SLAYER performed last night (Thursday, September 18) at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky. The show marked the reunited thrash metal pioneers' fourth full concert of 2025, following the band's appearances the 35,000-capacity Blackweir Fields in Cardiff, U.K., London, U.K.'s 45,000-capacity Finsbury Park, and the 100,000-capacity Festival D'été De Québec in Canada. SLAYER also helped celebrate BLACK SABBATH's incredible career by playing a six-song set at SABBATH's sold-out "Back To The Beginning" final concert on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.

SLAYER was previously scheduled to play at the 2024 edition of the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, but that performance was canceled due to severe weather.

The lineup for all of SLAYER's comeback shows in 2024 and 2025 is the same as the one which last toured in 2019: guitarist Kerry King and drummer Paul Bostaph, along with bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and guitarist Gary Holt.

SLAYER's setlist for the 2025 Louder Than Life festival was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. South Of Heaven
02. Repentless
03. Disciple
04. Die By The Sword
05. Jihad
06. War Ensemble
07. Chemical Warfare
08. Reborn
09. Mandatory Suicide
10. Born Of Fire
11. Dead Skin Mask
12. Spirit In Black
13. Hate Worldwide
14. Seasons In The Abyss
15. Hell Awaits
16. 213
17. Postmortem
18. Raining Blood
19. Black Magic
20. Angel Of Death

Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

SLAYER's only U.S. East Coast performance of 2025 will take place this Saturday, September 20 at Hershey, Pennsylvania's 30,000-seat Hersheypark Stadium. The concert will be hosted by WWE superstar Damian Priest, a well-known "metalhead" and a longtime SLAYER fan. Priest's signature "finisher" is SLAYER's "South Of Heaven", and SLAYER's Kerry King provided guitar for Priest's "Rise For The Night" theme. Also scheduled to appear at the event are KNOCKED LOOSE, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, POWER TRIP, CAVALERA (exclusively performing SEPULTURA's "Chaos A.D." album) and EXODUS (performing "Bonded By Blood" album).

In an interview with Australia's Metal Roos, King spoke about SLAYER's future plans, following the band's two festival appearances in September 2024 and October 2024 after a five-year hiatus. He said: "We're never gonna tour again. We're never gonna make a record again. Mark my word: we're never gonna make a record again, we're never gonna tour again. Because that was the last thing. We said [back in 2018], 'This is our final tour.' It took five years for us to come and say, 'Hey, here's a couple of shows, five-year anniversary.'"

Elaborating on the significance of SLAYER's comeback live performances more than four decades after the band's formation, Kerry said: "I think it's really cool. A lot of fans are into it. There's gonna be haters who say, 'Oh, they retired.' Yeah. Whatever. This is all about celebration. Say a kid was 10 years old when we retired. Now he's 15, 16. [It's his] first opportunity to see us. I think that's important."

King also touched upon the fact that SLAYER's reunion shows were announced just a couple of weeks after he went public with the details of his new solo band and debut solo album. He said: "The [SLAYER] announcement timing was not my favorite, but my band was doing its thing. The festivals SLAYER agreed to play, they wanted to release [the information about us playing there], they wanted to announce [it]. So, the timing wasn't in my favor, but everything went [as it did], and here we are in Australia [with my new band] kicking ass."

Kerry reflected on SLAYER's two reunion performances last fall — on September 22, 2024 at the Riot Fest in Chicago, Illinois and on October 10, 2024 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California — during a separate interview with Brian Slagel, CEO of Metal Blade Records, for the "100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal" podcast. Regarding how he felt going into the Riot Fest gig, King said: "It's kind of like when we did the first 'Big Four' show, I said, 'This is gonna be really cool for the fans, and it'll be good to see the guys.' And that's about all I gave it. But then we actually played the show and a handful more shows, and I said, 'You know what? This is really cool for me.' And I didn't expect that. And I didn't expect that when we did the Chicago show [SLAYER at Riot Fest]. I went with the exact same idea. I'm, like, 'This is gonna be really cool for the fans, especially fans that were too young to see us.' And I hit the stage and I got goosebumps. I'm, like, 'This is way bigger than I ever gave it credit for.' … [And] we've got a lot of history in Chicago too, so for the reunion show to be there, it was pretty epic. And the response was over the top. It was way overwhelming."

King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", came out in May 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music.

In a new interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music, legendary SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo was asked if he has given any thought to the idea of writing his autobiography. Dave responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I honestly don't know, 'cause I feel like I'm still writing it. I'm still doing it. I don't know. I don't feel like it's the right time. I've still got some steam in me."

After Itter suggested that Lombardo has so much to write about, given his long history with not only SLAYER but also with crossover pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, horror-punk icons MISFITS and the hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS, among other projects, Dave concurred. "I've got so much shit to say [laughs] that I haven't said." He laughed again and added: "I'll give it a thought, but I don't see it happening anytime soon."

Lombardo was born in Havana, Cuba, relocating to Los Angeles when he was a mere two years old. He began playing drums as a teenager, and co-founded SLAYER (and created the band's logo) in 1981. Rolling Stone, in their list of the "100 Greatest Drummers Of All Time," dubbed him the "Cuban speed demon," Modern Drummer proclaimed him "The King", and Drummerworld gave him the title of "the godfather of double bass". Lombardo's eye-popping resume includes over 100 studio albums/recordings and includes both recorded and live stints with GRIP INC., FANTÔMAS, SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, VENAMORIS, MR. BUNGLE, MISFITS, John Zorn, TESTAMENT, EMPIRE STATE BASTARD and DEAD CROSS.

In a February 2025 interview with Drew Stone of The New York Hardcore Chronicles Live!, Lombardo was asked to reflect on his time with SLAYER. He said:  "I love it. I look back in retrospect and it's been amazing. How can you not? Shit happens, man. You have disagreements. Families argue. And so it is what it is. I'm happy to have been a part of such a legendary band, happy to have contributed to this genre that has loved me and supported me for my entire musical life."

He continued: "Like I said, shit happens, but it is what it is. I've been very fortunate that I've made a few friends along the way. And they've asked me to be in their bands. I've created several new bands or launched them, and still I feel there's so much more in me that I don't see it ending anytime soon. Until somebody pulls the plug, I'm still here, man. [Laughs]"

Lombardo was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other bandmembers. He was later replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001.

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

Lombardo released a statement in February 2013 saying he "was denied access to detailed information and the necessary backup documents." He added: "I was told that I would not be paid until I signed a longform contract which gave me no written assurance of how much or on what basis management would deduct commissions, nor did it provide me access to the financial budgets or records for review. It also forbade me to do interviews or make statements having to do with the band, in effect a gagging order."

Dave previously opened about his departure from SLAYER while taking questions from the audience in March 2014 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

"I did my best to try to keep it together, but I couldn't go on, man," Dave said. "I had to step out, because you can't be shackled like that; nobody can take advantage of another person like that anymore. I did it for too many years, and I held my breath. Red flags kept going on in my books. It's, like, 'Really? I'm supposed to make more money? Why am I on the same salary? I'm making the exact same thing I've been making the past two years. And this is back in 2004. So I knew something was up. And I tried my best to work it out with the guys. I brought Tom into the picture. I had Tom in a hotel room with me talking to my attorney, and my attorney was telling him everything their management company had been doing to them for the past 30 freakin' years. And we had an accountant, a forensic accountant, ready to go in there and look at the stuff."

He continued: "Tom got bought out. Management flipped him over a couple of hundred grand — who knows how much? — and Kerry [King, SLAYER guitarist] as well, to keep quiet and go against Lombardo. So they turned their backs on me. And on the last day, when I'm at rehearsal with them — and I saved it all the way until the end — I said, 'Guys, we need a new business plan. You guys have been on the same business plan after 30 years. Now I'm an income participant. In other words, I 'm a percentage holder.' So if you're a percentage holder, you have the right, and you're contracted, as a percentage holder, you have the right to see where all the expenses are going. Because here you are getting paid off of net, and then out of 4.4 million dollars, the band gets 400 thousand dollars. Where's the four million? And that's just 2011. [The rest of the money went to] lawyers, accountant and the manager.

"For the past 30 years, they were doing that to the guys. And they took my information… I'll never forget the day…. I just said, 'Guys, look at this. This came from your accountant.' And it showed all the money. It wasn't showing where the money was going, it was just showing 'gross,' 'expenses,' 'net.' And out of that net, I made, on tour, in 2011, 67 thousand dollars. Kerry and Tom, that was about 114 thousand dollars they made on tour. So if you did about 60 shows, divide that up between 60 shows… Anybody have a calculator? No, not 60… Let's say about 90 shows per year: 30 in the spring, 30 in the summer and 30 shows in the winter, in the fall. So you break that up per show… Really? It's disgusting. I bust my ass up there playing drums. I mean, I am just sweating, I'm beat. And for the guy in the Hollywood Hills, for his facials, his manicures… No, I'm not gonna play for that. No."

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral (courtesy of Adrenaline PR)

MIRADOR, the band co-founded by Grammy Award-winning GRETA VAN FLEET co-founder Jake Kiszka and IDA MAE's Chris Turpin, has just released its self-titled debut album via Republic Records.

"MIRADOR comes from a deep passion for rock 'n' roll, early folk, and country blues as well as folklore," says Turpin. "Our world lives in those traditions," Kiszka adds. "There's an unspoken mysticism. You can trace it back to the stories of meeting the devil at the crossroads, selling your soul, and losing your mind to the wind. MIRADOR definitely inhabits a lot of that. We're hyper aware of our lineage, so we can build our own future as a band. It's two guitar players from notable groups coming together to create a new mythology. As soon as we were in uncharted territory, we knew we were doing something right."

MIRADOR has also shares the music video for "Must I Go Bound" directed by Gus Black, Jake Kiszka and Chris Turpin and which was shot in Turpin's hometown of Bath.

MIRADOR comments: "'Must I Go Bound' is a song that draws inspiration from the worn pages of an old ballad book, reimagined, remembered, and retold through the lens of MIRADOR. It is a folkloric journey steeped in symbolism, with the protagonist lamenting a lost love.

"All of us wander the crossroads of our own making, tracing the paths not taken and imagining what could have been. We hope this song reminds people of that universal experience — that from despair comes hope, and from desertion comes redemption.

"Recorded live in Dave Cobb's intimate studio on the windswept shores of Savannah, Georgia, we stripped our sound back to its essence, using parlor guitars to evoke the timeless connection between European folk traditions and American roots music. We wanted our voices to find each other's in a song that felt like it could have been written a thousand years ago — a testament to the enduring power of love and loss.

MIRADOR is currently on the road and recently expanded its headlining U.S. tour to 31 dates due to popular demand. Tickets for all initial dates sold out immediately upon going on sale, and a second run of dates in larger venues were added in Nashville, New York City and Los Angeles, and new dates have been announced in New Orleans, Boston, Austin, Portland and more.

MIRADOR has the uncanny ability to conjure sky-shaking and boundary-bursting rock 'n' roll by invoking spirits of ancient myth, traditional folklore, and Delta-born blues in one concentrated musical incantation. Kiszka not only shares vocal and guitar duties with critically acclaimed co-vocalist and guitarist Turpin, but he also shines as a producer and songwriter, stepping out on his own. The group, filled out by Mikey Sorbello on drums and Nick Pini on bass and keys, stretches the limits of rock 'n' roll and showcases the band's myriad influences and uncompromising vision.

Kiszka and Turpin met in 2018 when IDA MAE opened for GRETA VAN FLEET during a sold-out three-night stand at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan. On the road, Kiszka and Turpin cemented their friendship by way of late-night jam sessions fueled by wine and a shared passion for everyone from Charley Patton, Muddy Waters and Lightnin' Hopkins to Martin Carthy, Bert Jansch and FAIRPORT CONVENTION.

"We were like long-lost brothers," says Kiszka. "After we wrote those songs, I realized we had a chemistry I'd never had with anybody but my own brothers. It was obvious we needed to do this."

The world got to know MIRADOR when they spent a month opening up GRETA VAN FLEET's "Starcatcher" world tour in arenas coast to coast throughout 2024. Galvanized by this nightly trial by fire, the band rolled right into a Savannah, Georgia studio with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton) and they cut "Mirador" live in barely two weeks.

"After four weeks on our first tour, we went to the studio," says Turpin. "By the time we got there, Dave harnessed a lot of the intensity and frenetic energy from the road." Kiszka adds, "if we didn't cut our teeth in the most intense circumstances, I don't think the record would have the same spirit."

"Feels Like Gold" introduces the album with rumbling guitars breaking like a wave against a it's towering chorus, "and it feels like gold." On "Fortune's Fate" a turbulent guitar groove tosses and turns before spilling over into an emotional crescendo, "there goes my shadow to the one I love." Elsewhere, "Heels Of The Hunt" launches forward on a rapid-fire drum roll, while wild riffs chase goosebump-inducing vocals through a bluesy haze. The finale "Skyway Drifter" opens with finger-picked accents before breaking open into a cathartic breakdown.

"For me, it would be beautiful if this is all-consuming for listeners — like when you see a movie at the cinema," Kiszka concludes. "We're trying to immerse people in the world of MIRADOR and where we're coming from. There's so much duality in the album: the humanity, the soul, the adventure, the tyranny, and the journey. It's a very important record for us, but also in terms of what has gone down in the world of rock 'n' roll today. We hope you feel like you belong to this place as much as we do."

Photo credit: Dean Chalkley

Mercury Studios will release DEF LEPPARD's "Diamond Star Heroes Live From Sheffield" on November 21. The show, recorded in 2023 in DEF LEPPARD's hometown of Sheffield at Bramall Lane during "The World Tour" with MÖTLEY CRÜE, will be available on Blu-ray+2CD, 4K UHD, 2CD and 2LP. Pressed on red, white and black splatter, the vinyl nods to the home kit colors of Sheffield United FC, who play their home matches at Bramall Lane. Additionally, the 4K UHD will be the band's first 4K release and includes "One Night Only Live At The Leadmill", previously released last year.

Marking the start of their co-headlining European tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE, this concert on May 22, 2023 in Sheffield, England served as a homecoming show for DEF LEPPARD, 47 years since the bands inception. Performing DEF LEPPARD's second-ever hometown stadium concert to a sold-out crowd of almost 40,000 fans, the Blu-ray+2CD and 2CD and 2LP versions include classics "Photograph" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me" as well as U.K. live debuts "Take What You Want" and "This Guitar", the latter dedicated to the band's late great guitarist Steve Clark.

On the eve of the band's tour, DEF LEPPARD revisited their club days and played an intimate show for just under 900 die-hard fans from the historic Sheffield venue, The Leadmill. The concert featured a mix of hits and rarities spanning their entire catalog from "On Through The Night" to the band's most recent album "Diamond Star Halos". This specific show, "One Night Only Live At The Leadmill", is available for the first time in the 4K UHD format on the "Diamond Star Heroes" 4K release.

Track listing:

01. Take What You Want
02. Let's Get Rocked
03. Animal
04. Foolin'
05. Armageddon It
06. Kick
07. Love Bites
08. Promises
09. This Guitar
10. When Love And Hate Collide
11. Rocket
12. Bringin' On The Heartbreak
13. Switch 625
14. Hysteria
15. Pour Some Sugar On Me
16. Rock Of Ages
17. Photograph

With more than 110 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious diamond awards in the U.S., Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees DEF LEPPARD — Joe Elliott (vocals),Phil Collen (guitar),Rick Savage (bass),Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) — continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career, the band has produced a series of classic ground-breaking albums — including the 14-times-platinum "Hysteria" and 11-times-platinum "Pyromania" — that set the bar for generations of music fans and artists alike. The group's spectacular live shows and arsenal of hits have become synonymous with their name, leading DEF LEPPARD to be heralded as the world's greatest live rock band.

In May 2022, DEF LEPPARD released their critically and commercially acclaimed twelfth studio album "Diamond Star Halos". The album debuted at No. 1 on the Apple, Amazon Music and Billboard's Hard Rock charts, and scored a Top 10 debut on the Billboard 200 chart, marking the band's eighth Top 10 album of their career. Globally, it notched numerous Top 10 chart entries, including a Top 5 debut in the U.K. Following this success, the band released their 13th studio album "Drastic Symphonies" with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2023, which charted at No. 4 in the U.K. — their highest U.K. chart entry in over 32 years — and spent an impressive 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Current Classical chart.

By the end of this year, DEF LEPPARD will have sold over 4.5 million tickets across the globe since their sold-out stadium run in 2022 alongside MÖTLEY CRÜE, a massive feat in today's touring world. The group continues to push the boundaries with their electrifying live shows on their current summer tour with a number of headline shows and festival dates. Next year, the group returns to Las Vegas for their third residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Most recently, the band teamed up with legendary guitarist Tom Morello for their single "Just Like 73", which soared to #1 on the Mediabase Classic Rock chart.

In a new interview with Eonmusic's Eamon O'Neill, legendary vocalist John Bush spoke about his recent announcement that he will embark on a special run of live performances showcasing the music he helped create during his decade-long tenure singing with ANTHRAX. This December, Bush will perform songs spanning all four albums he recorded with the band: "Sound Of White Noise", "Stomp 442", "Volume 8: The Threat Is Real" and "We've Come For You All". Joining Bush on stage will be his CATEGORY 7 bandmates Phil Demmel (guitar),Mike Orlando (guitar) and Jason Bittner (drums),along with his longtime ARMORED SAINT partner and best friend Joey Vera on bass (CATEGORY 7 bassist Jack Gibson has a schedule conflict and is unable to make the gigs).

Asked if an interview with Eonmusic in 2017 really galvanized things with regard to how these shows came about, John said: "Well, you could be a contributing force, for sure. I've been talking about it and wanting to do this for a long time. It was just a matter of finding the right time to do it. I love those tunes, I want to play these songs live. I've been practicing them, and they sound pretty awesome."

On the possibility of other ANTHRAX bandmembers getting up with him, he said: "My opinion is with those guys, it's their music. It's their songs; they wrote them. They can do whatever they want. If they want to come out for a song, great. If they don't want to come out for any, great. You know, it doesn't matter. If they want to play ten songs, great. The door is open, and they could do whatever they want in conjunction with it, or nothing. As we get closer to the shows, we'll see where people are at with scheduling."

When O'Neill asked if ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian gave his blessing, given that John and Scott had recently played together at Scott's wife's birthday celebration, John said: "Scott asked about being the third guitar player on one of the shows. He had said, 'Would you like a third guitar player?', and I was cracking up, but I don't know how completely sincere he was about it. I think it was, but he has a conflict with the date in Los Angeles, and that's where Scott lives. He has a wedding in New York, so I was saying, 'Well, maybe New York?", but I don't know if he's going to be there that long, so who knows?"

Finally, John summed up the vibe for the shows: "I do want it to feel celebratory. I have a few other people in line to come up maybe and do some songs. I just want it to feel kind of like a party, almost, a celebration of those songs and those records. It's not a competition with ANTHRAX. I want it to just feel like a fun event to be at."

During an appearance on the July 31 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Bush stated about what led to the decision to play full-length concerts focusing on his time with ANTHRAX: "Obviously I've talked about this for quite a while, and it's come and gone because of various reasons — scheduling, or maybe I was just reluctant at the time. And Dan DeVita, who I owe a lot to, because he's the agent who books ARMORED SAINT, and he's booking this, and I've known Dan for years and years. He works for TKO, and he's doing great for himself, and he's always been there for us and for me. And the thing is, he kept saying, like, 'When do you wanna do this? Let's do this.' And we had a plan to do it in the summer of this year. We had dates for Europe that were ready to go. And then for whatever reason, I don't know if I got cold feet or some of the negotiations kind of fell apart with some of the people I was talking to. And so we pulled out. And we actually had some legitimate gigs — we had a couple of festivals that were big and it was gonna be cool. For whatever reason, it didn't happen. So it's a moot point now. But the reality is, look, I am gonna be 62 [in August]. And I've been talking about this forever, and so let's just do it. Let's stop talking about it and let's do it. So we found the right dates to do it, which is in December, and it's three shows. It's L.A., it's St. Charles, which is outside of Chicago, and then New York City. And I'm gonna go out and we're gonna play songs from these records, and I think it's gonna be really exciting and fun. I think fans are gonna be stoked, and I'm excited. I'm looking forward to it. There's really, really killer tunes on those records that I'm really proud of, and it's gonna be fun to sing them live."

On the topic of how he chose the musicians to play these shows with, Bush said: "It was gonna be the four guys from CATEGORY 7, and Jack Gibson just has a scheduling conflict. So that was the original plan. But it was funny, 'cause we talked about doing this and it was, like, well, here's the band. We've only played one show with CATEGORY 7 — we played the Whisky [A Go Go] just a couple weeks back — but every time we were gonna do some shows, a couple of things fell apart, a couple of balls were dropped. Whatever — that's a moot point. But I think the [CATEGORY 7] record actually is pretty off the charts; it's a killer record, [and I'm] really proud of it. And so we wanted to play some shows, and then, like I said, a couple of things fell apart. But then the idea came of, like, okay, well, wait a minute here. Here's a bunch of incredible musicians. And these guys can play these songs. Bittner played in ANTHRAX, or did some touring with them when Charlie [Benante] was having some injury issues. So he knows a lot of tunes. And it just made sense. It was, like, 'Well, wait a minute. We could piggyback this thing. It'll be really kind of interesting to have one band play and then kind of come back and play again.' So, it's gonna be a little much for not only me as a singer, it's gonna be a lot of songs. It's gonna be a lot of songs for the band to know and learn. But I think in the end it's gonna be a cool story, and it's gonna be fun. Like I was saying, if I was trying to put a band together from scratch of people that I would like to do these ANTHRAX songs, I would choose those guys 'cause they're amazing. So it just made sense. So it's gonna be a lot of fun. And like I said, a lot of these songs — I mean, 'Potter's Field' and 'Fueled' and 'Safe Home', we haven't played these songs — I haven't played these songs, and nor have they, in years and years. So, it's gonna be really cool and exciting to kind of resurrect some of these tunes that a lot of people dug and are great songs that just haven't been heard in a long time."

Asked about the possibility of playing more shows celebrating his era of ANTHRAX in 2026, John said: "Well, we're gonna take this step [by playing these three shows in December]. And for me, this was a big step. So I was, like, let's do this. And Dan, like I said, my agent, he was, like, 'Why don't we do this? We'll kind of play like three shows, strategic, and start with this.' The [new] ARMORED SAINT record is coming out in March or April, so I'm gonna be definitely wanting to do a lot of touring and association with that, because we're really stoked about this upcoming [ARMORED SAINT] album — it sounds killer — so we're gonna do a lot of stuff with that. So it's finding a way to merge some of these things together, but let me kind of get this out there, see what the vibe is. It seems like it's actually pretty awesome so far… But let's see what we get and let's see what happens. And sure, there's a lot of places that I would like to take it — certainly Europe and even South America and maybe even Japan. And the sky's kind of the limit. Obviously, there's a shelf life 'cause this is not new material. These are records that are 20 to 30 years old at this point. So it's not new music. And, of course, ANTHRAX has new music, and they're making a record and they have a new record coming out next year. But the fact is they just really haven't been playing any of these tunes. So they've been kind of almost put in a time capsule. And I get it — I really do. To just call it as it is, I understand, especially from the standpoint of [longtime ANTHRAX singer] Joey Belladonna. They're gonna have a third new record after he came back in the band. They obviously have their catalog of stuff that he did, and they probably have a plethora of material to play, not including any of the Bush songs. But the reality is I don't want these songs to just go into oblivion here. There's some really great material here, and in the '90s these songs had a lot of impact on people. So, I'm figuring, well, if you guys aren't gonna do it, then I should do it. And that's why I'm finally doing it."

Asked if he would still be doing these shows if the Belladonna-fronted lineup of ANTHRAX was performing a lot of the material Bush recorded with the band live, John said: "Well, I'd say most likely not. I used to say, 'Do songs [from my era]. I want you to do tunes.' I understand why you don't, but I wish they would. Because, again, it's something that I invested emotionally and a lot of time, as well as those guys did. So, I would prefer them to play the tunes. I understand if they don't, but if they were, then maybe not. But they don't, with the exception of 'Only'. And there's a lot of great tunes. I've been putting a setlist together, and it's probably more songs than I really wanna sing, to be honest, 'cause it could be a very long set. Plus I wanna play some deep tracks — I don't wanna just play the obvious songs, like 'Only', 'Room For One More', 'Fueled'. I wanna play 'Safe Home', whatever. I wanna play some deep tracks, because it will be more fun that way. So, would I do this [if ANTHRAX was still performing songs from the Bush era live]? Probably not. I would say probably not. But they're not, so I am."

On the upcoming run of shows, CATEGORY 7 will open each night with its own blistering set before returning as John's backing band for the ANTHRAX material.

The setlist will include not only the well-known anthems, but also some deeper cuts that haven’t been performed live in years.

John Bush performing songs from his era of ANTHRAX:

Dec. 13 - Los Angeles, CA @ Whisky A-Go-Go
Dec. 18 - St. Charles, IL @ Arcada Theatre
Dec. 20 - New York, NY @ Racket

John Bush photo by Rob Shotwell / Scott Ian image courtesy of Jackson Guitars

Grammy-winning, progressive music titans DREAM THEATER will release "Quarantième: Live À Paris" on November 28 via their longtime label partner Inside Out Music/Sony Music.

"Quarantième: Live À Paris" documents DREAM THEATER's November 23, 2024 concert at Adidas Arena in Paris, France during the band's 40th-anniversary headlining tour of Europe, and it features the lineup of James LaBrie (vocals),John Petrucci (guitar),John Myung (bass),Jordan Rudess (keyboards) and Mike Portnoy (drums). The effort contains a setlist that spans the band's entire career with classics like "Metropolis Pt. 1", "Panic Attack", "Octavarium" and "Pull Me Under" represented among other fan favorites.

To coincide with the announcement, DREAM THEATER has released a live version of "Overture 1928 / Strange Déjà Vu" via all digital services providers and a video of the performance can be seen below.

Petrucci comments: "From the moment we announced our 40th-anniversary tour, we knew it would be a very special event for both the band and our fans and must be captured. With this release, our performance in Paris is presented so beautifully in both stunning audio and video and really encapsulates this momentous occasion for all to enjoy."

Adds Portnoy: "We always knew this tour would be unforgettable because not only were we celebrating four decades since forming the band, but also the reunion of the band's classic lineup. The excitement and emotions between us and our fans at each and every show were palpable and totally off the charts! The night captured here in Paris was an epic evening that we can now share with the whole world to celebrate this incredible tour."

Presented in several formats, with artwork by longtime collaborator Hugh Syme, "Quarantième: Live À Paris" will be available as a limited deluxe 3CD+3Blu-ray artbook, including 68 pages of photos and artwork as well as an additional Blu-ray of bonus material. It will also be available as a special edition 3CD+2Blu-ray Digipak, limited deluxe 180g 4LP boxset and digitally. The Blu-ray includes the full show with Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound and high-resolution stereo audio.

The track listing for "Quarantième: Live À Paris" is as follows:

CD1:

01. Metropolis Pt. 1
02. Overture 1928
03. Strange Déjà Vu
04. The Mirror
05. Panic Attack
06. Barstool Warrior
07. Hollow Years
08. Constant Motion
09. As I Am

CD2:

01. Orchestral Overture
02. Night Terror
03. Under A Glass Moon
04. This Is The Life
05. Vacant
06. Stream of Consciousness
07. Octavarium

CD3:

01. Home
02. The Spirit Carries On
03. Pull Me Under

Blu-ray 1:

01. Metropolis Pt. 1
02. Overture 1928
03. Strange Déjà Vu
04. The Mirror
05. Panic Attack
06. Barstool Warrior
07. Hollow Years
08. Constant Motion
09. As I Am

Blu-ray 2:

01. Orchestral Overture
02. Night Terror
03. Under A Glass Moon
04. This Is The Life
05. Vacant
06. Stream of Consciousness
07. Octavarium
08. Home
09. The Spirit Carries On
10. Pull Me Under

During an August 6 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Portnoy spoke about what it has been like for him to be touring with DREAM THEATER once again after a 13-year absence. The progressive metal legends played their first concert with Portnoy in 14 years on October 20, 2024 at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. The drummer, who co-founded DREAM THEATER, played on 10 of the band's 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. Portnoy returned to DREAM THEATER in October 2023 after being replaced by Mike Mangini, who played with DREAM THEATER across five studio albums and accompanying world tours. Portnoy told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk""It's been incredible — the biggest tour the band has ever done. We started at the O2 in London, which was incredibly emotional, and then we wrapped the U.S. tour at Radio City Music Hall… There's so many highlights. It's been incredible. We did all of Europe once with [the] 'An Evening With' [run of shows], then we did South America. We did North America, then we did this [European] festival run, and now we're about to shift into finally doing a tour for the new album, 'cause through all this we put out a new album in February, and we haven't really had a chance to properly give attention to that yet, 'cause we've been so busy with the 40th-anniversary thing. So we're about to shift into 'Parasomnia' mode, and we have a North American tour kicking off next month. And we'll be all through the States in September and October with a completely different show. So if anybody saw us in the last round, this is a completely different set, completely different stage, and we're gonna play the whole new album in its entirety, which will be a lot of fun and finally give it its due."

Asked if the tracks from DREAM THEATER's sixteenth studio album, "Parasomnia", will be performed in the same order that they appear on the LP on the current U.S. tour, Portnoy said: "Yeah, it was written to be performed that way. The whole album is very much like a concept album in that respect. So we've played a couple of the songs this past year on the 40th-anniversary tour, but now we could dig into it and give it a full top-to-bottom presentation. And then gonna celebrate the 30th anniversary of 'A Change of Seasons', which was like the first big epic the band put out 30 years ago. So we're gonna play that as well."

Portnoy added: "We've still got a lot of gas left in the tank. We're gonna go over to Asia right after New Year, and then we have a third European run next spring to do the 'Parasomnia' over there. So it's been incredible, but the emotions at every show — the fans, you just look out there and you see grown men crying, and it's all smiles and tears."

After Trunk noted that a lot of the emotions surrounding DREAM THEATER's current tour are based on the fact that Portnoy is back in the band after such a long time away, Mike said: "I'm so thankful that it's come back full circle. It would've been really sad if we never did reunite. I've seen other bands, like PINK FLOYD with Roger Waters, or GENESIS with Peter Gabriel, certain bands that never do reunite. And as a fan, it's a shame. I would love to see those lineups together again before it all ends. So for us to be back together again and celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band and riding off into the sunset together, it's poetic. It's the way it should be, really. And I'm so glad that we're here together again."

DREAM THEATER's summer/fall 2025 "An Evening With Dream Theater" U.S. tour is hitting 30 cities across the United States, kicking off September 5 in Reading, Pennsylvania and running through October 25, when it wraps in Long Island, New York. The tour is making stops in Orlando, Floria; Detroit, Michigan; Kansas City, Missouri and Providence, Rhode Island, among others. DREAM THEATER is performing its latest album in its entirety as well as classics and fan favorites from the band's catalog in what promises to be an unforgettable evening of music.

"Parasomnia" came out on February 7, 2025 via InsideOut Music. The LP marked 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 returned once again to lend his creative vision to the cover art.

"Parasomnia" is an eight-song, 71-minute set which was recorded at DREAM THEATER's DTHQ studio on Long Island, New York. It is the follow-up to 2021's "A View From The Top Of The World", which debuted at in the top 10 of Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Rock Albums and Independent Albums charts. Six songs on "Parasomnia" are over seven minutes and the closing epic "The Shadow Man Incident" clocks in at nearly 20 minutes.

The North American leg of DREAM THEATER's 40th-anniversary tour kicked off on February 7 at The Met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The trek was "An Evening With Dream Theater" and was the first tour of North America since Portnoy's return to the lineup. The tour concluded on March 22 in New York City.

Portnoy, Petrucci and Myung started DREAM THEATER as MAJESTY in 1985, after meeting at the Berklee College Of Music in Boston. LaBrie came on board in 1991, while Rudess joined in 1999.

Prior to Portnoy's return to DREAM THEATER, the drummer and Petrucci worked together on the latter's 2020 solo album, "Terminal Velocity", and toured together. Portnoy and Petrucci also joined Rudess and bassist Tony Levin for a third studio album as LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT in 2021.

ENVY OF NONE, the band featuring Alex Lifeson (RUSH),Andy Curran (CONEY HATCH),Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne, will release "The Thrill", a three-track single, on November 1 via Kscope. The new offering features an alternative version of album track "Thrill Of The Chase", a demo version, and the album track itself. A brand-new video for "The Thrill", directed and edited by Mithun Hassan, can be seen below.

Curran states: "'Thrill Of The Chase' was one of the last songs we worked on before handing in the completed record. It started with Alf's funky demo and Maiah loved it and was very vocal about completing it. She and I were wanting to add something up tempo to the record and this one, despite being a little left of center style wise seemed to fit nicely. It has a cool funky positive vibe that we enjoyed exploring, especially the outro dance party section!"

Alfio adds: "At first glance, this track seems like an odd choice to include on the album, but once Maiah added her vocals, the track instantly sounded as if EON had walked through a new yet familiar door. And as a special bonus, the remix even features a cowbell!"

Alongside the digital release, ENVY OF NONE will also release "The Thrill" as a 12-inch colored vinyl version of the single with all proceeds from this release donated to UNHCR's response to the Ukraine emergency, available exclusively from the band's store.

ENVY OF NONE's second album, "Stygian Wavz", was released in March via Kscope.

Though they'd never describe themselves as such, ENVY OF NONE are the living, breathing definition of a supergroup. No other band on earth could rightly claim to have Lifeson — one of rock's most influential visionaries — heading up guitar duties, with Curran of CONEY HATCH and SOHO 69 overseeing bass/programming as well as producer extraordinaire Alfio Annibalini on keyboards. However, the star in this band could very well be its youngest member — American singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne — whose wonderfully emotive vocals are able to spin the music in new exciting directions that thrill to the core.

On their self-titled debut of 2022, the group were able to prove that they were a lot more than the sum of their parts, with an abundance of panache and finesse poured into a contemporary alt rock sound that was hard to predict and even harder to categorize. This year's sophomore release, "Stygian Wavz", is the sound of a band basking in the radiant glow of creative confidence and coming into their own, staggering the listener with every twist and turn encased within their heady mix of genre-splicing brilliance.

"Stygian Wavz" was released on a selection of formats, including colored vinyl, standard black vinyl, CD, Blu-ray, digitally and as a special deluxe edition boxset.

"I think we started working on the record about twenty minutes after the release of the first," Lifeson told Classic Rock magazine about "Stygian Wavz". "We had little bits of ideas lingering. But once we committed to doing a second LP, we threw those aside and started with fresher, newer ones. And it was really exciting, because we'd had this great time making [the debut], and nobody wanted to stop."

He added: "When I finally listened to the mastered record from top to bottom, I felt, 'This is a band.' The first record was a union of four musicians writing music to create an album, but with this second one we really connected as bandmates."

ENVY OF NONE is:

Alf Annibalini - Guitar, Keyboards, Programming
Andy Curran - Bass Guitar, Synthesized Bass, Programming, Guitar, Background Vocals, Stylophone
Alex Lifeson - Guitar, Mandola, Banjo, Programming
Maiah Wynne - Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Keyboards

Photo credit: Richard Sibbald

Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the acclaimed rock opera album, Beethoven’s Last Night. To mark this grand milestone, they are releasing two exclusive, limited-edition 2LP vinyl sets on Friday, September 12.

Join Al Pitrelli and Chris Caffery from as they unbox the special 25th Anniversary Red Colored Vinyl and a Lenticular Cover Edition of Beethoven’s Last Night:



The first edition features a lenticular cover with 3D-style artwork and two silver LPs, available exclusively at Rhino.com and the official Trans-Siberian Orchestra website.



The second edition showcases the same 3D-style artwork, but features two royal-red LPs, available in select stores and online retailers, offering you another special way to experience this amazing album!



TSO has shared “Mozart” from the release. Check it out below.

“Overture”
“Midnight”
“Fate”
“What Good This Deafness”
“Mephistopheles”
“What Is Eternal”
“The Moment”
“Vienna”
“Mozart”
“The Dreams Of Candlelight”
“Requiem”
“I’ll Keep Your Secrets”
“The Dark”
“Für Elise”
“After The Fall”
“A Last Illusion”
“This Is Who You Are”
“Beethoven”
“Mephistopheles’ Return”
“Misery”
“Who Is This Child”
“A Final Dream”

According to People magazine, Perry Farrell has responded to a lawsuit filed by his JANE'S ADDICTION bandmates Dave Navarro, Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins over the singer's onstage altercation with Navarro in September 2024 that forced the cancelation of JANE'S ADDICTION's reunion tour. Their claims included intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract, while claims from Navarro included allegations of assault and battery over the incident.

In Perry's document, which was filed on Monday, September 8, Farrell lists 35 affirmative defenses, including claims that Navarro has "unclean hands," 'fails to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action against" and "failed to exercise reasonable care and diligence to mitigate [the] alleged claims and damages."

The 66-year-old vocalist also says he acted in "good faith and without malice" toward the guitarist. He’s seeking attorney fees and legal costs related to the case.

Christopher Frost, an attorney for Navarro, Avery and Perkins, sent a written statement to People in which he said: "Our lawsuit speaks for itself. So does the video. By responding in this way, Mr. Farrell is not taking any formal legal step to stop the litigation. This is consistent with the fact that they have taken no affirmative steps to advance their claims, whether serving discovery or otherwise, and it is consistent with the strength of the claims by Dave, Eric, and Stephen."

Navarro, Avery and Perkins filed their lawsuit this past July in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleging that the group lost over $10 million as a result of the tour's cancelation.

"The Band can no longer function as a result of the Defendant’s conduct, including his sudden, violent outbursts and demonstrated inability to serve as the Band's frontman and vocalist," their complaint said. "The physical, emotional, and financial harms Defendant has wrought have deeply impacted the Plaintiffs, their families, and their loved ones, and it is time for Defendant to face the consequences of his actions and be held accountable."

The JANE'S ADDICTION members also alleged in their lawsuit that Farrell was often unable to deliver on stage as a result of his alcohol consumption.

"Plaintiffs (and others in attendance) had observed during the Tour that Perry regularly appeared onstage in an advanced state of intoxication," reads the complaint. "He would often drink wine onstage and slur his speech. Perry frequently went on long, rambling discursions between songs for no apparent purpose other than for his own amusement. The problems with Perry's performance would often worsen as the night wore on and he became more intoxicated."

Frost said in a statement to Rolling Stone: "Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins had high hopes that they could capture the pure spirit of the band's early days and build on it. Initially they did, in the studio and onstage. But … they did so with a fourth bandmate who was by turns unwilling or unable to perform to a reasonable standard and who repeatedly threatened to derail the tour."

The attorney added that Farrell "abruptly and unilaterally ended all the plans for a JANE'S ADDICTION revival" following the aforementioned incident and "left his bandmates holding the bag for an unfulfilled tour and record deal… Dave, Eric, and Stephen never wanted it to come to this. But they have been wronged, want the accurate story told, and they deserve a resolution."

Just hours after Navarro, Avery and Perkins sued him, Farrell filed a lawsuit — which, according to Variety, was not a countersuit — against his JANE'S ADDICTION bandmates, stating: "That JANE'S ADDICTION's bandmates have sometimes been antagonistic towards each other has been well-documented. But Navarro, Avery and Perkins apparently decided that JANE'S ADDICTION's decades of success should be jettisoned in pursuit of a years-long bullying campaign against Farrell involving harassing him onstage during performances, including, among other tactics, trying to undermine him by playing their instruments at a high volume so that he could not hear himself sing without blasting his own in-ear monitors at an unsafe level. This harassment escalated on September 13, 2024 to physical violence by Navarro and Avery against Farrell onstage during the Boston show and the assault of both Perry and [Perry's wife] Etty Lau Farrell backstage by Navarro. These altercations precipitated the decision by Navarro, Avery and Perkins to both call off the rest of the band's North American tour. Without warning or consultation and using Perry Farrell, as a scapegoat, Navarro and the other band members took it upon themselves to abruptly cancel the remaining tour dates — violating contracts and disregarding all professional obligations — and apparently break up the band for good."

Regarding Navarro's alleged backstage assault, the complaint read: "Navarro now falsely claims Farrell hit Navarro with a sucker punch. What actually happened was that it was Navarro who menacingly charged at and aggressively assaulted both Farrell and his wife Etty Lau backstage, shouting, 'What the fuck was that, you motherfucker?!' Farrell took a defensive stance and shouted, 'Get the fuck out of here!' to which Navarro replied, 'I am never working with you again!'"

The complaint continued: "[Farrell] was not even consulted about cancelling the tour and would not have agreed to do so due to the financial and reputational consequences, as well as exposure to third-party legal liability created by their allowing Wilton Hilton, Inc., the band's touring company, breach its touring commitments."

In a statement shared with Variety, Farrell said of the trio's lawsuit: "As a founding member and creative force behind JANE'S ADDICTION, Perry Farrell has always prioritized the band's legacy and its supporters, which is why the events of September 13th, 2024 in Boston and the resulting fallout was so devastating. Without warning or consultation and using Perry as a scapegoat, Dave Navarro and the other band members took it upon themselves to abruptly cancel the remaining tour dates — violating contracts and disregarding all professional obligations. Perry was blindsided by not being allowed to vote and be heard, leaving him unable to plead his case to continue the tour for their fans. If that was not harmful enough, Dave Navarro then intentionally and publicly blamed Perry for the canceled tour dates effectively destroying Perry's reputation and causing him irreparable harm. Despite this continued bullying perpetuated by Navarro, Perry's dedication to JANE'S ADDICTION and the preservation of its positive impact on the music industry remains unshaken. He is actively exploring ways to address the situation and ensure accountability."

JANE'S ADDICTION's September 13, 2024 concert at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston came to a sudden end after Farrell bumped Navarro's shoulder with his own before seemingly yelling at the guitarist. Navarro then placed a hand between himself and Perry before Farrell appeared to throw a punch at him. Another man then jumped between them, breaking up the fight. A couple of days later, JANE'S ADDICTION announced that it was scrapping the rest of its tour dates following the incident. The band said it "made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group," therefore scrapping the rest of the dates of their tour. A short time later, Navarro, along with drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery, posted a joint statement to their respective Instagram accounts in which they said the cancelation of the tour is a result of a "continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell."

"Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative. We hope that he will find the help he needs," the statement read.

Navarro, Perkins and Avery expressed "regret" for the cancelation but added that they "can see no solution that would either ensure a safe environment on stage or reliably allow us to deliver a great performance on a nightly basis."

"Our hearts are broken," the statement concluded.

Later that same day, Farrell wrote in a statement posted to his Instagram story that "this weekend has been incredibly difficult and after having the time and space to reflect, it is only right that I apologize to my bandmates, especially Dave Navarro, fans, family and friends for my actions during Friday's show."

His statement added: "Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation."

A few days after the tour cancelation, JANE'S ADDICTION released a new single, "True Love". The track, which was performed live for the first time in 2023 and had been played at a few other shows since, was the second new single from the band's classic lineup of Farrell, Navarro, Perkins and Avery, following "Imminent Redemption", which arrived in July 2024.

"True Love" was written by Farrell, Navarro, Avery and Perkins, with assistance from touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

"Imminent Redemption" was tracked at Sweetzwerland Studios in Hollywood, California.

Prior to "Imminent Redemption"'s arrival, Avery's last time in the studio with JANE'S ADDICTION was for the classic 1990 album "Ritual De Lo Habitual".

"Imminent Redemption" was first performed live when JANE'S ADDICTION's classic lineup played its first show in 14 years on May 23, 2024 at London, United Kingdom's Bush Hall.

Navarro sat out JANE'S ADDICTION's 2022 and 2023 shows due to his battle with long COVID. He was replaced at that year's gigs by Klinghoffer, a former member of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS who also records with Eddie Vedder and performs with PEARL JAM. 2022 saw QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's Troy Van Leeuwen step in for Navarro.

The fall 2022 "Spirit On Fire" tour marked the first JANE'S ADDICTION run of shows in more than a decade to feature returning Avery. Prior to that, Avery last played with the band for a short stint in the 2000s before departing again in 2010.

FOO FIGHTERS played their first concert with new drummer Ilan Rubin Saturday night (September 13) at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California.

The Dave Grohl-fronted out announced the surprise show Friday night (September 12),revealing that it would play an all-ages gig at the 900-capacity venue, marking the band's first official performance with Rubin, the former NINE INCH NAILS drummer who joined the FOO FIGHTERS earlier this year.

Tickets went on sale at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Fremont Theater, and people were told to begin lining up no earlier than 7 a.m., according to the theater's web site. All ticket sales were in person at the Fremont Theater box office, and the person attending the event had be present at the time of purchase with their physical ID and a credit card. Cash and contactless or digital credit cards weren't accepted. A physical ID was required to enter the venue. Guests had to enter with the person who purchased their ticket or their ticket would be forfeited.

Prior to the San Luis Obispo concert, FOO FIGHTERS had been off the road since September 2024.

FOO FIGHTERS will next play in Jakarta, Indonesia on October 2, followed by dates in Singapore, Tokyo and Osaka later that month. They will also play a show in Mexico City on November 14.

FOO FIGHTERS announced Rubin as their new drummer this past July.

Rubin was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with NINE INCH NAILS in 2020.

Rubin stepped into the FOO FIGHTERS as the replacement for Josh Freese, who was fired from the group in May. Freese, meanwhile, who was the NAILS' touring drummer from 2005 to 2008, returned to the band earlier this summer.

Two years after he was recruited to fill the vacancy left by the late Taylor Hawkins, Freese shared a statement on Instagram on May 16 in which he said the FOO FIGHTERS called him earlier that week to let him know that they had decided "to go in a different direction with their drummer." Freese added, "No reason was given."

Rubin played with NINE INCH NAILS from 2008 to 2009, and again from 2013 until his latest exit. Rubin is also a member of Tom DeLonge's band ANGELS & AIRWAVES, and has played with Danny Elfman. He also recorded solo albums under the name THE NEW REGIME.

FOO FIGHTERS' 11th album, "But Here We Are", was released in June 2023 on Roswell/RCA.

Hawkins tragically passed away in March 2022 at the age of 50.

Hawkins was found dead in a hotel room in Colombia, shortly before FOO FIGHTERS were due to play a festival in Bogotá. No cause of death was ever announced.

Hawkins had been the FOO FIGHTERS drummer for 25 years, taking over from original drummer William Goldsmith in 1997. He is survived by his wife Alison and their three children.

FOO FIGHTERS staged two tribute concerts in honor of Hawkins. The first tribute concert took place September 3, 2022 at London's Wembley Stadium. A Los Angeles concert was held on September 27, 2022 and raised money for Musicares and Music Support charities and served as a farewell party for Hawkins's adopted hometown.

Other notable tributes to come in the months following Hawkins's death included a segment at the 2022 Grammy Awards, a drum circle in Taylor's hometown, and a live performance of the FOO FIGHTERS song "My Hero" by more than 1,000 musicians.

In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx spoke about Mick Mars's ongoing legal battle with the iconic hard rockers, after the guitarist alleged that the group was pushing him out after he announced his retirement from touring.

When Mars announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. Only six months later, however, he filed a lawsuit against MÖTLEY CRÜE in Los Angeles County's Superior Court, claiming that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting.

"[Mick] came to us and said, health-wise, he couldn't fulfill his contract, and we let him out of the deal," Sixx told the Los Angeles Times. "Then he sued us because he just said that he can't tour. We were like, 'Well, if you can't tour, you can't tour.' I will probably come to that too someday."

Sixx also addressed Mars's allegation in his lawsuit that the guitarist was the only bandmember to play 100 percent live on MÖTLEY CRÜE's 2022 The Stadium Tour", claiming Nikki "did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour."

"Anything we enhance the shows with, we actually played," Sixx told the Los Angeles Times. "If there are background vocals with my background vocals, and we have background singers to make it sound more like the record. That does not mean we're not singing."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's attorney, Sasha Frid, wrote in a statement to the Los Angeles Times: "The fact of the matter is that MÖTLEY always plays live. Even Mars's expert witness in the litigation, who Mars hired and who reviewed hours of footage, agreed and said that the band played live while performing. He disputed Mars's own claims."

Sixx went on to call Mars's accusations a "crazy betrayal", adding: "Saying he played in a band that didn't play, it's a betrayal to the band who saved his life. People say things like, 'Well, if you guys are really playing, then I need isolated tracks from band rehearsal.' … It's ludicrous."

In response to Mars's lawsuit, CRÜE's manager of more than three decades, Allen Kovac, told Variety in a 2023 interview that Mars was coming out with a list of allegations "to gain leverage in a smear campaign on MÖTLEY. He's attacked the band, and he's done it in a slanderous way, with false accusations and misrepresenting the facts to the fans. Mick is not the victim. The victims are MÖTLEY CRÜE and the brand, which Mick is so prideful of." But, he added, "What's upsetting to me is not Mick, but his representatives, who have guided Mick to say and do harmful things to the brand he cares about so much, MÖTLEY CRÜE. He has a degenerative disease and people are taking advantage of him. It's called elder abuse."

Kovac continued: "Mick's representatives have no idea what they've created, but I've stopped the band from speaking about this, so they're not gonna turn the fans against Mick. But I am going to make sure that people understand that Mick hasn't been treated badly. In fact, he was treated better than anyone else in the band, and they carried him and they saved his life."

Mars suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS),a chronic and inflammatory form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine and pelvis. After years of performing through the pain, he informed the other members of MÖTLEY CRÜE in the summer of 2022 that he could no longer tour with them but would still be open to recording new music or performing at residencies that did not require much travel.

Regarding Mick's claim that he was the only CRÜE member to play 100 percent live on the 2022 recent tour, Kovac told Variety at the time: "Everything is live with Nikki's bass playing and Tommy's [Lee] drum playing. When they've used loops, they're still playing. There are augmented vocals, which were (recorded) in the studio and are backgrounds behind the two ladies who are singing and (other background vocals by) John 5 and Nikki Sixx, and before that Mick and Nikki." He described the pre-recorded vocal layering as where "you multi-track and you do gang vocals with, like, 20 people, just like all the other bands do with background vocals. They've got background vocals in the mix. That's the truth.

"But Nikki played his bass and always has," Kovac continued. "Vince [Neil] was singing better than he was before (on the 2022 tour). That was in reviews. Now, John 5 is playing like who John 5 is. I've heard John 5 perform and I heard Mick perform. Both are great guitar players. Unfortunately, Mick is not the same. He hasn't been the same for a long time. Which was in reviews! You see that the professionals knew. DEF LEPPARD (which alternated headlining spots on the tour) knew. And (Mars) caused a train wreck up there, because he would play the wrong songs and the wrong parts, even with the guide tracks. When he played the wrong song, it wasn't Nikki Sixx that had a tape; it was the soundman bringing it into the mix so the audience could hear a song, even though the guitar player was playing a different song." He says audiences "would hear it at first, but (sound engineers) would fix it so that we could keep the song going. I heard it. I'd go to the soundboard."

Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as MÖTLEY CRÜE's lead guitarist since the band's inception in 1981.

Although Sixx is responsible for penning the lion's share of the band's material, Mars did have a hand in co-writing some of the group's most famous tracks, including "Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)", "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "Dr. Feelgood".

The only credit Mars has on the first two MÖTLEY CRÜE albums is the instrumental "God Bless The Children Of The Beast" on 1983's "Shout At The Devil".

Mick's debut solo album, "The Other Side Of Mars", was released in February 2024 via his own label 1313, LLC, in partnership with MRI.

In a new interview with John "JP" Parise of Long Island, New York's 102.3 WBAB and Tampa, Florida's 102.5 The Bone radio stations, Dee Snider spoke about TWISTED SISTER's decision to reunite next year to celebrate the band's 50th anniversary. Regarding why he changed his mind about returning to the road, nine years after the completion of TWISTED SISTER's "40 And Fuck It!" farewell tour, and after he repeatedly slammed KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE farewell tours and subsequent reunions as mere cash grabs, Dee said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "First of all, I own [my previous] statements [about not wanting to stage a TWISTED SISTER reunion]. I said that and more. I singled out bands. I named names. I ranted and raved about this, and I expected to get excrements for this, but I'm getting hit hard.

"I'm not gonna lie, and I can only tell you so much, but this is the total truth," he continued. "I turned 70 this year and I had a health scare. And I'm okay… And it shook me up… I won't say [exactly what it was], and I'm okay. But it really made me re-evaluate a lot of things. [When I was] 40, 50, 60, I thought I was superhuman. TWISTED SISTER retired 10 years ago when I was ripped to shreds. And then [at] 70, something happened and it was a re-evaluation, quite honestly. And part of that re-evaluation was looking and saying… Am I ready to go? Well, you never know when you're gonna go quietly to the night. You never know when your time is up. And do I really wanna do that without rocking one more time. And I stopped doing solo stuff a few years back as well. I mean, I go out and I join [POISON frontman] Bret Michaels or Lita Ford on stage [during their shows] for a couple songs, but I don't go out and perform. And upon talking to my wife and re-evaluating, it was I, me, who called the [other] guys [in TWISTED SISTER]. I called them. They never called. I mean, we talk, but they never brought it up because I was, like, 'This is not happening, guys. It is done. It is over, just like I told everybody.' But, like I said, I had a life-changing experience and re-evaluation of a lot of things, and I reached out. I said, 'Guys, what do you think about doing it one more time?'"

TWISTED SISTER's 2026 will feature the band's three core members: Snider, founding guitarist Jay Jay French and longtime lead guitarist Eddie Ojeda. Bassist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza won't be joining the celebration. Russell Pzütto, who has toured with Snider's solo projects, will replace Mendoza on bass. Joe Franco, who briefly played with the group in the mid-1980s, will sit behind the drum kit, stepping in for A.J. Pero, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 55.

According to Dee, Jay Jay and Eddie didn't immediately jump at the opportunity to return to playing live shows with TWISTED SISTER. "It was a conversation," Snider explained. "At this point, do we wanna take this, for lack of a better word, victory lap, so to speak? But it was a conversation. And then everybody goes, 'Well, how can you not, with Alice [Cooper] out there [at the age of 77]?' Alice told me... I said, 'Dude, when are you gonna retire?' He says, 'I'm looking forward to singing when I'm 80.' So he's got no plans. [Mick] Jagger's out there [playing shows at age 82]. Paul McCartney's doing three hours [at age 83]. Now I know he doesn't run around like I do, but the same time, you go, well, there's precedents. People are out there into — there are octogenarians out there [touring] now. So we decided to go for it and go out on a high note."

After JP criticized some of the media's coverage of TWISTED SISTER's return, particularly as it relates to reports of the band "touring" again, Dee said: "It doesn't say that in the press release. I checked. I'm seeing, 'Tour.' 'They're hitting the road again.' Wait a minute — who's hitting the road? We're flying first class on an air jet airplane. Private plane.

"I'm sorry, folks. People are saying, 'Come to this town, come to that town.' No, man," he clarified. "This is a handful of dates — I'm thinking it's about 20, 25 shows around the world, festivals almost exclusively. And it's not a full-blown tour or anything like that. It's a celebration for us, and I hope you're celebrating with us for the fact that 50 years ago, next year, we got together — me, Eddie and Jay Jay — and we, against all odds, we had success."

Asked which festivals fans can expect to see TWISTED SISTER at next year, Dee said: "All the usual suspects. They're not announcing the dates because the events want to announce on their schedule, when they present their new lineup, whatever. But a lot of those names I'm seeing on the list, a lot of the usual suspects, whether it's [U.K.'s] Download or Sweden Rock or [France's] Hellfest, [as far as] Europe [is concerned]. I'm not saying 100 percent, but I've seen all these names popping up — [as well as Maryland's] M3 and [Oklahoma's] Rocklahoma. So I don't know if all these deals are signed, sealed and delivered, but these are all the names that I'm seeing — like I said, the usual suspects for where you would see an '80s, a hundred-year-old '80s metal band going out and playing."

Asked by JP "how big the dump truck full of money" was "that showed up in [Dee's] driveway" that convinced the singer to reunite TWISTED SISTER for the band's 50th anniversary, Snider said: "I'm gonna be honest. The numbers are getting higher and higher and higher, but it wasn't really where I — I had this place in mind, and it wasn't there. But like I said, honestly, it wasn't about the money. Yeah, if there was no money, I'm not gonna do it. I'm not gonna lie about that. But it really was this sort of looking in the mirror going, 'Hey, man, that was scary. And I don't wanna go out like that.' I do not wanna go out quietly. Kicking and screaming, man — that's the way I wanna go."

Dee also talked about the challenges of preparing for TWISTED SISTER live performances, particularly as it relates to the physical demands of stepping on a stage for an hour and a half. He said: "I always had a mixed relationship with the concerts. I did so much prep and I got so into it, it was so intense, I made myself miserable. When I go out there, it's the greatest moment in my life for 90 minutes, and I get off the stage and I feel really good for about 15 minutes, half hour, and then I start [to think], 'Oh no. I've gotta do this again tomorrow.' And I start getting manic. And [my wife] Suzette would never come out the road with me. She said, 'You're miserable. You sit in the room, you obsess.' I sit there, and I'm not one of those people, but I sit there writing a list of the exact time I've gotta eat my protein and what time I've gotta do my neck stretches and a hot bath and vocalizing. I write it down on a sheet, and I check it off. I'm, like, manic. And so that's another reason why going back to it, there's a lot of discomfort in the whole — and being away from the family and being away from my wife, 'cause she doesn't wanna be anywhere near me, which I understand. So, this way of doing it, going out and doing a show on a weekend and going out, there'll still be that day of getting ready for the show because it's sort of my method. But at least after the show, Suzette will be out there and we'll go and we'll enjoy wherever we are for a few days and relax until the next one comes. So it'll be one day of intensity as opposed to just an endless day after day after day of obsessing and making myself crazy."

During a September 10 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Dee stated about Mark's absence from the TWISTED SISTER 2026 tour: "I can only simply say irreconcilable differences and leave it at that. I can't get into the weeds and I can't go down that path. And I won't. But irreconcilable differences. People change, and however it is, and I'm not saying he changed; maybe we changed whatever it is. So in deciding who to use on bass, my bass player on the last two Dee Snider albums, 'For The Love Of Metal' and 'Leave A Scar', was Russ Pzütto. And he was Mark Mendoza's bass tech, and a great bass player… So, he did an amazing job on those two albums. He was a great guy to tour with. The band all knew him from years of working with TWISTED, and again, he seemed like a likely choice. As a matter of fact, one time he was Mark's choice to fill in for him. And one gig, it was in Belgium at Graspop, and Mark couldn't make it, and Russ stepped in and played with TWISTED. So he actually has performed with TWISTED once before."

Asked if he thinks the door is open for Mark to play with TWISTED SISTER again at some point during the reunion tour, Dee said: "I can't imagine it right now. I can't imagine it right now. I mean — I plead the fifth. I can't go beyond that. But things have happened that I don't see being reconciled, hence the term 'irreconcilable differences.'"

French previously addressed Mendoza's departure in a statement to Rolling Stone, explaining: "Me, Dee and Eddie have performed as TWISTED SISTER for nearly 50 years with 10 different bass players and drummers. The band has never discussed internal realignment before and has no intention of doing it now. Suffice to say that almost all bands with a 50-year history have gone through realignment as a byproduct of time. We wish Mark well in his future endeavors."

Franco played on TWISTED SISTER's 1987 album "Love Is For Suckers". Mike Portnoy, who took over for Pero after he died near the end of TWISTED SISTER's 2016 run, is busy touring with DREAM THEATER and is unable to participate in the upcoming TWISTED SISTER live activities.

Two and a half years ago, TWISTED SISTER staged a one-off reunion at the Metal Hall Of Fame in Agoura Hills, California. On hand to be inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame were Snider, French, Mendoza and Portnoy. Ojeda was absent from the event after contracting COVID-19; filling in for him was Keith Robert War. TWISTED SISTER played a highly charged three-song set consisting of the staples "You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll" and "Under The Blade", as well as the anthem "We're Not Gonna To Take It".

TWISTED SISTER's original run ended in the late '80s. After more than a decade, the band publicly reunited in November 2001 to top the bill of New York Steel, a hard-rock benefit concert to raise money for the New York Police And Fire Widows' And Children's Benefit Fund.

In a September 11, 2025 interview with Third Age Trust, which supports the more than 1,000 U3A charities in the United Kingdom, DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan was asked if he and his PURPLE bandmates are "like a family". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No… [Laughs] Socially, DEEP PURPLE is… I mean, I've gotta tell you, if there was a planet that had five polar regions, it would be called DEEP PURPLE. We're all so different — socially, politically and just general attitudes. And I think the reason we love each other so much when we're working is because we all make way and compromise for the greater good, just to make the music. So it's a very happy band on the road. But I have to be quite honest, once the tour's over… Last year, I packed my bag in May, and we finished the tour in November. But when you go home, no one sends e-mails or makes phone calls. We get on with a different life, and I won't see those guys until we get back on the road again or do rehearsals. We have a very fantastic time in the studio, and that's good."

Asked if DEEP PURPLE is planning to return to the road soon, Gillan, who turned 80 in August, said: "Next year will be April until November, starting in the Far East and possibly South America. Then May and June, the European festival season all over Europe. July and August will be in North America, I think probably Canada, United States and possibly Mexico, or that may be later. And then September, October [and] November will be the arena tour in Europe — north, south, east, and west of Europe. I've lost count how many months that is, but it's quite a few."

Last month, DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he and his bandmates will "just keep moving forward" with live shows while they are still physically able to, without ever announcing a final concert. Glover replied: "Well, I see a lot of bands doing the farewell tour or the farewell gig — BLACK SABBATH just did it recently, and other people have done it before — but it doesn't appeal to me, and I don't think the rest of the band either. To actually put a date on the final [show], now where's it gonna be? The pressure is too great. I'd much rather just play and play and play, and suddenly we're not playing. We don't need to go out with a fanfare — I don't think, anyway. It's possible other people disagree with me, but that's my feeling."

Asked if the other members of DEEP PURPLE feel the same way as he does about the idea of not announcing a final gig, Roger said: "Quite a few years ago now, at the start of 'The Long Goodbye', [then-PURPLE guitarist] Steve Morse, he said, 'Why don't we finish on a high and name the last tour and we'd make a lot of money because it's the last tour and then kiss it goodbye?' And that didn't go down well with the band, which is why we called it 'The Long Goodbye', because we knew it was gonna happen sometime, but, of course, we didn't know it was gonna go on and on and on. And thankfully so.

"This year is a bit of an off year," Glover explained. "We've been writing and stuff, and there'll probably be an album next year. And the last — actually, the last two or three years have been so busy. We haven't stopped touring and working. So it's good to have a little bit of a breather. We did one gig in Brazil — a festival in June — and there's a couple of gigs coming up at the end of the year, but it's not really a touring year. It's a resting year."

Asked by host Eddie Trunk if he thinks the final DEEP PURPLE concert will just happen without it being "a pre-announced thing," Glover said: "Yeah. I think that would be the way to do it. I mean, who knows? The business side of things, we all disagree. We haven't talked about it. It's just we assume we're just gonna carry on. Bop till you drop."

After Trunk noted that so many artists have announced farewell tours, only to come back for select shows or extend their farewell tours indefinitely, Glover said: "It's all about the money. See, it's all about the money. And then we're more about the music. Yeah, money's important, but music is more important. And having a big finale like that [for DEEP PURPLE] … of course it may happen, but it wouldn't be my decision."

Regarding the health and physical fitness of the PURPLE bandmembers, Roger said: "Well, I don't think anyone, when they're around 80, feels like they did when they were 20. We all have aches and pains and stuff like that. But so far, certainly playing live and playing in the studio, we're still on top of the game. So, I don't see any problem coming up. Ian [Gillan] turned 80 this year. I'll be 80 later this year. It's a horrible number. I still haven't quite got used to it. I'm hanging on to 79 as much as I can."

Glover also talked about DEEP PURPLE's insistence on still putting out new music, with the band's 23rd studio album, "=1", having arrived in July 2024.

"That's what we do, isn't it?" he said. "We write music. Even if there was no band, I'd still be writing music, certainly for my own pleasure. It's one of the things you do. The idea is not to try and repeat yourself, to find new ways of being a hard rock band. And we seem to do that. I don't know how we do it. We just do it. It's kind of a natural thing."

Elaborating on why it's so important for him to stay creative as he approaches his 80th birthday, Roger said: "I'm working on my book right now, writing about my life, and the more I write, the more I realize what an amazing journey that we've been on, and certainly I've been on. And you kind of owe it to yourself to sort of not squash it, just to continue as much as possible. [Working on my book] keeps reinforcing what an amazing — almost against the odds of joining a band and having been going for 60 years, or 50-whatever it is, years, I mean, just it doesn't make sense. We were just very lucky or just in the right place at the right time, or just the right mix of people. I don't know what it is, but we kind of owe it to our legacy to not give up."

In August 2024, Gillan was asked by "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if retirement is out of the vocabulary for him and his DEEP PURPLE bandmates, eight years after they launched "The Long Goodbye" tour. He responded: "I think it is. That was a joke, actually, because it was the promoters. And someone said, 'We've gotta sell some more tickets.' And it's the good old standby, the farewell tour. So I said, Okay, we'll call it 'goodbye' tour, but let's call it 'the long goodbye', and let's make the emphasis on the word 'long',' so it's kind of an enigmatic phrase."

He continued: "There's no intention to stop. At the moment… I spoke to my manager the other day. I've got some solo project. He said, 'You're gonna have to put 'em back,' and I'm putting them back years. We're already booked to the end of '26, in the planning stage, in the diary, with all the projects we've got for DEEP PURPLE. So, yeah, years to come, hopefully."

In December 2023, DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice, who turned 77 in June, was asked by Zoom when he and his bandmates will eventually retire from performing live. He responded: "We have never planned a date to stop working. We are realists. The guys are getting older, and there's gonna come a point where maybe one or two of us don't want to do it anymore or [it's] not physically possible for them to do it. But we don't think about that. We're still having a great deal of fun. A lot of people still enjoy what we do, and so long as those two things stay in harmony, we'll continue.

"I don't think we'll ever know what the last gig, what the last tour is," he continued. "I think it'll come and just smack us in the face. Unless there's a definite plan, which there isn't, to do something as a final bye-bye, I just think we'll just go, 'Sorry, guys. We're finished. We can't do it anymore. It's been wonderful.' But even then, I think if we stopped touring, there's no reason why we couldn't make more records. That's the easiest thing in the world. All you've got to do is have the ideas. That's the hardest thing in the world. But physically making a record is easy."

Paice added: "Touring only works if you enjoy it. You can't just enjoy the two hours a night when you're playing. You've got to be able to deal with the whole thing. You've got to be able to deal with a ten-hour flight, a hotel which is less than perfect, transportation which goes wrong. You've gotta deal with all that. And if you can, and still enjoy it, then why would you stop something that you got into as a kid 'cause it made you happy? And if it still makes you happy, why would you stop it?"

Glover expressed a similar sentiment about the band's final tour in a June 2023 interview with Rock Hard Greece. The bassist, who turned 79 last November, said: "I don't like the idea of announcing the last show: 'And here they are. This is their last show.' I mean, the stress involved in that would be ridiculous. Where would it be? When would it be? For me, the ideal ending for PURPLE is that we just carry on until it stops. No announcement. We're not gonna announce, 'This is the last one.' People would buy tickets: 'Oh, this is the last one.' It's an exercise in making money. It's not very good. I've never liked it. I'd rather go and play and play and play and play, and one day when something happens and one of us drops dead or gets really ill or whatever, [we say], 'Well, that's that.' And leave it at that."

In 2022, DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Don Airey, who turned 77 in June, told Rolling Stone magazine that there is no concrete plan for him and his DEEP PURPLE bandmates to stop playing live shows.

"We started the farewell tour in 2017. It was due to end in 2019," he noted. "But the thing is, when you're a musician in a band, you think you're in control of it, but you're not. The business is running you. Of course, there was so much demand for the band to continue from the promoters and agents that we said, 'Okay, we'll do one more year.'"

Regarding when he thinks DEEP PURPLE will finally call it quits, Don said: "The words of T.S. Eliot [the greatest English-language poet of his generation] come to mind: 'This is the way the band ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.' I think we won't know it's the last gig. We won't have a clue that this one is going to be the last one. That's how it's going to end. It's going to be no big scenario.

"I like what Buddy Guy said. He said, 'Musicians don't retire. They drop.' You do have thoughts about being in the garden and bouncing the grandchildren on your knee, but it's part of your blood system, playing and touring. It's an addiction. I hope I keep playing for a while yet."

In July 2022, Morse officially left PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who is battling cancer. He has since been replaced by Simon McBride.

Lots going on at the Third Age Trust. See their newsletter for full details,
This September we will be celebrating...

Posted by U3A Carrick on Thursday, July 24, 2025

Long-running blackened melodic death metal quartet Withering Soul are set to release their fifth album, Passage of the Arcane, November 14 on Liminal Dread Productions.

Passage Of The Arcane is a convergence of blackened atmospheres and sweeping song structures. A mystifying journey that exceeds boundaries while remaining fun and exciting. The overall theme of the album involves human experiences traversing into cursed oblivion.

Each song explores its own story, ranging from unexplained disappearances to the supernatural. While variation is abundant within the soundscapes, it is with a cohesive direction. Each chapter takes on its own “passage” through channels of cursed lore and harrowing experiences of the past. A seamless balance of crushingly heavy riffs and chilling melodies.

First single “Attrition Horizon” is now streaming.

Preorder on Bandcamp.

Cover art by Adam Burke:



Tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Attrition Horizon”
“Grievance Eludes The Light”
“The Monolith Embodied”
“Gallery Of The End”
“Trajectory”
“Among Covetous Eyes”
“Burden Of The Valiant”

Hailing from Costa Rica, progressive metal band Time’s Forgotten celebrates their 20-year musical journey with the release of their fifth studio album, Songs Of Awakening. Known for blending intricate compositions with atmospheric textures, the band delivers a record that delves into themes of empathy, renewal, and self-discovery — inviting listeners to let go of the past in order to begin again. The album will be released on October 4, 2025, via Melodic Revolution Records.

Today, the band released the video for “Alight,” the first single from the album. The video was shot at an iconic Costa Rican building: La Botica Solera, one of the oldest buildings in the capital with tons of history.



Time’s Forgotten commented on the new track: “‘Alight’ is the first single out of Songs Of Awakening, our fifth studio album. It is about pushing forward, about getting up from the blows life tends to give you. It’s about finding the strength and light inside you through love, courage and kindness.”



Tracklisting:

The Shallow And The Deep
Places Of Healing
Departure
Nighttime
Sidewalk Hero
Alight
Surrender
Forgiveness

Pre-order the album here.

“We wanted to show the world that there is a way out, that something good is always waiting for us at the end of every path we choose. All we need is to learn to love ourselves a little more each day,” says Juan Pablo Calvo, the band’s keyboardist, rhythm guitarist, and producer.

Musically, Time’s Forgotten explores a more modern side of progressive metal while staying true to their signature melodic style and storytelling. “We didn’t want to sound like a mathematical equation, but we did want to incorporate some of those elements into this album,” says Calvo. “There are lots of electronic textures, driving grooves, layered instrumentation, and rich vocal harmonies. This is our heaviest record to date, but also our most vulnerable.”

To close the album on a powerful note, the band assembled a choir of about 25 fellow singers – including friends, family, and members of other bands, for the song “Forgiveness”, emphasizing the themes of inclusion and togetherness.

On September 13, Firewind guitarist Gus G. performed a solo set at Rock Hard Festival Greece 2025 in Athens. Three songs into his show, he invited Conception vocalist Roy Khan and guitarist Tore Østby on stage for a cover of the band’s classic, “Roll The Fire”. Check out the fan-filmed video below.



Gus and and vocalist Ronnie Romero (Elegant Weapons) have teamed up once again, announcing dates for their Convergence European Tour 2025. The schedule is available below.

October
10 – Santander, Spain – Escenario
11 – Madrid, Spain – El Sol
12 – Zaragoza, Spain – Sala Lopez
13 – Barcelona, Spain – Wolf
14 – Mallorca, Spain – Full Metal Holiday (Sold Out)
17 – Rome, Italy – Crossroads
18 – Bologna, Italy – Alchemica
19 – Bergamo, Italy – Druso
21 – Nürnberg, Germany – Hirsch
22 – Bensheim, Germany – Rex
24 – Hamburg, Germany – Bahnhof Pauli
25 – Isernhagen, Germany – Bluesgarage
26 – Leipzig, Germany – Hellraiser
27 – Augsburg, Germany – Spektrum
28 – Munich, Germany – Backstage
29 – Aschaffenburg, Germany – ColosSaal
30 – Bielefeld, Germany – Lokschuppen
31 – Oss, Netherlands – Groene Engel

November
1 – Amersfoort, Netherlands – Fluor
2 – Drachten, Netherlands – Iduna
4 – Warsaw, Poland – Hybrydy

Beast Eagle return with a vengeance, dropping their fierce new single “Send Me Down”, a high-voltage anthem that rages from the shadows and commands the darkness. The track is the first offering from their new EP Sorceress, set for release on November 21, 2025 via Golden Robot Records.

A ferocious ride of thunderous drums, razor-sharp riffs, and an unrelenting chorus made for unison chants in the night, “Send Me Down” tells the tale of a witch cast into exile. But instead of succumbing, she rises, claiming the dark realm as her own. This is her kingdom now, and Beast Eagle’s sound embodies that fiery transformation: wild, wicked, and unstoppable.



With Sorceress, Beast Eagle sharpen their identity into a weapon of blistering riffs, primal rhythm, and anthemic firepower. Fans can expect a full-throttle experience that blurs the line between raw rock energy and supernatural storytelling.

Soaring out of Omaha, Nebraska, Beast Eagle evoke a powerful take on hard rock driven by rock ‘n’ roll sensibilities. Influenced by the likes of Kyuss, He Is Legend, and Mastodon, the band’s huge sound is spearheaded by a fury of riffs and unyielding vocals.

Since forming in 2019, Beast Eagle unleashed their first full length Loud at Flat Black Studios in 2021, with the self-titled EP following in 2023. Most recently, Beast Eagle were bestowed the title of Omaha Entertainment Award Association Best Hard Rock Band 2025. The forthcoming guitar-led, blues influenced offering, Sorceress is set to be unveiled on November 21, 2025, via Golden Robot Records.



Tracklisting:

Sharp Tongue
The Dead Follow
Send Me Down
Witch Hunt
The Demonstration

In a new interview with All Access Live! With Kevin Rankin, SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner spoke about his decision to exit New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL more than a year ago. The 55-year-old musician, who joined OVERKILL in 2017 and played drums on the band's last two studio albums, 2019's "The Wings Of War" and 2023's "Scorched", said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I'm not gonna talk anything negative about my old situations or anything like that. People leave bands for their own reasons. Let's just say I was stagnant in my old situation. I was not happy with where I was in a business sense with OVERKILL. I was basically giving more of myself than I was getting in return. And after almost eight years, I had pretty much had enough of that. And when I knew that there wasn't even any negotiation aspect to anything, I'm, like, 'Okay, well, it's time to start thinking about myself.'"

He added later in the interview, in reference to his OVERKILL gig: "When you go to a job, when you start a job, do you ever go to a job — I don't care what job it is; it could be McDonald's — do you ever go to a job and never get a raise after eight years? This is not a hypothetical situation. This is a true story."

Bittner previously talked about his departure from OVERKILL during a November 2024 interview with "Reckless" Rexx Ruger of Pod Scum. Jason said at the time: "I hadn't been happy in [OVERKILL] for, like, two fucking years. It wasn't a surprise that I quit. I'd been dissatisfied for a long time, but I'm a team player. I don't like to leave things. I love the guys personally. So I just kind of just hung in there, but I was not happy where I was career-wise, let's say, within the confines of that band. I wasn't a bandmember. And that's the main thing for me to keep doing this at this point in my lifetime. That's why for SHADOWS FALL to be back together, I'm 20 percent owner-member. I'm involved in the decisions. I just don't get told what's happening. I hate that. I'm a Capricorn. I can't deal with that shit."

He continued: "For my whole career, for the most part, even like back to the early days, all the bands either I formed or I was instrumental in getting the guys together, or it was always just a one-for-all, all-for-one thing. OVERKILL was the only band I've ever played in where I was a hired gun. The only exception was ANTHRAX, but I was only a touring member with ANTHRAX, and with PRONG — only touring. That's a totally different animal than being, quote-unquote, in the band. Even when I was in FLOTSAM [AND JETSAM], I was a 20 percent member-owner. I was involved in the decisions. So seven and a half years of that was a long time for me.

"I know Blabbermouth is gonna take this and run the wrong way with what I'm trying to talk about," Bittner added. "My point I love the guys, I was a team player, I wasn't leaving, but I was dissatisfied and I was looking for something else.

"My whole career, I had my ears always to the grindstone and I'm always just in the mix to know what's going on, like, 'Oh, hey, someone's looking for something.' Not that I want to be a ship jumper or anything, but I've had a lot of downtime on my hands in the last number of years. So anything I can play on, play with, be a part of, I'm gung-ho to do. But for a while with OVERKILL, I wasn't like that anymore," Jason admitted. "I'm, like, 'All right, this is cool. I'm not looking for anything else.; But after a while, I was, like, 'All right, I need another outlet.'"

When Ruger pressed Bittner about the exact reasons for his dissatisfaction with his role in OVERKILL and whether he wanted "more involvement in the creative process", Jason said: "A little bit. For me, more so it was definitely on just being paid fairly for my time… Like I said, there's no animosity. I just went and saw everybody last Friday. [OVERKILL] just played in my backyard Friday night. I went, I knocked on the bus, Blitz [OVERKILL singer Bobby Ellsworth] opened the door: 'Hey, you coming tonight?' 'Yeah.' 'All right. Come on in.' Gives me a big hug, like I knew he would. I gave his girlfriend a hug. I said hello to a couple of crew people that I knew. I went inside and gave everybody a hug. D.D. [Verni, OVERKILL bassist] came up, slaps me on the back. It's got nothing to do with our personal lives. It's just a business thing."

Bittner added: "For a while it was fine, but I needed to make myself available for the bands that I'm a member of. That's really what it is. I couldn't be tied to OVERKILL anymore to be their drummer and only their drummer and 'this is the schedule for the year and you have to work in whatever you do in this.' Uh-uh.

"And I know that the people are already typing away, 'Yes, but SHADOWS FALL doesn't tour the way that OVERKILL did,' blah blah blah blah. Yes, true — very true. But remember, I have another band, CATEGORY 7. Between the two, we'll be working just as much. But also, the thing to keep in mind here, too, is I can play five shows with SHADOWS FALL and make more money than playing 30 with OVERKILL."

In September 2024, Verni told Capital Chaos TV about Bittner's departure: "We kind of knew that that was coming. He had told us a while ago that he was just kind of burned out on too many things and had his hands in too many pots. So I think we kind of knew that was coming."

When the interviewer noted that "it's nice to see he left on good terms" and that there wasn't "some sort of drama," D.D. concurred. "Yeah, it was nothing like that," he said. "He didn't leave us hanging. You know, he finished out his commitments with us. He was supposed to do this European tour, but he couldn't; he ended up not being able to do that, which worked out, because we have Jeramie [Kling, formerly of VENOM INC.] now in the band and he's going to do the KING DIAMOND tour with us. And so it it all ended up working out."

When Bittner has announced his departure from OVERKILL on August 5, 2024, he said in a statement: "On August 1, 2024, I played the Vagos Metal Fest in Portugal, and it was the last show I will play in the band OVERKILL.

"For a while now I have been juggling a few different bands along with OVERKILL, and I knew at some point something would have to give since I simply can’t be three places at once. Over the course of this last year, my schedule has reached that breaking point.

"At this time SHADOWS FALL is working towards completion of our new material that will take us back out on the road sometime in 2025, as well as our fall shows we have booked for the rest of this year celebrating 20 years of 'The War Within'. Compounded on top of this is my new band, Metal Blade recording artists CATEGORY 7, whose album just hit the shelves last month and will start touring soon through 2025. All of this adds up to something having to 'take a break', so as of today I no longer play drums in OVERKILL so I can concentrate solely on the bands that I am a full member/owner of.

"Now don't worry — they currently have another great drummer already learning the material, and he will be ready to do battle for the upcoming tours.

"I would like to thank EVERYONE in the OVERKILL extended family for 7 1/2 years of laughs, killer shows, and fun around the globe. All our crew members throughout my run, our agents Dolores Lokas and Mike Monterulo, my tech Animal for always having my back (Shake and Bake),as well as all of our crew past and present, the SKULLKRUSHERS (much love Jurgen),and all the fans who supported my tenure in the band, I love you all, thank you, and will miss you on the European and KING DIAMOND tours… but I'll see you out there with SHADOWS FALL and CATEGORY 7."

OVERKILL played its first concert with Kling on August 30, 2024 at the Posada Rock festival in Câmpulung Muscel, Romania.

In a new interview with Billboard, SOUNDGARDEN drummer Matt Cameron spoke about the status of the recordings made before vocalist Chris Cornell's death in May of 2017. He said: "There's not a set release date or anything as of yet. There were a couple schools of thought, like, 'Hey, let's put out a single.' I think eventually we decided we want to make sure the whole thing is completed before we start releasing singles. I'm excited for people to hear it."

He added: "We're definitely over halfway done with it. Kim [Thayil, SOUNDGARDEN guitarist] is in the process of finishing his guitar parts; he wants to make sure they get exactly the way he wants them."

Regarding what it has been liked working on the SOUNDGARDEN record that Chris was working on with the other members of the band when he passed away, Matt said: "Emotionally it's been extreme highs and extreme lows. Hearing [Cornell's] voice on these powerful hard rock songs is the most empowering thing in the world for me. Then I listen to his voice soloed up when I'm working on stuff, or if Kim or Ben [Shepherd, SOUNDGARDEN bassist] is working on something, and it all comes back to the fact that he's not with us and he left us in a way that has so many questions. It's been gut-wrenching but at the same time very empowering."

This past May, Thayil told Rolling Stone that he was optimistic the final SOUNDGARDEN 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 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, 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.

In a new interview with The Mistress Carrie Podcast, ICE NINE KILLS frontman Spencer Charnas spoke about what it's been like for him and his bandmates to tour stadiums around the world with METALLICA in 2023, 2024 and 2025. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Incredible. It's so hard to sum it up in only a few words, but I'm gonna try. METALLICA's a band I've always loved since I was a little kid. I wanted to figure out how to play 'Master Of Puppets' on the guitar. My father took me to see them live in probably, like, '96, '97. They've just always been that band that we've looked up to. And to be given an opportunity to even open one show with them or to play a festival on the same stage would've been like a bucket list thing. So the fact that they brought us all over the world for a few years is incredible. And their whole team and everyone in the band, everyone was just so nice and kind, and they really changed our career. We've seen so many people come up to us and message us and post on socials that that's how they found out about us. So it's like something that you dream of. I still can't believe it happened."

Charnas previously talked about the experience of touring with METALLICA in a January 2024 interview with Mike Hsu of the 100 FM The Pike radio station. He said at the time: "Anytime anyone mentions it when I'm doing an interview, and I'm not B.S.ing here, I get chills. Because it takes me back to when I first saw METALLICA, which was, I guess it would have been the Fleet Center [in Boston] in '97; it just switched over from the Garden a few years before, I think. And I remember that concert so vividly. My dad took me to it. They were, if memory serves, I think they were on the 'Load' or the 'Reload' album cycle, and it feels like that concert was a week ago. I remember the way that Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] came out over onto the stage, and he was drinking a beer, and they had this, like, pyrotechnic kind of, like, accident, but it was part of the show. One of the crew members, I remember, fell down and was hung by his like feet by a wire and everyone was, like, 'Oh my god.' But it turned out it was all part of the show."

Spencer continued: "They were one of those seminal bands for me. They made me, along with NIRVANA, wanna learn how to play guitar riffs. And so when we got that call to be on a few shows at first back in 2022, getting that call a few months later, 'Hey, do you wanna do the whole world tour with us?' I mean, for someone who grew up on that kind of music and METALLICA being the pinnacle of that, it's such an honor. And I still have to kind of pinch myself every time we show up at one of those stadiums and realize, 'I'm not just going to see them. We're on the show.' And they've been so nice to us. They come into the locker room and say 'what's up' to us. And they're really sort of showing us the way of how, when you're coming up, you take bands out, and take the bands out that you think are cool, and you treat them great. And we've learned a lot from them. And we can't thank them enough, and also thank all of their crew and their whole team. They've just been so accommodating. And also thank you to our fans who keep coming out to those shows, to see us play with METALLICA. I see so many INK shirts in that crowd. It's just a huge honor."

ICE NINE KILLS spread cavalier carnage with a knowing smile, as evidenced by the densely catchy songs on their two breakthrough albums "The Silver Scream" and "The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood", including the gold-certified single "A Grave Mistake", "A Work Of Art" (from "Terrifier 3"),and the adrenaline-fueled epic "The Great Unknown". The INKverse boasts high-concept videos, the Psychos Only club, mock "true crime" books, the Inked In Blood graphic novels, monthly Nightmare On The 9th merch drops, and the annual Silver Scream Convention.

Led by Charnas, ICE NINE KILLS blend extreme metal and melody with a flair for narrative immersion. They've toured with SLIPKNOT, won Rock Sound's "Best Live Act", and were handpicked by METALLICA for the "M72" world tour. In 2025, Spencer also launched the Pretty Evil personal care line and co-wrote the upcoming feature film "The Slashin' Of The Christ" alongside Paul Soter ("Super Troopers"),produced by Greg Nicotero and Brian Witten.