting process with The Aquarian. "I think a lot of people expected us to become formulaic with the way we approached the first record and we had no interest in doing that," he said. "And I'm so proud of all of us for being on the same page with that. I'm not saying that it would have been easy from the creative standpoint to sort of go along the lines of the first record, because it had some pretty big songs as far as radio goes, but we were in a different mindset. We had gone from barely leaving the state of New Jersey to seeing the world that very few people are privileged with."

In a 2019 interview with Billboard, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach stated about "Slave To The Grind"'s more aggressive approach: "The times were getting heavier. The bands that didn't get heavier in '91 really lost fans quick. Looking in hindsight, the whole scene was changing to a darker thing. If we had gotten lighter than the first SKID ROW record in '91, I don't think we'd be doing this interview right now."

Back in 2013, Bolan told Sweden's Metalshrine that "Slave To The Grind" was one of his favorite SKID ROW albums. "It was our only No. 1 album, but that doesn't come into play as far as being one of my favorites," he explained. "We did a completely 180 sound-wise. We were always a little heavier than the bands we got lumped in with, and when 'Slave To The Grind' came out, it was, like, 'Okay, these guys are more than a hair metal band. They're a hard rock band.'"

In a new interview with the "Everblack" podcast, KITTIE guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander was asked about the songwriting process for the band's latest album, "Fire", which came out last June via Sumerian Records. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was weird, let me tell you. [Laughs] So we basically started from scratch. And when all of this stuff started happening with the record label that we eventually signed to, Sumerian Records, we had no inkling of this happening. Writing new music and touring, creating a new album, creating new music as KITTIE was not on our bingo card at all. And so because it was such a surprise, it was, like, 'Oh, shit. Okay. I guess we have to put our writing hats on and sort of change gears' and things like that. And we had gone 13 years between albums. And so while all of us remained within the musical realm, either singing or writing or starting other bands or playing for other people and those types of things, we just didn't do any of this KITTIE stuff. And so we sort of had to get back into that mode. But it was interesting that we all brought some of the things that we've learned over that past decade and a bit to the KITTIE table. And I think it helped to really just sort of strengthen the songwriting and broaden things out a bit. It still sounds very much like KITTIE, but there are some sort of newer elements. The idea was to sort of take a lot of the classic sound, which is associated with — I mean, some of it is sort of 'nu metal'-ish, but also some of it is… I think a lot of people call us 'groove metal', I guess 'cause we have a lot of midtempo stuff. So mixing a lot of those ideas was sort of the thing that we wanted to sort of really hit home with the writing. But it was strange. We all live in different parts of the country, so we had to utilize a lot of technologies — Dropbox and Zoom and all of those things — to write instead of getting in a room together. We did that a few times and we were able to sort of to make the organic kind of thing happen. But a lot of the beginnings of songs start off with Mercedes [Lander, KITTIE drummer] and I. We live close enough that we can get together and sort of do it the way that we did back in mom and dad's basement back in the day."

Morgan also talked about how KITTIE's legacy grew in the past decade and a half as teenagers across the world discovered the band's music through platforms like TikTok, which has transformed the way music is consumed and shared. She said: "I think a lot of that distance and that time away really sort of underscored how much something can grow because of things like TikTok or other social media platforms and things like that. We have a whole other generation of people that have discovered our music through those kinds of platforms. That's where a lot of younger people are discovering music these days. And so the timing, I feel like, was right for it as well, because, for us, even just being away from KITTIE, we were still seeing a lot of that growth, a lot of people being, like, 'There's KITTIE' or asking for new music for years. And it was this slow buildup. And then being able to sort of release the music and do a lot of the shows that we were doing — we just did a handful of shows in North America last year — but it's amazing to me how young some of the people are, and then how there are fans that were, like, 'I saw you 25 years ago.' And it's just amazing to me that we can all share in this together, and it sort of jumps past the generational barriers and things like that, where you can have a 16-year-old goth girl in the front and a 50-year-old man screaming, and everybody is enjoying the music. It's amazing."

In November 2023, it was revealed that KITTIE was working on a new studio LP with producer Nick Raskulinecz at Nashville's Sienna Studios.

Raskulinecz, who moved to Nashville from Los Angeles around 17 years ago, had previously worked with such acts as RUSH, ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN, RISE AGAINST, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, SKID ROW and the DEFTONES.

In April 2024, KITTIE announced an exclusive run of North American headline dates. The long-awaited shows saw the band perform in five cities across the U.S. and Canada in July and August 2024, giving fans a very special and rare chance to see the band play a full headline set that will include their recently released singles "We Are Shadows" and "Eyes Wide Open" as well as classic hits and some deep cuts not played live since the band's early days.

KITTIE played its first concert in five years in September 2022 at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Joining Morgan and Mercedes in KITTIE's current lineup are guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Ivana "Ivy" Vujic.

Prior to Blue Ridge, KITTIE had not performed since its reunion show at London Music Hall in the band's native London, Ontario in 2017, celebrating the group's documentary "Kittie: Origins/Evolutions".

Vujic joined KITTIE in 2008 and appeared on the band's fifth studio CD, 2009's "In The Black". She also wrote and recorded bass for KITTIE's sixth album, 2011's "I've Failed You".

After KITTIE completed the touring cycle for "I've Failed You" album, the band entered a long period of inactivity during which Morgan focused on a marketing job for a chain of fitness clubs while Mercedes worked in real estate and more recently at a software company. The group also began work on a career-spanning documentary, "Origins/Evolutions", which finally saw the light of day in 2018 via Lightyear Entertainment in North America.

"I've Failed You" sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 178 on The Billboard 200 chart.

During a recent appearance on the "Artist Friendly With Joel Madden" podcast, Morgan discussed the overwhelmingly positive fan and media response to KITTIE's comeback. She said in part: "Right now we're in this weird second chapter where it feels like everything that we've done so far has just been like a win. And it's the wins that we never thought that we would have been able to achieve in any other period in our career. And it's just so weird to see that happening and unfolding in real time. And being able to enjoy it and experience it as the people that we are now, with the experience and the maturity and all of those things, sort of just heading headfirst into the unknown. Things are just lining up."

Asked if she and her KITTIE bandmates are excited to once again be part of the modern metal scene, Morgan said: "Yeah. Of course. I think that we wouldn't be back at it if it wasn't exciting, if it wasn't a challenge, if it wasn't something that we didn't think was important. And ultimately, if it's exciting and fun, that's where we wanna be. That's where we're at in our career. If it's not, we don't want a part of it. I think that's a beautiful thing… And I feel like all of that experience lends to what's happening right now. We certainly have a lot of experience. We feel like veterans."

Morgan also talked about the band's decision to put KITTIE on hiatus in 2013 after almost two decades in the industry, six studio albums and several lineup changes. She said: "The last few years that we were touring, things kind of kept getting more and more diminished. We had switched labels a few years prior and we put out what I think are two of some of our best albums, but we were touring in a van, the guarantees were getting smaller and smaller, the crowds were getting smaller and smaller, and that can also weigh heavily on your psyche, having to grind it out like that night after night, and feeling like you have to do it rather than you want to do it.

"We are all great friends. We were still at that time," she clarified. "There was no interpersonal drama or anything. It was just a case of just being tired and feeling the weight of almost defeat, just from putting in so much and sort of receiving so little. And for us, it wasn't really like a conscious thing. It just like kind of just drifted, just kind of fell through our fingers. We didn't sit down one day and were, like, 'Let's break up the band.' There was no announcement or anything. It was just kind of, like, we all just started to do our own things and find our own way and it sort of just naturally kind of drifted."

Morgan previously spoke about KITTIE's decision to put the band on hiatus last July in an interview with Primordial Radio. She said: "The industry was sort of in a weird flux position when we were doing those last tours and whatnot. And it was sort of like the transition period between like people buying CDs and people streaming music. And there certainly are a lot of elements that went into it, but I think a lot of it was just personal."

She continued: "The industry is hard, and [we were] slugging it out on the road, not really feeling as supported as I think we probably could have been by our former label. I thought at the time we were putting out some of the best music that we had written up to that point with very little return, and it got tiring. It can be a really, really tough business, and expensive as well. If you're just out there in a van not making tons of money, it's like one show after another. And it is physically and can be emotionally exhausting."

Asked if KITTIE's 2022 comeback, initially only as a live act, was rooted in the band's desire to return to having fun, Morgan said: "Yeah. I think ultimately if it's not fun, then there's no point in doing it. And that's not to say that it wasn't ever fun before and we stopped because it stopped being fun. But there were elements of touring back before we took our hiatus that were not very fun. And I think being able to step away from the situation and sort of re-evaluate, and then given this opportunity, we were able to enjoy some of the fruits of our previous labors in a way that we'd never been able to experience before. And that aspect is fun. These are big festivals. We were just shocked at how many people were excited to see the band. And for me, those things are back-to-basics, fun stuff, getting together, reconnecting, playing all of these songs that we've played together hundreds of times before. And sometimes just getting into a room together as musicians and friends and jamming and just laughing and having a blast, that's at the very core of what a band should be — people that are enjoying themselves together and making and creating together. Being creative together, I think, is one of the most fun and rewarding things that you can do in life. And being able to do it with a great group of girls, yeah, that's it. We love to play live. And, so that definitely was the main thing there."

Photo credit: Dante Dellamore

In a new interview with The Joel Martin Mastery Podcast, QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton spoke about a possible follow-up to the band's 2022 album "Digital Noise Alliance". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We do have one record left with our contract with Century Media and Sony. And yeah, we're putting together demos right now. So, when will it get done? I don't know. QUEENSRŸCHE has a lot of touring to do, and you've gotta schedule with your producer. But yeah, we've started writing demos, and we've got a good bunch of tunes. And we're about ready to head to Europe, and then we do the Monsters Of Rock cruise and then we're [going] to South America, and then after that, maybe we can concentrate a little more on the next QUEENSRŸCHE record."

Asked if he thinks the next QUEENSRŸCHE album won't arrive before 2026 at the earliest, Michael said: "We don't know. Just because it's harder to find pockets of time when we can develop this. We're always touring or on the road, doing weekend gigs or whatever. But we'll just see where this takes us."

Wilton also talked about whether the new QUEENSRŸCHE LP will be once again helmed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who previously worked with QUEENSRŸCHE on 2015's "Condition Hüman", 2019's "The Verdict" and "Digital Noise Alliance" LPs. He said: "Well, he's already committed to helping the demos getting written. So, yeah, he's back."

Elaborating on the QUEENSRŸCHE songwriting process, Wilton said: "Well, the last few albums we've kind of wanted to write fresh, so kind of on the spot. So I'm not looking at anything I've done in the past. I'm looking at just the inspiration of the day and getting something recorded and live with it for a couple of days and then come back and go, 'Okay, yeah, this is pretty cool,' or, 'Nah, I'm gonna delete this.' But I think it's something that is special to a group of guys that everything that you create is new or kind of new. We're probably ripping ourselves off blind with all the riffs and melodies, but that seems to be the fresh approach. I mean, the stuff that goes by the wayside, that's stuff that goes on solo albums. [Laughs]"

Wilton previously discussed the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to "Digital Noise Alliance" earlier in the month in an interview with Marko Syrjala of Metal-Rules.com. Michael said at the time: "We're currently working on demos for the next album, which is really important for us. After this [European tour], we have the Monsters Of Rock cruise, followed by the Monsters Of Rock festivals in South America. That brings us to May. Then we have some sporadic gigs here and there, but we're also planning to work with our producer, Chris 'Zeuss' Harris, and continue the writing sessions. Hopefully… But we're already getting offers for the end of the year, so I'm not sure when the album will be released. [Laughs]"

When Syrjala noted that the "schedule sounds a bit complicated," Michael explained: "You know, for the bands to make money, they have to tour. We get lots of offers — weekend gigs, two-week tours or even just a weekend here and there. You can't say no because if you do, someone else will take that opportunity and might not ask you again.

"The thing is, to do a proper QUEENSRŸCHE album, we need about six weeks of uninterrupted time. But it's harder now because we have to juggle these gigs — weekends here and there — before coming back to focus. Zeuss has had to adapt; he's very mobile now. He's learned to be because we’re not the only band that does this; all bands do. He works with Rob Zombie — 'Hey, come on over for the weekend. Let's work on some stuff.' Or with SHADOWS FALL — 'Let's work on some stuff.' So, he's used to it. It's just a matter of someone organizing it all."

Wilton went on to say that he and his QUEENSRŸCHE bandmates are "following the same process" this time around as they did for "Digital Noise Alliance". "With ['Digital Noise Alliance'], the recording and writing sessions were meant to feel fresh — nothing was e-mailed back and forth," he said. "Everything was built during the writing process. In that sense, it was about going back to the days when we'd be in a room writing the [debut QUEENSRŸCHE] EP in the morning. Back then, we didn't have technology like we do now. No cell phones, no computers — maybe, if you were lucky, you had a four-track recorder. The way we worked was simple: 'Hey, Chris [DeGarmo], you got a riff?' And I'd say, 'Okay, I like that. Let me add something to it.' It was a real band effort because everyone was in the room, giving input. That's exactly what we did with ['Digital Noise Alliance']. Everyone was involved — 'Oh, I like that,' 'Oh, I don't like that' — and the songs evolved a little more each day. Some songs we dissected and reworked completely. Take 'Tormentum', for example — that's like four songs merged into one! [Laughs]"

Asked if it's "correct to say" that recording the "Digital Noise Alliance" album was "a fresh start" for QUEENSRŸCHE, with drummer Casey Grillo becoming a permanent bandmember and guitarist Mike Stone returning to the fold for the studio sessions, Michael said: "Yeah, I think so. This next one will be even better because, with ['Digital Noise Alliance'], Mike didn't come in until the end of the process. But now, he's here from the beginning of the process. He's writing with me, and I'm writing with him, so it should be a bit more cohesive, I think… He knows the ways of the RŸCHE. He knows the guitar style and how to stay within that area. But, like I said, the stuff we've written so far sounds pretty cool."

QUEENSRŸCHE kicked off the European leg of "The Origins Tour" on January 31 at Kulttuuritalo in Helsinki, Finland.

Although QUEENSRŸCHE would score multi-platinum albums and hit singles over their career, their fans have developed an undeniable love for the group's early releases, the 1983 EP and 1984's "The Warning" album, when they helped trailblaze a style of rock that combined elements of metal and prog. And for the first time ever, QUEENSRŸCHE is performing both classic releases in their entirety as part of "The Origins Tour".

Two years ago, QUEENSRŸCHE completed its 2023 U.S. headlining tour with support from former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman and TRAUMA. On that tour, QUEENSRŸCHE's 18-song set included no less than five songs from "Digital Noise Alliance", which came out in October 2022 via Century Media.

Stone, who rejoined QUEENSRŸCHE in 2021, contributed guitar solos to the band's latest studio album.

Since late May 2021, Stone has been handling second-guitar duties in QUEENSRŸCHE, which announced in July 2021 that longtime guitarist Parker Lundgren was exiting the group to focus on "other business ventures."

Stone originally joined QUEENSRŸCHE for the 2003 album "Tribe" and stayed with the band for six years before leaving the group.

For the past eight years, drummer Casey Grillo has been filling in for original QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Scott Rockenfield, who stepped away from the band's touring activities in early 2017 to spend time with his young son.

In October 2021, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against Wilton and bassist Eddie Jackson, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge. A few months later, Wilton and Jackson filed a countersuit against Rockenfield, accusing him of abandoning his position as a member of the band and misappropriating the group's assets to his own personal benefit. That dispute has since been settled out of court.

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson joined PANTERA on stage earlier tonight (Saturday, February 15) at Adidas Arena in Paris, France to perform the Philip Anselmo-fronted band's classic song "Walk". Video of Bruce's appearance can be seen below.

Dickinson lives in Paris with his third wife, French fitness instructor Leana Dolci.

PANTERA kicked off its 2025 European headlining tour on January 21 at Helsingin Jäähalli (Ice Hall) in Helsinki, Finland. Joining the reformed band, consisting of classic-lineup members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass),along with Zakk Wylde (guitar) and Charlie Benante (drums),on the trek are support acts CHILD BITE and POWER TRIP.

Drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott co-founded PANTERA. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Up until his passing in June 2018, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

Vinnie, who was Dimebag's brother, and Anselmo had not spoken since PANTERA split in 2003. But the relationship got even more acrimonious when Vinnie suggested that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag's killer.

The new PANTERA played its first show in December 2022 as the headliner of Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest.

Wylde was a close friend of Dimebag and was widely considered to be the best option for the guitarist role in the reformed PANTERA. In addition to having jammed with PANTERA live when the classic lineup was still touring, he was a regular guest onstage with Dimebag and Vinnie Paul's post-PANTERA project DAMAGEPLAN. Zakk also provided a guitar solo on the DAMAGEPLAN track "Reborn", from the latter band's 2004 debut, "New Found Power".


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Ozzy Osbourne has confirmed that he will just be doing "little bits and pieces" with BLACK SABBATH during his final gig.

Ozzy announced his last-ever performance on February 5, revealing that the original members of BLACK SABBATH are reuniting for the first time in 20 years for the show. Joining them at the concert called "Back To The Beginning", which will take place on July 5 at at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom, will be a host of metal bands SABBATH inspired, including METALLICA, SLAYER, LAMB OF GOD, MASTODON, PANTERA and ANTHRAX.

Ozzy — who hasn't played a full show since late 2018 — said on his SiriusXM show "Ozzy Speaks": "I'm not planning on doing a set with BLACK SABBATH but I am doing little bits and pieces with them. I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable."

The 76-year-old heavy metal singer, who revealed in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, added that he is doing what he can to get ready for the Villa Park concert.

"I am trying to get back on my feet," he said. "When you get up in the morning, you just jump out of bed. I have to balance myself, but I'm not dead. I'm still actively doing things."

Earlier in the month, Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne told The Sun that her husband is struggling to walk amid his battle with Parkinsons disease, but that his singing voice is "as good as ever". She said: "[Ozzy's] very happy to be coming back and very emotional about this.

"Parkinson's is a progressive disease. It's not something you can stabilize. It affects different parts of the body and it's affected his legs. But his voice is as good as it's ever been."

Ozzy talked in more detail about his condition on his SiriusXM radio show. He said: "I have made it to 2025. I can't walk, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? For all my complaining, I'm still alive. I may be moaning that I can't walk but I look down the road and there's people that didn't do half as much as me and didn't make it."

Proceeds from the "Back To The Beginning" show will support Cure Parkinson's, the Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice, a Children's Hospice supported by Aston Villa.

The concert will mark the first time that Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward have played together in 20 years.

Sharon told BBC News about Ozzy: "He's doing great. He's doing really great. He's so excited about this, about being with the guys again and all his friends. It's exciting for everyone."

According to Sharon, Ozzy, who paused touring "for now" in 2023 after extensive spinal surgery and rescheduled his "No More Tours 2" shows from going ahead several times because of illness, the pandemic and logistical issues, will not play any more shows after the Villa Park event.

"Ozzy didn't have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there's no been no full stop," she explained. "This is his full stop."

In addition, there will be a performance by a "supergroup of musicians" including Duff McKagan and Slash (GUNS 'N' ROSES),Billy Corgan (THE SMASHING PUMPKINS),Fred Durst (LIMP BIZKIT),K.K. Downing (JUDAS PRIEST),Jake E. Lee (OZZY OSBOURNE),Wolfgang Van Halen (VAN HALEN, MAMMOTH WVH) and Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE).

"It's an endless amount of people," said Sharon. "They're going to be doing some SABBATH songs, some Ozzy songs, and they'll all mix together. Different little groups will be coming on, but they're all icons."

The original lineup of BLACK SABBATH last performed in 2005. Since then, SABBATH has played in partial reunions but never in its original lineup.

"For Ozzy right now, it's definitely: 'I love you and good night'," Sharon told Reuters.

She added that Ozzy was doing well and excited about the gig. "It's stimulated him," she said. "He's very, very excited and very thankful that he can do it."

The legendary BLACK SABBATH frontman was diagnosed in 2003 with Parkin 2 — a very rare genetic form of Parkinson's. During a TV appearance in January 2020, the singer disclosed that he was 'stricken" with the disease which occurs when the nerve cells of the body degenerate and levels of dopamine are reduced. Dopamine is an essential chemical that is produced by these nerve cells which send signals to different parts of the brain to control movements of the body.

Ozzy's health issues, including suffering a nasty fall and dislodging metal rods placed in his spine following a quad-bike accident in 2003, as well as catching COVID-19 three years ago, forced him to cancel some of his previously announced tours.

While Osbourne's health issues forced him to scrap most of his live appearances, the musician said he would return if his condition improved.

Osbourne's previously announced European tour with guests JUDAS PRIEST, originally set for 2019 and then rescheduled three times, was officially canceled in early February 2023.

Despite his health problems, Osbourne has performed a couple of times in the last three years, including at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022 and at the NFL halftime show at the season opener Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills game in September 2022.

In a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes was asked what it has been like for him to perform an all-W.A.S.P. setlist at some of his recent solo shows. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Before, like years ago or whatever, last year and previous time, I hated it. I didn't like it. But now — I played, a few months ago, a place called the Patriot [in Crumlin, Wales], and it was sold out, and we played all W.A.S.P., and it was a kickass show."

He continued: "I had a part in writing every song that we play. I'm not playing something that I didn't help write. I know my name's not on a lot of the writing credits, but that's the way it is. I helped write them. I don't care what people say, blah blah blah. And I just want everybody to know I'm not out to try to sound better than W.A.S.P. or Blackie [Lawless, W.A.S.P. mainman] or whatever; I'm not out to try to do better. I'm just there to play Chris Holmes, what I do, and have people enjoy it. That's all. I'm not trying to be better.

"You get on the Internet, everybody's comparing everything… Hey, go eff yourself, whoever says that crap," Chris added. "I'm tired of it. I just like playing stuff that I play for me, for the people that enjoy it. I'm not trying to be better. But anyway, I enjoy playing the W.A.S.P. stuff. I enjoy it."

Asked what he thought Blackie and the rest of the current W.A.S.P. lineup going out and playing the band's first album in its entirety on a recent U.S. tour, Chris said: "I could care less what he does. I used to bitch about not getting my publishing [royalties for the early W.A.S.P. albums], this and that. Hey, I let it go. I don't care. I could care less. I don't even wanna hear his name. I don't care what he does. He's over. I don't deal with anybody with that crap. I'm playing Chris Holmes.

"Yeah, he goes out and plays that because he's got to," Chris added. "Nobody's gonna go see Blackie Lawless; they're gonna see W.A.S.P. If he went out as Blackie Lawless, you think people would go see it?

"Whatever," Holmes added. "I don't wanna even talk about the guy. I'd rather talk about what I'm doing. To me, that whole thing's a joke. A joke. It's show business. Show business. My thing's music. I like the music. Whatever I do, none of it's gonna be fake. It can't. I'm not a fake type of person. I hate it. I don't like — whatever they call, the sampling; some people call it backing tracks, karaoke sampling. I don't know."

In a September 2024 interview with Cassius Morris, Blackie was asked if he has seen former Chris's documentary film "Mean Man: The Story Of Chris Holmes", written and directed by French filmmakers Antoine De Montremy and Laurent Hart. The project, which was made available on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD in January 2021, was born in 2014 after De Montremy and Hart had an opportunity to meet and direct Holmes in a music video for the Holmes-penned song "Let It Roar" in Cannes. At that time, the now-66-year-old rocker had more or less disappeared from the music scene, leaving his home in the U.S. to seek a new beginning with his wife Sarah in France.

Blackie said about "Mean Man": "I have no desire to see anything that has to do with that. First of all, you wanna base anything you're gonna do in life on truth. And you know what? It may be his truth, but your truth doesn't necessarily make it fact. Anybody can have their own truth, but that doesn't make it real. And when somebody's spewing a bunch of hate because they can't create on their own… Listen, if the guy had genuine creativity, he wouldn't give two hoots about what I do. So, that's the yardstick on how you judge those things. And if somebody's coming from a perspective where they're not telling the truth, I'm not gonna waste my time on that."

Asked if that was the reason that he didn't participate in the documentary, Blackie said: "Well, I don't recall being invited, but if I would have, I wouldn't have done it. Like I said, I've got no desire to do something… I mean, if it's based on truth, then I might have taken a look at it. But for a guy to do a tutorial for an hour, or however long it was, to sit and give just their side of the story that's not based on truth, why do I wanna be part of that?"

Blackie also once again dismissed the possibility of a reunion of W.A.S.P.'s original lineup — Lawless, Holmes, guitarist Randy Piper and drummer Tony Richards — for the tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of the release of W.A.S.P.'s first album. He said: "Allow me to be unapologetic for just a moment. The band that I have now… Mike Duda is one of the best bass players in the world. Doug Blair is one of the best lead guitar players in the world. Aquiles Priester, his drumming speaks for itself. I'm fortunate enough to be in a band with world-class musicians, the guys that are way better than me. And I look around sometimes during the show at I think to myself, 'Wow, I get to play with these guys.' And I'm being honest here — they're far better than me. So why would I wanna go back to something that would be taking a step backwards?"

Lawless continued: "I understand that the hardcore fanbase likes to romance ideas in their heads. I totally get that. But when we started doing [W.A.S.P.'s fourth studio album, 1989's] '[The] Headless [Children]', I was moving in directions that required musicianship that the original band could not do. I don't mean to be overly hard. It's just, again, these are just facts. If you want to do stuff where the degree of difficulty is up there, then you're gonna have guys that can play it and play it consistently. And then by the time 'Headless' was done and I moved into [1992's] 'The Crimson Idol', forget it. I mean, look at who played on that record. Your average run-of-the-mill musician is not gonna be able to do that. And again, I was privileged to work with guys that were world-class musicians. So if you're gonna get that level of creativity, professionalism, it's almost impossible to duplicate in an original situation. If that band grows together, then yes, you could. But if the band does not grow together, then it's never gonna happen. And it doesn't matter whether it's us or what band it is, that's gonna be the same every time."

Lawless also addressed the perception that W.A.S.P. is essentially his solo project, with hired guns helping him achieve his vision. He said: "No man's an island — no man. And I have gone to great lengths to speak out about the guys that are in this band to make sure that the world knows who they are. At no point have I ever wanted this to be just my situation.

"I grew up playing sports," he explained. "To me, team is everything. And I'm much more happy and comfortable, relaxed, it's a much more enjoyable situation in a team surrounding. So that's always been the thing that I focused on the most. What the world sees is when they look at the records, they see me as the primary songwriter. So I think that that's a lot of where they get that from. But when it comes to making those records, you see that I don't play all those instruments. I do what I do, but those other guys, they're doing their fair share of contributing to making those records what they are."

Holmes joined W.A.S.P. in 1982 and remained with the group until 1990. In 1996, the guitarist returned to W.A.S.P. and stayed with the band until 2001. Chris has not played with W.A.S.P. since.

Back in January 2021, Holmes was asked by Cassius Morris if he had approached Lawless about participating in the making of "Mean Man: The Story Of Chris Holmes". Chris said: "I didn't, but Antoine did, and he said [Blackie] didn't have the time to do it."

Explaining that his relationship with Blackie is "over" and calling Lawless a "narcissist," Chris said: "When I left [W.A.S.P. for the final time] — or I really never left. [Blackie] just got another guitar player. They never even told me [I was out]. I found out that they were doing shows [without me]. So, I was, like, 'Wow. I must be out.' He never called me. Since then, I've dug in and found out some shitty stuff, what happened to me, and he knows that I know that, and he probably will never wanna talk to me ever again."

In October 2020, Chris said that he would never consider returning to W.A.S.P. unless Lawless agreed to pay him the publishing royalties that he allegedly owes him. He told Canada's The Metal Voice: "A lot of people think I made money from W.A.S.P. I've never gotten my royalties, or even my songwriting. All the stuff that I wrote, I've never gotten paid one penny. And you know whose fault it is? It's my my fault for not knowing the business, how it is. I trusted somebody.

"After every album, when the album is done, how they split up the publishing with the publishing contracts, the publishing companies — that's where the money comes from," he continued. "I was never told about when that meeting was. Because the other guys in the band never wrote — I was the only one [other than Blackie]. So I'm the only one that they have to screw over to get all the publishing. So I was never told. Then when I dug into it in about 2006 or [2007], I went into Sanctuary Music, had a lawyer go in to find out where all my publishing is, and I was written in as a session player into all the records. And if you don't know about it, and you're not told, and you don't see, you don't know. So I trusted Blackie Lawless about that. And when I found out, it really kind of yanked me wrong. It yanks me wrong — it makes me see he was sticking a knife in my back from the first day, from the first album, and not telling me, and being my best friend."

As far as Holmes is concerned, Lawless is solely to blame for him not getting his due from the W.A.S.P. records that he was involved with.

"If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be where he's at — I guarantee you that," Chris said. "And then he screws me like that. It's all right. It's been a long time. It's something that I will never, never get over. I'll take that to the grave with me. I'm pissed thinking about it.

"Anyway, that's the kind of person he is. Everybody thinks, 'Wow! He's got the greatest…' Yeah, he's got an outrageous voice, Blackie, yeah, but he turns his back on his bandmembers real bad — he screws 'em. I'm the only guy in the band that ever came back to get screwed twice, which I did. I came back for 'Kill.Fuck.Die', and I was promised half publishing on that album. Didn't get crap. Knowing that I couldn't get in to see what was written in the contracts, of course. That's why I wrote the song 'Two Faced Mother Fucker'. It's about him. It's on 'Shitting Bricks'. And I've got one on the new album. It's called 'The Truth'. It says, 'You can't handle the truth.' It's on my new [album]. I'm gonna write a song about him on every album."

Addressing the possibility of his return to W.A.S.P., Holmes said: "Everybody asks me about a W.A.S.P. reunion. Sure, I'd love to play a W.A.S.P. reunion — if he pays me my publishing. If it doesn't, then he can have a reunion with Randy Piper, Johnny Rod and [Steve] Riley and everybody else. I'm not gonna play it. It's not worth it.

"I came back to W.A.S.P. in '95. I got screwed again," he added. "Screw me once, screw me twice — you're not gonna screw me a third time."

During a November 2017 press conference in Moscow, Russia, Lawless was asked what he would say to those W.A.S.P. fans who continue to call for the band to reunite with Holmes. He responded: "People get divorced for certain reasons, and there's times when the kids want the parents to get back together, but sometimes it never happens. And this is one of those [times]. Sorry."

QUEEN's classic track "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" has surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.

In celebration of the milestone, QUEEN took to social media to share the following message: "QUEEN's 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' has hit 1 BILLION streams on @Spotify !

"Thank you for listening".

Written by QUEEN singer Freddie Mercury in 1979, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" originally appeared on QUEEN's 1980 album "The Game". The also appeared on the band's compilation album "Greatest Hits" in 1981.

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" peaked at No. 2 on the U.K. Singles chart in 1979 and became the group's first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. in 1980, remaining there for four consecutive weeks. It topped the Australian ARIA chart for seven weeks.

QUEEN's biggest hit ever is "Bohemian Rhapsody", which has notched up over 2.6 billion plays on Spotify and 1.8 billion views on YouTube.

As of June 2024, QUEEN was the 43rd most-streamed act on Spotify, up from 49th place a year earlier and 44th place two years earlier. The band had 52.61 million monthly listeners, up from 48.45 million listeners a year earlier, and 40.3 million two years earlier.

In the U.K., the first volume of QUEEN's "Greatest Hits" is the most popular album of all time, with sales in excess of seven million copies. It was even the 20th-biggest seller of 2023, beating new releases by Ed Sheeran and THE ROLLING STONES.
💎 Queen's ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ has hit 1 BILLION streams on @Spotify! 👑

Thank you for listening 👏 pic.twitter.com/dSJzXARzT5

— Queen (@QueenWillRock) February 11, 2025

The Erynn Halvorson YouTube channel has uploaded video of LINKIN PARK's entire February 11 concert at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Check out the clips in the playlist below.

LINKIN PARK kicked off the 2025 leg of its "From Zero" world tour on January 31 at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City, Mexico.

Late last month, LINKIN PARK released an a cappella/vocals-only version of the band's latest album, "From Zero", dubbed "From Zero - A Cappellas".

The original version of "From Zero", issued last November, marked LINKIN PARK's first full-length effort since 2017's "One More Light", which was the last LINKIN PARK album before the death of lead vocalist Chester Bennington. "From Zero" features LINKIN PARK's new singer Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, who have joined returning members co-vocalist and main producer Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and DJ/visual director Joe Hahnin the band's new lineup. Guitarist Alex Feder is filling in for Delson at all LINKIN PARK concerts for the foreseeable future.

Last fall, Shinoda told KROQ's Kevan Kenney about the emotions surrounding LINKIN PARK's return: "It's really complicated. For me, two years ago it was very overwhelming, and I think the best thing that we did was to just basically let things happen in the order and at the timeline that they were gonna happen, let things happen organically and not push too hard. And I feel like what ended up evolving was we just naturally kind of found each other, we found this new lineup, we found Emily and Colin in particular, and the music just kind of came into focus based on what we were having the most fun doing."

When Kenney suggested that "From Zero" "sounds almost like a return to [LINKIN PARK's] roots", Shinoda said: "I love that there's such a strong LINKIN PARK DNA in the record. It does really feel like LINKIN PARK, but I think there's a part of it that's the old sound and part of that's every era of the band, to me, on the record."

Farrell chimed in: "I don't know if I know well what the LINKIN PARK DNA is. It's kind of like when you're too close to something, you just do it and then other people tell you. They almost interpret it and then you kind of say, 'Okay, cool. I'm glad that came across.' But I think in any and all of that creation of an album or working on new music or new stuff or when there's — I don't know — interstitials or whatever you might wanna call it, for me those things are just like us doing us and figuring that out and moving forward. And in this process, one of the things that was so fun and rewarding and cool and energizing was just how when we started gradually integrating Emily and Colin, it felt like LINKIN PARK. It just felt like it fit for me and for us. And those were the coolest moments in the entire process, was just feeling like things were kind of jelling and coming together and we were having a blast doing it the whole time. So at this stage being ready to finally have the album out, having people be excited about it, that feels great."

LINKIN PARK announced its new lineup during a September 2024 one-hour global livestream of a concert in Los Angeles showcasing Armstrong and Brittain.

Last November, LINKIN PARK announced a massive world tour across North America, Europe, Asia and South America. The trek will launch in January with three dates in Mexico before heading to Japan and a one-off show in Jakarta, Indonesia. This spring and summer, LINKIN PARK will hit a number of cities the United States and end in November with a run throughout South America.

During LINKIN PARK's fall 2024 concert in São Paulo, Brazil, the band revealed that video of the performance, which was also livestreamed in full on Brazilian broadcast channel Multishow, will be central focus of a live documentary. A release date has yet to be announced.

MR. BIG has scheduled the following four shows for later this month:

Feb. 14 - Bloomverse Festival - Meghālaya, India
Feb. 16 - Bloomverse Express - Bengaluru, India
Feb. 22 - Osaka Music Hall - Osaka, Japan
Feb. 25 - Nippon Budokan - Tokyo, Japan

On Monday (February 10),MR. BIG bassist Billy Sheehan shared a photo of his plane ticket from New Jersey to India, and he included the following message: "On board for flight to India—the last 4 MR BIG shows. 2 in India, then Osaka Castle Hall and Tokyo Budokan in Japan. Then Finito!"

In an October 2024 interview with Ruben Mosqueda of We Go To 11, Sheehan was asked if MR. BIG'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 was in Romania. 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, MR. BIG frontman 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."

Guitarist Paul 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.

"The BIG Finish Live" was a brand-new live album and concert film of MR. BIG's "The BIG Finish" farewell tour, where the band played their million-selling "Lean Into It" album in its entirety, plus additional MR. BIG classics.

Photo credit: Joel Barrios / Photography That Rocks

In a new interview with Marko Syrjala of Metal-Rules.com, QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2022's "Digital Noise Alliance" album. He said: "We're currently working on demos for the next album, which is really important for us. After this [European tour], we have the Monsters Of Rock cruise, followed by the Monsters Of Rock festivals in South America. That brings us to May. Then we have some sporadic gigs here and there, but we're also planning to work with our producer, Chris 'Zeuss' Harris, and continue the writing sessions. Hopefully… But we're already getting offers for the end of the year, so I'm not sure when the album will be released. [Laughs]"

When Syrjala noted that the "schedule sounds a bit complicated," Michael explained: "You know, for the bands to make money, they have to tour. We get lots of offers — weekend gigs, two-week tours or even just a weekend here and there. You can't say no because if you do, someone else will take that opportunity and might not ask you again.

"The thing is, to do a proper QUEENSRŸCHE album, we need about six weeks of uninterrupted time. But it's harder now because we have to juggle these gigs — weekends here and there — before coming back to focus. Zeuss has had to adapt; he's very mobile now. He's learned to be because we’re not the only band that does this; all bands do. He works with Rob Zombie — 'Hey, come on over for the weekend. Let's work on some stuff.' Or with SHADOWS FALL — 'Let's work on some stuff.' So, he's used to it. It's just a matter of someone organizing it all."

Wilton went on to say that he and his QUEENSRŸCHE bandmates are "following the same process" this time around as they did for "Digital Noise Alliance". "With ['Digital Noise Alliance'], the recording and writing sessions were meant to feel fresh — nothing was e-mailed back and forth," he said. "Everything was built during the writing process. In that sense, it was about going back to the days when we'd be in a room writing the [debut QUEENSRŸCHE] EP in the morning. Back then, we didn't have technology like we do now. No cell phones, no computers — maybe, if you were lucky, you had a four-track recorder. The way we worked was simple: 'Hey, Chris [DeGarmo], you got a riff?' And I'd say, 'Okay, I like that. Let me add something to it.' It was a real band effort because everyone was in the room, giving input. That's exactly what we did with ['Digital Noise Alliance']. Everyone was involved — 'Oh, I like that,' 'Oh, I don’t like that' — and the songs evolved a little more each day. Some songs we dissected and reworked completely. Take 'Tormentum', for example — that's like four songs merged into one! [Laughs]"

Asked if it's "correct to say" that recording the "Digital Noise Alliance" album was "a fresh start" for QUEENSRŸCHE, with drummer Casey Grillo becoming a permanent bandmember and guitarist Mike Stone returning to the fold for the studio sessions, Michael said: "Yeah, I think so. This next one will be even better because, with ['Digital Noise Alliance'], Mike didn't come in until the end of the process. But now, he's here from the beginning of the process. He's writing with me, and I'm writing with him, so it should be a bit more cohesive, I think… He knows the ways of the RŸCHE. He knows the guitar style and how to stay within that area. But, like I said, the stuff we've written so far sounds pretty cool."

QUEENSRŸCHE kicked off the European leg of "The Origins Tour" on January 31 at Kulttuuritalo in Helsinki, Finland.

Although QUEENSRŸCHE would score multi-platinum albums and hit singles over their career, their fans have developed an undeniable love for the group's early releases, the 1983 EP and 1984's "The Warning" album, when they helped trailblaze a style of rock that combined elements of metal and prog. And for the first time ever, QUEENSRŸCHE is performing both classic releases in their entirety as part of "The Origins Tour".

Two years ago, QUEENSRŸCHE completed its 2023 U.S. headlining tour with support from former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman and TRAUMA. On that tour, QUEENSRŸCHE's 18-song set included no less than five songs from "Digital Noise Alliance", which came out in October 2022 via Century Media. The record was once again helmed by Zeuss, who previously worked with QUEENSRŸCHE on 2015's "Condition Hüman" and 2019's "The Verdict" LPs.

Stone, who rejoined QUEENSRŸCHE in 2021, contributed guitar solos to the band's latest studio album.

Since late May 2021, Stone has been handling second-guitar duties in QUEENSRŸCHE, which announced in July 2021 that longtime guitarist Parker Lundgren was exiting the group to focus on "other business ventures."

Stone originally joined QUEENSRŸCHE for the 2003 album "Tribe" and stayed with the band for six years before leaving the group.

For the past eight years, drummer Casey Grillo has been filling in for original QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Scott Rockenfield, who stepped away from the band's touring activities in early 2017 to spend time with his young son.

In October 2021, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against Wilton and bassist Eddie Jackson, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge. A few months later, Wilton and Jackson filed a countersuit against Rockenfield, accusing him of abandoning his position as a member of the band and misappropriating the group's assets to his own personal benefit. That dispute has since been settled out of court.

Legendary rock vocalist Robin McAuley will release his new solo album, "Soulbound", on February 28 via Frontiers Music Srl. The official visualizer video for the LP's third single, "Wonders Of The World", can be seen below.

About the single, Robin's co-writer Giancarlo Floridia states: "'Wonders Of The World' was a song presented to me by David Julian that I absolutely fell in love with and started working on together with Robin.

"I really feel as a writing team David, myself and Robin came up with something very special that I think you're all going to enjoy.

"TURN IT UP!!!!!"

"Soulbound" sees McAuley's voice continuing to defy time, sounding as inspired and powerful as ever. The new album is definitively more guitar-driven straight hard rock compared to his previous albums and is still wonderfully melodic, infectious, and fist-in-the-air uplifting.

McAuley previously stated about "Soulbound": "I can't wait to share record No. 3 with you all from Frontiers Music Srl. 'Soulbound' is a much edgier, harder guitar-driven record than my previous two for the label. In addition, I'm working with a new producer from the Frontiers label, Aldo Lonobile, who brought these songs to life with his kick-ass production."

"Soulbound" showcases the respected Irish rock singer's desire to make a strong musical statement in what is proving to be his most creative period.

To kick the announcement off, McAuley shared the album's first track, "'Til I Die", alongside a music video, available below.

About the single, McAuley said: "We had so much fun shooting this mini-movie with the great production team of Enzo Mazzeo and Eric Boadello. ''Til I Die' comes at you right out the gate with heavy drums and biting guitars as I race across the Western wasteland to escape the unknown demons and images haunting me and determined to track me down. It's a race for survival at all costs.

"Come join me and escape together!!!!"

After reemerging on the recording side of the music industry with guest spots on MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST albums and tours in addition to fronting the hard rock supergroup BLACK SWAN, McAuley was (and still is) feeling invigorated and ready to explore even more creative output to let the world see that his voice is still as powerful as ever.

Work for "Soulbound" began in early 2024, following an intense musical period in between tour dates and studio work. With a slightly different production approach compared to the previous album, Robin's vocal performance here is simply outstanding. Truly an iconic voice of the genre, "Soulbound" solidly delivers the more hard and heavy aspects of this respected artist.

Robin's backing band includes some of the previous artists who appeared with him on previous efforts, including guitarist Andrea Seveso, as well as some new talent such as guitarist Alessandro Mammola and drummer Alfonso Mocerino.

"Soulbound" track listing:

01. 'Til I Die
02. Soulbound
03. The Best Of Me
04. Crazy
05. Let It Go
06. Wonders Of The World
07. One Good Reason
08. Bloody Bruised And Beautiful
09. Paradise
10. Born To Die
11. There Was A Man

Credits:

Produced by: Aldo Lonobile
Studio: TMH Studio, Institute Of Noise LA
Recorded by: Aldo Lonobile, except vocals recorded by Andy Zuckerman
Mixed by: Aldo Lonobile
Mastered by: Aldo Lonobile

McAuley is widely recognized as one of the great singers of a golden period in hard rock music. His voice can be heard on albums from GRAND PRIX and FAR CORPORATION, and, of course, on the chart-topping MSG records "Perfect Timing", "Save Yourself" and "MSG". Through these releases, he was introduced to hard rock fans around the globe, who no doubt recognized the inherent talent and skill in his vocal abilities.

Once he departed MSG, McAuley released one solo record in 1999, then joined AOR legends SURVIVOR. He then re-teamed with Schenker in MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST on their recent records "Resurrection" and "Revelation". And, of course, in what was an absolute revelation to hard rock fans around the world, in 2020, he came out swingin' as the frontman of the supergroup BLACK SWAN, where he joined forces with Reb Beach (WHITESNAKE, WINGER),Jeff Pilson (FOREIGNER, ex-DOKKEN) and Matt Starr (ACE FREHLEY, MR BIG).

Recording lineup:

Robin McAuley - Vocals
Andrea Seveso, Alessandro Mammola - Guitars
Aldo Lonobile - Bass/additional guitars
Alfonso Mocerino - Drums

Additional keyboards: Antonio Agate

Photo credit: Enzo Mazzeo

Al Jourgensen is finally making peace with the past. After the incredible reception to MINISTRY's "With Sympathy" and "Twitch"-heavy set at Cruel World 2024, Jourgensen decided it was time to reexamine his long-dormant synth pop hits and give them a fresh polish 40 years later. The result is the forthcoming album "The Squirrely Years Revisited", out March 28 via Cleopatra Records.

Featuring nine tracks (three additional bonus tracks on CD),the album offers reworked versions of cult classic hits like "Everyday Is Halloween", "Work For Love", "I'm Not An Effigy" and "I'll Do Anything For You". New music videos will soon be released for several tracks as well.

To celebrate the album and the new-old era of MINISTRY, the band — also including John Bechdel (keyboards),Monte Pittman and Cesar Soto (guitars),Pepe Clarke Magaña (drums) and Paul D'Amour (bass) — will embark on "The Squirrely Years" tour beginning April 29, with a set dominated by Jourgensen's earliest works. Opening support will come from MINISTRY's old-school comrades, including NITZER EBB for the first half of the tour, MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT for the second half of the tour; and DIE KRUPPS on all dates.

A special BLABBERMOUTH.NET presale will begin on Thursday, February 13 at 10:00 a.m. local time and end on Thursday, February 13 at 10:00 p.m. local time. When prompted, type in the presale code "TWITCH" to access tickets before the general public. Check back here on Thursday for ticketing links to individual shows. General on-sale will be Friday, February 14 at 10 a.m. local time.

"Since I hated my early stuff for decades, I decided to take ownership of it and do it right," says Jourgensen.

"The Squirrely Years Revisited" follows the release of MINISTRY's 16th studio album in 2024, "Hopiumforthemasses", and comes ahead of the final new studio album from MINISTRY in 2026, a record that has Jourgensen teaming up with Paul Barker once again.

"The Squirrely Years Revisited" will be available in all formats including digital, CD and four different vinyl configurations. The full track list includes:

01. Work For Love
02. Here We Go
03. All Day
04. Everyday Is Halloween
05. Revenge
06. I'm Not An Effigy
07. I'm Falling
08. Same Old Madness
09. I'll Do Anything For You
10. Just Like You [CD only]
11. We Believe [CD only]
12. Over The Shoulder [CD only]

MINISTRY "The Squirrely Years Tour" with NITZER EBB, MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT, DIE KRUPPS:

April 29 - Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren*
April 30 - Albuquerque, NM @ Revel*
May 02 - Austin, TX @ Emo's*
May 03 - Houston, TX @ House of Blues*
May 04 - Dallas, TX @ Factory*
May 06 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern*
May 08 - Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival
May 09 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera*
May 10 - Detroit, MI @ Masonic Cathedral*
May 12 - Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage*
May 13 - Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall+
May 14 - Boston, MA @ Roadrunner+
May 16 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount+
May 17 - Montreal, QC @ MTelus+
May 18 - Toronto, ON @ History+
May 20 - Minneapolis, MN @ Palace+
May 21 - Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre+
May 23 - Edmonton, AB @ Midway Music Hall+
May 24 - Calgary, AB @ Palace Theatre+
May 26 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore+
May 28 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo+
May 29 - Spokane, WA @ Spokane Live Casino+
May 31 - Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom+
June 01 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Union+
June 3 - San Francisco, CA @ Warfield+
June 4 - Los Angeles, CA @ Palladium+
June 5 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues+

* NITZER EBB appearing
+ MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT appearing
(DIE KRUPPS appearing on all dates except May 8)

Born in 1981 in Chicago, MINISTRY has been the lifetime passion project of founder Al Jourgensen, considered to be the pioneer of industrial music. In its early days, MINISTRY was identifiable by its heavy synth-pop material in line with the new sounds and technology that were being developed in the '80s. MINISTRY's output began with four 12-inch singles on Wax Trax! Records in 1981 before the first LP, "With Sympathy", in 1983 via Arista Records. As time progressed however, so did MINISTRY, quickly developing a harsher, and more stylized sound that the band soon became infamous for on seminal albums "Twitch" (1986),"The Land Of Rape And Honey" (1988) and "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste" (1989). With the release of "Psalm 69: The Way To Succeed And The Way To Suck Eggs" (1992),MINISTRY hit an all-time high in the mainstream musical realm and received its first Grammy nomination. In total, MINISTRY has been nominated for a Grammy Award six times. Eight more albums would follow before an indefinite break in 2013, only to be unearthed again in 2018 with "AmeriKKKant", continuing to reflect Jourgensen's views on the frightening state of society and politics. The 2021 album "Moral Hygiene" marked a new creative era of Jourgensen and the band.

MINISTRY's 16th studio album, "Hopiumforthemasses", was released March 1, 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Photo credit: Derick Smith

Legendary rocker Ted Nugent has launched NugeVault.com, the "UltimateGonzo TED NUGENT fan experience"! Nearly six decades of never-before-seen and never-before-heard Nugified treasures are finally unlocked!

Get exclusive access to:

- Unreleased rehearsals, demos and live recordings
- Rare concert and studio footage
- The full history of Ted's iconic guitar collection
- Behind-the-scenes photos and stories
- Classic "Spirit Of The Wild" episodes
- Live campfire chats with Ted himself!
- Limited-edition autographed merchandise

The Motor City Madman has kept his vault sealed — until NOW! Pre-register today and be part of rock history!

In 2023, Ted completed his "Adios Mofo '23" farewell tour. The trek saw him backed by his most recent solo band consisting of drummer Jason Hartless and bassist Johnny Schoen.

In an interview with "THAT Rocks!", the now-76-year-old Ted spoke about his decision to embark on what was billed as his last-ever tour. Regarding why he doesn't want to spend time on the road anymore, Ted said in part: "Hotels are jail. I hate jail… I will always play music. The music still has fire. I still crave it. I've got new songs. I'm gonna go in the studio with these killer musicians that are always at my side. But traveling, I tell you… A hotel room is jail… The travel and the hotels… And I don't even have to go to TSA [Transportation Security Administration]; I mean, I gave the finger to them in 2009. If somebody doesn't send a jet, I don't go anywhere. My friends are better than your friends, 'cause my friends have jets. So, I'm not TSA and I'm not gonna let somebody fondle my Glock [gun] and ask me questions about gun laws. And hotels are so painful for me."

Ted went on to clarify that he is not retiring from playing live. "The fire, the music, it will always go on," he said. "I play my guitar every day… And I get to collaborate with the best musicians in the world. So it's always a challenge, it's always intriguing, it's always stimulating. I'm an old man — I'm 75 this year — but the stimuli factor… I hope that somebody else in this world is as stimulated by the music as I am, because it's still very much alive and well."

Asked if he will miss the audience and the live interaction on stage, Ted said: "Yes. Of course I will. But again, I won't miss it because I'll still do it… I'm not going out for months or even weeks. I'll do the occasional special events. I do a lot of corporate stuff… Yeah, I'm an energized son of a bitch, but I am 75, and I'm not swinging from ropes and I'm not wearing a loincloth and I'm not jumping off the amplifiers with my new knees. So I will miss it, but, again, I've got 12 grandkids and I don't wanna go away someday and not make an imprint on them, teach them about the important things in life. In a world that's really gone really stupid, I think my grandparenting responsibilities are more important now than ever."

Nugent's self-titled debut album in 1975 was certified double platinum in the United States, while "Free-for-All", "Cat Scratch Fever", "Weekend Warriors" and "State Of Shock" all reached the Top 30 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Nugent has reportedly sold over 40 million albums and was named Detroit's greatest guitar player of all time by readers of MLive.

The conservative rocker, who been eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a solo artist since 2000, has enjoyed a remarkably successful and eventful musical career over the past five decades, but his music is increasingly overshadowed by his political outbursts.

Nugent's latest album, "Detroit Muscle", was released in April 2022 via Pavement Music. The follow-up to 2018's "The Music Made Me Do It" was recorded with Ted's previous touring band, which included bassist Greg Smith and Hartless.

Legendary guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen is set to release his brand new album, "Tokyo Live", on April 25 via Music Theories Recordings. You can check out the first blistering taster on the video for "Top Down, Foot Down" below.

The incomparable Malmsteen is one of the greatest guitarists to ever have lived. So, when the chance comes to witness the maestro in the live setting, you take notice. This mesmerizing spectacle can be witnessed on "Tokyo Live".

"Top Down, Foot Down" is taken from the 2016 album "World On Fire" and showcases the wide range and dynamic flavor which demonstrates Malmsteen's fury and elegance, all encapsulated in a just-under-two-minute version of the song.

Malmsteen says: "'Top Down, Foot Down' is one of my favorite live numbers, C#m arpeggios into E arpeggios and a fluid C#m melody with flat 5th diminished and suspended resolution. The title also depicts my love of convertible cruising."

The concert was recorded at the Zepp DiverCity, Tokyo on May 11, 2024 as part of Yngwie's 40th-anniversary world tour. Calling upon an enormous catalogue of material, Malmsteen shredded his way through a furious set, backed by a mountainous Marshall stack wall.

Talking about the live experience, Malmsteen adds: "Playing live in front of people is really what it's all about. It's exciting and dangerous because you have to take risks and there's no fixing afterwards."

Malmsteen's breathtaking technique takes center stage of the 100-minute concert while being cocooned by exquisite musicianship throughout. The setlist tracks Malmsteen's illustrious career, from "Hiroshima Mon Amour" and "Evil Eye" and through his remarkable solo career with "Rising Force", "Far Beyond The Sun", "Arpeggios From Hell" and "Seventh Sign" all the way up to his most recent material taken from 2021's "Parabellum", with "Wolves At The Door", "Relentless Fury", "(Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum", not to mention rousing renditions of "Paganini's 4th" and "Smoke On The Water".

The name of Yngwie Malmsteen has always stood for uncompromising excellence. In a career that now spans more than 40 years he has proven himself to be a unique artist. You can try to categorize him in any way you wish. But the manner in which this supreme Swedish craftsman has continually developed his music makes Malmsteen sublimely transcend any definition you attempt to impose.

He now has a catalogue of 22 solo studio albums, each of which has much to commend. Malmsteen's artistry has always clearly incorporated a healthy virtuosity, but his talent goes well beyond a comprehensive control of the guitar. The man is a fine composer and, on recent releases, has also showcased a strong vocal presence and now, with only this fifth live release, it captures four decades of relentless fury and blissful artistry of one of the true greats.

"Tokyo Live" track listing:

CD1

01. Rising Force (Live)
02. Top Down Foot Down (Live)
03. No Rest For The Wicked (Live)
04. Soldier (Live)
05. Into Valhalla (Live)
06. Baroque & Roll (Live)
07. Like An Angel (Live)
08. Relentless Fury (Live)
09. Now Your Ships Are Burned (Live)
10. Wolves At The Door (Live)
11. Hiroshima Mon Amour (Live)
12. (Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum (Live)
13. Badinere (Live)
14. Paganini's 4th (Live)
15. Adagio (Live)
16. Far Beyond The Sun (Live)
17. Arpeggios From Hell (Live)

CD2

01. Seventh Sign (Live)
02. Toccata (Live)
03. Evil Eye (Live)
04. Smoke On The Water (Live)
05. Trilogy-Vengeance (Live)
06. Cadenza 1 (Live)
07. Brothers (Live)
08. Fugue (Live)
09. Cadenza 2 - Grand Finale (Live)
10. You Don't Remember I'll Never Forget (Live)
11. Acoustic Cadenza (Live)
12. Black Star (Live)
13. I'll See The Light Tonight (Live)

In a recent interview with Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global, TRIVIUM's Corey Beaulieu spoke about a possible follow-up to the band's 2021 album "In The Court Of The Dragon". The guitarist, whose band is currently taking part in "The Poisoned Ascendancy" tour during which TRIVIUM and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE are celebrating the 20th anniversary of "Ascendancy" and "The Poison" albums, respectively, by playing them in full, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We spent last year building our recording studio at our hangar. So we got that all up and running and stuff. And we're always working on some new stuff. And since it's been — 2021, I guess, was [when] the last record came out, or something like that, so it's definitely our longest gap in records and everything. So, definitely new music will be on the horizon. We've been working on some stuff."

He continued: "So, yeah, doing the 'Ascendancy' anniversary thing, and the next thing on our plate is preparing for a new record. And then, obviously, 2026 will be new record, touring, festivals and stuff like that. So, it'll be another busy year, just like this year, but it'll be kind of flipping the page to kind of the next chapter, new music and moving forward and go from nostalgia to new stuff. So, we're looking forward to it."

Corey added: "When we were on break rehearsing for the 'Ascendancy' stuff, we kind of used playing 'Ascendancy' as our mojo to kind of inspire us to write new music and stuff like that, kind of take that vibe and energy and kind of use it to make new stuff. So, we've got some stuff cooking, kind of marinating, and with the new studio, we can kind of go in and start tracking whenever we've got stuff ready to go. So, hopefully — I don't know — sometime mid-next year, I don't know exactly, we have no like timetable, but definitely at some some point next year there'll be a record announcement or something coming out. Yeah, we're looking forward to it. By that time, it'll be five or six years since we had a new record out. So it's definitely time."

Referencing the fact that TRIVIUM released two albums, 2020's "What The Dead Men Say" and 2021's "In The Court Of The Dragon", within a year and a half of each other, Corey said: "Yeah, we did basically put out two records in a year, which is a lot, I guess, nowadays. So, doing that, we felt like we needed a little bit more of a breather space to kind of let everyone get excited and anticipation built up for new music. Since we did two records so quick, it felt like when we put out 'In The Court Of The Dragon', it was so quick, it seemed like maybe there wasn't as much like hype or anticipation 'cause it was so soon after putting out a record. So it feels like having a little bit more space will get people a little more pumped up."

"The Poisoned Ascendancy" launched in the U.K. in late January 2025 for six shows, before the two bands, along with support act ORBIT CULTURE, head over to mainland Europe for 18 more concerts.

Released in March of 2005, TRIVIUM crafted a classic in the form of "Ascendancy". It concluded 2005 as Kerrang!'s "Album Of The Year," went gold in the U.K., and has since surpassed global sales of 500,000 copies. Opening the main stage of Download festival that year, the Floridian four piece — barely out of their teens — delivered a set that left all who witnessed it in no doubt that they were looking at future legends, with Kerrang! readers later voting it as the tenth best gig of all time.

"In The Court Of The Dragon" came out in October 2021 via TRIVIUM's longtime label Roadrunner Records. The record was produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur and recorded in the fall of 2020 at Full Sail University in Orlando. The album cover is an original oil painting by French artist Mathieu Nozieres.

TRIVIUM supported MEGADETH and LAMB OF GOD on the 2022 leg of "The Metal Tour Of The Year".

Last month, Beaulieu was asked by Jorge Fretes of Spain's GoetiaMedia if there are plans for TRIVIUM to celebrate the upcoming 20th anniversaries of any other albums, such as 2008's "Shogun". Corey said: "We've seen over the years that a lot of bands, doing anniversary tours has been kind of like, I guess, a popular thing to do. Some bands have done it 10 years after a record came out or whatever, and we always just kind of thought that, 'Hey, if people still care after 20 years, that'll be like the time to think about doing something' and whatever. So, especially 'Ascendancy' our first big thing that kind of people heard of us, so that kind of made a big impact, so we figured 'Ascendancy' was a good record to do it on. Some of our records probably we wouldn't."

He continued: "We did a little thing on our last U.K. tour. It was the 'Shogun' 15th anniversary and we played a couple of extra songs from it. But 'Shogun', I'm sure there'd be a lot of fans that would love for us to play that record from start to finish, but that record is so musically demanding that I don't know if I could manage wanting to do a whole tour of playing just that record. I'd probably just be mentally exhausted. But, no, it's cool to do this record 'cause it was so special of a record for us and the fans. We have a lot of records that'll be turning 20 — 'The Crusade' turns 20 the year after, and then 'Shogun' and stuff like that — but we'll be probably back into focusing on new music. But there'll be some cool stuff for anniversary stuff coming out that people can collect and buy, but probably spending a year of touring for another record is not gonna be something that's gonna be popping up anytime soon. So this is a kind of our one-time thing for now. I know BULLET, talking to them, I know they're in the same boat, like, once we get done doing this anniversary run together, they've been in the studio. [The plan is to get] some new tunes and stuff out and kind of moving on to the next record. But it's gonna be exciting. I think playing a record like 'Ascendancy' on tour and the energy of the crowd, we're definitely looking forward to kind of channeling that, playing those songs and getting that energy from the fans and kind of channeling that into new music and hopefully capture some of that intensity from the tour and project that back into a new record that people will be pumped on."

Last September, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and TRIVIUM announced the North American dates for "The Poisoned Ascendancy" tour. Support on the trek will come from AUGUST BURNS RED, with SYLOSIS and BLEED FROM WITHIN appearing on select shows.

Produced by Live Nation, the 26-city tour kicks off on March 30 at PNE Forum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, making stops across North America in Las Vegas, Chicago, New York and more before wrapping up in Raleigh, North Carolina at Red Hat Amphitheater on May 18.

Legendary rock band SWEET has released the official music video for the song "Circus". The track is taken from SWEET's latest studio album, "Full Circle", which came out last September via Metalville Records. According to a press release, the LP will be SWEET's final studio album ever.

SWEET is a rock music phenomena that has taken the world by storm for more then five decades. Over the years, SWEET sold more than 55 million records and earned 34 No. 1 chart positions worldwide. The golden thread that links the past through to the present and into the future is SWEET founding member Andy Scott with all his determination to maintain high standards with the band's musical legacy, recording and touring. The band today has still an illustrious pedigree recreating "live" the high energy and soaring vocals associated with the SWEET sound that is the band's trademark.

SWEET began writing songs for the "Full Circle" album in 2019, before the pandemic. The project was shelved, and the band released "Isolation Boulevard" instead.

"Isolation Boulevard" featured all the SWEET's classic hit singles and was recorded with the new lineup during lockdowns between September and October 2020. It was a reworking of SWEET's 1975 album multi-million-selling "Desolation Boulevard". This involved remote recording sessions which put a new spin on the material. The album was well received, and a single, "Set Me Free", appeared in many heritage rock charts.

With the COVID period of isolation behind us, SWEET started the sessions for "Full Circle" in earnest. The band's touring schedule split the sessions but by the spring of 2024, the recordings were done. The band's performance is outstanding and producers Andy and Tom are very proud of the result.

"Full Circle" track listing

01. Circus
02. Don't Bring Me Water
03. Burning Like A Falling Star
04. Changes
05. Defender
06. Everything
07. Destination Hannover
08. Rising Up
09. Fire In My Heart
10. Coming Home
11. Full Circle

In a 2021 interview with VWMusic, Scott stated about SWEET's place within the rock and glam history: "I think we were probably underrated, and though we have respect from our peers, the other bands and musicians, I feel that if the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame came knocking, it would be a shame, almost too late, as I am the only one left. But hey, the legacy lives on."

Regarding SWEET's influence on the 1980s hair metal era, Andy said: "When bands like MÖTLEY CRÜE broke through, it was like looking at a snapshot of SWEET ten years on. The music was heavier and more reminiscent of our albums and B-sides than the singles. But in cultural/fashion terms, it is a direct line, a pure connection."

Three members of the original SWEET — Brian Connolly, Steve Priest and Mick Tucker — have died while Scott's version of the group still tours the U.K. and Australia.

Andy (guitars/vocals) is joined in his version of SWEET by Paul Manzi (lead vocals),Lee Small (bass guitar/vocals),Tom Cory (guitars/keys/vocals) and Adam Booth (drums/percussion).

Before he died, Priest had the right to use the SWEET name in the U.S. and Canada, whereas Scott toured a version of the group in the U.K. The pair were estranged for decades, but resumed contact in the 2010s.

UNDEROATH will release a new album, "The Place After This One", on March 28, 2025 via MNRK Heavy.

Renowned for its ability to transform chaos into harmony and aggression into anthemic survival, the Florida-based group delivers a record that promises to redefine heavy music and expand their already massive audience.

With two RIAA-certified gold albums, three Grammy nominations, and a legacy of uncompromising authenticity, UNDEROATH is back — and it's louder, bolder, and more essential than ever, while continuing to push boundaries in ways that few bands dare.

"The Place After This One" marks a truly momentous occasion in the band's history. It is a stunning document and a remarkable collection of songs, signaling a renaissance period in the beloved act's storied career. The album showcases where they're from, and more importantly, where they're headed. It's a masterpiece from musicians at the top of their game. Sonically, its references are varied and complex and is a distillation of everything they've accomplished thus far: a crystalline vision blending hard rock, electronic experimentation, guttural screams and anthemic, call-to-arms choruses.

Discussing the new album, UNDEROATH guitarist Tim McTague says: "'The Place After This One' is a multi-faceted idea. The fact that we grew up so sheltered and spiritual, and are trying to reconcile how we grew up against what we see now in the new age. UNDEROATH, albeit intact and the same, is simultaneously so different. Our band has gone through a lot of chaos. I think there's something beautiful about the idea of not just abandoning everything when things get weird. Whether it be your faith, or your band, or your marriage, or your relationships. The idea that there is a place after this one, even if it's with the same people or it's with the same God, or it's with the same town. Things compound when it's good, and you just cut out the things that are bad."

Following a string of new singles beginning last year — including "Generation No Surrender", "Survivor's Guilt" and "Teeth" — the band return today with a punishing new song taken from their upcoming album, "All The Love Is Gone", alongside its accompanying music video.

Speaking on the song out today, vocalist Spencer Chamberlain calls it "one of the most out-there songs we've ever written. We really wanted to create a track that was drum-and-bass-driven, kind of in the vein of THE PRODIGY, THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS, NOISIA, etc. We also pulled elements from JUSTICE and THE STREETS. There's a darkness to those artists that's so heavy and interesting to me, and we really wanted to embrace that on this song. To me, this is kind of our version of that — sharing a lot of those elements and vibes but still keeping the heaviness of UNDEROATH at its core."

He continues: "Lyrically, I wrote it from the place I used to go whenever something went wrong in my life, which I think we can all relate to. It's a place I now consciously avoid when things fall apart. But it's that moment when everything in your life has fallen apart, you're at the bar, and you just don't care anymore. Maybe it's the end of a relationship, the loss of a friend or family member, or you just got fired — whatever it may be, we've all had a night like this. It's a scary feeling, and it's a place I never want to go back to, but that's the song in a nutshell. It's pretty on the nose, so to speak, but I felt like I needed to write it down to remind myself to never go there again."

"The Place After This One" track listing:

01. Generation No Surrender
02. Devil
03. Loss
04. Survivor's Guilt
05. All The Love Is Gone
06. And Then There Was Nothing
07. Teeth
08. Shame
09. Spinning In Place
10. Vultures (feat. Troy Sanders of MASTODON)
11. Cannibal
12. Outsider

In 2025, UNDEROATH will be visiting Australia for the first time since 2019, performing "They're Only Chasing Safety" in its entirety along with an encore set, as direct support for ALEXISONFIRE. Soon after their jaunt in Australia, the band will return to North America for a run of shows supporting RISE AGAINST and PAPA ROACH as part of their "Rise Of The Roach" tour. The band will also be performing at Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival on May 10, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio and at Welcome To Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida on May 16, 2025.

Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine