Alt-rock shapeshifters DON BROCO have released the official music video for their brand new single "Disappear". The striking clip is set against the backdrop of a brutalist industrial maze of concrete corridors, stairwells, and fluorescents. Through evolving split screens and reversed-motion sequences, the visual creates a surreal, puzzle-like experience that rewards repeat viewings. As the band delivers an emotional core performance in a vast, hazy performance space, the narrative unfolds with a Kafka-esque sense of confinement and unseen forces closing in - time bending, spaces looping, and reality folding back on itself. The result is a cinematic counterpart to the track's emotional weight, amplifying its themes of loss, erasure, and disorientation.

Produced by Dan Lancaster (BLINK-182, BRING ME THE HORIZON, 5SOS) and released on September 19 via Fearless Records, "Disappear" is a surprising and unforgettable genre-fusing track that shifts effortlessly between sounds and styles. Opening with hypnotic tonal chanting, it builds on heartbeat-like drums and dynamic vocals that move from delicate whispers to soaring, impassioned singing. With pulsing rhythm, electronic flourishes and a drum-and-bass-inspired breakdown, the song is an emotional gut punch — capturing the guilt and desperation of leaving someone you love at their lowest, knowing that staying might destroy you both.

"'Disappear' is about struggling to love and support someone living through something terrible. When the toll has become too much to bear, but is dwarfed by the guilt in knowing what you are feeling is nothing compared to what they are facing themselves," shares DON BROCO.

The release of "Disappear" follows earlier singles "Cellophane" and "Hype Man", each showing a different side of DON BROCO's fearless sound. "Cellophane" came out swinging with sharpened nu-metal aggression, while "Hype Man" captured the band's unrestrained energy through rapped flows, soaring choruses, and pounding guitars. Together, the tracks underline the range of DON BROCO's music — raw and heavy one moment, infectious and anthemic the next.

This fall, DON BROCO will bring their explosive live show across the U.K., Australia and North America, performing new material alongside fan favorites.

Always unique, and forever pushing boundaries, DON BROCO have cemented themselves as one of the U.K.'s most dynamic and forward-thinking rock bands. Fusing elements of rock, metal, pop, and electronic music, the Bedford quartet — Rob Damiani, Matt Donnelly, Simon Delaney and Tom Doyle — have earned critical acclaim and commercial success with albums like "Automatic" (U.K. Top 10),"Technology" (U.K. Top 5),and "Amazing Things", which reached No. 1 on the UK Official Albums Chart.

Garnering nothing but praise for their relentless high-octane performances, DON BROCO have previously sold-out arena shows across the UK, headlining Wembley Arena after selling out Alexandra Palace as well as festival performances around the world including Download, Reading and Leeds, Slam Dunk, Vans Warped Tour and more. They have also toured with the likes of Mike Shinoda, STATE CHAMPS, DANCE GAVIN DANCE and OUR LAST NIGHT in the U.S. as well as selling out their very own debut U.S. headline tour.

Now signed to Fearless Records, DON BROCO are kicking off their next chapter with their dynamic new singles "Cellophane", "Hype Man" and "Disappear" — offering a fresh glimpse into what's coming next — more bold moves, big riffs, and boundary-pushing anthems that only they could deliver.

Photo credit: Bethan Miller

During a September 16 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", legendary rocker Sammy Hagar reflected on his participation in the "Back To The Beginning" charity event on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom, which marked Ozzy Osbourne and BLACK SABBATH's final performance. Sammy sang the 1981 Ozzy classic "Flying High Again", joined by a supergroup that featured EXTREME's Nuno Bettencourt, LIVING COLOUR's Vernon Reid, TOOL's Adam Jones, bassist Rudy Sarzo, and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith. After the song, Reid left the stage as event music director Tom Morello joined the other musicians for a cover of "Rock Candy", a track from the 1973 self-titled debut by MONTROSE, Hagar's first band.

Regarding his experience at "Back To The Beginning", Sammy told host Eddie Trunk (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That event was amazing. There were quite a few magical moments, I've gotta tell you. And, of course, Ozzy's thing was magic — BLACK SABBATH, my god, that was just magic. But Yungblud, that dude is a bad, bad young boy. He is the man. That guy is gonna be the next big superstar, if he isn't already. I mean, he's frickin' huge, but he's Mick Jagger and Freddie Mercury reincarnated. Man, this guy is just — he was so good. I was so blown away [by] his performance. And the other person that was really impressive in that whole thing was Nuno Bettencourt. Nuno Bettencourt played with almost everyone, and he killed it. Every song that he played, he brought it. Tom Morello played a lot of the stuff too, and Tom's good, but he's a different kind of player. Tom's got his own really unique style to where Nuno, he adapted to everybody's style. And, yeah, it was really good. And Billy Corgan from THE [SMASHING] PUMPKINS. Billy was great. I mean, when he did [JUDAS PRIEST's] 'Breaking The Law', it was so badass. [Laughs] I don't know why, but it was really, really cool. It was a great event."

Hagar continued: "Those were highlights for me because they were kind of unexpected. I love Billy, but I didn't know he was that kind of performer without a guitar and stuff, and he was fronting that band and he was killing it. They had all them drummers. Oh my God, man. The drum-off between Chad [Smith], Danny Carey and Travis Barker — wow. I mean, those three cats can play. And it was just really an unbelievable event. No one was ego tripping. No one was trying to blow anybody off the stage or anything like that. It was just all good."

Sammy went on to say that he was unhappy with his own performance of "Flying High Again", despite having had several weeks to prepare for the show. "I was very disappointed in myself because I thought I learned 'Flying High Again'," he admitted. "I said, 'I don't [use a] teleprompter, I never use teleprompters.' And I said, 'I'm not gonna use a teleprompter.' And they said, 'Well, we'll put up there just in case.' I said, 'No, you watch this.' I thought I had it memorized. I was distracted right before I go on by a bunch of people. I'm standing on the side of stage waiting for 'em to do the set change after the drum-off, and I'm going, 'Oh, yeah.' I'm talking to people. All of a sudden I hear 'em announce me, and I was 50 yards from the stage. And [my wife] Kari's going, 'Oh, my God. They just announced you.' And I'm going, 'Oh, shit.' And I go running out. And I'm walking around. And they start the song, and I go, 'Hey,' blah, blah, blah. And then I step out on the ramp and I go, 'Holy shit.' … I missed that whole thing. And I'm running back looking for the fricking teleprompter. And, of course, the lyrics are moving faster than I'm singing them. But I got it together after that. But, man, if you wanna talk about having your private parts shrink up in front that crowd, that opportunity. And I choked. Sammy Hagar is a pro. Man, he choked, that fucker. So, anyway, then 'Rock Candy' was great. Well, that song ['Flying High Again'] was great too, after we got it going. And the band came in backwards on the intro too, and so it was even crazier."

According to Hagar, it was "an honor to have been asked to be on that show. And everyone was there for Ozzy and for BLACK SABBATH," he said. "They were there for the right reasons. And anybody that wasn't asked to be on that show, I know they're pissed. I have a couple friends that [were, like], 'Man, well, they didn't ask me.' And I'm going, 'Hey, listen, it wasn't my choice.' I took the phone call [from Tom Morello] and said, 'Yep.'"

Asked by Trunk if he knew Ozzy well and whether he had a chance to speak to the BLACK SABBATH singer at "Back To The Beginning", Sammy said: "No, I didn't know him that well, but we were user friendly a lot of times. If we had run into each other at award shows, things like that, it was always a big hug and go out of your way to go over and say hi. But no, I wasn't that close with Ozzy, like I am with some of these other guys. But, yeah. I got to talk to him [at Villa Park]. When we took the picture [of all the musicians the day before the event], I went over and held his hand and told him how much I love him. He looked me right in the eye and he was, 'Thank you, mate, for being here,' and all that stuff. And it was just a conversation like that. Everyone was trying to get a piece of him, so I left him alone after that. I just had to hold his hand and kiss the ring, because he was there."

Hagar also praised Osbourne for getting through "Back To The Beginning" and performing both with his solo band and BLACK SABBATH when Ozzy was clearly not in the best of health. "The fact that he pulled that off, I'll say it again, for the rest of my life I'll say it, there's a rocker," Sammy said. "There's a dedicated rock star. There's a person that's dedicated to their fans. There's a person that gave it all, because he was that close to death and he still did that. Man, I would've canceled that show if I had a cold. You know what I mean? It's, like, wow. Unbelievable. He raised the bar so high. No one's legacy is ever gonna top that ,unless they go out on stage. I mean, that's the only way to top what he did. He was sick, and, man, he pulled it off. He said hi to everyone. He took all the photos, he did the soundchecks, he did the photo sessions, he did the rehearsals, and then he did the fricking show and no one thought he was gonna do that show. All of us, a week or two before, all of us, we all were just quietly going, 'Mm. I don't think it's gonna happen.' I'm sitting here talking to other musicians that are on the show. 'You think Ozzy's gonna make it?' I say, 'I don't know, man. Shit, I hope so. But I don't know.'"

Hagar continued: "Knowing Ozzy Osbourne — now we're getting dark — but everyone that knows Ozzy and knows his history about the darkness and he's always been a cultish thing, we kind of thought quietly, we all thought quietly, 'He's gonna go out on stage. He's planning this. He's planning his own death.' I swear. I hate to be dark like that, but I thought, if anybody is gonna do something like that, it's Ozzy Osbourne. And he made it. And then he lasted a couple of weeks. And God bless him, man."

Sammy also talked about how he felt when he heard the news that Ozzy had passed on July 22 — a little over two weeks after "Back To The Beginning". He said: "The fact that I wasn't that close to Ozzy — we weren't dear friends; we didn't have each other's phone numbers and stuff like that — man, it really affected me. It really hurt, because I was there [at that final show]. And it was touching. I've gotta tell you. Every time somebody dies, you feel it, in this business, but certain ones really are tough. And Ozzy was tougher for me than I would've thought."

Ozzy died of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer's friends and family members attended the service.

The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy. His wife Sharon, along with their children Aimée, Kelly and Jack, joined mourners for the emotional tribute.

In a new interview with Pete Pardo of Sea Of Tranquility, ARMORED SAINT singer John Bush spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's long-awaited ninth studio album, due next year through Metal Blade Records. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're in the mix mode right now of the new record. That's gonna come out in April. We're real excited about it. It's sounding great. The tunes are awesome."

Referencing what will be a six-year gap between 2020's "Punching The Sky" and ARMORED SAINT's next album, John said: "A little bit was COVID, of course, because that kind of pushed everything back for everybody, but then we went out and toured a lot. So, we were able to do that, and did a couple of more tours, and we were really not planning on it. But getting out there and playing was great. And we actually sold so many records and CDs on the road, it was crazy. We actually re-charted because we sold so many records out there. So, kudos to all the fanbase who bought records and CDs and shirts, of course. But it kind of did push things back a little bit. We don't work that quick as it is, quite frankly, but I always said it for years: the quality of the tunes is contrary to the amount, because that's the fact for us. But the new record will be out next year. And I think it's great. It's gonna just kind of build on everything we've been doing."

Circling back to ARMORED SAINT's increased touring activity and how it affected the making of the band's new album, John said: "We toured a lot. We actually put out four videos on the last record. So we've been on the public side maybe more than ever. And really I say this and it's really kind of the truth is ARMORED SAINT's probably bigger than we've ever been. Maybe there was a stretch in 1984 that we were maybe more popular, but honestly we're probably bigger than we ever were. So, we're just riding it. And the new record will be great, and I think people will dig it. And it really kind of shows sophistication in the songwriting, and we really believe in that. We try to kind of bring in all our different influences and styles and use some different instrumentation and take chances with arrangement a little bit. And I'm really proud of it. I think the songwriting is just — yeah, it's built on everything we've done. The origins of the band, our hard rock heavy metal band, but we really kind of feel like we just keep pushing the boundaries. And it's always gonna sound like SAINT. And this one does too. But I don't know. That's my pitch. I mean, of course it comes down to what the fans think."

After Pardo noted that ARMORED SAINT's musical output has been remarkably "consistent" over the group's four-decade career, Bush concurred. "When your band's been around as long as we have, and that goes for all the bands who have a four-decade career, is that usually new music means the opportunity to go take a piss or go get a couple of beers," he said. "But I really feel like people really think our last couple records have been great. And I think for us to keep building on that and keep writing new material that sounds very legit, I think is important. And not everybody can say that. Everybody kind of says it, but how much do you really believe it? And I really believe [it in our case]. I mean, again, it comes down to what the press and what the fanbase says, and they're the ones that make the final decision, really, on it. But at the end of the day, they've been saying ARMORED SAINT's making really great, modern music, so I'm stoked."

Later this month, the band will join W.A.S.P. for a trio of U.K. shows before returning to the States to support legendary guitarist Michael Schenker on his "My Years With UFO" U.S. tour. ARMORED SAINT will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its second album, "Delirious Nomad", with a five-song micro set of songs from the record throughout the tour.

To further commemorate the cornerstone record, the band is making available a special "Delirious Nomad" wrapped guitar from Dean Guitars. Each guitar is signed by the band.

Last November, ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera told Metal Kaoz about the musical and lyrical direction of the band's new material: "Every record we've made has been a little bit different than the one prior to it, and this one will be the same case where it will be a little different than 'Punching'. But our number one thing is just writing really great songs. We're not so concerned about trying to outdo the last record or do as good as it is or do the same thing. I always think that it's cool to just see where you are at that moment. And these songs that we've written, just like the last three or four records we've made, they all represent a particular time and place for us. So this these batch of songs, they're a reflection of where we are at a time and place right now. We're in post-COVID, we're coming back out of it, back into the world, and different things are influencing me personally than they were in 2014 when I was writing for [2015's] 'Win Hands Down'. So all those things are at play again. I'm trying to take a few chances as well on this, which we always try to do a little bit."

In June 2024, ARMORED SAINT released a rendition of "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)". The classic track was originally written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and was first released by PEOPLE in 1970. Additional covers include THE FOUR TOPS (1974),SANTANA (1978) and THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (1989).

"One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)" was produced by Vera, mixed by Jay Ruston and mastered by Maor Applebaum.

ARMORED SAINT released the "Symbol Of Salvation Live" CD/DVD in 2021 via Metal Blade Records. The release came in celebration of the seminal album's 30th anniversary. "Symbol Of Salvation Live" was a combination live album and video of the band playing the album in its entirety at New York City's famed Gramercy Theatre during its 2018 tour.

In July 2023, ARMORED SAINT was inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

In May 2023, ARMORED SAINT's long-awaited documentary, Armored Saint: Band Of Brothers", had its world premiere in the band's hometown at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Photo by Stephanie Cabral

Poland death metal brigade Vader have checked in with an update hinting at future plans plus preparations for a new studio album.

Vader’s Peter Wiwczarek shared:

“VADERMANIAX!!! We ended the summer concert season with three concerts in the last weekend of August. Thank you all very much for wonderful moments and total craziness and Massive Music for organization and great atmosphere on all trips in the summer season 2025 \m/

“These were also the last concerts in 2025 in Poland and Europe. Upcoming plans are the Carnival of Death Tour tour in the USA/Canada in October.

“Because we and Massive Music are still receiving inquiries about more concerts in Poland – we will try to organize one more weekend in December this year. I hope that in 2026, we will see each other more often at the common craziness in our country. It will be the 20th anniversary of the album Impressions In Blood. We will also like to remind you of the wider ‘Kingdom’ (expect a new edition of this title soon). There are also plans for something special that we haven’t done before… but let’s wait for the specifics. The new Vader album will definitely be made next year – but let’s rather expect the release at the beginning of 2027.

“Below is a memento KAT cover from the concert in Zamo Pć in August shared from the Janusz Bb collection. Thanks \m/”

During an appearance on "The Jasta Show", the video podcast hosted by HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta, TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick spoke about the likelihood of the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans one day touring with METALLICA. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think the fact that PANTERA is out there with [METALLICA now] and just killing it at the stadium level… Yeah, even though, [PANTERA] did some real numbers as far as record sales in the '90s, but still, it's intense music and it's much closer to the sort of — I wouldn't say extreme these days, 'cause now music's gotten so extreme, but it's much closer to a lot of the more underground music and they're doing it at that level and proving that it works at that level. So you never know. "

He continued: "But whenever I run into the METALLICA guys, I'm not gonna ask them, 'Hey, man, take me on tour.' [That would be] ridiculous. I'd rather talk to Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] about movies. I'd rather talk to Kirk [Hammett, METALLICA guitarist] about vintage Gibson guitars. I'd rather talk to Robert [Trujillo, METALLICA bassist] about Jaco Pastorius. James [Hetfield, METALLICA guitarist/vocalist], whatever he wants to talk about.

"They're great guys, and they're so supportive," Skolnick added. "I mean, sure, it would be great. But also that's an organization now. Even if they want to handpick some lineup, they have [their management company] Q Prime [which oversees all of that]."

Last November, TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy told Andrew McKaysmith of the Scars And Guitars podcast that his "number one" ambition "is to be able to go on tour with METALLICA, a band that grew up in our scene, our area, paved the way for this kind of music. We've never had that opportunity to perform a tour with them," he said. "We might have played a couple of shows and festivals over the time, but never got to tour. There's a lot of history there that I really don't know the answer why we never have, and maybe you could pose that question to them one day — why not? — and maybe I'll get my answer someday what the reason is. But that would be my number one, because I always look up to James as a vocalist, his style, whenever I write music. Even to this day, my go-to is, 'What would James do on this song? What would he do for this?' So they're a big inspiration for me. I'm glad that they're forging forward, putting in the time and not giving up either after this many years."

When McKaysmith noted that he "connects" with TESTAMENT's music more than he does to METALLICA's, Chuck said: "Well, it depends how old you are. I connect [with METALLICA's music] just because I know what they started from and what they've grown into. And, yeah, you're right — [METALLICA] is a supernova, and you can't slow it down and you can't look back. You've gotta kind of keep doing what you do. But I give them props for continuing on and not just going, 'You know what? I'm rich enough. I'm done.' And having the balls to play [the] music [they want] to make no matter what anybody has to say about it. As long as you're getting in that rehearsal room and it still gives you a chub, hey, more power to you."

Billy previously talked about his desire to tour with METALLICA in an August 2021 interview with "The Jasta Show". Lamenting the fact that TESTAMENT has yet to do a proper tour with METALLICA even though the two groups have known each other for more than three decades, Chuck said: "Whenever I'm asked, 'What is the one band you wish you can play with?', it's always METALLICA. It's, like, we grew up with these guys [in] the same era, but we never went on tour [with them]. I think a few years ago, we did three shows in Germany [with them] on a festival. It was funny, 'cause our band walked in and their band was walking, and we all kind of met in this hallway. And [we were], like, 'Hey, what's going on?' It was a like old friends seeing each other. I think it was James or Lars, they said, 'Oh my God. Look at you guys. You guys all still got your hair. You guys are big.' 'Cause Steve [DiGiorgio, TESTAMENT bassist] and Gene [Hoglan, then-TESTAMENT drummer] are all six-[foot]-two, six-[foot]-three. But it was great seeing 'em."

Billy went on to express his hope that TESTAMENT could still properly share the stage with METALLICA. "It would be great," he said. "And who knows? Maybe one day. Even the [San Francisco] Bay Area shows, when they do those special shows, EXODUS played, DEATH ANGEL played — a lot of people got to play. I don't know. I do know, because Eric [Peterson, TESTAMENT guitarist] — I don't know if you know the story — Eric actually married Kirk's [Hammett, METALLICA guitarist] ex when they split up. So I don't know if that has something [to do with it] — [a] deep down underlying reason. That's the only thing [we can think of]. We're, like, 'What is it, Eric? What'd you do to us? Why did you date her? Now we can't play with METALLICA.' [Laughs]"

Back in 2017, Hetfield was asked in an interview with Elliott Fullam of Little Punk People to name his favorite thrash bands that are not part of the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal (METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX). James said: "Oh, my God! There's tons of them. Well, EXODUS for sure. We grew up with those guys in the [San Francisco] Bay Area. Oh, and we stole their guitar player; that too. [Laughs] But, yeah, I think they're great. TESTAMENT… A lot of bands in the Bay Area, a lot of thrash stuff."

Photo credit: Fred Kowalo

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS were joined by former FOO FIGHTERS and current NINE INCH NAILS drummer Josh Freese for a performance of the classic STP song "Sex Type Thing" during the veteran band's September 20 concert at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky. Fan-filmed video of Josh's appearance can be seen below.

Freese rejoined NINE INCH NAILS in July, just two months after he was fired from the FOO FIGHTERS following a two-year run with the Dave Grohl-fronted act.

In addition to FOO FIGHTERS and NINE INCH NAILS, the 52-year-old Freese has performed with GUNS N' ROSES, DEVO, A PERFECT CIRCLE, VANDALS and many more.

In a 2023 interview with Chasta Michaelis of San Francisco's 107.7 The Bone radio station, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS bassist Robert DeLeo was asked if his group was fairly labeled as part of the grunge movement associated with the U.S. Northwest back the early 1990s when they came out with their debut album, "Core", and follow-up effort, "Purple". He responded: "I don't think the four of us ever put any kind of name on what kind of music we were making. We happened to come out at a time when the people in this business were creating these terms. It's a selling point — it's all a selling point — and we got caught up, as well as other bands, in a selling point for record companies to make money. And I think when you can obviously see that is when they start doing clothing after it. It's all pretty ridiculous.

"'Interstate Love Song' — grunge? I don't think so," he continued. "I actually wrote that as a bossa nova song; that's what it started out as."

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS features three original members — Robert DeLeo, guitarist Dean DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz.

Singer Jeff Gutt, a 49-year-old Michigan native who spent time in the early-2000s nu-metal act DRY CELL, among other bands, and was a contestant on "The X Factor", joined STONE TEMPLE PILOTS after beating out roughly 15,000 hopefuls during an extended search that began more than a year earlier.

Original STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland, who reunited with the group in 2010 after an eight-year hiatus but was dismissed in 2013, died in December 2015 of a drug overdose.

Chester Bennington, who joined STP in early 2013, departed nearly three years later to spend more time with his main band LINKIN PARK. Bennington committed suicide in July 2017.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS released their first all-acoustic album, titled "Perdida", in February 2020. The disc was Gutt's second with STP. His recording debut with the group was on its self-titled seventh album, which arrived in March 2018.

In a new interview with KLAQ 95.5 FM El Paso's Best Rock radio station, CREED singer Scott Stapp was asked if there has been any talk of him and his bandmates working on some fresh music. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've talked about stuff, but nothing is definitive, nothing's been planned. We're letting this all just kind of develop organically, reconnect as human beings and as a band. And I think that if we continue to do that, at some point in time it's inevitable that possibly new music would come out of that. I don't think it's out of the question. But, again, like I said, there's nothing planned, and nothing to announce right here on KLAQ."

Stapp previously talked about the possibility of new CREED music this past June in an interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station. He said at the time: "We're talking about it. We're taking things slow. We're rebuilding, we're relearning about each other. We're reconnecting. I think this experience has been kind of like a — it's putting on an old glove, but we've all changed. We're all older, we have kids, we have different responsibilities and priorities in life. And we're all extremely focused. And I think that when that day comes when we decide to make a CREED record, I think it'll be probably, if not on par, better than anything we've ever done. Just based upon the life experience that we have, everything we've done the last two years of playing together, I think that sets the stage that when it's the right time, it's gonna be incredible."

Stapp also talked about what it has been like for him and his CREED bandmates to reunite in the summer of 2024 for the "Summer Of '99" tour, joined by the likes of 3 DOORS DOWN, FINGER ELEVEN, SWITCHFOOT, FUEL, BIG WRECK and DAUGHTRY. The band then headed into arenas last November and December on the "Are You Ready?" tour with 3 DOORS DOWN and MAMMOTH WVH in the U.S. and MAMMOTH WVH and FINGER ELEVEN in Canada. "Man, it's hard to put into words," Scott said about returning to playing arenas. "Of course, the cliché word would be it's surreal. But, man, it was exciting. There was just so much energy and connection between the band guys. We were having a good time, and I hope the audience saw it. And we're fired up up there. I mean, we're soaking it all in, we're all present, we're all in the moment. And we all know what it's like to have that and then not have that, so there's a new level of appreciation for those moments. And I think that that motivates us to play every show like it could be our last, because we've been in that situation where we had that last show and then everything went away. So I think that gives us a new sense of urgency, energy and passion for every show. And to hear the fans sing every song and the energy that's in the room, man, it's a dream come true, and we don't take a moment of it for granted."

In the summer of 2023, after an 11-year hiatus, CREED announced their long-awaited reunion — returning to the stage for the first time at the sold-out Summer Of '99 cruise and Summer Of '99 And Beyond cruise. In May 2024, meanwhile, the band's multiplatinum-selling "Greatest Hits" collection made its wide debut on vinyl (via Craft),landing the collection back into the Billboard Top 200, as well as hitting Top Hard Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Alternative Albums, and moving up the Top Hard Rock Albums rankings. Originally issued in 2004, the 14-track compilation spans the band's first three albums (1997's "My Own Prison", 1999's "Human Clay" and 2001's "Weathered").

CREED kicked off its first tour in 12 years, "Summer Of '99", on July 17, 2024 at Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

With more than 53 million albums sold worldwide, CREED remains one of modern rock's most successful acts. Now, 30 years into their incredible journey, CREED is bigger than ever. In late 2023, the Texas Rangers made "Higher" their unofficial anthem, as it spurred them to their first World Series win. In early 2024, the song appeared in a high-profile Paramount+ Super Bowl commercial, while a NASCAR Daytona 500 campaign also incorporated the hit single. Along the way, CREED has gained a new generation of fans, thanks to countless TikTok videos that feature their songs.

This past January, Stapp was asked by Sylvia Alvarado of the Las Vegas radio station KOMP 92.3 what the conversation was like about getting CREED back together in July 2023, initially for two different "Summer Of '99" cruise festivals in April 2024, followed by two separate U.S. tour legs last year. Scott said: "There was a time that I didn't think that things would come together. We began having conversations, I think, in 2020 when we started to notice this kind of viral thing happening organically online. And so conversations were had about potentially doing something. And I just felt at the time — I didn't wanna rush it. I didn't wanna just throw something together, and I wanted it to be real. I wanted it to be authentic. I wanted it to be where everyone's heart was in it."

He continued: "I can't really say it was one person or the other [who initiated the discussions]. We all kind of were feeling it. Calls were made. Then management was talking. And we all just kind of migrated to each other organically, kind of the same way we did in 1994 when we started the band. And then when we got together and started rehearsing, the energy within the band — there was so much love in the room, so much support in the room. We all kind of went from back in 2001, [200]2 and [200]3, when we kind of ended our run there, doing multiple nights in the same city and sold-out arenas, having stadiums on hold, we all went our separate ways and started over with our solo careers and our other projects and were back out there [sweating] it out in clubs and bars. And I know it's kind of probably hard for people to believe, but it's true. The other guys did, and I did as well. And it was quite the contrast to what we had just experienced in CREED, but I think it was a necessary thing for us to grow as individuals and human beings, but also to really appreciate what had happened to us between '96 and 2000, into 2003, 2004."

Scott added: "I think everything happened so fast and so quick on our first three CREED records and the rise to arenas was, like, 12 months. I think that's not typical. It's unheard of. And I think when it happens like that, you miss out on what paying your dues does to you in terms of your level of appreciation, your level of maturity, your ability to handle the growth at such a rapid pace when it happens, your gratitude, your gratefulness, your maturity, your understanding of the big picture and your impact. And so I think we kind of did that in reverse. So we had it all and then went back and paid our dues in reverse. I went back to playing clubs, they were playing clubs, and then here we are all these years later bigger than we were when we went away in 2004. And so I think all of that contributed to our gratitude and how we walked in, because we're all much more mature and have a deeper appreciation. And it definitely had an impact on me in my solo career, because I was out there slugging it away on my first three solo records, wondering, 'Should I continue?' I love playing music. I love doing this. It didn't happen like CREED, so initially I was kind of, like, 'What am I supposed to do? I love making music.' But I just kept at it, kept at it, kept at it. And here we are with [my solo single] 'Higher Power' breaking the Top 10 and now 'Black Butterfly' Top 5 and with more music to come. And so it's really been just a complete full-circle experience with CREED and my solo career all kind of peaking at the same time."

Asked what it is like seeing the love that CREED is getting all over again, and a whole new generation is learning about the band, Scott said: "It's probably one of the most gratifying and humbling experiences you can have as an artist, especially where we all are in our hearts and in our minds and in our spirits today. To see a whole new generation that never saw a CREED show — most of them weren't even born when we broke up. I mean, I think the numbers, if I'm quoting them correctly, I think over 80 percent of our tickets sold out of the near-million tickets we sold last year were between [people between the ages of] 18 [and] 35. We have a whole new generation of fans. And all I can say is I'm grateful, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I understand how rare this is. I have an appreciation for it, and I just wanna do it right. And I want to give the fans what they deserve. I wanna represent my children and my friends in the best way that I can, so they're proud of me, and leave a legacy that they're proud of, because it's no secret I went through my struggles, and they were very public and at times very humbling. And so this is an opportunity to kind of end the movie the right way. But I still think the movie's being written. But I think you get what I'm saying by that."

In a new interview with Lyndsey Parker of Gold Derby and Lyndsanity! with Lyndsey Parker, SOUNDGARDEN drummer Matt Cameron spoke about the status of the recordings made before vocalist Chris Cornell's death in May of 2017. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we are in the process of finishing it. We don't have a release date yet, but I'd say we're about — I don't know — maybe 70 percent finished with all the tracking and stuff. So, yeah, it sounds killer. It's been a really amazing and bittersweet process as well. So, yeah, we are our hard at work at completing that album."

Asked when the upcoming SOUNDGARDEN album was written and recorded with Chris, Matt said: "Well, gosh, we started songwriting together, trading demos back and forth around 2015, '16, something like that. And then we had some sessions in 2017 before we went out on tour, just rough rehearsal. We recorded some rehearsals. But the vocals that we're using are from the demos that we all recorded together. And so we're just sort of building our tracks around those vocal parts. But yeah, it sounds killer, and we're really excited to finish it."

After Parker noted that it "must be emotional and bittersweet to hear" Cornell's voice and to hear those tracks a decade after they were originally laid down, Cameron concurred. "It really is," he said. "But I think we're trying to stay focused on the overall sound of it and all the reasons for us doing it. But, yeah, it's been tough to solo up that voice and hear him loud and clear. But I think the fans will like it and it's gonna be a really nice way to finish the creative chapter in SOUNDGARDEN."

Asked if there is any chance that some of the new SOUNDGARDEN music will be released in time for, or played at, the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on November 8, Matt said: "I don't think there's gonna be anything played at the ceremony. And I think the idea is that we wanna wait until everything's finished and then we'll start putting out singles. So, unfortunately we don't have a real strict timeline for that just yet, but it's pretty close. It's pretty close."

Cameron also confirmed that one of the songs that will appear on SOUNDGARDEN's new album is a track that he co-wrote, called "The Road Less Traveled". He said: "I wrote this music that I didn't really know if it would fit for SOUNDGARDEN, but I just sent Chris all these musical ideas around 2016 or so, '16, '15. And that's one that he really liked. He made an arrangement from my demo and then he added vocals to it, and it came out really, really good. The lyrics are mesmerizing, as always. But, yeah, that's gonna be a really great one for people to hear. It has all the trademark elements that SOUNDGARDEN fans might be familiar with, as well as a little bit of new territory. And there's two or three other songs that do sound like the band, but I think we were able to sort of stretch out a little bit creatively, and hopefully when people hear that song, they'll notice that as well. But, yeah, I guess it's hard rock. It's sort of bluesy, sort of psychedelic, sort of folky, I guess all the things that we were known for. So, I hope people like that one when they finally do hear it."

This past May, SOUNDGARDEN guitarist Kim Thayil told Rolling Stone that he was optimistic the band's final album would see the light of day. "Our objective and goal was always to complete that," he said. "I probably have OCD enough to not want to leave something unfinished or incomplete like that, so I think the more we can attend to our body of work and our catalog…I think everyone in the band feels that way. I don't just to attend to my work, but the collective work, and in this case specifically, the work of Chris."

Thayil continued: "I have pride for what I did and I want to see that come out. It doesn't exist in the vacuum. It exists as a collaboration with Matt and Ben [Shepherd, SOUNDGARDEN bassist] and Chris, but it takes on an entirely different weight when you think about what it is you're honoring, and the work that you're paying tribute to. It is us collectively. We want to do it proud. And that part of us is certainly one of the most intimate components of what SOUNDGARDEN has been since 1984."

He added: "It would be a great gift to the fans. And I do think about this, and I don't know how strange this sounds, but I feel like it's a gift to Chris too."

Back in April 2023, SOUNDGARDEN and Vicky Cornell, the widow and personal representative of Chris's estate, announced that they had reached "an amicable out-of-court resolution" regarding the release of recordings made before the singer's death.

The resolution came less than two years after SOUNDGARDEN and Vicky came to a temporary agreement that would transfer the SOUNDGARDEN social media accounts and web site to the band's remaining members, Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd and their managers, Red Light Management. This included SOUNDGARDEN's web site, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

In March 2021, Thayil, Cameron, Shepherd and their business manager Rit Venerus filed papers in Washington state U.S. District Court claiming that Vicky Cornell had locked them out of their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo, YouTube, Snapchat, Tumblr, Top Spin and Pinterest accounts, as well as SOUNDGARDEN's official web site, and changing all the passwords.

Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd claimed their socials were previously managed by their then-management company Patriot Management. They said they later learned that Patriot had handed over all the login information to Vicky after Patriot was terminated in October 2019.

The band asked a judge to order Vicky Cornell to hand over the passwords or include a final posting stating, "SOUNDGARDEN has temporarily suspended its official social media accounts due to pending litigation."

Cornell was found hanged in his room at the MGM Grand Detroit hotel in May 2017, following a SOUNDGARDEN show at the city's Fox Theatre. His body was found soon after he had spoken with a "slurred" voice to his wife by phone. The death was ruled a suicide.

In December 2019, Vicky filed a lawsuit against the surviving SOUNDGARDEN members, alleging the group owed Cornell's estate hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid royalties and the rights to seven unreleased recordings made before the singer's death. Cornell is credited as a writer on all seven songs, receiving sole credit on two, "Cancer" and "Stone Age Mind". He wrote "Road Less Traveled", "Orphans" and "At Ophians Door" with Matt Cameron; "Ahead Of The Dog" with Kim Thayil; and "Merrmas" with Ben Shepherd.

At the time, Vicky claimed that Chris made seven recordings at his personal studio in Florida in 2017, adding that there was no explicit agreement as to whether the recordings were meant for SOUNDGARDEN, which made Chris the exclusive owner. However, the surviving SOUNDGARDEN members responded by saying that the unreleased recordings were the result of writing and recording sessions going as far back as 2015. They also pointed to public interviews with Chris and Thayil that suggested that SOUNDGARDEN had been working on the material since 2015, and detailed recording sessions up until April 2017, just one month before Chris's death. SOUNDGARDEN also included several text exchanges from Vicky, in which she referred to the unreleased recordings as the "SG files". They also provided a March 2017 e-mail from Vicky which said that Chris was travelling for the "SG record". The band went on to refute Vicky's claim that Chris's recordings took place in his personal studio in Florida in 2017, insisting that most of the actual sound files "significantly predate 2017" and that the recording sessions took place in Seattle and New York while the band was touring.

Responding to Vicky's lawsuit, Thayil, Shepherd and Cameron claimed that they "don't have possession" of their "own creative work," and alleged that "Vicky Cornell has possession of the only existing multi-track recordings of the last SOUNDGARDEN tracks that include Chris Cornell's instrumental parts and vocals. All of the band members jointly worked on these final tracks, Vicky now claims ownership of the final SOUNDGARDEN album."

Thayil, Shepherd and Cameron initially accused Vicky Cornell of misusing funds from the January 2019 "I Am The Highway: A Tribute To Chris Cornell" concert. After being challenged by Cornell's attorneys with the threat of sanctions, SOUNDGARDEN withdrew that portion of its countersuit, while its lawyers wrote at the time that the band believes the claims "remain well-founded."

In February 2021, Vicky Cornell sued the surviving members of SOUNDGARDEN over the buyout price for her stake in the band. In the lawsuit, Vicky Cornell said Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd offered her just $300,000 for Chris's share. This amount, she said, is far lower than the real value of the Chris Cornell estate's interests in SOUNDGARDEN, especially considering the fact that the band got an offer of $16 million from an outside investor for SOUNDGARDEN's masters.

As previously reported, SOUNDGARDEN will join the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame class of 2025 in the Performer category. The Seattle grunge legends were first nominated for the Rock Hall in 2020, and were on the ballot again in 2023 before finally being chosen for induction this year.

Thayil, Cameron, Cornell and Shepherd are being included in the induction, as is original bassist Hiro Yamamoto, who was with SOUNDGARDEN from 1984 to 1989 and played on the band's first two EPs and first two albums.

Brandon Ellis is standing in for CANNIBAL CORPSE guitarist Rob Barrett on the Florida death metal veterans' U.S. tour this summer/fall. The trek, featuring support from MUNICIPAL WASTE, FULL OF HELL and FULCI, kicked off on September 15 in Nashville, Tennessee and will conclude on October 22 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Just a few hours prior to the Nashville concert, Ellis told Another Rundown about how he was feeling about landing the CANNIBAL CORPSE gig (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm feeling good, man. I can't wait to rip the Band-Aid off and get this show over with. I've been sweating it for many days, just busting my ass, learning all these hella confusing songs and just cranking out riffs every day."

Regarding his preparation process, Ellis said: "I made videos for the guys [in CANNIBAL CORPSE] for every song that we're playing and a couple more. So I was, like, every day I would learn a song and turn on the camera and just try to get a perfect studio-quality take from front to back of a song I'd never really heard before, for a lot of them. It was a lot of work, man. [It took] a couple of weeks to just get all the songs together and get ready to be here today."

On the topic of his role in CANNIBAL CORPSE, Brandon said: "In this position here, I'm mostly playing a rhythm guitar gig. I have a handful, like five solos or so in the show or something like that, and I'm mostly just really doing justice to what Rob would do. So it's not like I'm up there showcasing all my fucking crazy solo guitar playing or whatever on this. But it's an amazing opportunity to get that [gig]."

He added: "I'm a CANNIBAL CORPSE fan since I was a teenager, dude. That's like the first death metal band that turned me on to it. And, yeah, it's surreal to be asked to do this. And I'm just, like, dude, tonight I'm gonna go on stage and I'm gonna play 'Hammer Smashed Face' with CANNIBAL CORPSE for the first time. It's gonna be crazy. Yeah, it's insane, dude. So, yeah, I'm lucky."

Ellis announced his departure from THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER in February.

Brandon, who made his name in fellow American death metallers ARSIS before replacing Ryan Knight in THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER in 2016, contributed to three albums during his near-decade stint in the latter group. Two of those featured the band's original vocalist Trevor Strnad, who passed in 2022.

CANNIBAL CORPSE's sixteenth studio album, "Chaos Horrific", was released in September 2023 via Metal Blade Records.

Since 1988, CANNIBAL CORPSE have been at the forefront of death metal, shaping and defining the genre. In 2021, they raised the stakes again with "Violence Unimagined". And in 2023, the band's thirty-fifth anniversary, they returned with its successor, the equally monstrous "Chaos Horrific", starting a new chapter in their storied legacy.

CANNIBAL CORPSE guitarist/producer Erik Rutan has now helmed six of the band's albums, starting with 2006's "Kill". This is Rutan's second release as a full-fledged member, since officially joining in 2020.

"Chaos Horrific" was recorded at Rutan's Mana Studio in Florida.

In a new interview with Charlotte, North Carolina's WCNC, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford opened up about his faith. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I came to a point in my life that I talk about in my autobiography, 'Confess', where, when you're an alcoholic and when you're a drug addict, you are left with a choice. You either kind of hand it all over to somebody greater than yourself, and then you start to work on a daily basis to maintain your sobriety, along with the spiritual connection. That is really important.

"I've always been a person of faith, ever since I was a little kid," Halford continued. "But when I became clean and sober 38, 39 years ago, that became really, really vital to me. It's part of my daily affirmations. I start the day with prayer and I end the day with prayer. And this imagery of how you choose a higher power is left entirely into your own hands. That's what I love about the work that we do in supporting each other on a day-to-day, 24-hour cycle. Your spiritual object can be anything. If you want a physical, tangible object, it can be anything. For me, it's my heavy metal cactus by the swimming pool. I don't go in front of the cactus and pray, but when I look at it, that makes a connection for me. And that's just a really important part of my life on a day-to-day basis for every day of maintaining my sobriety. I can't do it by myself. I know I have something that's there with me right now, that there's a presence that's there with me."

Rob added: "I just love the idea of prayer. Some people kind of look at it and [wonder], 'Well, what does it do?' Well, try it. What have you got to lose? Prayer and praying can bring beautiful peace to your life. It can work miracles. So, that's just another facet of what keeps me in this balance and harmony, whereas before I was very fractual and disjointed and disconnected, and broken glass everywhere. Now I see much more clearly — my conscious stream is more fluid. There's nothing interrupting that from a substance or a chemical. The clarity is great for me as a creative person. And so all of that combined makes my day-to-day living a good thing to feel and to be a part of."

Back in May 2024, Halford was asked by Kat Mykals of the 103 GBF radio station, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford about the lyrics to the band's song "Crown Of Horns", which appears on PRIEST's latest album, "Invincible Shield". He said: "I love love. It's the best four-letter word in the history of words. Love is everything. Love is all you need. We certainly need love more than ever right now. Let's not get into that.

"I think I did a lot of reflecting as I've moved on through these decades," he explained. "You tend to reflect a little bit more. You just gain wisdom, opinions. But I just thought about this thing, particularly about love. Love doesn't come easy. You have to fight for love. And you can't just let it sit and you can't just let it be there. You've gotta work it all the time. You've constantly gotta be reinforcing whatever love you have in your life, whether it's with a partner. Me and [my partner] Thomas have been together for a thousand years, and every night I say, 'I love you.' You tell people that you love them. Just say those words. Just say, 'I love you.' It's just such a powerful, simple statement. So you've got that. And it is true. I found the hard way — I did find the hard way, 'cause it took me forever to find somebody that I fell madly in love with. And I think that is for most of us. Love doesn't come easy. That's a song, isn't it? 'Love Don't Come Easy'. So, that's just a reference. We all wear something like a bit of a crown of horns to get to the place that we need to be in a relationship in particular. So it's a love song. It sounds crazy, but 'Crown Of Horns' is a love song."

Halford, who celebrated the 39th anniversary of his getting sober this past January, was also asked by Mykals how he stays humble in order to maintain his sobriety when he is literally known to the world as a Metal God. He responded: "First thing in the morning, I say prayers. Last thing at night, I say prayers. I have to — that's part of the sober routine, staying sober.

"I don't think that's ever been lost on me because I know how hard it is for any band to stay together," he continued. "Bands are so complex and so fragile. The toughest bands in the world are like made of glass — they can just shatter and break apart for the craziest of reasons. So to be able to do this work, this job for over 50 years, I am honored and I am humbled by it. I can't believe it, and I'm eternally grateful — I'm grateful every day that I wake up that I'm in this band, JUDAS PRIEST. What a band, what a life, what a story. So, reflection, gratitude, being kind. And it's tough, particularly in the world that we live in. We're surrounded by a constant screaming clutter. And I'm sure being sober has been a big part of my understanding of this. You've gotta try and find your own internal peace and harmony. And that's tough. It's hard work. You can't let it go. You're working at it all the time. So it's a lot of that. But truly, I'm just so, like I said, grateful and honored to be in this band doing the work that I love to do, understanding the power of metal, understanding the power of rock and roll.

"I'm sure people have told you time and time and time again that they've been listening to your show and you've helped them get through a hard part of the day or you played a song that made them cry or you played a song that made them feel good. So this is the power of music that unites us and keeps us all in this connectivity. We call ourselves the metal community in PRIEST, and this inclusiveness, everybody's welcome. And I think again, it's making everybody feel a part of your life.

"When we're up there on stage, when I'm up there being the Metal God and doing my stuff, we're doing this together," Rob added. "It's not just me. Firstly, I can't do that without you guys. I'd be stupid doing that to an empty room. So, that's never lost on me. Every single show is special in that respect, and every single show works its magic for me as a person.

"Before I go on stage, I say my serenity prayer. When I come off stage, I say my serenity prayer. I'm a prayer freak. But it helps me. It's just a beautiful thing. And some of my friends, they say, 'Why are you always praying?' 'I'm not always praying.' I said, 'Do you pray?' I [go], 'Just try it. What have you got to lose? You've got nothing to lose. You've got everything to gain by just finding just even one moment in the day, just like 30 seconds of your day, just close your eyes and say a serenity prayer, and eventually it'll work. Things will start happening. You've got to work at it. It's like love. You can't expect these things to come to you. You can't [go], 'Let me win the lottery. Let me get this. Let me do it.' You can't do that. You've gotta work, you've gotta work. And when you work, when you put in the work, you get the rewards. So all of that is wrapped up in this staying in a sensible, realistic place."

In 2022, Halford spoke to Spain's Mariskal Rock about how he has managed and avoided the urge to relapse since 1986. "I think about it all the time," he said about drinking alcohol. "It's an addiction. When I'm watching the Phoenix Cardinals play on TV the other day, there's constantly adverts for beer and for alcohol and stuff. And I know it's there. And it's a temptation. So you have to have all of the mental tools ready to get you through that instance. 'Cause it's all about instances. And I live one day at a time. I've lived one day at a time for [almost 40] years now. And that's all that matters. It's the moment. You live in the moment — not yesterday, not tomorrow; it's now. And you have to be ready for when that little beer devil comes on your shoulder and goes, 'Come on, Rob. Have a little drink of beer.' 'Fuck off.' [Laughs] Because I don't wanna feel that way again, man. I don't want to be that person. I was miserable. I wasn't happy. I was bad to people. I don't wanna go through that again. So that's also part of my finding a balance in my day-to-day life."

Rob previously spoke about how he manages to stay clean on the road in a 2020 interview with the "Across The Board" podcast. "It's not easy," he said at the time. "It's very much a day at a time. You're given all the tools and resources from your rehab experience. I use 'em every day. A lot of it is just like mental notes — talking things through. Sometimes I speak 'em out; a lot of it is internal. So that's really vital on a day-to-day level of sobriety.

"When I was in rehab [in 1986], there's anonymity in rehab, but at the same time, you have to tell everybody your life story, so everybody knew what I did. And I remember we talked about the fact that I'm gonna go back to this world of sex and drugs and rock and roll and booze. I don't know how I'm gonna be able to cope, because it won't be a gradual reimmersion into society, so to speak. I won't be able to go tiny steps; I'm just gonna go straight into the deep end. I cannot go to work and say to my bandmates, 'You can't drink. You can't do this. You can't do that,' because it's control. Accept your powerlessness.

"I don't think we ever in the band had a sit-down conversation about this, but I think that there was caring and understanding — as there still is," Halford continued. "But I'd be the last person to say that I have to set a set of rules, because then this whole business of living my life on my terms [turns into something] you push on to other people: 'Well, now, you can't do this,' 'You can't do that.' That's just hypocrisy on the highest level.

"Even now, when we're flying after a show, and the guys are having a beer or a cocktail or whatever, man, I would love that cold beer. I would love a slug of Jack and Coke. I can smell it, 'cause we're in a plane together. It's like this little angel on one side and the devil on the other side. My instant thought is I never wanna be sick again. I never, ever wanna feel that bad ever again. I never want to be in that terrible, dark, lonely place ever again. So it's fleeting. But, again, it's always there.

"When I'm home, especially [during] this COVID thing, [my longtime partner] Thomas doesn't drink. When I first met Thomas, he quit drinking. So that's a support to me. I'm never really around alcohol that much, or drugs, when I'm not working. But, yeah, when my fans, or when PRIEST fans come to see us, yeah, they're gonna have some drinks; they might have a couple of spliffs [and] do whatever else recreationally. They're entitled to. And they are living their lives and they are partying and they are having the time of their lives, as they should. They don't have an alcohol problem; they don't have a drug addiction. There are people that can enjoy these things in life and it [has] no effect on them, in a physical sense and in a mental sense.

"So, it's an absolute miracle," Halford added. "I can only say it's a miracle that I've got that far from January the 6th, 1986 without slipping once. And I'm not boasting, because it's all the past — that's the past; it's gone. I live in the moment. I don't think about yesterday or tomorrow; I'm living now. But I'm grateful that I've been able to get this far without failing. Not failing — that's the wrong word. Without a slip off the wagon — whatever the term is. I'm grateful that I've been able to get this far and stay clean and sober. Because if I didn't, who knows where I would have gone and where I would have ended up?"

Halford credited his belief in a higher power for helping him in his recovery. "When I got clean and sober, that was a major change in my life," he said during an appearance on HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta's official podcast, "The Jasta Show". "And part of my recovery is just having this higher-power belief. And it works. It works, man. It really, really is important."

Halford added: "There probably will be people listening to [this] podcast who don't have anything like that in their life, and that's great; it's all about acceptance. But I always say to people, if you're thinking about it, the simplest thing I do is I pray. I pray quite a bit, actually. And even if you don't believe in prayer, just have a go. Pray for a good day, or just pray for your friend, or whatever it might be. And it's amazing, man, 'cause it absolutely works. I guarantee, it genuinely does work. And now I'm sounding like [American evangelical Christian evangelist] Billy Graham, but I'm just trying to express some of the things that are important to me on a day-to-day basis that make me able to walk out on that stage each night and do my work."

In an interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Halford said that he quit using substances because he "was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. I will always remember the first show I did clean and sober… It was in New Mexico, in Albuquerque," he recalled. "I literally felt elevated, as everything was coming with such clarity. I was able to really… enjoy the performance of JUDAS PRIEST without having all of the other things in front of it. Since that day, it has been a miracle."

Halford added, "Everybody has to face things in their lives at some point. It [doesn't have to] be booze and drugs. You can eat too much, or you can not exercise, or whatever… It is not easy staying clean and sober in rock and roll. There are temptations galore from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep, especially when you're on the road. [But] I think we're some of the strongest people, my friends and my sober brothers in metal."

Rob's autobiography, "Confess", in which he discusses his journey to sobriety, arrived in September 2020 via Hachette Books. It was written with Ian Gittins, co-writer of "The Heroin Diaries" by Nikki Sixx.

Legendary rockers STYX are already starting to lock in shows for their 2026 tour schedule, which will once again include an unforgettable five-night engagement at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. STYX will be performing 1978's "Pieces Of Eight" in its entirety, along with the band's classic hits. The shows will be held on January 23, 24, 28, 30 and 31, 2026, with all performances scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m.

Citi is the official card of STYX's exclusive Las Vegas engagement at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. Citi cardmembers will have access to pre-sale tickets beginning Tuesday, September 23 at 10 a.m. PT until Thursday, September 25 at 10 p.m. PT through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete pre-sale details visit www.citientertainment.com.

Additional pre-sales run will throughout the week ahead of the general on sale beginning Friday, September 26 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets starting at $45, plus applicable fees, will be available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com, VenetianLasVegas.com, any box office at The Venetian Resort, or by calling 702.414.9000 or 866.641.7469.

Creating and recording new music is often considered the lifeblood of any band — an ethos AOR torchbearers STYX continue to embody with the highly anticipated release of "Circling From Above", the 18th studio album in their formidable catalog via the band's label, Alpha Dog 2T/UMe. Spanning 13 tracks, the album navigates the complexities of the human experience through the intersecting lenses of technology and nature. "Circling From Above" — hailed by critics as their third "masterpiece" album in a row, following 2021's "Crash Of The Crown" and 2017's "The Mission" — features contributions from all seven members of the band, including founding guitarist/vocalist James "JY" Young (affectionately known as "The godfather of STYX"),guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw, original bassist Chuck Panozzo, longtime drummer Todd Sucherman, keyboardist/vocalist Lawrence Gowan, guitarist/vocalist Will Evankovich and bassist Terry Gowan.

The seven men comprising STYX have committed to rocking the Paradise together with audiences far and wide, and each one of them is committed to making the next show better than the last. They draw from over five decades of barn burning chart hits, joyous singalongs, and hard-driving deep cuts. Like a symphony that builds to a satisfying crescendo, a STYX set covers a wide range of stylistic cornerstones. From the progressively sweeping splendor that is "The Grand Illusion" to the hunker-down fortitude of all that is the "Blue Collar Man", from the majestic spiritual love for a special "Lady" to the seething indictment of preening, primping pageantry for pageantry's sake of "Miss America", from an individual yearning for true connection as a "Man In The Wilderness" to a soul-deep quest to achieve what's at the heart of one's personal vision in "Crystal Ball", from the regal reach-for-the-stars bravado of "Come Sail Away" to the grainy all-in gallop of that rugged "Renegade" who had it made, the band draws on an unlimited cache of ways to immerse one's mind and body in their signature sound.

Photo credit: Jason Powell

We're heading to Las Vegas! Our residency is coming to The Venetian Theatre at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on January...

Posted by Styx on Monday, September 22, 2025

THE VIOLENT HOUR, the new band fronted by former BUTCHER BABIES vocalist Carla Harvey, performed at the Whisky A Go Go on Sunday, September 21 as the support act for BUCKCHERRY. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

Joining Harvey in THE VIOLENT HOUR are Kiana De León on lead guitar, Allie Kay on rhythm guitar, Jewell Steele on bass and Sasha De León on drums.

Kiana and Sasha previously played together in the PANTERA tribute band FAR BEYOND HOSTILE and the covers project VIXEN VENDETTA.

When the touring lineup of THE VIOLENT HOUR was first announced in August, Harvey commented: "As a huge fan of the '90s Riot Grrl movement, I've dreamed of having an all-girl band my whole life. After a long search, I finally found them. Four incredible women who share the same drive, passion, and fire that fuels me. We are THE VIOLENT HOUR and we are your new favorite band."

THE VIOLENT HOUR's self-titled debut EP was released in July via Megaforce Records. Carla wrote all lyrics and handled all the vocals on "The Violent Hour", while Harvey's fiancé, ANTHRAX and PANTERA drummer Charlie Benante, wrote the music and played all instruments on the EP. The track "Sick Ones" features an absolutely shredding guitar solo from MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist John 5, and PANTERA guitarist and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman Zakk Wylde makes an explosive cameo on the track "Hell Or Hollywood".

"Writing this EP was a liberating experience," Carla said. "When I started, I felt lost… but by the time I sang the last note, I had found myself again. From the beginning, I wanted the music to come out organically: no agenda, just whatever needed to be released. I've been immersed in a world of guttural screaming for so long, but when I sat down to write my own material, what came out felt lighter — like I was reconnecting with parts of myself I hadn't explored in years. It reminded me of why I fell in love with music in the first place. Writing became fun again.

"This EP reflects all sides of me: it's made by the 16-year-old who loved everything from LYNYRD SKYNYRD to thrash metal, the grit and riot girls of the '90s, and the danger of GUNS N' ROSES. It's raw and it's real.

"Working with Charlie on these songs was a dream. He is so talented and he really inspired me to be better; I couldn't have made this album without him."

Said Benante, who also conceived the EP's cover art: "Carla was my muse in all of this. I was inspired and motivated by her to write the songs that fit her voice. Once we got started, it was that lightning-in-a-bottle-feeling.

"I think that this EP, when people hear it — I don't care if you're 13, 33, or 63 — I think you're going to feel the power of it. And I think that once the songs and the choruses hit you, it's going to be unstoppable, it's going to be infectious, and this just might become your favorite new band."

Not many people have comic book author, embalmer and musician on their resumes. Carla boasts all three and so much more.

Carla was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan — a city known for its grit, resilience, and often deep divides. Navigating life as a bi-racial kid in a fractured environment wasn't easy, but Carla found her escape in art, music, and self-expression. By day, she hustled, attending the prestigious College For Creative Studies alongside working odd jobs like perfume counter girl and gas station attendant, and by night, she was on stage with local bands, saving every dollar she could for a one-way trip to Los Angeles.

At twenty, she put all her belongings in her car and navigated from Detroit to Hollywood with a paper map. In L.A., she landed acting roles on shows like "Rules Of Engagement", played in bands searching for her sound, and never stopped creating. But beyond the music was a driven academic. Carla had a deep love for science and eventually pursued a Bachelor Of Mortuary Science (graduating as valedictorian) and a Master Of Science in thanatology. Carla became a licensed funeral director and embalmer and founded her own grief counseling service — all while touring the world extensively as a founding member of the BUTCHER BABIES.

Today, In addition to her music career, Carla is a grief specialist for the innovative death care company Parting Stone that transforms cremated remains into environmentally friendly stones that the departed's family can hold, treasure and honor.

Beyond her professional life, Carla is a devoted collector of pop culture oddities: comics, wrestling figures, vintage Barbies, Elvira, the Incredible Hulk, and rock relics from her wildest nights in Hollywood. She still holds on to her Rainbow Bar & Grill drink tickets from the '90s and a poker chip from Lemmy's last birthday party. Her creative heroes — Russ Meyers, Robert Williams, Robert Crumb and Charles Bukowski — mirror her love of the bold and the raw.

To date, Carla has released six albums, multiple comic books and a 2014 novel, "Death And Other Dances". But if you ask her…she's still just a blue-collar kid from the Midwest with big dreams.

BUTCHER BABIES announced their split with Harvey in July 2024, saying in a statement that "Carla has been an integral part of our journey, bringing her unique talent, passion, and energy to the band," and wishing "her all the best in her future endeavors."

Carla, who co-founded BUTCHER BABIES in 2010 with fellow vocalist Heidi Shepherd, confirmed her exit from the band in a separate post, saying that she was "super proud" of her work with BUTCHER BABIES and adding that she was "not done making music and performing."

In the fall of 2023, BUTCHER BABIES completed a European tour without Carla, who sat out the trek in order to undergo emergency surgery on her left eye.

In January 2024, Harvey and Benante announced that they were officially engaged.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

During an appearance on the latest episode of the ICED EARTH-centric Podcast Of The Wicked podcast, ICED EARTH's founding guitarist Jon Schaffer, whose band effectively split up after he was arrested for his involvement in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, was asked if there are any plans for him to get ICED EARTH back together. He responded in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Look, the short answer is no, not anytime soon.

"I just want the fans to know that this has been a lot, and I've had great offers, great financial offers [to bring ICED EARTH back], so if it was about chasing money, but that's a checkers move, first of all. And it wouldn't be good for me or the band or the crew or the fans, because I need to do this because I love it, and whatever happens needs to happen and be truly inspired and not a 'good' ICED EARTH record or a 'good' show or whatever; it's gotta be gold. And that's gonna take some time.

"I've got a lot of recovering to do from all of this, and I'm working on that," Jon continued. "And I have a job that I absolutely love that feels like it's serving a purpose much greater than anything I've done before. And I know the music has helped a lot of people and I really appreciate that, and I love them for that. I love the fans. We have the best fans; we always have. Since the very beginning, there's just been this kind of a loyalty, and that's an amazing thing. But this is a season, and anybody that's lived long enough knows that in your life, you go through seasons. And there's been major changes, which very likely will result in the best music that I've ever written. And I think there's a good possibility of that. But the time is not right now. And I don't wanna push and force something because it's not gonna be good for anybody — it's not gonna be good for me, it's not gonna be good for the band, it's not gonna be good for the fans.

"This is a long legacy," Schaffer said. "I started this band 40 years ago, and that's a long time. And I worked my ass off for it. And God gave me the gifts, but I did the work, and did a crazy amount of work. And it's a solid legacy. And so I don't have anything to prove to anybody. I don't miss performing right now. I mean, that was never really my thing anyway. It was always about the songs. That's the number one — period, end of story, that's it. Everything else you do because that's what you have to do to get your songs heard. ICED EARTH, along with [Jon's other projects] DEMONS & WIZARDS and SONS OF LIBERTY, and when my old buddies in PURGATORY and I got back together, that was a fun thing. That was a fun project to do. That was not really because of work; it was because it was a fun thing to do with old friends. It's gotta be inspired. I'm not gonna do this to go out and chase federal reserve notes or euros. That's not the way I'm built. It would definitely make it easier for me to get my financial world back in order, but I don't whore myself out and I never have. And that's the whole point. And just getting off of that hamster wheel of 'album, tour, album, tour, album, tour', it's been a good thing for me. I think that there's a very good chance that something can happen in the future. Right now, my energies are focused on something that is not self-serving that is being part of something that is really trying to make significant change and to try to push our society into a freer society — pointing it back towards the founding principles, even maybe a little bit better, this philosophy, the live-and-let-live philosophy.

"I'm not gonna make any promises about anything right now," Schaffer added. "There's a huge catalog to celebrate. The first album has probably been reissued close to 15 times at this point, which blows me away because I wouldn't have even thought about that when I was however old I was then, 20 years old or whatever. And so that's awesome. The catalog, it keeps going. So that means that there's still demand out there, which is very humbling. But I know the rough spots in my catalog. I know when it was going, I had to do it because of scheduling and because of the business. And you're sort of going through the motions, pushing through things at times you probably shouldn't. So you have to trust me. I know how this works, and I know whatever that we deliver in the future has got to be nothing short of amazing or I'm not gonna do it, because I don't wanna do it if that's the case. It's just not a smart move; it's just not."

Schaffer also talked about his current relationship with two of his former bandmates, ex-ICED EARTH singer Stu Block and BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch, both of whom distanced themselves from Jon's actions following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot. Block, the Canadian-born vocalist who had fronted ICED EARTH since 2011, officially quit the band in February 2021, stating at the time it was "the best decision in many ways" for his "personal and professional growth going forward." Around the same time, the German-born Kürsch quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer.

Schaffer told Podcast Of The Wicked in part: "Let me just take this opportunity to say, I hope that the fans out there will stop — I mean, my wish is that they would stop hating on Stu and on Hansi… The guys were pressured. Some guys handled it better, some guys handled it very weak and kind of pathetic. And I think the biggest issue when it comes to Stu is that he made a post [on January 6, 2021] cheering it on and then flipped and that looks like a total poser move. You know what? It is a total poser move, but it's okay. Forgive him. We did some great work together. I had some of the best times in my life with Stu… I have very precious memories with Stu, so please just forgive him. I forgive him."

Jon continued: "Everybody is a flawed human being. And the thing is Hansi and I are still close and we are always gonna be. And the difference is that we talked before I turned myself in, several times, and I knew what was coming because the pressure he was under, and he hated it. But it's a witch hunt. It was a witch hunt. And it is what it is. It's a bummer, because we write great stuff together and we were on a serious trajectory. I mean, the last show I played in Europe, headlining Wacken [Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany] on Saturday night in front of a hundred thousand people, and it was fantastic. And SLAYER went on after us and about 70 percent of the crowd left, and it was their last show in Germany. I mean, I'm just saying that's what happened. I was pretty, pretty shocked. The reunion tour of DEMONS & WIZARDS was hugely successful. And we had an amazing contract, actually, a really, really amazing contract. But Hansi had to do what he had to do. It is what it is. I treasure the memories that I've had with Hansi, and we're gonna have more — probably not musically; I doubt that's ever gonna happen. I don't even know if I'm gonna do music again; that's off the table right now. But just as brothers, nothing's going to change that.

"Look, I'm all about free speech, man — I am," Schaffer added. "I'm just asking, try to be a good human about this. You have the freedom to say that. I don't censor anything. I don't have the ability to now, but even when I did, when I had the admin access to those pages, people can te talk shit. There was only one or two times where there was some really vile, hateful stuff directed at Stu that I deleted those posts, but I've never done that because I don't really care. I mean, I believe in freedom. You're allowed to say what you want to say. But let's forget all the division and stuff.

"I'm not an angel. I have behaved poorly in the past. I've made mistakes — everybody has — so let's just forget all that and let's focus on the good stuff, because we did a lot of good shit together. I mean, we really did — with both of those guys.

"The 'cancel culture' mob mentality, it's real, and if you're not really strong and really of your convictions, it's gonna have an effect. So it's, like, I get it, and I don't hold any ill will and I would really love for the fans to just let it go and celebrate… This catalog that's hanging up behind me was done with a lot of very talented, cool people. Whatever drama, whatever shit's happened, let's let it go. I really don't have any ill will. I know [Stu's] true colors, so that's a good thing. I'm not interested in hanging out like we did — I have no interest in that — but he's a part of the band's history and we did some great stuff together. And I wish him well."

Schaffer's involvement in the U.S. Capitol riot also apparently affected his relationship with his longtime record label Century Media, which had released albums from both ICED EARTH and DEMONS & WIZARDS. As of mid-January 2021, the Century Media artist roster page did not list either band.

Back in August 2021, Stu said that Jon "fucked up real bad" when he got involved in the violent protest at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 that left several dead, including a Capitol police officer.

Stu addressed Jon's involvement in the Capitol riot as well as his departure from ICED EARTH in an interview with The Metal Voice. Speaking about his former bandmate, he said: "We all make bad decisions, man, and [Jon] fucked up real bad. And I'm sure he knows it, and I think everybody with half a brain knows it… The line that was crossed with going in and all that kind of stuff… He had so much going on. It was a shame. It hurts, 'cause you've got plans, and all of a sudden, you can't tell someone what to do — you can't tell a very strong-willed individual what to do; you can't. And so it would be lost words."

He added: "At the end of the day, I don't hate him. I'm not writhing in hate for him. I feel sad. I feel bad that everything went down the way it did. And maybe one day we'll talk. I don't know. I'm not too sure. But I think he knows that I still have a place in my heart for him, because I've seen that man do a lot of amazing, wonderful things for people. But I just wanna move on. And that's what it is."

When Hansi announced his exit from DEMONS & WIZARDS in February 2021, he said in a statement: "I notified Jon and Century Media [DEMONS & WIZARDS' then-record label] on Monday that I was leaving the DEMONS & WIZARDS project with immediate effect. My collaboration with Jon in DEMONS & WIZARDS is over."

Back in December 2022, Hansi declined to discuss DEMONS & WIZARDS while speaking to Metal Hammer magazine, saying: "It's an open case. I believe [Jon] deserves the right to express himself, to explain his side, and we wouldn't want to interfere with that."

In May 2024, Hansi was asked during an appearance on "The Jasta Show", the podcast hosted by HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta, if he had heard from Jon in the preceding months, with Jasta opining that "everybody deserves a second chance." Hansi said: "Well, I agree. He certainly deserves a second chance. That is the main message which should be spread out in general. And other than that, he's facing his trials. So, it's a very open situation he's in. And, yeah, let him express himself first before anyone else is saying anything about it. That's my opinion, and this is how I treat it."

Asked if he thought there was a road back for Schaffer in terms of ICED EARTH's ability to secure tours in the future and whether European promoters would be willing to book him, Hansi said: "Um, I have no idea. I really have no idea. I haven't spoken to anyone, and that basically is not my business."

Last October, Schaffer was sentenced to three years of probation and 120 hours of community service in connection with his involvement in the riot at the U.S. Capitol in January 2021. At the sentencing hearing, Jon was also ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution and a $200 financial assessment. Schaffer later became one of about 1,500 people accused of crimes related to the riot who were pardoned by U.S. president Donald Trump.

This past April, Schaffer said in an interview that the legal issues and professional setback he faced as a result of his involvement in the Capitol riot have been "the biggest gift" of his life, in part because "it is what led" him "to [Jesus] Christ."

Former SEPULTURA members Max Cavalera (guitar, vocals) and Igor "Iggor" Cavalera (drums) performed the band's landmark fifth album, 1993's "Chaos A.D.", on Saturday, September 20 as a support act for SLAYER at the 30,000-seat Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

Featured songs:

00:00 Intro by Damian Priest
01:40 Refuse/Resist
04:50 Slave New World
07:45 Nomad
13:18 Amen
17:38 Propaganda
21:10 We Who Are Not As Others
24:50 Biotech Is Godzilla
27:25 Symptom Of The Universe (BLACK SABBATH cover)
30:53 Territory

Joining Max and Igor in CAVALERA are Max's son Igor Amadeus Cavalera on bass and Travis Stone on lead guitar.

As previously reported, Max and Igor are performing "Chaos A.D." in its entirety on a U.S. tour this fall. Support on the trek is coming from FEAR FACTORY.

Back in February 2023, Max spoke to Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", about the 30th anniversary of "Chaos A.D." The 56-year-old Brazilian-born musician, who spent much of the last decade celebrating the 20th anniversary of SEPULTURA's "Roots" and 30th anniversary of "Beneath The Remains" and "Arise", respectively, on tour all over the world, said: "Those albums, to me, they're kind of like kids. I like to celebrate their birthdays. I almost feel like I need to buy a cake and have a real birthday party on the day that the thing came out.

"Nah, I think we celebrate through the music, 'cause we're doing all these cool tours of celebrating the music," he continued. "Of course I'm not saying we're gonna do a 'Chaos A.D.' one, but if it happens, it'll be really cool… 'Chaos A.D.' opens with [my son] Zyon's heartbeat. It's a very special record. It's almost like a defining moment in metal, one of those records that kind of broke the mold, how metal can be. Because before 'Chaos A.D.' everything was super fast and aggressive, and I think with 'Chaos A.D.' we showed there's another way to make aggressive music, that's a little bit slower and more groove oriented, with stuff like 'Territory' and 'Slave New World' and 'Refuse/Resist'."

SEPULTURA was founded in 1983 by the brothers Max and Igor with Wagner Lamounier and Jairo Guedes Braga (known professionally as Jairo Guedz). Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. joined just a few short months later and in 1987, with the departure of Jairo and addition of guitarist Andreas Kisser, the solid lineup of SEPULTURA was final. The band quickly became an influential force in heavy metal music thanks to its dynamic studio recordings and intense live performances.

The band was in the midst of a creative and commercial peak in 1993 when it released "Chaos A.D." with Max on vocals and guitar, Andreas on guitar, Paulo on bass, and Igor on drums. The record sonically sees the band transcend from their thrashing death metal aesthetic into a more eclectic output, showcasing groove-oriented paces, incorporating moody riffs, industrial soundscapes and even introducing hardcore punk elements throughout the record. With protest songs like "Refuse/ Resist" and the Jello Biafra-penned "Biotech Is Godzilla" spouting conspiracy theories, the politically charged lyrics aided in "Chaos A.D." becoming a breakthrough album for the band worldwide.

Although SEPULTURA has maintained a diehard fanbase in all parts of the world throughout the band's four-decade history, "Roots" and "Chaos A.D." were by far SEPULTURA's most commercially successful, having both been certified gold in the U.S. for sales in excess of five hundred thousand copies.

Regarding "Chaos A.D."'s visual representation, Max previously described its conception thusly: "'Chaos A.D.' was commissioned through Michael Whelan [whom] we already used on two albums before — 'Beneath The Remains' and 'Arise' — but 'Beneath The Remains' and 'Arise' were already existing paintings, and 'Chaos A.D.' was a brand new painting that was commissioned by us to Michael Whelan to create based on the name of the album. We gave it to him, and he came up with the body bag with the money upside down and all the electronic stuff going through the body bag and I think it was really cool."