Sony Pictures Classics' "Becoming Led Zeppelin", the first-ever sanctioned film on the band in the almost 57 years since the formation of the notoriously private group, gave a record-breaking performance for its first weekend at the box office as it opened to an impressive $3 million IMAX debut across 16 countries and territories. Domestically, the film's $2.6 million start ($7,000 per-screen average) represents the biggest opening weekend ever for an IMAX-exclusive music release, as audiences nationwide flock to experience the exhilarating docu-concert on the largest screens available.

With its successful debut, "Becoming Led Zeppelin" landed in the domestic top 10 chart at No. 8 this past weekend and saw particularly strong results from both coasts as well as markets including Toronto, Cleveland, St. Louis, and Dallas. The documentary, which was released exclusively in IMAX this past Friday, February 7 on 369 North American screens and held one-night-only early access screenings in eighteen markets earlier in the week, will expand nationwide across 1,000 screens on Friday, February 14, 2025.

"Becoming Led Zeppelin" explores the origins of this iconic group and their meteoric rise in just one year against all the odds, providing an unparalleled look at the how the rock band came together as audiences witness firsthand the formation of their first two official tours and the creation of their history-making, self-titled debut and sophomore albums.

Powered by awe-inspiring, psychedelic, never-before-seen footage, interviews, performances and music, Bernard MacMahon's experiential cinematic odyssey explores LED ZEPPELIN's creative, musical, and personal origin story, with unprecedented access to the group and their archives that solidifies the film as the definitive LED ZEPPELIN documentary.

The hybrid docu-concert film also unveils a huge amount of rare and unseen LED ZEPPELIN performance footage. The result is a visceral musical experience that will transport audiences into the concert halls and musical lives of LED ZEPPELIN during their earliest tours, accompanied by intimate, exclusive commentary from the famously private band.

"Becoming Led Zeppelin" is a movie that almost didn't come to fruition — the filmmakers were up against epic challenges, including the fact that hardly any footage from the band's early period existed. MacMahon and producer Allison McGourty embarked on a global detective search for material to illustrate the band's story.

"Becoming Led Zeppelin" is directed by the award-winning, Emmy- and BAFTA-nominated Bernard MacMahon ("American Epic"),and written by MacMahon and BAFTA-nominated producer Allison McGourty. It is produced by McGourty and Paradise Pictures in association with Big Beach, alongside executive producers Michael B Clark, Alex Turtletaub, Cynthia Heusing, David Kistenbroker, Duke Erikson, Simon Moran, and Ged Doherty. Editing is by Dan Gitlin, sound supervision is by Nick Bergh, sound restoration is by Grammy Award winner Peter Henderson, with archival research from Kate Griffiths and Rich Remsberg.

Last September, British progressive rock legends URIAH HEEP announced their plans to embark on a farewell tour, dubbed "The Magician's Farewell", beginning with a seven-show U.K. run in February. Asked in a new interview with Indie Power TV what led to the decision to stop touring around the world, URIAH HEEP guitarist Mick Box said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'd say it was part the fact that we're not getting any younger. But the other big part was that it's becoming impossible to put these tours together now, the long tours that we used to do. Especially over in Europe, with Brexit and after COVID and things like that, it's got really, really hard, because previously we could travel freely through Europe, but now we can't because of Brexit. So, we now have to have carnets [international customs and temporary export-import documents] for equipment to get through to every territory, which they've only gotta get held up in one territory, and you lose the show. Things like that."

Mick continued: "With the advent of the world as it is today, bus prices have tripled, truck prices have tripled, everything's tripled. I mean, to give you an example as well with the airlines, apart from their cost going through the roof, we had 11 flights the other month and five of them were cancelled. So it's getting more and more difficult. So every show you've gotta go in a day early just to compensate for anything that may happen. So it's getting really difficult to put those long tours together. So it's kind of all come to a head, if you like."

Box also spoke in more detail about the barriers British musicians face since Brexit when it comes to touring the EU. He explained: "Yeah, well, unfortunately, the government doesn't recognize how important music is to the world. We've got all these restrictions on. There's even a restriction that you can only stay out 90 days in 180 and things like that. All those things just knock you sideways when you try to put a whole run of tour dates together like we used to do for nine months of the year. It's very difficult."

Mick went on to say that URIAH HEEP will never stop playing live shows altogether. "Yeah, we'll always play festivals, we'll always do things like that, because it's in our blood to keep playing," he said. "But this is a total winddown over two to three years. And when you consider that you and I play in 64 countries, we've got a lot of flying about to do. [Laughs] But we hope to get to everyone we can with this final hurrah, if you like. But it's not that final, because, as we say, we're gonna continue playing probably in pockets rather than these lengthy tours that are now impossible for many, many reasons I just discussed."

Asked if touring America has become increasingly difficult as well, Mick said: "Yeah, the visa side of it is very expensive, of course. And then if you've got a [team of people working for you], which we have with our crew, you've got the flights and everything else to consider before you even play a note. So, those things are difficult, but not insurmountable.

"I think that in America, it's geared a lot better, with the tour buses and everything else, to make it possible," he added. "So, yeah, I don't think it's quite so bad because you don't have, like we do in Europe, to go into each territory, you have a carnet, like I say, for all our equipment to be cleared, whereas in America you can just keep on going. [Laughs]"

Last December, Box was asked by Planet Rock's Paul Anthony what he is planning on doing with his time once URIAH HEEP has completed its farewell tour. Mick said: "I guess we'll do [some] writing and go in the recording studio and do other aspects of the of the game, but as I say, we're still gonna be touring, still gonna be playing. It's just that we're not doing the really long stuff. We'll do it in sections rather than a whole long splurge."

As for the setlist for "The Magician's Farewell", Mick said: "I guess a setlist really writes itself to a degree, because there's so many songs that people expect to hear — you know, the 'Easy Livin'' to 'July Morning' and stuff like that and 'Stealin'' and whatever — so we kind of use that as the template. Then we'll add in some of the latest-album songs, and then build it from there. And maybe revisit something that we haven't revisited for a while, or even something we haven't played before. So we kind of just put it in the mixing pot, really. But it kind of works itself out because the popularity of the songs we've got, which is marvelous."

After Anthony noted that URIAH HEEP still records new music and is not known as "just a heritage act" which doesn't perform its more recent songs live, Mick concurred. "Well, yeah," he said. "I mean, when you look at it, we've got a lot of classic rock songs. And the new songs are soon to be classic, because it's only time that gives them that title. [Laughs] So, yeah, we look at it like that. And they merge very well, because it's the band doing what the band does, using the same template we had from day one, musically, and that's the Hammond organ, the wah-wah guitar, five[-part vocal harmonies], all that sort of stuff. We just apply that to each song and it's URIAH HEEP."

URIAH HEEP's farewell tour will run for approximately two or three years and will include performances in all parts of the globe.

In November 2023, Box was asked by Metallerium how he and his URIAH HEEP bandmates have managed to retain their trademark sound despite having gone through so many lineup changes over the years. He responded: "Well, I think, I think, basically, as long as I'm there, the band's gonna sound like URIAH HEEP. Because we created a template on how we sounded back in 1970 with our first album, '...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble'. So, we've continued with that all the way along the line. And I think a lot of the credit must go to Jay Ruston, our producer, because he understood where we come from, what we're all about, but he managed to make the album sound really fresh and today, and I think that's a marvelous achievement. So really, as long as we keep playing and writing good songs and doing good performances, and we get someone like Jay Ruston recording it, I think it will always sound fresh and exciting."

Regarding what has kept URIAH HEEP going for so long, Mick said: "I think the only thing that drives us on, it's only one word — it's called passion. And if you've got passion for what you do, then eventually you'll achieve it."

URIAH HEEP's 25th studio album, "Chaos & Colour", was released in January 2023 via Silver Lining Music. The LP was recorded during the summer of 2021 at Chapel Studios in London with the aforementioned Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, COREY TAYLOR, BLACK STAR RIDERS) at the helm.

"Jay was completely on board with what we are trying to achieve in the studio," Box previously said. "We're a band that has a fantastic heritage and to carry on that tradition it was vitally important that the band recorded in the studio all playing at the same time. Jay understood that and he pulled out the best of us as a band, as well as individual players, while getting us some amazing sounds."

URIAH HEEP's current lineup includes Box, frontman Bernie Shaw, bassist Dave Rimmer, drummer Russell Gilbrook and keyboardist Phil Lanzon.

URIAH HEEP debuted in 1970 with the release of one of hard rock's milestones, "Very 'Eavy, Very 'Umble", and has since sold in excess of 40 million albums worldwide. They have constantly toured the world, playing up to 125 shows a year to more than 500,000 fans. The band's live set features the classic tracks from the '70s and is a musical journey from the band's beginnings to the present day.

In a new interview with Mark Strigl, WARRANT bassist Jerry Dixon spoke about the band's plan to release new music. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're kind of thinking and probably implementing kind of like a box set of things we have with [late WARRANT frontman] Jani [Lane], unreleased stuff. We have maybe a song from a demo. We've got, like, nine records that [the rights] have come back to us over the years. So we wanna do some sort of box set with some new music as well, but also include all of WARRANT — Jani years, Jaime St. James years, 'Born Again', 'Rockaholic', all of [it]."

Asked if there are "numerous tracks" with Jani Lane that have not been released, Jerry said: "There actually are hardly any, but there's a few that we got back that we're working on finding. There's a lot of things that happened with the legality of stuff, but there are a couple diamonds that we have found. But we released everything with him. We never did anything just to go do it. If we were gonna record, it was a purpose — it was for a soundtrack or a record. So, you pretty much have 99.9 percent of everything out that we've done."

Elaborating on what might be included on the aforementioned box set, Jerry said: "Like, say we're writing and we're recording with Jani and he's talking, but it's not a finished song yet. So it may be something that entails video. We're sharing all that stuff. The making of 'Dog Eat Dog', we have a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff of that record that nobody's ever seen."

Regarding WARRANT guitarist Joey Allen's comment from October 2024 that he and his bandmates were collecting footage for a possible documentary, Jerry said: "Yeah, we have that in the works too, but it's a lot of speculation and people have ideas, but who's doing the work? So we'll figure it all out. But, yeah, I think it's time to do that and not give everything away on social media for free and just let people steal it and take it and molest it. And it's disgusting. We wanna put something out that people can take home and enjoy, like the old days."

Last October, Joey was asked by Become A Guitarist Today whether there has been any talk of a follow-up to 2017's "Louder Harder Faster" album. He said: "Here's the deal with WARRANT on records, is that the first three records, Jani Lane was the the creative force behind all the songwriting, which is fantastic. I mean, he was great at it. And it was a magic time for everybody. When you've got a guy that's bringing in songs like '[Mr.] Rainmaker' and 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', and nobody else is bringing in 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', you're, like, 'Okay, keep on going.' And so when he wasn't in the band, and then you've got the five of us, it's kind of the same thing. Whoever writes the music brings it in. If it's good and it's complete, then there you go. And I'm not a songwriter as much as I am a guitar player. I'm great at interpreting people that can't play guitar great and turning it into some cool-sounding riffs, the way I play. But it gets to the point where if there's riffs out there and you need somebody to come in and write lyrics to it, well, then everybody should pay attention and see if there's a riff out there. So the choices of songs and how we put a record together is very arduous. It's very difficult for WARRANT, for some reason. And it's amazing that after a record like 'Louder, Harder, Faster' that the band was still together. So, looking forward to another record, you're, like, 'Hmm.' [Laughs] 'Do you wanna do that again now — what is it? — seven years later?' And I think there's some desire, but it's not heavy."

He added: "New music's different now. People do records, nobody cares. So do we do a few songs at a time and release a song or two? I don't know what our model is gonna be. We're not going away. How's that? You want us to go away? We're not. And we still do 50 or 60 shows a year over here [in the U.S.]."

Allen went on to say that WARRANT fans can expect to see something else that might satisfy their craving for new product.

"We've gotten through a lot of our archives of videotapes and pictures and things that we all four of us have in our boxes in the attic and we've gotten them down," he said. "Because everybody had those little video cameras back in the day. So, there is private video from 1987. And I think we're trying to catalog all that data and kind of put together some type of a documentary with that stuff. And that's the next project. So if anybody was in the band from the front end on, from 'Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich' on, they're gonna get a peek behind what we were doing, what you thought we were doing. Were you right? Were you wrong? I mean, it's certainly not gonna be X rated by any means, but if you see some of the shit that did go on, it's great fun. I don't know if it'll be rated as a comedy or what, but there's some funny shit in there. So that's it."

Joey previously talked about the possibility of a new WARRANT album in March 2024 in an interview with the "Rimshots With Sean" podcast. He said at the time: "New record? I don't know. The last one was fun to make, and [producer] Jeff Pilson was fun to work with. And the one before that [2011's 'Rockaholic'] with [producer] Keith Olsen — God rest his soul — was great and fun to do.

"It's such an undertaking for us, and the return on making a record is [miniscule]," he explained. "You know what I mean? And not everything's about money. It's, like, can we play it live? Well, you can, but people are just gonna sit there and look at you, like, 'Where's 'Cherry Pie'? Where's 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'? Where's 'Down Boys'? Where are those hits I wanted to hear?' And so you can't go out and play three or four or five new tunes, which would be — for me, thumbs up. I would dig to do that. But we have a responsibility to play the songs that people really wanna hear too. So it's a double-edged sword. And that's what I mean when I [say], what's in it for us? It's not financially. The thing in it for us is to play new music, to create new music, to grow. Let's not be a nostalgia act. So I don't know if it'll be a new record or if it'll be a song at a time or whatever — I'm sure sooner than later something [will] happen — but nothing's going on right now."

In December 2023, WARRANT guitarist Erik Turner told Robert Miguel of Uvalde Radio Rocks that he and his bandmates were "not sure" what they were going to do as far as new music was concerned. "It's just been a little bit — there's just been some stuff going on where we haven't really been doing any new music," he revealed. "We have some riffs [being thrown] around. We have some half-finished songs going on. Due to some personal stuff going on, we're just kind of on hold as far as the new record goes. Nothing horrible, but just band stuff."

In March 2023, Allen told Mankato, Minnesota's "The Five Count" radio show that he and his WARRANT bandmates were "actually writing right now for a record. So people are sending riffs around. You can do it on the Internet nowadays," he explained. "We just have a cloud-based files system where we just upload ideas. And somebody will take an idea, a music idea, and put some lyrics to it, and we'll start to craft our songs. So maybe by this fall we'll dig into the studio again and [record] the follow-up to 'Louder Harder Faster', which came out, I think, six years ago this year. The recording process takes about four or five weeks, so maybe early next year we'll have something new out for everybody to listen to and back on the road we will go to support that."

Nearly four years ago, WARRANT singer Robert Mason told the "Thunder Underground" podcast that there wasn't "a defined schedule" for the group's next studio album, but he added that he and his bandmates are "always writing."

In 2020, Turner told the "Talking Metal" podcast that WARRANT was "throwing some ideas around" for a new LP. He said: "I've been sending Robert some riffs, and Robert's been working on songs. I've got a song going with Jerry [Dixon, bass]. So it's a slow, long process for us, but the seed of a new record has been started. Now, that doesn't mean the seed will grow into a record. We've got a long way to go. We don't have one finished song. We've got a couple of things cooking, and we're actually sending ideas around back and forth to each other."

"Louder Harder Faster" was released in May 2017. The disc was recorded with Pilson — a veteran bassist who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER, DOKKEN and T&N, among others — and was mixed by Pat Regan, except for the song "I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink", which was mixed by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, PRONG, LAST IN LINE).

Mason replaced Lane in 2008 and has brought a degree of stability to the band after Lane's unceremonious departure and subsequent 2011 death.

WARRANT is rounded out by original drummer Steven Sweet.

UMR/Mercury has announced the March 28 release of Dio – The Complete Albums 1983-1993 9LP box set.

This special box set collection brings together seven classic Mercury albums for the first time, covering a decade of Dio: Holy Diver (1LP) / The Last In Line (1LP) / Sacred Heart (1LP) / Intermission (1LP) / Dream Evil (1LP) / Lock Up The Wolves (2LP) / Strange Highways (2LP).

– A 9LP Box set housed in a sturdy 12” box
– The box features 140gm versions of the albums that Dio recorded for Mercury
– The LP’s feature original art with replica inner bags
– The records use existing mastered versions previously released

The set will be available for pre-order soon at the official Dio Store. For now you can pre-order at The Sound Of Vinyl.

Serbian metal force, Claymorean, will release their new full length album, Eternal Curse, worldwide on February 17 via Stormspell Records (CD release), and on April 4 through GoldenCore/ZYX Records (vinyl release). For fans who prefer streaming platforms, the album will be available starting March 7.

Eternal Curse was recorded and produced by Claymorean and Boris Šurlan (Midnight Studio, Lazarevac) between October 2024 and January 2025. The stunning artwork was masterfully hand-painted by Anton Atanasov (OldSchool Crew), while the photography was flawlessly executed by Branko Kabašaj.

The new album represents a full-band collaboration in songwriting, recording, and arranging, a milestone that brings a smile to the face of Vladimir Garčević, guitarist and band leader: “We tried to capture the very essence of our live performances, and Boris truly excelled in helping us achieve the sound we envisioned for this album. Every song on Eternal Curse feels like a triumphant battle hymn for 21st-century metal, created with conviction, honesty, and passion. It’s a celebration of heavy metal and a tribute to our heroes and fans of this undying genre.”



Eternal Curse tracklisting:

“Overture 1914”
“By This Sword We Rule”
“Under The Sign Of The Cross”
“Battle Born”
“300”
“Wind Before The Storm”
“Eternal Curse”
“Bannockburn”

The CD version also includes an exclusive bonus track, “The Oath”, a cover of the song originally recorded by KISS on their 1981 album, Music From ‘The Elder’.

Vlad adds: “We’ve succeeded in crafting a unique and distinct sound on each of our records, all while staying true to our identity and artistic integrity. No compromises! But beware – safety first! You might need ear-plugs before putting on your headphones, or blasting Eternal Curse through your speakers. Prolonged exposure to this album could cause severe hearing damage! Prepare yourselves, for your souls will forever be marked by desire to worship and kneel before the gods of steel.”

Catch Claymorean this spring on the “Strong Winds Magic Mist” co-headlining tour with Crystallion and special guests.

In a new interview with The Good The Band & The Ugly, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke about how certain bands share everything equally, regardless if some members never write lyrics or a melody, while others have one or two main songwriters who receive the lion's share of royalties. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Bands usually start that way [where things are split more equally]. They don't always end that way where it's like that. Trust me, I know. That's an internal thing that happens sometimes.

"It's funny, not every band works as a democracy," he continued. "There's just some situations where — there always has to be a leader, right? And being the leader is not always — it's not a popularity contest, that's for sure. And you're not always the most popular guy in the room either because you're having to lay down the law and make some decisions on stuff. And that's really what separates the men from the boys as far as sort of the hobbyist weekend-warrior players versus those who are in it professionally. It's just like a chef. It's, like, 'Hey, we want the hamburger medium well.' 'Well, I make my medium.' 'I don't care. Here we make a medium well. Make a medium well, or we'll require another chef to do it.' So it's the same thing. It's, like, 'Hey, here, this is what we do. This is how we do it. We need you to dress like this, play like this.' And like I always say, don't bring the six-string fretless to the punk rock gig and don't bring your P Bass [Fender Precision Bass] with BLACK FLAG stickers on it to the wedding band gig. Read the room."

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

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

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

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

During a February 2021 appearance on Mitch Joel's "Groove - The No Treble Podcast", Ellefson reflected on his legal battle with Mustaine, saying: "I firmly believe Dave and I ended up in that situation because he and I were not directly communicating. There was a new manager, a new lawyer, a new team of people, and they were all trying to impress the client, so they were just, 'Well, we're just doing whatever the boss tells us to do.' And it's, like, wait a minute — your job is to manage and counsel and direct your client, and — in my opinion — avoid litigation, avoid these things. Those people are no longer here — they've all been let go, thank God — and once most of them were let go was when Dave and I had an opportunity to come back and reconcile. And as soon as Dave and I get in a room, it's, like, 'What the hell are we fighting over? Get your guitar. Let's play. Let's jam.' And then it becomes about the music, and there it is. So when we keep it on that level, it goes well. When the business people and the lawyers and the people come in and they try to sort of put logic around it, that's when the trouble [begins].

"I've always said MEGADETH is completely illogical — there's no logic to it at all," he continued. "And there's not really supposed to be, because it's something of the heart — it's not of the head; it's of the heart. I always say the longest journey is the 15 inches from the head to the heart. To memorize it is one thing, but to know it by heart is another thing. And that's what we do as musicians — we don't just memorize it; we have to really [know] it by heart. And that's what a group is — a musical setting is about that. And, of course, there has to be some sort of business dynamic around it to kind of make it work, I guess — at least for the accountants."

In September 2020, Mustaine spoke about Ellefson's lawsuit during an appearance on Fox Sports 910's "Freak Nation". He said at the time: "I think forgiveness is a super-cool thing. When David Ellefson sued me for 18 and a half million dollars, and the judge dismissed it and then made him pay a bunch of money on top of that, he got his ass handed to him in public. And I was really, really, really hurt by the things that he said about me. And I thought, 'You know what? If I never see him again, I guess I'll be okay.' And I was sad, but I figured he was gone. One day, I was flying home from Dallas, and the flight stopped in [Ellefson's hometown of] Phoenix, and for some stupid reason, I called him up and I said, 'Hey, you wanna have dinner?' And he said, 'Yes.' So we went out. And the first thing he said was, 'I wanna tell you, it was the stupidest thing I ever did suing you, and I wanna apologize.' And I looked at him and I waited a beat, and I said, 'Dave, I forgive you. I completely forgive you. I love you.' And it was over like that. And I think that that's really something great that people should take with them today, anybody listening to this. There may be somebody you need to forgive or somebody you need to apologize to, but I'll tell you what — it makes [you feel] a lot better at the end of the day."

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

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

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

Photo credit: Maciej Pieloch (courtesy of Napalm Records)

In a new interview with Emilee Capogni, SWEET guitarist Andy Scott spoke about the similarities between the opening riff of MÖTLEY CRÜE's 1989 song "Kickstart My Heart" and the 1973 SWEET track "Hell Raiser". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'll tell you who played ['Kickstart My Heart'] to me the first time. We were gonna go and see MÖTLEY CRÜE and SKID ROW in Sweden. I was in Sweden producing a band called SHA-BOOM and [the guys from the Swedish band] EUROPE came into the studio and they said, 'Come with us tonight. We're gonna see MÖTLEY CRÜE.' They said, 'Our keyboard player went to see them last night in Gothenburg and we're gonna see them in the ice hockey place in Stockholm.' I said, 'Yeah, as long as these guys are okay.' And [they] said, 'Oh, they're coming with us.' So we all got in taxis and cars and lobbed up there. And when we were on our way there, one of the guys, on a portable player, played me the start to 'Kickstart My Heart'. And he wouldn't tell me who it was. I went, 'Well, somebody's using my guitar riff.' I said, 'You know, it happens.' And when we got to the gig, they started the whole show with the stripper, which is what we did in the '70s, and the first song they played was 'Kickstart My Heart'. And we used to do 'Hell Raiser'. And the whole of EUROPE, the band, who were in the audience when we used to play in Sweden back in the '70s, were all laughing now looking at my face, me going, 'Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Good. Lovely.'"

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist and main songwriter Nikki Sixx has admitted to being a SWEET fan in the past, writing in his book "The First 21" that he tried to get SWEET singer Brian Connolly to be the frontman of Nikki's pre-MÖTLEY CRÜE band LONDON.

"How hard could it be for the top band of the Strip to find a new singer?" Sixx wrote. "'Fuck Nigel Benjamin,' I told the guys. 'We're going to get Brian Connolly!' Brian Connolly was the voice behind 'Ballroom Blitz' and 'Solid Gold Brass'. He'd left SWEET by that point and recorded one single, but a solo album had not materialized. I called Uncle Don and asked him, 'Can you help me get ahold of Brian Connolly from SWEET?'" Nikki added that he still has the letter he wrote to Connolly.

Released as the second single from MÖTLEY CRÜE's "Dr. Feelgood" album, "Kickstart My Heart" reached No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States in early 1990.

"Hell Raiser" is actually credited to the Chinnichap songwriting team of Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, who also wrote hit songs for MUD, Suzi Quatro and many others.

Three members of the original SWEET — Brian Connolly, Steve Priest and Mick Tucker — have since died while remaining bandmate Andy Scott is still alive and has formed his own version of the group, which tours the U.K. and Australia.

Andy Scott (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.

The Scott-led version of SWEET released a new studio album, "Full Circle", last September via Metalville Records. According to a press release, the LP will be SWEET's final studio album ever.

U.K. independent publisher Rock N' Roll Colouring has set a March 21 release date for the first 100% official coloring book from the hottest band in the world — KISS.

Featuring iconic artwork and instantly recognizable images all printed on high-quality paper in a square format officially licensed by KISS, these amazing designs span the band's explosive 50-year career and have the potential for hours of satisfying coloring in.

Mixing classic images from incredible albums such as "Destroyer", "Rock And Roll All Over" and "Sonic Boom", with trademark images of the Starchild and the Demon, the book offers something for fans of all eras of the band, and all levels of coloring ability.

Pre order "The Official KISS Colouring Book" at this location.

Devised and created by two lifelong rock and heavy metal devotees and coloring book fans, Rock N' Roll Colouring was formed by fans for fans.

Every effort has gone into making sure this book does justice to the legendary artwork of KISS and is printed on high-quality paper in the U.K.

Coloring has positive benefits including mindfulness, relaxation and increased focus and can be enjoyed by any age group. These books provide hours of creative and restful activity that combines the love of the music with the love of the art.

The KISS book follows on from the previous official Rock N' Roll Colouring titles from IRON MAIDEN, ALICE COOPER, MOTÖRHEAD, JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH and CANNIBAL CORPSE.

In a new interview with The Break Down With Nath & Johnny, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE vocalist Jesse Leach spoke about the band's upcoming upcoming album, "This Consequence", due on February 21, 2025 via Metal Blade. "This Consequence" is KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's ninth album overall, and sixth with Leach, who rejoined the band in 2012. Asked if he and his bandmates felt any pressure to deliver the goods this time around, Jesse said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The only pressure that I felt was pressure we put on ourselves, which is a lot. I would say it's more so than any other pressure. And the quality control on this one was high — a lot of rewrites, a lot of hard thinking, a lot of course correcting. I think we just all felt like we have to deliver something that feels important, feels like it's coming from a really genuine, heartfelt place. And part of that process was really digging deep into my, I think, suppressed anger and frustration of just the state of the world and coming out of the pandemic and all the things I saw and witnessed during the pandemic and the power struggle between rich and poor and continuing to fight endless wars and just all that. So I just brought it on my shoulders and digested it and sat with it and just put everything I had into this album."

Asked whether he and his KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bandmates feel the need to please their fans every time they release a new album or if they just want to make the best music they can, regardless of what other people think about it, Jesse replied: "Yeah, I think it's the latter, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't cross my mind that people are gonna hear it, and, of course, you hope they like what you're doing, but I think if you are being genuine as an artist, the more important thing is how do you feel about it? And then secondary to that is how do my bandmates feel about it? Are they stoked on it? And if the internal unit is firing on all cylinders and we're, like, 'Yes, this is a great record,' hopefully, chances are people are gonna react in a positive way towards it. So, yeah, I'm happy so far 'cause the reception has been great, but if people didn't like it as much, I would almost in my head be, like, 'Well, I still believe in it, man. I still feel great about it.'"

Leach also discussed KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's musical evolution and the fact that the fans have stuck by the band throughout the process. "I think it's just generous of the fans to be along for this ride," he said. "We are pushing to do things that are out of our comfort zone, pushing the genre of what we're known as our signature sound, which I think we have done on this record — embracing a bit of the elements we're all inspired by. There's definitely more aggression on this one, but, to me, at the end of the day, it is because of the fans; the fans are the ones propelling us forward. We could put out music and love it, but if no one gives a shit about it, then it doesn't matter. So the support we're getting is incredible, and we're super aware of it and grateful for it."

In a recent interview with Joshua Toomey of the "Talk Toomey" podcast, Leach stated about the "dark", "angry" and "aggressive" nature of "This Consequence": "Yeah, I think angry, dark and aggressive, for better or for worse, is kind of what the world needs right now, I think, therapeutically speaking. I think a lot of us can relate to frustration, anger, betrayal, all those things, and that's kind of what I highlighted lyrically with this album; I was really focusing on that stuff. But I will say this: if you really read into the lyrics, there's a positivity through a righteous anger, anger that wants to sort of wake people up and have people choose their own path instead of just the blind leading the blind, which is what we see so much in society and our governments and organized religion and all these things that control us as people. It's very much about breaking out of the matrix, if you will, and carving your own path. And there's a righteous anger underneath all of it, and that's where the positivity lies. But I think with metal music, the great thing about it is you can talk about dark stuff and it is therapeutic. That's why a lot of us get into this kind of music."

Jesse also talked about the lyrical inspiration for the first single from "This Consequence", a song called "Forever Aligned", which was made available in November. Speaking specifically about the line "now my tongue must confess", Jesse said: "Yeah, I'm always weaving in and out… I was raised by a minister, I was raised in a Christian home, so even though I don't subscribe to organized religion anymore, I like using biblical words here and there to sort of tie in the themes. I'm very much a believer in in God, if you will, in general. I know people roll their eyes when other people say that, but my journey has been such where I've just seen much deeper things that I don't think can be defined by a particular human organized religion. And 'Forever Aligned' is about that. It's about love. It's about, first and foremost, the song was inspired by the love I have for my wife and the relationship we were able to have during the pandemic, especially, where it was just the two of us, nobody else, and really learning what love and sacrifice is, and then weaving that into what I believe God is. God is love, to keep it really general for people to understand. We can try to tap into that as humans, that word 'love', but it's far beyond human comprehension. So that song is very much about being broken and in a dark place and finding salvation through love."

Elsewhere in the chat, Leach touched upon his growth as a vocalist since the release of 2019's "Atonement" LP, saying: "Truth be told, ['This Consequence'] was very difficult for me to write and sort of find my inspiration again. And even vocally, learning new techniques, like the vocal fry, and trying to add that into my old technique and still sound like me, it was a long, hard process.

"Especially after my vocal surgery in 2018, I relearned how to speak differently — I speak differently than I did," he explained. "I'm more measured; I make sure my voice is placed in the right place. And through that, it went into my vocals, my singing, especially. I was really focusing on my singing first and foremost to stay in key and not go flat or sharp. Then it was, like, my screams were — I was so paranoid. I was really worried about… We do three shows in a row. That fourth show, I'm, like, 'It's getting difficult. I can feel the swelling happening.' So I was really studying vocal fry, 'cause you can do a lot of cool stuff with fry, but me with my voice, it has such a signature sound to it, I guess, according to Adam [Dutkiewicz, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist and producer], at least, that if I just went into that new technique completely, the lows were missing something, my yelling. It different. So I was going into these demos just doing fry, saving my voice, especially thinking that, once I get to the studio, it's going to be fatiguing; we're doing four- or five-hour sessions. But I kept falling flat and the voice just didn't sound right. For some of the high stuff, it works, but for the lower, mid stuff and for the death metal growls, that's all old school… It's the old-school way, the way we all started doing it in the late '80s and early '90s. So I've learned, thankfully, through a lot of trial and error, and this album had a lot to do with it, to blend the styles. So I can do my old-school stuff, and then I can sort of blend in some of the vocal fry to hit those crazy, maniacal-sounding highs without it destroying my voice."

"Atonement" was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records in the U.S. and Sony Music Entertainment in the rest of the world. The disc featured guest appearances by former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones and TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. It marked the band's third full-length release since the return of Leach.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE will embark on a headline tour in March 2025. It's their first tour of North America since late 2022. The trek will feature support from KUBLAI KHAN TX, FIT FOR A KING and FROZEN SOUL, and will kick off on March 5 in Nashville and runs through April 12 in Portland, Maine.

360-degree drum-cam video of MACHINE HEAD drummer Matt Alston playing the song "Aesthetics Of Hate" with his bandmates on June 6, 2024 at the Mystic Festival in Gdańsk, Poland can be seen below.

The British-born Alston (DEVILMENT, EASTERN FRONT) and Polish guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED) joined MACHINE HEAD in time for the 25th-anniversary tour for the band's classic debut, "Burn My Eyes", which kicked off in Germany in October 2019. Due to his touring commitments with his longtime band DECAPITATED, Vogg has since left the band and was replaced by Reece Alan Scruggs (HAVOK).

Last November, MACHINE HEAD released a new single, "These Scars Won't Define Us", which features guest appearances by the other three bands which will accompany MACHINE HEAD on the Robb Flynn-fronted outfit's spring 2025 North American tour — Swedish metal icons IN FLAMES, Italian alt-metallers LACUNA COIL and American metalcore maestros UNEARTH.

The five-week jaunt will begin on April 5, 2025 in Oakland, California at the legendary Fox Theater and will conclude on May 10 in Kelowna, British Columbia.

"These Scars Won't Define Us" is taken from MACHINE HEAD's upcoming album, which is slated for an April 2025 release.

Reece made his live debut with MACHINE HEAD in November 2022 at Strummer's in Fresno, California at the opening show of the "Electric Happy Hour (Live)" tour.

The rest of MACHINE HEAD's lineup consists of guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn and bassist Jared MacEachern.

In early 2024, MACHINE HEAD completed the "Slaughter The Martour" North American tour with support from L.A.'s FEAR FACTORY, Sweden's ORBIT CULTURE and Louisville, Kentucky's GATES TO HELL.

MACHINE HEAD has been touring in support of its latest album, "Of Kingdom And Crown", which came out in August 2022. The follow-up to 2018's "Catharsis" includes the three songs that were featured on the 2021 "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single: "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky". Much of the latest MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer/producer Zack Ohren.

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between frontman Robb Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Earlier this month, former SEPULTURA drummer Igor "Iggor" Cavalera launched a solo tour of the United Kingdom during which he is performing electronic music from the repertoire of his solo discography inspired by the varied sub genres of avant-garde, drone, industrial and harsh noise.

Fan-filmed video of Cavalera's February 7 performance at No90 Live in London can be seen below.

Along with older brother Max Cavalera, Igor is a founding member of the Brazilian thrash metal band SEPULTURA. Igor is now the drummer for CAVALERA, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, SOULWAX, PETBRICK and other projects. Cavalera is one half of the DJ duo MIXHELL, an electronic music project he founded with his wife, Laima Leyton, in 2006. With MIXHELL, he has toured the globe, performing in festivals such as Glastonbury, Bestival and Reading.

In 2013, Igor moved to London with his family and in 2016 joined the Belgian band SOULWAX, recording drums for their album "From Deewee" and touring as part of "Transient Program For Drums And Machinery". Soon after, he founded PETBRICK with Wayne Adams — a project that involved melting noise and crushing electronics over grinding drumming.

Igor has been performing live with analog modular gear, drum pads and visuals for intimate crowds at experimental festivals such as Dio Drone (Florence) and clubs such as Cafe Oto and Iklectik (London). His latest releases include "Aural Manifestations" on Damian Records in America and Deepthroat Records in Europe and "Alucinações Sônicas" on Hospital Productions.

Igor left SEPULTURA in June 2006 due to "artistic differences." His departure from the band came five months after he announced that he was taking a break from SEPULTURA's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their son (who was born in January 2006).

In 1996, Igor's brother, frontman Max Cavalera, exited SEPULTURA after the rest of the band split with Max's wife Gloria as their manager.

Swamp Booking proudly presents the United Kingdom tour of legendary percussionist Iggor Cavalera who will be performing...

Posted by Swamp Booking on Thursday, November 28, 2024

**Update**: MÖTLEY CRÜE has released the following statement: "Earlier today a private plane owned by Vince Neil was involved in a crash near Scottsdale, AZ. The pilot was tragically killed; the co-pilot and other passengers were taken to local hospitals. Vince was not on the plane. Vince's girlfriend and her friend suffered injuries, albeit not life threatening. While details are still emerging, our hearts go out to the families of both the pilot who lost his life and the passengers who suffered injuries.

"MÖTLEY CRÜE will announce a way to help support the family of the deceased pilot - stand by for an announcement very soon."

The original article follows below.

A private jet owned by MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil crashed into a parked plane after landing at the Scottsdale Airport in Arizona Monday afternoon. One person died in the incident and three others were injured — two were in critical condition — and were taken to metro Phoenix hospitals.

Neil "was NOT on the plane that crashed in Scottsdale, although it was his plane," a spokesperson for Neil told Arizona-based AZFamily news anchor Derek Staahl, who shared the news on X.

"Mr. Neil's thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved, and he is grateful for the critical aid of all first responders assisting today," Neil's lawyer told AZFamily Monday evening.

According to TMZ, Vince's girlfriend Rain, who was traveling on the jet, survived. Sources close to the situation told the site Rain and her friend Ashley were on the plane and are in the hospital. Rain reportedly broke five ribs, and the dogs the women were traveling with survived the tragic incident as well.

The crash happened around 2:30 p.m., shutting down the runway.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a "Learjet 35A veered off the runway after landing and crashed into a Gulfstream 200 business jet on the ramp." Airport officials say it appears the left main landing gear failed as it was landing, resulting in the collision.

Video obtained by ABC15 Arizona, seen below, shows the moment of impact as it skirts through the runway.

Scottsdale mayor Lisa Borowsky provided the following statement on the incident: "Today, Scottsdale sadly experienced an aircraft accident at our airport. Based on the information provided thus far, it appears at least one person is dead after two jets collided on the runway at Scottsdale Airport.

Former JUDAS PRIEST and current KK'S PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing has commented on his participation in BLACK SABBATH's upcoming reunion concert event, which will take place on July 5 in the latter band's original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Ozzy Osbourne and the rest of the original BLACK SABBATH lineup — guitarist Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward — will perform one last time as part a fundraising event at Villa Park, featuring a host of bands they inspired, including METALLICA, PANTERA, SLAYER, GOJIRA and ANTHRAX.

The concert, dubbed "Back To The Beginning", was announced at Villa Park on Wednesday (February 5) by Sharon and Tony.

Proceeds from the 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, Iommi, Butler and Ward have played together in 20 years.

Ozzy, who revealed in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, will play a short solo set before joining his SABBATH bandmates for the show's finale, marking his last-ever concert.

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

Earlier today (Sunday, February 9),Downing released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "This will be an incredibly emotional and historic event! The final farewell to the ultimate gods of metal. BLACK SABBATH and Ozzy will return to their home in Aston, Birmingham, the very place where it all began, and I am deeply honored to be part of this momentous occasion, paying my respects and tribute.

"I vividly remember growing up in the suburbs of Birmingham, England, over 50 years ago and witnessing the emergence of this band that would pioneer a genre of music that had never been heard before," he continued. "It was more than just music — it was the sound, the performance and the atmosphere that created a phenomenon that was irresistible to fans, and I was one of them. I know firsthand the immense impact BLACK SABBATH has had on the world.

"BLACK SABBATH has carried the flag and the mantle of our beloved music for a lifetime, for this I know we will always be sincerely grateful.

"This event will undoubtedly be one of the most significant and important moments in rock and metal history, and I look forward to standing alongside the fans and fellow musicians to honor the legacy of BLACK SABBATH in the city where it all began," Downing added.

BLACK SABBATH is considered a pioneer of heavy metal and was formed in 1968 in Aston, Birmingham.

BLACK SABBATH has sold over 75 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006, awarded a Lifetime Ivor Novello Songwriting Award in 2015 and were presented with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

The band has a star on the Broad Street Walk Of Stars in Birmingham, alongside individual stars in their own right, together with a bench in their honor.

Downing left JUDAS PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He formed KK'S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his offer to rejoin the band for their 50th-anniversary tour.

In addition to Downing, KK'S PRIEST features former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens alongside guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK'S PRIEST's sophomore album, "The Sinner Rides Again", came out in September 2023 via the Austrian label Napalm Records.

Australian extreme metal behemoths KING PARROT will release their long-awaited new full-length, "A Young Person's Guide To", on June 6 via Housecore Records in North America.

"A Young Person's Guide To" marks KING PARROT's first new output in five years. A hostile and abrasive slab of sensory destroying anthems, the record features ten thoroughly crafted blasts through the psyche of this crazed Aussie quintet. Recorded at Melbourne's Dangertone studios with engineer Luke Walton, it's the first full-length album since 2017's critically adored "Ugly Produce" offering and their first new music since 2020's "Holed Up In The Lair" EP.

Applying a similar approach to the writing process of their previous records, which has been historically organic and old-school, KING PARROT adopted a new approach to the studio process. Pulling the new record together was a meticulously creative endeavor steered by guitarist Andrew Livingstone-Squires and vocalist Matt Young, who comments: "Throughout the mixing process, we ensured that we got every element where we wanted it. Guitar and bass tones were experimented with until we found exactly what we wanted, the drum sounds were just right, and the performance was executed solidly. Vocally, I rehearsed a lot so that when I recorded it was a breeze." The final product is the most complete, aggressive, and urgent the band has ever sounded.

In advance of the record's release, KING PARROT has unleashed its first single, the poetically titled "Fuck You And The Horse You Rode In On" and its accompanying "Trainspotting"-inspired video constructed by longtime video producer Dan Farmer of Farmwalker Films who has been responsible for the majority of the band's revered music videos including the Australian Music Video finalist "Shit On The Liver".

Elaborates Young: "This track is dedicated to anyone that has ever crossed you, tried to belittle you or make you feel less than. The title is pretty self-explanatory. There are multiple people in my life from across the past few years that this song goes out to, and there's a special spot in the lyrics for each of them. Cowards, abusers, bullies and creeps, 'Fuck You And the Horse You Rode In On!'

"The video process was challenging," he continues. "It ain't easy recreating a scene where a bunch of dudes are diving into a toilet bowl! We had the best time making it, but it certainly took a lot of effort and commitment from everyone involved. Our video producer, Dan Farmer, is a genius at his craft and his ability to turn our visions into a reality is brilliant. Paying homage to 'Trainspotting' was so much fun, and we hope we captured a video that people can return to for years to come."

"A Young Person's Guide To" will be released on CD, LP, cassette, and digital formats.

"A Young Person's Guide To" track listing:

01. Get What Ya Given
02. Fuck You And The Horse You Rode In On
03. Cunning As A Dunny Rat
04. It's A Rort
05. Punish The Runt
06. Target Pig Elite
07. I Got The Right
08. Look Away I'm Hideous
09. Glazed And Diseased In Defeat
10. Pissing On The Fist Of The Law

KING PARROT has joined PANTERA on a portion of the latter band's European tour, currently underway.

"It's an honor to be bestowed with this privilege and it's one we do not take lightly," says Young. "We're armed with material from 'A Young Person's Guide To'. Sharing the stage with POWER TRIP is something we can't wait for too; they are one of our favorite bands of the modern era." From there the band will join MASTER for a European live takeover through March.

Photo by Dave Gonzalez/Metal Dave Media

📢 A YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO KING PARROT 👊

🔥 The new album out 6.6.25 🔥

👀 NEW VIDEO: "F**k You And The Horse Your Rode...

Posted by King Parrot on Thursday, February 6, 2025

Grammy-winning, progressive music titans DREAM THEATER kicked off the North American leg of their 40th-anniversary tour Friday night (February 7) at The Met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The trek is "An Evening With Dream Theater" and is the first tour of North America since drummer Mike Portnoy's return to the lineup, joining vocalist James LaBrie, bassist John Myung, guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess. The tour is scheduled for 29 more cities across the United States and Canada, concluding on March 22 in New York City. The tour will make additional stops in Nashville, Los Angeles, Toronto and Boston, among others.

The setlist for the Philadelphia concert was as follows:

01. Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper
02. Act I: Scene Two: I. Overture 1928
03. Act I: Scene Two: II. Strange Déjà Vu
04. The Mirror
05. Panic Attack
06. Barstool Warrior
07. Hollow Years
08. Under A Glass Moon
09. The Dark Eternal Night (first time since 2017)

Act II

10. Night Terror
11. Midnight Messiah (live debut)
12. This Is The Life
13. Vacant
14. Stream Of Consciousness
15. Octavarium

Encore:

16. Act II: Scene Six: Home
17. Act II: Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On
18. Pull Me Under

Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Australia's "Everblack" podcast, Portnoy, who rejoined DREAM THEATER in October 2023 after a 13-year absence, was asked if he feels he and his bandmates are "stronger now as mates" than they ever were in the past. He responded: "Absolutely. I think we're just much older and wiser at this point. When I left the band back in 2010, I was in my early forties, and now here I am, I'm in my late fifties. All of our kids have grown up and gone off and left the houses at this point. So, we're very much older and wiser and we have all of those experiences that we had over the last decade and a half apart. I went and did dozens and dozens of albums with dozens of different bands, and these guys have had all the experiences they had together without me, so coming back together, I think we're much stronger people. We're just more mature, older, wiser, calmer. I think we're just better people at this point."

Portnoy went on to say that the strong bond between the DREAM THEATER members affected the songwriting and recording process for the band's sixteenth studio album, "Parasomnia", which came out on February 7, 2025 via InsideOut Music. He said: "I mean, you can definitely feel the energy. I find it similar to the energy we had with 'Images And Words' and with 'Scenes From A Memory'. In both of those cases, we were making records with a new lineup — 'Images And Words' was the first album with James in the band, and 'Scenes From A Memory' was the first album with Jordan in the band. And there was a definite spirit to the chemistry in both of those cases. And I think it's a very similar energy to the spirit of this album, just really being energized by the lineup change. It really inspired us to rise to the occasion."

Regarding what it has been like touring with DREAM THEATER again for the first time in 14 years, Portnoy said:  "It's been incredible. We did a full European leg so far and we did a full South American leg so far, and each and every show, the emotions have just been incredible. I mean, on one hand, there's a big celebration of the reunion of this lineup, and there's a lot of people in the audience that haven't seen this lineup together in so long, or there's a lot of people in the audience that weren't even born when this lineup last played together. So there's a lot of people in the audience that never saw this lineup together. So for that reason alone, there's a lot of emotions in the air, but also the celebration of 40 years and this incredible discography of songs and music to work with and choose from when putting together the setlist. I put together a setlist that I think really celebrates the full spectrum of the band's career. There's a cross section of fan favorites and deep cuts as well. So I think it's a show that the fans have really been loving."

"Parasomnia" marks DREAM THEATER's first release with Portnoy since 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings".

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

Clocking in at 71 minutes, "Parasomnia" takes the listener on a musical journey that has become synonymous with the band since the beginning of their career. "Parasomnia" is a term for disruptive, sleep-related disturbances including sleepwalking, sleep paralysis, and night terrors. Songs like "A Broken Man", "Dead Asleep", "Midnight Messiah" and "Bend The Clock" all build upon the themes brought on by the album title. The first single, "Night Terror", is a musical thrill ride captured in the just shy of ten minutes listening experience.

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

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

David Johansen, legendary co-founder of the New York Dolls, has been living with stage 4 cancer and a brain tumor. Diagnosed in 2020, Johansen made the decision to keep his illness private, but due to the severe financial burden, he is ready to share. In November 2024, he fell and broke his back in two places, which required surgery. Despite a successful procedure, David is bedridden and incapacitated. For the best chance of recovery, he requires around-the-clock care.

Assisting in the Johansen family recovery efforts, Sweet Relief launched the David Johansen Fund. The most immediate needs are full time nursing, physical therapy and funding for day to day vital living expenses. With professional specialized care, the Johansen family remains hopeful that David can regain some mobility and independence. Sweet Relief is also offering a special Johansen T-shirt with all proceeds going to his treatment.


Screenshot
Johansen shares, “We’ve been living with my illness for a long time, still having fun, seeing friends and family, carrying on, but this tumble the day after Thanksgiving really brought us to a whole new level of debilitation. This is the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. I’ve never been one to ask for help, but this is an emergency. Thank you.”

Aric Steinberg, Executive Director at Sweet Relief Musicians Fund adds, “Sweet Relief is honored to help David and his family during this difficult time in their lives. Our Directed Artist Funds can provide a meaningful solution when the community rallies around the recipient, and we anticipate that David’s community will be eager to help here. His influence on the musical landscape with the New York Dolls is indelible, and his career as an actor and an artist has touched many people around the world. He’s been knocked down but we’re here to help him back up with the help of his family, friends and wider community of supporters.”

David was recently the subject of Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi’s documentary Personality Crisis: One Night Only which brilliantly captures an evening of David’s songs and storytelling, and gives a little context to the wild tapestry of David’s life. David was the lead singer and songwriter of the legendary New York Dolls, widely acknowledged as one of the first (and coolest) punk bands. David started his own group, the David Johansen band, before reinventing himself yet again in the 1980s as Buster Poindexter. Inspired by his passion for the blues and arcane American folk music David formed the group The Harry Smiths, and toured the world performing the songs of Howlin’ Wolf with Hubert Sumlin and Levon Helm. Of all these incarnations, David is most often recognized for his work in a handful of beloved films, like the Christmas classic Scrooged, and the race track comedy Let it Ride. He continues to host his weekly radio show “The Mansion of Fun” on Sirius XM. David had an exhibition of his paintings in New York this past summer at Elliot Templeton Fine Arts gallery.

Relentless thrash-death metal juggernaut Atrox Trauma is back with their latest visual assault: the official music video for “I Am The Master (Burning Desire)”, the third single from their second album, Where Death Hunts, set for release on April 18, 2025, via WormHoleDeath Records. The track is an unapologetic anthem of self-empowerment and defiance.

The band describes the track as a visceral declaration of inner strength, channeling lyrics that serve as a battle cry for the disenfranchised.

“I am the Master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul. I am the leader on my way. I am the diamond I keep grinding… These words fill me with energy as I say them. They empower me as I shout them into the universe, electrifying me completely. It’s like a mantra. When you listen to the song, say these words to yourself, but they’re even more powerful if you say them out loud. Pay attention to the effect.”

German death metal titans Rise Of Kronos are set to release a Digital Deluxe Edition of their latest album, Imperium, on March 28, 2025. This special edition will include not only the original, hard-hitting tracks, but also the instrumental version of the entire album.

With Imperium, released in October 2024, Rise Of Kronos solidified their reputation for blending brutal, modern death metal with mythological themes and intricate compositions. The Digital Deluxe Edition provides fans with a fresh way to experience the album, stripping away the vocals to highlight the intricate musicianship, crushing riffs and technical precision that define the band’s sound.

The instrumental version of “Separate The Sheep From Goats” is available now for streaming on all major platforms.



“Separate The Sheep From Goats” official music video:



Imperium Digital Deluxe Edition artwork and tracklisting:

Incorporate
Arrival Of Delusion
Children Of Leprosy
Separate The Sheep From Goats
Know Thyself
Proclaiming Empery
Legio Titanum
Imperial
Forthcoming Void
The Offering
The Hour Of Departure
Rope Of Sand
Despoiler Of Worlds
Incorporate (Instrumental)
Arrival Of Delusion (Instrumental)
Children Of Leprosy (Instrumental)
Separate The Sheep From Goats (Instrumental)
Know Thyself (Instrumental)
Proclaiming Empery (Instrumental)
Legio Titanum (Instrumental)
Imperial (Instrumental)
Forthcoming Void (Instrumental)
The Offering (Instrumental)
The Hour Of Departure (Instrumental)
Rope Of Sand (Instrumental)
Despoiler Of Worlds (Instrumental)

Neal Morse (ex-Spock’s Beard) has checked in with the following update:

“Introducing Cosmic Cathedral, a brand new supergroup featuring legends of the genre.

With Morsefest 2025 – To The Power Of Three just around the corner, we’re thrilled to give you an exclusive preview of an exciting new band who will be part of this year’s line up: Cosmic Cathedral.

This powerhouse band features drumming icon Chester Thompson (Genesis, Frank Zappa), guitar virtuoso Phil Keaggy (Glass Harp), renowned bassist Byron House (Robert Plant, Alison Krauss), and myself. What started as a series of jam sessions quickly evolved into something much bigger—an album that we’ll be officially announcing in just a few weeks.

Musically, Cosmic Cathedral is rooted in progressive rock, but with a lineup like this, expect something truly unique. The chemistry between us is electric, and we can’t wait for you to hear what we’ve created. And here’s the best part—you won’t have to wait long!

Get ready to experience the sound of Cosmic Cathedral very soon – and when we hit the stage, it’s going to be something very special. Stay tuned for more details, and we’ll see you at Morsefest!”

Morse previously shared the following:

“Thank you everyone for the support you’ve shown to Morsefest USA 2025 over the last few hours. We felt led to do something a bit different and you’ve come in behind us to support it. As I type this, there are only 2 VIP tickets, 6 Balcony seats and some ground floor seats remaining. For anyone who hasn’t been to the church, there are no bad seats in the auditorium so don’t be concerned about that. If you’re on the fence about whether to join us or not, this is the one to attend! Five Bands / Three Nights / One Spirit.”

Prepare to be obliterated by the thrash metal fury of Xentrix! The legendary British thrashers dominated Bloodstock Open Air 2024 with a monumental full set on August 11th, 2024. Known for their tight, face-melting riffs and cutting lyrics, Xentrix brought unrelenting power to the crowd, cementing their legacy as one of the greatest forces in thrash metal.

From the moment the band hit the stage, fans were swept into a whirlwind of brutal intensity. Headbangers and moshers came alive as Xentrix unleashed a set packed with both classic anthems and fresh tracks from their latest releases. Tracks like “Balance of Power” and “For Whose Advantage?” ignited massive circle pits, while the crushing groove of “Dark Enemy” sent shockwaves through the festival grounds.

Every moment of this performance was a thrash metal clinic. From powerful, shredding guitar solos to thunderous drums that shook the earth, Xentrix demonstrated why their music has stood the test of time. Fans old and new were united in celebration of the band’s uncompromising sound, proving once again that Xentrix remains at the forefront of the UK metal scene.

Setlist:

“No Compromise”
“Balance of Power”
“Crimes”
“Back in the Real World”
“Dark Enemy”
“Bad Blood”
“Reasons for Destruction”
“Position of Security”
“Heaven Cent”

In a new interview with Metal Remains, bassist/vocalist Schmier of German thrash metal veterans DESTRUCTION spoke about the band's touring plans in support of their upcoming 16th studio album, "Birth Of Malice", due on March 7, 2025 via Napalm Records. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, we have a lot of plans. We have to see how we're gonna put them. We wanted to go to America. Also, we wanna do a European tour. We have a lot of festivals coming up. The problem about going to the States right now is that the Trump administration makes everything — everything's complicated for the immigrants and for the foreigners. We need visas and the visas are more expensive and we might not get the visas on time. So now we have to push back America a little bit and see what else we do first. Maybe we go to Asia first now in May."

He continued: "So, yeah, we wanted to tour a lot with this album because I think it's a very strong record. And we also have an anniversary this year, 40 years of [DESTRUCTION's debut album] 'Infernal Overkill', which also will be some shows, some festival shows this summer, where we're gonna play exclusively with this material. We'll be playing the album in its entirety. So it's gonna be the first time we do this. Yeah, it's gonna be cool. So we have a lot of stuff ahead. We also wanna go back to Australia. And so I think it's gonna be basically two years for touring now for [the 'Birth Of Malice'] album."

Schmier is the sole remaining member of DESTRUCTION who played on "Infernal Overkill". He was joined during the recordings by guitarist Mike Sifringer and drummer Tommy Sandmann.

"Birth Of Malice" 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's massive career has seen many successes, with the band hitting stages at the world's biggest festivals around the world like Hellfest, Wacken Open Air, Graspop Metal Meeting and México Metal Fest.

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 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.

DESTRUCTION 2025 is:

Schmier - Bass, Vocals
Martin Furia - Guitars
Randy Black - Drums
Damir Eskić - Guitars

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Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5 played a solo show at The Observatory in Santa Ana, CA on January 24. Fan-filmed video of the entire sihow can be viewed below.

Setlist:

“Strung Out”
“Que Pasa”
“Crank It”
“Howdy”
“LA Express”
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” (Queen)
“I Am John 5”
“How High The Moon” (Morgan Lewis)
“Six Hundred And Sixty Six Pickers In Hell, CA”
“First Victim”
“Black Grass Plague”
“Georgia On My Mind” (Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra)
“The Ghost”
“Cactus Flower”
“Mötley Crüe Medley”
– “Live Wire”
– “Too Fast For Love”
– “Shout At The Devil”
– “Looks That Kill”
– “Home Sweet Home”
– Wild Side”
– “Girls, Girls, Girls”
– “Same Ol’ Situation”
– “Dr. Feelgood”
– “Kickstart My Heart”

In a new interview with The Razor's Edge, LACUNA COIL co-vocalist Andrea Ferro was asked how modern technology has changed the way he and his bandmates approach album releases and interact with their fans. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, obviously, that's something that we had to learn as well. It's a new world completely for everybody, I guess. And everybody had to deal with the switch from analog life to digital life. And that's also why we had the title [of the new LACUNA COIL album] 'Sleepless Empire', because it's a sort of an observation of how the society has changed, how things are different, how much we have this huge empire with all these possibilities offered by the connectivity, the Internet, the availability of 24 hours online and blah, blah, blah. And on the other hand, the fact that we're sleepless, that we're always with this screen in our face, even at night. But that's not only for the new generation — also for us, it's the same. So it's not a critique to the kids; it's just the way it is nowadays, and we all had to deal with this. Maybe we are a little bit more fortunate that we had experienced the life before the Internet, and so we know what it is to really live even with more simpler things, and we enjoy even the life without having to be connected all the time. But other than that, that's the main observation and the way that life has changed. But I think we've been pretty good and shifting and following the path of how music has changed, how the music business has changed as well. Before, obviously, when you were selling physical records, a lot of physical records, it was way more income from that source, while nowadays, although we do still sell a lot of physical records because metal is one of the few genres where people still want to have the record — either vinyls, even cassettes or special-edition CDs — so we're lucky we still sell pretty good numbers of that. But we have found new ways of making income for the band. There are some things that before [were] completely unthinkable, like sponsorship or somebody wants to put an ad on your Facebook page or Instagram page, obviously, we try to always do it with brands that we actually belong to us, to our culture, to our background, not something that doesn't — you're not gonna put an iron board or something like that, or a soda — it's gonna be something that we use or we belong or we share, we like. And so there's new ways of making the band financially work, and also the touring, more merchandise. There's different ways. But I think we've done pretty well adapting to the changes."

"Sleepless Empire" is set to be released February 14, 2025 via Century Media Records.

In a recent interview with Luke Morton of Kerrang! In Conversation, LACUNA COIL co-vocalist Cristina Scabbia spoke about the "Sleepless Empire" title. She said: "We chose that title because it was representing the times that we are living today. We're always awake, constantly trying to be productive, super connected with the rest of the world, but at the same time, we've never been so disconnected and anxious and feeling that we need to prove something, that we need to be present all the time, because if not, we are forgotten by the rest of the world.

"I am putting myself in the sleepless empire as well, so it's not a criticism," she explained. "It's just a realization, because I am part of that generation that saw it all and saw it coming and saw how fast the technology developed and how big the changes were, so I am trying to take the best out of the past to bring it in the future and the present, because I think that we should take advantage of technology. I mean, the fact that we are talking right now through a screen, it's one of the most beautiful things of technology, because if not, you would have to come to my place or me at yours, or we would have to travel somewhere to meet in person, which would be amazing. But this way, you save time, you can save four hours so you can go spend time with your family and I can go to watch [Italian professionally football club] AC Milan tonight with Andrea [Ferro, LACUNA COIL co-vocalist] at the stadium instead of traveling. So technology is good if used wisely. And I love progress — I love technology and I love to evolve with times — but I think it's cool to remember what the important things really are, because at the end of the day, all the time that we waste in stuff that doesn't really enrich us as persons, it's going to be wasted. So sometimes I try to think about this, even if realistically the first thing that I do when I wake up in the morning is to grab the phone and see the messages and watch the messages and maybe scroll through stories of other people."

Cristina added: "We just need to pay attention. I think that especially with the new generations that never saw it coming and never saw how it was before, they tend to compare to each other. They see beautiful lives in other people's social medias, and they think that that's reality. So sometimes they feel less than they are and they feel depressed and frustrated because they don't feel enough. So at least, just like the fact that I was born earlier kind of gave me a sort of a shelter that it's a sort of a filter that it's, like, okay, I don't need to compare myself to another person because, of course, this is my life. That's their life. And maybe not everything they're showing [is] true. Most probably not everything they're showing [is] 100 percent true. Maybe it is, but who cares? I should look at my life. I should look at what I'm building. I should look at what I'm living. I should look at the people, the real people around me and real life around me. It should be a balance. As everything, you just have to keep the right balance."

Asked if she is guilty of waking up in the morning and picking up her phone immediately and then wasting hours and hours every day just scrolling through social media, Cristina said: "Oh, totally. Totally. I'm guilty, especially in the morning. Not just wasting time, just looking at socials because I also do it as a sort of a study 'cause I wanna see what happens. I'm curious — I'm genuinely curious — so maybe that's not a complete waste of time, 'cause it's still entertaining. What I'm guilty of is that I feel guilty when I want to take time for myself. Now, when [I] get a message, I have the tendency of wanting to reply immediately or I feel guilty. And maybe I should wait. Maybe I shouldn't have so much anxiety if I answer 10 minutes after and I don't reply as soon as I open my eyes. Maybe I should just open my eyes, go in the kitchen, prepare myself a breakfast and then start my day and dedicate it to the work and my mails and everything. Instead, I just grab my phone. I'm just, like, 'Okay, I got a mail. Okay, I've gotta answer. My eyes are still closed, but I'm gonna answer.'

"There is this weird cycle for all of us that we're working hard because we have so many inputs," she continued. "Then we try to detach ourselves and relax watching other stuff on other social medias, thinking that they're entertaining. And they create even more anxiety. So it's a cycle that could be dangerous… But it's not all bad. So the sleepless empire, it's basically an empire with people that never sleep, that [are] always doing stuff, which could be good and could be bad as well."

Inspiration to create "Sleepless Empire" came during the sessions for "Comalies XX" (2022),the acclaimed remake of LACUNA COIL's breakthrough third record "Comalies". Writing and recording took place in northern Italy between Milano (the band's hometown) and Como, where SPVN Studios are located. As with their previous albums, production was done in house with Marco "Maki" Coti Zelati at the helm, and artwork was hand curated by the talented Italian artist Roberto Toderico. Two other very special talents enrich the album, namely the guest vocalists: LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe on the song "Hosting The Shadow" and NEW YEARS DAY's Ash Costello on "In The Mean Time".

As a token of the band's love for the gaming world (which we've seen in past endeavors such as their card game "Horns Up" and their collaboration with Zombicide for which they wrote the track "Never Dawn"),the band have created an oracle "game" to be played with custom made dice available only in the box set version of "Sleepless Empire".

The new album is comprised of 11 tracks; each one is a richly textured soundtrack to a specific time and place. With "Sleepless Empire", that place is dark, cinematic, and unmistakably true to the unique characteristics that have given LACUNA COIL such a celebrated entry in the annals of heavy music.

The band previously shared: "'Sleepless Empire' captures, through our eyes, the chaos of a generation trapped in a digital world that never stops, where social media consumes identity and every day pushes us one step closer to becoming soulless zombies. We find ourselves in between, having witnessed a full analogic world and the modern one, confronting the evolution and searching for a true meaning of it all. Throughout every song, the journey is an undercurrent of rebellion, a desperate cry to reclaim oneself in an era that seems to have lost its sense of time and reality."

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

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

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

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

Dutch singer / songwriter Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering) recently checked in with the following update:

“I’m excited to announce that my new album will be titled La Vie, La Mort, L’Amour – French for Life, Death, Love. This collection of songs will be released as a trilogy. The first EP, La Vie, will be available digitally on February 28.

I wrote these songs shortly after the passing of both of my parents and I brought my 8-piece live band into the studio to record them. Last year, I was confronted with some of life’s biggest questions and the doubt that came with my loss. These songs reflect my emotions and thoughts during that challenging time. Musically, I was inspired by the sounds of the ’80s and ’90s, the music that shaped my youth.

I’m really looking forward to sharing this with all of you!”

Anneke has revealed the cover artwork and tracklist for the La Vie EP below.

“One More Nanosecond”
“When I Die”
“More Than A Thousand Words”
“Heal Me”

“One More Nanosecond”