In a new interview with Viky Surmová of Project Backstage, FIREWIND guitarist Gus G. spoke about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the follow-up to the "Stand United" album, which came out in March 2024 via AFM. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes, I'm already working on the follow-up album. We just signed a brand new record deal. It should be announced pretty soon. And we are excited about it. And we're working on a really cool album. It's gonna be a concept album. Yeah, I can't tell you what it's about, but it's gonna be epic and massive. And I'm excited."

Gus continued: "Yeah, we even recorded the drums already, so we've got 10 new songs. We're ready to go. We're working on the vocals right now and lyrics and things like that. And we are aiming for next year release sometime. I don't know when, but hopefully as soon as possible. [Laughs]"

This past June, Gus told Dark Macek of the Brutally Delicious podcast about FIREWIND's touring activities in support of "Stand United": "It's been just a little over a year [since we released the LP]. Basically, we toured pretty hard for that album. We went on tour straight after it came out. I think last year we did about 80 shows, or 70-80 shows, something like that. Man, we were on the road for five months. But we did a European tour, we did an American headline tour, which we hadn't done in 13 years. We did a support tour where we supported DRAGONFORCE right after the pandemic, but our own headline thing we hadn't done since 2011. And yeah, we did that. We went to Asia. Then we did another tour in Europe. So we did a lot of stuff. We did a U.K. tour. We just wrapped things up this past February; that's when the world tour officially kind of ended."

Asked if this is the end of the "Stand United" album cycle, Gus said: "I think so, yeah. This year we're just taking it easy so we can write the next [album]. And we're just doing a few festivals scattered here and there this summer. This is actually the first official summer festival for us [at the Mad With Power in Madison, Wisconsin in early June], and then with FIREWIND we have four more gigs in Europe later this summer."

Regarding where he finds the inspiration to write new music, Gus said: "I can tell you it's getting tougher every time, but I don't know. I felt, to be honest — I don't want it to sound silly or anything, but the vibe that we get from the fans and the reception and the energy that we get after this tour ended, it was, like, 'Okay, I'm ready. Let's go back into it and do another one.' 'Cause we wanna get back out and do it all over again. And I had a lot of ideas, and I've been writing a lot. And since we decided to stay at home anyways, we didn't have a lot of tours coming up, I got creative. So actually I finished up… I shouldn't say too much about it, but I finished up nine tracks. And we've already done the drums for it last week. So I'm a little bit of a crazy workaholic guy. And I'm working on two albums parallel. I'm working on some solo stuff as well. But, yeah, my priority was FIREWIND. I wanted to complete FIREWIND album number 11. And we've done the drums for it. And this summer, I think I'm gonna be tracking the rest, like guitars and all that stuff, and write the vocals with [FIREWIND singer] Herbie [Langhans]."

When the interviewer noted that a band like BLACK SABBATH has also had a lot of singer changes over the years but has somehow managed to retain a signature sound, Gus concurred. "It's a very good example, actually," he said. "And BLACK SABBATH is always my go-to band, because [Tony] Iommi has always very troubled with the singer position in his band, and so have I. But I always looked at history: what did Lord Iommi do back then? What did he do? And what would Tony Iommi do in this situation? And he always came back with another amazing singer.

"I don't care what people say, but I think, in terms of BLACK SABBATH, their worst album, so to speak, is still, by comparison, much better than most metal albums out there," Gus explained. "The stuff the guy writes is just insane. So it depends which era you are into, of course. They have different eras — the '80s and the '90s albums, and the '70s, of course, is the classic stuff with Ozzy [Osbourne].

"Actually, one thing talking about singer changes — yes, it hurts the band, for sure," Gus admitted. "That's the downside. But the good thing is when someone new comes in, it's how you keep things fresh in a way. You bring new energy into the band. And that's what happened with us, with Herbie, five years ago when he came to the band, and he brought this new energy. And the first album we did [2020's 'Firewind'] was kind of put together — we rushed it, 'cause we had to go on this major tour and then everything got canceled 'cause of COVID. But then I think 'Stand United', we kind of found each other. I started writing more for the singer, a specific singer's voice. And I think this is what is happening right now. We're kind of capitalizing on that. And we've been building on that thing."

"Stand United" featured nine brand new songs produced with Dennis Ward (MAGNUM, UNISONIC),as well as a cover of the 1980s pop rock classic "Talking In Your Sleep", originally recorded by THE ROMANTICS but given a metal twist in the style of FIREWIND.

FIREWIND released a concert album/Blu-ray, "Still Raging", in September 2023 via AFM Records.

In early 2020, FIREWIND officially parted ways with guitarist/keyboardist Bob Katsionis and singer Henning Basse.

Gus and Langhans, who previously played with AVANTASIA and SINBREED, got to know each other back in the autumn of 2019, when the FIREWIND leader was looking for a suitable replacement for Henning Basse after the tour with QUEENSRŸCHE. Just a few weeks later, the recordings for "Firewind" were a done deal, ready for Swedish sound engineer Tobias Lindell (EUROPE, AVATAR, H.E.A.T.) to mix them in Lindell Audio Studios.

California thrash metal pioneers DARK ANGEL will release their first new album in 34 years, "Extinction Level Event", digitally on September 5 via Reversed Records.

Limited collectors' edition sets, including signed copies and a limited-edition collector's red vinyl, will only be available until September 15.

"Extinction Level Event" track listing:

01. Extinction Level Event
02. Circular Firing Squad
03. Woke Up To Blood
04. Apex Predator
05. Sea Of Heads
06. Atavistic
07. Scaler Weaponry
08. Scarface The Room
09. E Pluribus Nemo
10. Terror Construct
11. Extraction Tactics

This past June, DARK ANGEL released "Circular Firing Squad", the second single from "Extinction Level Event". The LP's first single, the "Extinction Level Event" title track, was written by DARK ANGEL guitarist Jim Durkin a decade ago, long before he suffered from severe liver disease, and, to the surprise of everyone, passed away in 2023. It was recorded and mixed at the Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, executive produced by DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan, produced and engineered by Rob Shallcross and mixed by Mike Fraser.

Durkin died on March 8, 2023 at the age of 58. An original member of DARK ANGEL, Durkin played on the band's first three albums — 1985's "We Have Arrived", "Darkness Descends" and 1989's "Leave Scars" — before departing the group in 1989. He was part of DARK ANGEL's lineup when the band reformed in 2013, and had been playing with them, on and off, ever since.

Prior to his death, Durkin had been sitting out some of DARK ANGEL's gigs. He was replaced at the shows by Hoglan's wife Laura Christine, who has since joined DARK ANGEL as a permanent member.

The "Extinction Level Event" artwork and layout was designed by Cain Gillis, with concepts by Hoglan.

"Musically, lyrically, and vocally, I'm so stoked about this album," Hoglan previously said. "I'm really excited about DARK ANGEL right now, and everyone who's heard the new album is losing their minds. Every time I'd finish a song and send it over to the guys, everybody was, 'Gene, this is my favorite song!' 'No, this is my favorite song!!' 'Dude, this is totally my favorite song!!!' That's never a bad sign."

Hoglan and Christine wrote everything except for the title track on "Extinction Level Event". Other songs set to appear on the effort include "Atavistic", which is described as "a full-on three-minute thrash metal barrage", "Woke Up To Blood", the title of which stemmed from a dog attack, and "Terror Construct", which Gene wrote about the way the media and corporations team up to spread fear among the masses so they can continue to fill their pockets.

The seeds of "Extinction Level Event" were planted in late 2013 between the time when TESTAMENT stopped touring to work on their new record and Hoglan was scheduled to work on his next major project. After the first batch of writing sessions for "Extinction Level Event", Hoglan had to put writing for DARK ANGEL on hold until late 2022. With other obligations behind him, Gene laser-focused on DARK ANGEL, listening back to the jams he and Durkin made earlier, and writing more than 10 new songs over the next three months. With a full album of pummeling new songs, Hoglan flew to Vancouver to track the album at the Armory. There, he and his bandmates worked with Rob Shallcross and Mike Fraser, and over a few sessions, DARK ANGEL had recorded everything but the vocals.

Having passed away two years ago, Durkin's sudden death is still traumatic for DARK ANGEL and especially Hoglan. At the same time, he takes bittersweet pride in knowing that Jim's playing and performances live on through him and DARK ANGEL, not only when the band plays his old riffs, but also in the continued influence Durkin has on the band's new songs.

"One of the last things I told him was, 'Jim, dude, you're my original guitar hero," Hoglan recalls. "'My entire guitar style is based on your style because you are who I really learned how to play guitar from.' So, my guitar approach with DARK ANGEL is Jim Durkin's approach. When I write for the band, I'm thinking, 'What would Jim do here?' That's why his presence is massively all over this new record. Every single song. I wanted to make it to where people are like, 'Yeah, Jim wrote that riff. Oh, there's another Jim riff' because Jim wrote all the best riffs in the band, forever."

DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — the aforementioned "We Have Arrived" and "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — "Leave Scars" and "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992.

Photo by Alex Solca

In a new interview with Concrete Spew, CROWBAR frontman Kirk Windstein addressed the fact that he is sitting down during the early part of the band's U.S. co-headlining tour with EYEHATEGOD, which kicked off on August 7 at Conduit in Orlando, Florida, due to what he has previously described as "either a bad sciatica flare-up or potentially a ruptured disc" in his "lower spine". After the interviewer noted that the fact that he is sitting down "doesn't seem to have affected" his "playing at all", Kirk concurred. "It doesn't," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "It sucks, but at the same time, what's the other option? I'm physically unable to… I went and got acupuncture Monday in Atlanta, and I need to get an MRI. We have no days off at all. In fact, three of the shows — we have a matinee show. We have two shows in one day. So when I get home, I'll get an MRI to officially diagnose that it is a herniated disc, but my chiropractor and the acupuncturist both said it's a herniated disc, which is a real — that's real sciatica; that's what causes it. So I've gotta deal with that when I get home, and we'll see. But it's really hard to not push yourself. I mean, it's not affecting me playing and singing, although I tell you what — it's hard to sing sitting down. You can't really use your diaphragm, man. I have a very throaty voice, but I do sing from the diaphragm as well. But you know what? It's working. The fans are totally — they accept it. They just appreciate that I didn't cancel and just say, 'Fuck it. I can't do it.' I need help getting on and off the stage, but put me in a chair and we're rocking, man."

CROWBAR's tour with EYEHATEGOD will wrap up on August 31 in Pensacola, Florida.

When Windstein revealed less than two weeks ago that he would be sitting down during the early part of the trek, he explained in a statement:  "I don't call in sick. I'm there to give y'all a hundred percent and please the fans the best I can. So I'm probably gonna have to start this tour …. sitting down, but we'll be singing and playing top-notch the best I can do. I can't walk right now, and that's the truth. I've got a cane, I've got a walker, and I've never had this kind of pain in my life. I'm 60 years old, and I've never had this pain in my life. But anyway, I think positive; I don't think negative. So it's gonna be great, and we're gonna kick ass every night. So thank y'all so much."

In a 2020 interview with Kerrang! magazine, Windstein said that he finally addressed his substance abuse issues around 10 years earlier. "I started drinking at home instead of going out to bars, because it was easier for me to avoid cocaine if I didn't go out to where it would be," he explained. "I erased all the dealers from my phone. I quit drinking hard liquor for the most part, but I had a little hangout room where I would watch sports, play guitar and drink beer. Before that, I would go to a bar, not realize how I'd got home, pass out on the couch and wake up with two bags of coke. Then, of course, I'd go to the store to buy beer, because if I've got cocaine, I've got to have beer. And vice versa — if I went to a bar, I'd have two beers, then I'd be calling a guy trying to score. It was an ugly thing to go through, but they say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I really do believe that to be true."

Back in 2011, Windstein told the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner that he didn't go to rehab to beat his addiction. "I was in a downward spiral for years and years and years, and you know, you get to a point of, 'This is enough,'" he said. "I always make damn sure to say this: If I was a regular guy working at Home Depot and had a drinking problem, people wouldn't talk about it. But because I'm in a band... For me, I'm in a good place and take it a day at a time. It's a lifestyle change in general, not just about alcohol. It's about getting my life in order, eating right, working out right, getting out of debt, and try to be the best father I can be, the best musician. You live and you learn…. I never want to be back to where I was, let's put it that way. It hits you like a hammer, and it's not a good thing where you're a physical slave to drinking. You need to do a lot of soul-searching and find what works for you."

Windstein told Metal Hammer magazine that the support from his peers in the music industry "has been great. They all understand it," he said. "Everyone I've met in this business, they all understand it. It's part of it. It's like an occupational hazard. It's in your face 24⁄7, and what used to be fun, partying and cutting up with the guys became a really bad thing. Enough is enough. That's it."

CROWBAR released its most recent studio offering, the critically lauded "Zero And Below", in April 2022 via MNRK Heavy. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Duane Simoneaux at OCD Recording And Production in Metairie, Louisiana, "Zero And Below" was the band's most unforgivably doom-driven record since their 1998 landmark effort "Odd Fellows Rest". Led by riff lord and vocalist Kirk Windstein, with guitarist Matt Brunson, bassist Shane Wesley and drummer Tommy Buckley, songs like "Chemical Godz", "It's Always Worth The Gain" and "Bleeding From Every Hole" are unapologetic emotional outpourings, with a bare-knuckle resolve alongside its soul-searching vulnerability, reliably delivered with crushing heaviness.

Five years ago, Windstein told the "Does It Doom?" podcast that he was really happy with the band's then-just-completed new album. "It's really a killer record — I love it," he said. "It's got a lot of [guitar] harmonies and it's got a lot more doomy riffs. We only had one proper fast song — one of our more upbeat, hardcore-type, MOTÖRHEAD speed, I call it, type tunes; we've only got one like that. Out of all 10 tracks, besides that one tune, there's only maybe two other fast, what I would consider fast, songs on the whole record. So it's kind of a throwback but a modern, more mature touch on it."

He continued: "We're all super, super happy with the way it came out. The production's amazing, again from Duane Simoneaux. The guitar tone's amazing. The songs themselves are great; I'm really happy. It's really one of the only CROWBAR records that I'm really happy with everything — every riff, I'm happy with the tones, with the production, with the lyrics, with the way I sang; the whole nine yards. So I'm really just loving it, to be honest — I really am."

Earlier in 2020, Windstein told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show that he got "a lot of help" from Brunson and Wesley during the songwriting process for CROWBAR's latest album.

A new one-hour film about the "last chapter" of Ozzy Osbourne's life has reportedly been pulled from the BBC's schedule just hours before it was due to air.

Titled "Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home", the film was described as "the moving and inspirational account of the last chapter of Ozzy's life, told through unique and intimate access to the whole Osbourne family, including Sharon, Jack and Kelly."

The documentary was set to air tonight (Monday, August 18) on BBC One and iPlayer at 9 p.m. U.K. time but has now been postponed without explanation and has been replaced by an episode of "Fake Or Fortune".

A BBC spokesperson told Rolling Stone: "The film has moved in the schedules and we'll confirm new tx [transmission] details in due course."

Filmed over three years, "Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home" reportedly captures the extraordinary roller-coaster of their lives as Sharon and Ozzy attempt to complete their long-held dream of moving back to the U.K., Ozzy heroically battles to get fit enough to perform, and the family deal with the dramatic consequences of his ill health.

The film is full of love, laughter and tears and the kind of unforgettable family moments that we've come to expect from the Osbournes. It's a remarkably candid and uplifting tribute to one of the world's true icons, and documents the first family of rock as they are forced to accept, that, as Kelly says in the film, "Iron man wasn't really made of iron".

Clare Sillery, BBC head of commissioning, documentaries, previously said in a statement: "We are honored to have had the opportunity to film with Ozzy and his family. The film captures an intimate glimpse into their journey as they prepare to return to the U.K. It features family moments, humor, reflection and shows the enduring spirit that made Ozzy a global icon. We hope it brings comfort and joy to Ozzy's fans and viewers as they remember and celebrate his extraordinary life."

Ben Wicks and Colin Barr, executive producers at Expectation, added: "It was an incredible privilege to spend the last few years with Ozzy, as well as Sharon, Jack and Kelly. Ozzy wanted to make it back to the U.K. and appear on stage one last time — our film is an inspiring and poignant account of him fulfilling that dream. Ozzy was loved by millions around the world not just for his music, but for his sense of mischief and his honesty all of which we saw plenty of in the final years of his life. But one thing shone through even more brightly to us, and that was Ozzy's intense love for his exceptional family who were by his side through it all."

"Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home" is produced by Expectation in association with JOKS Productions Limited for BBC One and iPlayer. It was commissioned by Clare Sillery, BBC head of commissioning, documentaries. The BBC commissioning editor is Carl Callam. Executive producers for Expectation are Ben Wicks, Colin Barr, Rachael Barnes and Louisa McKay. The documentary is being distributed internationally by Banijay Rights.

Originally conceived as a series "Home To Roost", announced in 2022, the project evolved as Ozzy's health deteriorated into a one-hour film "Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home".

Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate also reportedly said the 76-year-old musician suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

FIREHOUSE and TRIXTER paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne by performing a cover of his classic song "Crazy Train" during the two bands' joint concert this past Saturday night (August 16) at West Herr Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, New York. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife/manager Sharon bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer's friends and family members attended the service, including his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).

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

Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson's disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.

Ozzy played his final show a month and a half ago at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The concert saw him and his fellow original SABBATH bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward perform four songs for more than 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. The festival titled "Back To The Beginning" served as a tribute to the legendary heavy metal act, including additional performances from such other groups as METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES, SLAYER, TOOL, PANTERA and ALICE IN CHAINS. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne.

West Herr Riviera Theatre was the place to be last night. FireHouse and Trixter joined forces together to cap of the evening with a ride on the Crazy Train and a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne!

Posted by West Herr Riviera Theatre on Sunday, August 17, 2025

During an August 14 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson talked about his upcoming "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American solo tour, which is scheduled to kick off on August 22 in Anaheim, California. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We did three warmup shows over here [in California in April 2024] and then dived down to Brazil, did a bunch there, and then went back to Europe and did a load of festivals and headline shows and everything. So that went amazing. I mean, the reaction in in Europe was great. So the promoters are all getting on board now for 2027 for the new [solo] record, the new tour and everything now. So I'm, like, okay, that's all good. But the USA is unfinished business. So, yeah, I've gotta come over and just at least show the [solo] band, get the word out, have people's reactions. 'Cause I know the way that the world is now, is you wanna see it and people are gonna talk. And people that didn't go to the show, hopefully their buddies go, 'Wow, you should have been there.' But that's how you build, isn't it? It's old school, but it's how you build. I'm not gonna be building my audience on TikTok. That's for sure."

After "Trunk Nation" host Eddie Trunk noted that "it's amazing" Dickinson still has the drive and ambition to want to build his solo band at this point in his life and his career, Bruce said: "I'm not one for trying to do mission impossible, but I think you have to give everything a chance, and especially if you love what you do and you think the music is worth it. Then it's not an imposition in your life to go out and make the effort. And the band is incredible. I mean, they're on fire."

Dickinson also spoke about his plans for more new solo music following the release of his latest solo album, "The Mandrake Project", which arrived in March 2024. Bruce said: "We are gonna do a new album — we are recording the new album, rather — in January next year here in L.A. So, this is a great way of just getting the band locked in into the mentality of that. In fact, we were in the studio, well, just yesterday for three or four days, doing updates on the demos that we did with drum machines and things like that. Well, we've done them with the whole band now, and that just takes the songs to another level for the new album."

Asked if his next solo album will be "conceptual", like "The Mandrake Project" was, Bruce said: "Well, 'Mandrake' was kind of semi-conceptual. It was conceptual in its visual approach more than the music. There were elements of the music that were connected with the comic. And we've actually just published the book, the first book of the first four episodes of the comic. So that's something that people can get that's got some solidity to it. They can look at it and go, 'Oh, yeah, I get what this is all about.' But the albums have always got to be standalone units. And the stuff we've got — we've got 18 tracks demoed for the album. And we won't record 18 tracks, but I think we've probably settled on — nine, 10, 11 of them are absolute bangers, and the other ones we'll just see where we go with them and what it ends up like. But the band are on fire."

Regarding what fans can expect to hear on his next solo album, Bruce said: "It will be a different feel to the album because this is gonna be recorded live. I mean, 'Mandrake' was a bit like stitching together Frankenstein's monster, 'cause it was stuff from 2014 and then it was stuff from after COVID, and all of it glued together. So sonically it was a little bit all over the place."

Bruce also talked in more detail about the setlist for "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour, saying: "We'll do one [IRON MAIDEN song]. We're gonna prepare a couple. But we'll do one every show. One of them is gonna be 'Revelations'. The reason for that is because we're going down — in the middle of the tour, we go down for one show in Brazil, which is the 40th anniversary of me setting foot in Brazil with MAIDEN. It's São Paulo at this big festival called The Town. And so 'Revelations' is a really kind of seminal track because that was the track in which I split my head open with the guitar blood pouring down my face, that was on the front cover of every newspaper in Brazil the day after [the] Rock In Rio [festival in 1985]."

Asked by Trunk how he ended up splitting his head open, Bruce said: "I played guitar at the beginning of 'Revelations' on that tour. And I was so pissed off with the monitor guy, 'cause the monitors were sounding awful and everything, and it was all disorganized and yada, yada, yada. And only the biggest gig we'd ever done in our lives. So, I'm waving at him, 'Ah.' And then I took the guitar off, and I took it off in such a goofy way that the edge of the guitar hit me across the nose like that and split my head open. And I'm bleeding from a head wound and it's really hot, so it looks impressive — lots of blood. And it's all on TV — so it's on national TV — and I'm bleeding all over the place. And the Brazilians absolutely went bonkers. And the whole of South America saw it went, 'Oh my God. He's bleeding for his art.' And Rod [Smallwood], my manager, came up and I was, like, trying to wipe it off. And this roadie came up and said, 'Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Rod says, can you squeeze it and make it bleed some more? It looks amazing on the cameras.' So to this day, when you talk about that song and that festival in Brazil, they talk about that image and that moment that was like the image of the festival. It was during that song. So when you play that song, it has an extra meaning and weight down there. But it's quite a long song. So, we've got other songs in the set that we could do of our own stuff as well. So, I've got my eyes on another MAIDEN tune, which has never ever been played — ever."

Dickinson declined to name the other MAIDEN song he and his solo band will prepare for the upcoming tour, saying: "You have to find out yourself. It's all gonna come out [after we play it for the first time]. But you can keep people guessing. 'Are they gonna do it tonight? Where's it gonna be?' And things like that. And the thing is about this band is that they're good enough that we could go in the toilet and learn something five minutes before we go on stage and go and do it.

"We do try to vary the set a little bit so if people decide to come to the Boston show and then come to the New York show, yeah, we'll do something different in the New York show we didn't do in Boston and vice versa," Dickinson added. "So, that's nice. But, yeah, I'm gonna cover a lot of ground in the set. I don't believe in doing a set in which you make people suffer: 'You will get all of this album, whether you like it or not.' I'm there to entertain people and have a great time and show off the band. So, there's gonna be stuff from 'Accident At Birth' and 'The Chemical Wedding' — tracks that people have not heard ever. We're playing 'The Alchemist' and stuff like that, which everybody just goes, 'Oh my God.' And it's bone-crushingly heavy live. And we're doing 'Book of Thel'. And then there's other stuff. There's at least two or three songs off 'Mandrake'. We're gonna be doing 'Shadow Of The Gods', which we've never played, ever. So all of last year we'd never played that song. And it's probably one of the top songs off the record. So America's gonna get that song. Obviously we're gonna play 'Tears Of The Dragon', 'cause I think we'd be lynched if we didn't. But there'll be another couple of [songs from the reworked version of 'Balls To Picasso'] 'More Balls [To Picasso]' as well. And there's a song off 'Skunkworks'. There's nothing, at the moment, off 'Tattooed Millionaire'. And there's two or three options for doing things off 'Tyranny Of Souls'. So, really, it's a pretty across-the-board solo-track thing. And funnily enough, think throwing ahead to what we do in '27, I'm thinking, oh, my God. There's so many other tracks that you could drop in to a tour in '27, which we haven't played and we haven't played live as well. 'Cause I've got seven albums to pick from."

Earlier in the month, Bruce told Metal Hammer that his new solo material will include "bone-crushingly heavy" songs as well as moments that "are just like tugging at the heartstrings". "If it's heavy, it's heavy," he added, "but if it just happens to be acoustic, it's acoustic. That's the deal, you know? It's whatever the song dictates, whatever the story is you're trying to tell, but it's really exciting. I'm so stoked about these tracks. I played the demos to a few people in the record label and stuff, and everybody is like, 'Wow!'"

Dickinson previously told Charlie Kendall of Charlie Kendall's Metalshop that he will record his next solo album with Brendan Duffey, who "did an amazing job" remixing Dickinson's second solo album, 1994's "Balls To Picasso". "The amazing band that is gonna record the new record with me is gonna be the same band that toured in Europe with me, and it's gonna be the same band that's gonna tour with me in 2027 when we release the new record," he said. "Or at least that's the idea anyway, to release a new record [in 2027]."

Joining the IRON MAIDEN singer on the "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour will once again be his 2024 backing band, featuring Dave Moreno (drums),Mistheria (keyboards) and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass),alongside the group's latest additions, Swedish guitarist, songwriter and multi-platinum-credited producer Philip Näslund and Swiss session and touring guitarist Chris Declercq (who played on Dickinson's "Rain On The Graves" single). Bruce's longtime guitarist and collaborator Roy "Z" Ramirez is not part of the touring lineup.

"The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour kicks off in Anaheim, California at the House of Blues on August 22 and takes the band across North America including shows in New York, Los Angeles, Texas, Florida and Canada, with festival appearances at Rocklahoma (Oklahoma) and Louder Than Life (Kentucky). The tour also includes a quick return to Brazil for the aforementioned prestigious The Town festival at the City Of Light in São Paulo.

Prior to the April 12, 2024 Whisky A Go Go show, Bruce last performed with his solo band on in August 2002 at the legendary Wacken Open Air festival in Germany.

Roy played guitar on Dickinson's 1994 album "Balls To Picasso" and went on to produce, co-write and perform multiple instruments on Bruce's subsequent three solo albums, "Accident At Birth" (1997),"The Chemical Wedding" (1998) and "Tyranny Of Souls" (2005).

O'Callaghan is an Irish musician who joined WHITESNAKE in 2021 and toured with the David Coverdale-fronted outfit the following year. She also hit the road with Dickinson last year as part of a performance of Jon Lord's "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" on nearly a dozen dates in Europe and South America.

Californian drummer Moreno previously played on "Tyranny Of Souls" and has worked with BODY COUNT, Jizzy Pearl, Dizzy Reed and Steve Stevens, among others.

Italian keyboard wizard Mistheria has collaborated with an array of artists live and in the studio, including Rob Rock, Mike Portnoy, Jeff Scott Soto and Joel Hoekstra.

"The Mandrake Project" arrived on March 1, 2024 via BMG.

Bruce and Roy recorded "The Mandrake Project" largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by Mistheria and Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce's previous solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.

Dickinson's reworked version of his classic 1994 album "Balls To Picasso", now titled "More Balls To Picasso", arrived on July 25.

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith.

Photo credit: John McMurtrie

In a new interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the Scars And Guitars podcast, PRIMAL FEAR bassist Mat Sinner — whose real name is Matthias Lasch — addressed the fact that a lot of international musicians are canceling U.S. tours because they have decided that going through the complicated process of getting a U.S. artist visa may not be worth the financial and safety risks. The 61-year-old musician, who was born in Stuttgart, Germany and who also serves as PRIMAL FEAR's producer and one of the band's main songwriters, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I hope that the so-called leaders, which are sometimes close to criminals, or are, get their shit together and give us a chance for a peaceful future.

"Look at PRIMAL FEAR — everybody's asking, 'Why don't you come to America?' We played seven tours in America [in the past]," he explained. "It was never a problem. All is cool. So now you hear reports that a lot of European bands, even that had working visas, were not allowed to enter the U.S. The immigration said 'no'. So all the costs you have, like lawyers, visa, social security, flights, paying the first rate for the bus, and all these things, how can you risk it to ruin a band without not having the proof that you can enter the country and play a tour? And this is so ridiculous. So, of course, if a fan from Texas writes, 'Why don't you come to Texas?' Yeah. Sorry, guy. It's not our problem. It's your problem."

After McKaysmith noted that it is "essential" for a band like PRIMAL FEAR to tour the U.S., considering that America is one of the biggest markets for heavy metal in the world, Sinner said: "Not essential under these circumstances. So, sorry, but I give a fuck. If the situation is that difficult and not clear that, for example, a German band invests a lot of money before they come to America and then didn't allow to get into the country and do the tour because of some — whatever — circumstances they don't like this or whatever, so this is just, for me, not the right way. An American band can come to Germany — they don't need a visa, they don't need nothing, they can play their concerts, they make the money, they go back to America. No problem. With us, for example, [they] said about the next football world championship [FIFA World Cup, which will be held in 2026] in America, yeah, the people can come, but they have to leave immediately. Yeah, what the fuck? So is that a welcome for the world? No — no, no, no, no, no. I don't like it. And I'm sorry for all our fans, and we have a lot of fans — we're selling the second most albums in the world in America. So I'm sorry for all the fans, but under these circumstances, it's financially too risky for us. I hope the time will change."

P and O work visas are assigned to touring artists before they can tour the U.S. The P-category visa applies to artists coming to the U.S. temporarily. These visas can extend for the run of a tour or periods of 12 months or more. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) O category non-immigrant classification includes the coveted O-1B visa, which covers individuals with an extraordinary ability in the arts or extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry. The cost for such visas has reportedly surged from $460 to more than $1,615 per application. The visa fee itself could cost over $3,000 per artist, depending on whether the presenter decides to include fees to expedite the application or hires a lawyer to track the paperwork. USCIS has explained that the extra funds will better cover operational costs and improve processing times. However, immigration lawyers have argued that processing times have actually increased, making it more difficult for artists to plan U.S. tours. The changes have reportedly hurt smaller acts the most.

In a 2021, Sinner reportedly suffered an extreme adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccination, resulting in him receiving treatment for eight months at various hospitals. As a result of Sinner's health challenges, PRIMAL FEAR canceled all of its planned shows in 2021 and 2022, eventually recruiting Alex Jansen as Mat's temporary replacement.

Joining Sinner and vocalist Ralf Scheepers in PRIMAL FEAR's current lineup are the band's latest additions, Italian/Cuban sensation Thalìa Bellazecca (ANGUS MCSIX, ex-FROZEN CROWN) on guitar and André Hilgers (AXXIS, RAGE, SILENT FORCE, SINNER, BONFIRE) on drums. Also appearing with the group is Swedish guitarist Magnus Karlsson, who has been primarily a studio member of the band for much of the past decade but who has now rejoined PRIMAL FEAR's touring lineup.

PRIMAL FEAR's new album, "Domination", will arrive on September 5 via Reigning Phoenix Music. The LP was recorded in autumn 2024, produced by Mat Sinner and co-produced by Ralf Scheepers as well as Magnus Karlsson. Rounded off by multiple PRIMAL FEAR mixing/mastering engineer Jacob Hansen at his own studios in Denmark, the album artwork was designed by Death.Milk.Designs.

PRIMAL FEAR's new lineup made its live debut on May 9 at the 2025 edition of the Rock In Rautheim festival in Braunschweig, Germany.

This September, PRIMAL FEAR will return to the live front with its longest European tour since 2018. Reigning Phoenix Music labelmates ELEINE have been confirmed as special guests.

In August 2024, guitarists Alex Beyrodt and Tom Naumann, drummer Michael Ehré and bassist Alex Jansen announced their departures from PRIMAL FEAR, insisting that their exit was "triggered by decisions within the band that we do not agree with" but claiming that "there was no argument or bad blood."

Formed by Sinner in 1997 as an outlet for Scheepers (who had left GAMMA RAY and was a rumored candidate for the then-open JUDAS PRIEST vocal spot, but was considering early retirement from metal),PRIMAL FEAR has emerged as one of the most consistent European metal bands, rarely straying from its core PRIEST-styled power metal sound.

PRIMAL FEAR 2025 is:

Ralf Scheepers - vocals
Mat Sinner - bass, vocals
Magnus Karlsson - guitars
Thalìa Bellazecca - guitars
André Hilgers - drums

MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren's long-running BENT SEA project will release its debut album, "The Dormant Ruin", in September via Give Praise Records. The LP is now available for pre-order at this location.

BENT SEA began its offensive in 2011 by crash-landing the "Noistalgia" EP, an explosive homage to the beginnings of grindcore. Led by drummer/guitarist/songwriter Dirk Verbeuren with cohorts Sven de Caluwé (ABORTED) on vocals and Shane Embury (NAPALM DEATH) on bass — replacing Devin Townsend, who guested on "Noistalgia" — BENT SEA churned out three more split releases and the guest-studded "Instagrind" series before suddenly falling silent.

BENT SEA anno 2025 mangles the blueprint of classic grind by infusing it with death/black/industrial elements, topped off with unhealthy doses of dissonance and an undeniable sense of urgency. This crushingly heavy record skillfully transcends the band's early output. In twenty songs and 33 minutes, just like the inevitable wrath of Mother Nature, no one will escape BENT SEA unscathed!

"The Dormant Ruin" was produced by Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, DARK FUNERAL) and features guest appearances by Kevin Sharp (VENOMOUS CONCEPT, ex-BRUTAL TRUTH),John Cooke (NAPALM DEATH, VENOMOUS CONCEPT) and Sylvain Coudret (SOILWORK, SCARVE).

Track listing:

Side A

01. From The Beast's Mouth
02. Apathy And Irony
03. Tidal Fire
04. Curtailer Of Conceit
05. A Scopic Radiance
06. Shapeless Ones
07. My Fall
08. Meat Trade Misery
09. Final Corridor
10. Paragon Of Inhumanity

Side B

11. Locked In Glitch
12. Ominous Reversal
13. Prodigious Blight
14. Vermin Burning
15. The Voice They Cannot Be
16. Below The Cold Void
17. Sharpen The Blade
18. Stifled And Dreaming
19. Erased From The Earthly Crust
20. The Dormant Ruin

The official music video for "A Scopic Radiance" can be seen below.

In a 2016 interview with All About The Rock, Dirk stated about BENT SEA: "BENT SEA is a spur-of-the-moment type thing without any business plan. The idea from the get-go was basically 'no pressure' and I intend to keep it that way."

Back in 2012, Dirk told PureGrainAudio about BENT SEA's formation: "It just sort of happened. I used to play guitar, but in recent years my focus was exclusively on drums. My wife had been encouraging me to write my own music, so I decided to give it a shot. The result turned out to be BENT SEA."

Regarding the project's name, the 50-year-old Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based musician said: "It's taken from a song by British experimental duo ENDVRA which I accidentally came across in my tape-trading days. Their music has absolutely nothing to do with grindcore, but somehow BENT SEA popped up in my mind. I like that it's atypical, and that it conjures apocalyptic images echoing the intensity of my music."

Verbeuren had been playing with SOILWORK for more than a decade before joining MEGADETH in 2016 as the replacement for Chris Adler (LAMB OF GOD),who called Dirk "probably [one of the] top three drummers in the world."

In interview with the KATT Rock 100.5 FM radio station, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine described Dirk as "one of the most pleasant, easy-to-get-along-with guys I've ever met in my life. I'll walk up to him and he'll smile and lean forward and pat me on the back. He goes [adopts thin accent], 'How's it going, buddy?' I could say, 'Oh, man…'… anything. 'Oh, okay, buddy.' [He] smiles and pats me, 'cause he's just a happy guy. I've never, ever, ever seen him not smile."

On August 14, ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna and his tribute band to Ronnie James Dio kicked off a four-date tour of Florida at Capt Hirams in Sebastian. The group, in which Belladonna is joined by Mike Rivera on guitar, Rob Stokes on bass, and Jim McCourt on drums, is performing music from DIO, BLACK SABBATH and RAINBOW.

Fan-filmed video of the Sebastian concert can be seen below.

A decade ago, Belladonna spoke to Jay Nanda of the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner about the ANTHRAX frontman's involvement in "This Is Your Life", the tribute to album to Ronnie James Dio. Asked why ANTHRAX chose to record a cover version of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Neon Knights", Belladonna said: "I think I suggested it. When we talked about doing something, collectively, we all like the song, so it was a no-brainer. We could pretty much pick anything… I went for the heavier."

Asked if recording the "Neon Knights" cover was a more emotional experience than some of the other cover versions ANTHRAX had recorded over the years, Belladonna said: "For me, no. I just love doing that type of thing, and it was another day for me to sing something of his. Obviously, I'm excited, because it is a record, but I don't think I did it any different. In fact, I only did a couple of takes. I mean, I actually have on video the first time I tried it, and it pretty much sounds like what it sounds like already. It was business as usual for me."

Regarding what Ronnie meant to him, Joey said: "Ronnie's an inspirational singer for me." He added: "I really believe that as you grow up, you're inspired by the people that perform and things that you would like to hear yourself be in that kind of category and have such a talent like he did and just be inspired. [He was a] great human being, great musician — just all that… He was just the slickest. He was so heavy but melodic, as well as his attitude about everything. He had great charisma."

Belladonna also spoke about the first impression Ronnie made on him. "He made me laugh big time," Joey said. "He just want[ed] to be funny. And yet he [was] so sincere and [could] have that serious point of view. You need to be enthralled with that when you're around him, to have him speak to you with that kind of attitude and spunk that he had. And I'd been around him when things weren't so good, which I won't bring up right now, but to have him share that with me, which was more private, about being in his band — things like that. Just to engage in that with me and run that by me."

Belladonna, whose most recent return to ANTHRAX was officially announced in May 2010, was originally the lead singer of ANTHRAX from 1984 to 1992, and was considered part of the influential thrash metal group's classic lineup (alongside guitarists Dan Spitz and Scott Ian, bassist Frank Bello and drummer Charlie Benante),which reunited and toured during 2005 and 2006. His voice was featured on over 10 albums, which reportedly sold eight million copies worldwide.

Hey everyone! The boys and I are gearing up for another fun run of shows celebrating Ronnie James Dio. Gather the wind and get tix asap. Last year they went fast. Don't be the last in line.

Posted by Jim McCourt on Monday, June 30, 2025

THE JOE PERRY PROJECT played the third concert of its U.S. tour Saturday night (August 16) at History in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

For the North American trek — which marks the first solo shows for the legendary AEROSMITH guitarist this year — Perry is joined by his AEROSMITH bandmates Brad Whitford (guitar) and Buck Johnson (keys),along with THE BLACK CROWES' Chris Robinson (vocals),STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' Robert DeLeo (bass) and longtime JOE PERRY PROJECT drummer Jason Sutter.

The setlist for the Toronto concert was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Let The Music Do The Talking
02. My Fist Your Face (AEROSMITH song)
03. Mama Kin (AEROSMITH song)
04. East Coast, West Coast
05. Get The Lead Out / Heartbreaker
06. Twice As Hard (THE BLACK CROWES song)
07. Fortunate One (Joe Perry song)
08. Interstate Love Song (STONE TEMPLE PILOTS song)
09. Combination (AEROSMITH song)
10. Get It Up (AEROSMITH song)
11. Vasoline (STONE TEMPLE PILOTS song)
12. Won't Let Me Go (Joe Perry song)
13. Jealous Again (THE BLACK CROWES song)
14. Bright Light Fright (AEROSMITH song)
15. Last Child (AEROSMITH song)
16. Chip Away The Stone (Richard Supa Cover)
17. Draw The Line (AEROSMITH song)

Encore:

18. The Train Kept A-Rollin' (Tiny Bradshaw cover)
19. Walk This Way (AEROSMITH song)

Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

Due to a family emergency, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' Eric Kretz is unable to participate in the JOE PERRY PROJECT eight-date tour, which will wrap August 23 in Port Chester, New York.

On Monday (August 11),Perry released the following statement via social media: "Unfortunately, due to a family emergency Eric Kretz will be unable to participate in the upcoming JOE PERRY PROJECT tour dates. Longtime JPP drummer Jason Sutter will join the band for the immediate future and Eric looks forward to rejoining the tour as soon as he is able."

Remaining THE JOE PERRY PROJECT 2025 tour dates:

August 17 - Muskoka, ON @ Kee to Bala
August 19 - Boston, MA @ Wang Theatre
August 20 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
August 22 - Mashantucket, CT @ The Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino
August 23 - Port Chester, NY @ Capitol Theatre

When the tour was first announced in May, Perry said in a statement: "Well…it's time to let the music do the talkin again. I'm really excited about the JPP line up this year!!!! Most of these guys played with me at The Roxy in L.A. at the debut event for my latest solo album ['Sweetzerland Manifesto'] in January 2018. They're all busy as hell but thankfully they're able to carve out some time for this run. And I'm not only lucky enough to have Brad Whitford onstage with me but Chris Robinson of THE BLACK CROWES! [who sang 'Fortunate One' on 'Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII'], Robert DeLeo from STP!!! and Buck Johnson who plays keys and sings with AEROSMITH, the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, and is also a solo artist in his own right."

For the shows, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee says "the set list is gonna include my fav JPP cuts, STP, BLACK CROWES, and with Brad we'll be hitting the AERO hits and some deep cuts and then ya never know!!!! Gonna be a BLAST, and if you've ever been to one of my shows you know the words GARAGE BAND on STEROIDS come to mind! See you there!!!!"

Perry launched THE JOE PERRY PROJECT back in 1979 after his departure from AEROSMITH. THE JOE PERRY PROJECT released three albums before Perry returned to AEROSMITH in 1984.

Prior to the current run of shows, Perry last toured with THE JOE PERRY PROJECT in 2023.

As co-founding member, principal songwriter, electrifying lead guitarist and co-producer of AEROSMITH, Perry has achieved permanent iconic stature in the pantheon of rock. He has helped to drive his band, over the course of five decades, to sales of more than 150 million albums, critical acclaim, four Grammy Awards (one of which includes the guitar-based instrumental "Boogie Man") and induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Joe's work with AEROSMITH has resulted in an unending array of accolades and honors. Beyond their Grammy Awards and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction, other key milestones over the past 50 years include 12 MTV Video Awards; two People's Choice Awards; six Billboard Music Awards; eight American Music Awards; 23 Boston Music Awards; and an Academy Award nomination for Best Song, "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" (from the soundtrack to "Armageddon"). One of the world's true guitar heroes, he was immortalized in 2008 when AEROSMITH made history and created a cultural firestorm with the Activision-released "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith", an epic collaboration that marked the first music-based game to feature one band. As a solo artist, Perry has released six albums, including his 1980 debut, the critically acclaimed "Let The Music Do The Talking", which landed at No. 47 on Billboard's album chart. Most recently, Perry released "Sweetzerland Manifesto" in 2018 and "Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII" in 2023 (which included six tracks with alternate vocal appearances and mixes from the 2018 album). Since 2012, Perry has been a member of the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES — an American rock supergroup — alongside Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp. The group released three albums: "Hollywood Vampires" (2015) and "Rise" (2019),along with a live album, "Live In Rio" (2023). In addition, in 2014 Perry released "Rocks: My Life In And Out Of Aerosmith" (Simon & Schuster). Written with David Ritz, the book spent its initial two weeks on the prestigious New York Times bestseller list. To support the book, Joe embarked on a cross-country book tour with multiple nights in New York, his Boston hometown (three in-stores),Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and a stop at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland. In addition, he made top-tier broadcast appearances on "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon", "Conan", "CBS This Morning", "Fox & Friends", "Tavis Smiley" and "Larry King" alongside popular national radio including "The Howard Stern Show" and "Imus In The Morning". Perry also personally narrated the audio version of the book.

RATT singer Stephen Pearcy and guitarist Warren DeMartini played their fifth reunion show last night (Saturday, August 16) at the Silver Creek Event Center at Four Winds in New Buffalo, Michigan.

Playing alongside Pearcy and DeMartini were former RATT and QUIET RIOT guitarist Carlos Cavazo, former RATT and ROUGH CUTT bassist Matt Thorr and former SLAUGHTER drummer Blas Elias. Thorr and Elias are both current touring members of Pearcy's solo band.

Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen below (courtesy of the Joe E Bravo channel on YouTube).

The setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Wanted Man (RATT song)
02. Slip Of The Lip (RATT song)
03. Lovin' You's A Dirty Job (RATT song)
04. Nobody Rides For Free (RATT song)
05. I Want A Woman (RATT song)
06. I'm Insane (RATT song)
07. Givin' Yourself Away (RATT song)
08. Way Cool Jr. (RATT song)
09. Lack Of Communication (RATT song)
10. Lay It Down (RATT song)
11. You're In Love (RATT song)
12. Back For More (RATT song)

Encore:

13. Round And Round (RATT song)

In a recent interview with Waste Some Time With Jason Green, Pearcy spoke about his reunion with DeMartini for a handful of shows this spring and summer. He said: "It's always been going around, 'You guys should get together.' I believe I actually approached Warren a few years ago. I go, 'Hey, why don't we try doing this [Jimmy] Page-[Robert] Plant [-style] thing or something.' And nothing became of it. So, I'm, like, hey, well, he's grooving. He's still that guy — he's the lead guitar player in RATT, the guy who co-wrote those songs; he's the guy. So I went about my business, as you know, and do my solo thing. And I have great players, but this is the real deal.

"So what happened was, over seven years later here, we get a contact from a promoter at M3 [Rock Festival], and it was, like, 'Well, I have this idea. Maybe we can get you guys back together and you can headline one of these nights.' And I'm, like, 'Okay. Yeah, right. Okay, well, let's see what happens.' So anyway, long story short, I said, 'Hey, whatever it takes, I'm in. Let's see if we can make this happen.' Well, it just happened to be the right timing for Warren too, to go, 'Hey, why not? Let's play again.' And here we are."

Regarding Pearcy and DeMartini's first reunion show, which took place in April at Mohegan Sun, Stephen told Waste Some Time With Jason Green: "It was fucking amazing. And we kind of blundered here and there and it's a given. We had a few rehearsals.

"The way Warren and I worked in RATT was we do like to be loosely tight," he explained. "We don't wanna be that technical out there when we play. So it kinda worked out the other day, like, 'Okay, we got our feet wet. Now we know what's happening.' So, some of those songs you may never hear us play again, that we played."

Asked if there are any other songs that he would like to perform at the future shows, Stephen said: "Oh, a hundred percent. And I think [Warren] would do it. I wanna play 'Eat Me Up Alive'. And that's a song Carlos and I wrote, so what the fuck? We played it before. That's a song I wanna do. I liked the couple songs Warren picked.

"For me, it's kind of cool, and even being this sobered up guy for years, is going out there and it's still the same as it was in '85, '86 with Warren up there," Pearcy added. "That's the vibe I got. I mean, we were able to sit there and chit-chat and didn't give a fuck on stage. 'Let's take a second out for us, dude. This is funny, huhThis is a trip, right?' That's our conversation up on stage."

Regarding the fact that drummer Bobby Blotzer and bassist Juan Croucier, who were both members of RATT's classic lineup, are not playing with Pearcy and DeMartini at the current shows, Stephen said: "People are already going, 'Oh, bring back the other guys.' Well, I don't really think they know how complicated it is or it would be, or if it even need be. Because the reason Warren and I are out here in the first place is to kick about the legacy of the music. Hey, we had great songs.

"It wouldn't have worked [with the other members], nor would I think I would've… Of course if you're really doing 'business business', you have to consider all aspects," he added. "But do I wanna fuck with our fans or our friends and go out there and pretend it's fucking cool and it's really not? You know what I mean? I mean, look, it took seven years for Warren and I [to play together again], and it was, like, 'Hey. Wow.' I never thought it would happen, but now we're talking about writing new music. So what the fuck?"

Asked if he thinks he will ever play under the RATT brand again, Stephen said: "Uh, well, I could say it would be cool, but I've proven it's not necessary right now. If you're doing 'business business', so to speak — but it's not necessary. That's why I've been out there busting ass for the last few years, is to establish that… It's irrelevant. I'm the guy who co-wrote or wrote those songs, created the band. Here I am — I'm singing. Because one day I'm gonna wake up and go, 'I don't wanna do this shit anymore.' And it happens… But, yeah, I think about that all the time. I mean, I'm fucking Evel Knievel right here, so I've gotta take it carefully."

Pearcy and DeMartini also performed a set of RATT classics at Rock The Dam 8 in Beaver Dam, Kentucky, on July 26 and at Count's Vamp'd in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 10.

"It's all good," Stephen said. "And I'll tell you what we've decided to move forward and because of that show, because we were touchy-touchy, if we wanted to stay out. And so we're gonna entertain some more shows. It's by overwhelming demand. I mean, this might be it, the last you'll see of RATT, for all I know. I don't know. But I'm enjoying this shit. It's fun again. It's been fun for me for the last few years, and I'd like to keep it that way."

During an appearance on the January 29 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Stephen said about the lineup of his new band with DeMartini: "We're gonna have Carlos out there, which is cool. And I'm bringing in Matt Thorr on bass, who's pretty much an original RATT guy from 1981, '82, when Jake E. [Lee] and Warren pulled in. And then we're taking Blas Elias on drums from SLAUGHTER and my band. And we're ready to go."

Added Warren: "When I moved up to L.A. to join RATT, I stayed at a house with Jake E. Lee for a few months, and, it was like a three-bedroom [house], and Jake had one, and Matt had the other, and this other musician had the third. And I was on the couch. But Matt goes way back with [RATT]. I'm actually kind of looking forward to checking that out again. He was playing bass at the time I joined [RATT]."

Regarding why they did not play the M3 show under the RATT banner, Pearcy said: "Well, I'll tell you right straight up — it's not about RATT. It's about the legacy of our music. And who better to deliver it, because we don't have all the proper original elements, which would include [late RATT guitarist] Robbin [Crosby]. So we just decided — no. This is great. This is perfect. I mean, we don't wanna hit a brick wall. We want this nice and smooth. So that's what we intend to do. It's not about that — it's about the legacy of RATT. Period."

DeMartini went on to say that he was open to playing more shows with Pearcy in the future, assuming that everything goes well with the current gigs.

"Since we announced the M3 show, other stuff has come up," he revealed. "When this [M3 concert] came up, I was treating it as a one-off, but everything has a momentum, or it can have a momentum. And in this case, it just feels better and better.

"I've always wanted to play these songs to the people, like we always have," he added. "So I'm totally game to doing more."

Asked if Blotzer and Croucier would have any involvement in M3 and other gigs Pearcy and DeMartini plan to play together, Stephen said: "No, no, no. Not on this. No. Like I say, we wanted it to be about the music and Warren and myself delivering it, because it is gonna be a little different. If you were to throw the other guys in the mix, it wouldn't be exactly what it is now, the opportunity."

On the topic of what he has been doing in the seven years since he last played with Stephen, Warren said: "What I always did and what I always do. When I'm not sort of dealing with all the stuff that we deal with in life, I drift back into the studio and either start working on something that I hear in my head or refining something that I have going. So it's been a really nice thing to be able to do all this time, because basically since Stephen and Robbin and I wrote 'Round And Round', it's, like, 'Okay, you can be a writer if you wanna be,' so that's what I do, basically."

Asked if he missed being on stage and being in front of an audience, Warren said: "Oh, of course. It's hard to find words to describe the kind of energy that we have with our audience. It's just fantastic… I did do some gigs with some friends, like the last one was with Billy Gibbons and Sebastian Bach, and we would all play each other's songs. It was two or three songs each. And stuff like that kind of kept it burning, but this is the real fire."

Last year, Pearcy celebrated the 40th anniversary of RATT's classic debut album, "Out Of The Cellar", by performing it in its entirety and in sequence for the first time.

RATT exploded on to the national scene in 1984 with the release of "Out Of The Cellar". Featuring an undeniable hook and legendary music video, lead single "Round And Round" hit No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Out Of The Cellar" reached No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified triple platinum. Two more charting singles followed with "Back For More" and "Wanted Man". RATT started the tour as an opening act, but by the end of the tour had climbed to arena headliner.

RATT returned in 1985 with its second full-length album, "Invasion Of Your Privacy". Certified double platinum and also reaching No. 7 on the Billboard 200, "Invasion Of Your Privacy" also featured the classics "Lay It Down" (No. 40 on Billboard Hot 100) and "You're In Love".

"Dancing Undercover" followed in 1986 as RATT toured North America with a then-brand new Los Angeles band called POISON as the opening act. Lead single "Dance" hit the Billboard Hot 100 and spawned another music video hit with "Slip Of The Lip", while "Body Talk" was featured in a key scene in the Eddie Murphy film "The Golden Child". "Dancing Undercover" became RATT's third consecutive platinum album and reached No. 26 on the Billboard 200.

1988's "Reach For The Sky" saw RATT return to the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 album charts, peaking at No. 17. Driven by the bluesy hit and MTV favorite "Way Cool Jr.", "Reach For The Sky" was also certified platinum and became RATT's fourth album in a row to move well over a million copies. "I Want A Woman" was also a successful single and the video captured the excitement and energy of RATT live.

RATT released its last full-length record of the Atlantic era, "Detonator", in 1990. Music was changing, but "Detonator" was still a success, peaking at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 and going gold. It was the first RATT album to feature major outside songwriting contributions (Desmond Child, Diane Warren) and guests (Jon Bon Jovi, Michael Schenker). Lead single "Lovin' You's A Dirty Job" hit No. 18 on the rock chart while the power ballad "Givin' Yourself Away" reached No. 39.

In 1991, they released the single "Nobody Rides For Free" from the hit film "Point Break", starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze.

In January 2021, Pearcy told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he was open to the idea of making a new RATT album with all the surviving members of the band's classic lineup.

RATT hasn't released any new music since 2010's "Infestation" LP.

Just announced!
“ PEARCY | DE MARTINI” at Silver Creek Event Center - Aug 16, 2025...

Posted by Stephen Pearcy on Monday, April 28, 2025

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY has completed recording its long-awaited follow-up to 2018's "No Cross No Crown" album.

On Saturday (August 16),CORROSION OF CONFORMITY shared a photo of guitarist Woody Weatherman and guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan, along with the following message: "For all the freethinkers and beer drinkers… Woody and Pepper have just finished tracking one of the most meaningful and powerful records we have ever been a part of. This would not have been possible without the skills of all those that have joined this caravan, that is still in hot pursuit. Stanton Moore, Bobby Rock and Mr. Warren Riker between the speakers and never telling us to turn down…now he's off to mixland. There's many others that this would have not been possible without and whom will not be forgotten .This is what was in our head for three years and today we can say it is no longer ours.

"Thank you all …see you on the horizon

"Oh yeah .. It's a double album.

"FOREVER AMPLIFIED. COC".

Some of guitar-recording sessions for CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's new LP took place at a private Miami, Florida studio owned by Barry Gibb of the BEE GEES.

On July 20, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY shared a photo of Keenan and Gibb at the studio and included the following message: "Beer drinkers and free thinkers… We wanna let y'all know we just finished trackin guitars in a very special place…

"Here's the deal… We were diggin around in the underground and fell upon an outing by a band called [KILL THE ROBOT] , the production caught our ear immediately as did the songs …clicked a lil deeper n' realized it was our dear friend Stephen Gibb's [Barry Gibb's son, who has previously played with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and CROWBAR] new outing… and was recorded and produced by [Warren Riker], another ol' friend who recorded the orginal 'Stare Too Long' and produced two [DOWN] records ..

"Didn't take long to start puttin the pieces together. Couple of texts and phone calls and we got the ultimate invitation… Come record at my father's place , where Warren and Stephen had built a dream studio. We stole the gas money and loaded the U haul n' headed to Miams.. We're goin to @officialbarrygibb of the friggin BEE GEES !! What followed next is way too epic to share…. but it took us to another level.

"We are forever grateful for sharing your world with us… never in our youth did we think we would be here tracking, and having Barry share his most prized instruments .. aka the Staying Alive Strat !!.. No Jive Talkin… We are humbled and definitely thank you Barry Gibb, Stephen Gibb and Warren Riker..

"Stay tuned! The new COC record is a monster!!

"See yall next tour with Alice [Cooper] and the mighty [JUDAS] PRIEST."

Last October, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY recruited onetime DOWN guitarist and current PANTERA bass tech Bobby Landgraf to play bass for the band on the 2024 edition of the Headbangers Boat cruise. He has since joined CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in the studio and on the concert stage.

In September 2024, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's founding bassist Mike Dean announced his departure from the band.

Dean revealed his decision to leave CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in a statement posted on social media. He wrote: "Recently I made a decision to step away from CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, a band started 40-odd years ago by Reed Mullin, Woody Weatherman, and myself.

"I'm extremely proud of everything we've done together, and look forward to hearing more from the band going forward.

"When I rejoined COC for the finishing touches of the 'Deliverance' album, I moved back to Raleigh, NC for an all-in creative campaign, but time, distance and side projects and life in general has changed all of that.

"Ever since Reed drifted away from the band and then passed away, it's been difficult for me to collaborate on new material with bandmates who live hundreds of miles away.

"I look forward to putting together a new Raleigh-based outlet to create new music with more alacrity and with more of an emphasis on my own ideas than in recent times. Also, I look forward to continuing to record and produce other artists.

"All the best to Woodroe, Pepper, and COC crew, and most importantly, many big thanks to the fans of all iterations of the band, who have made this real for all of these years. Salute!"

The remaining members of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY — Keenan and Weatherman — added in a separate statement: "We, Woodroe and Pepper, are in full support of Dean's future endeavors and wish him all the best in the quest. Thankful for the music made and (R)evolutionary paths created. That being said, this book of CORROSION is not finished, nor will the train stop.

"The opportunity to play music and create is something that we don't take lightly, and we will not waver. New COC recording is well underway and will be released in 2025.

"Much love and respect to all the free thinkin' beer drinkin' friends and fans worldwide, looking to making more. Without you, we are just growing deaf in a garage."

Two years ago, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY confirmed the return of Moore for its upcoming album.

Mullin died in January 2020 at the age of 53. The drummer, who co-founded CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in 1982 as a hardcore punk act alongside Weatherman and Dean, had missed a number of shows in the preceding four years due to a variety of health issues, including an alcohol-related seizure he suffered back in June 2016.

In 2014, after nearly a straight decade traversing the globe as a guitarist with New Orleans supergroup DOWN, Pepper reconnected with the core CORROSION OF CONFORMITY trio of Weatherman, Dean and Mullin to hit the road hard. "Reed called me and mentioned maybe playing a couple shows," Keenan recalled back in 2017. "I said, 'Let's just go to Europe and see if it works.' So we went to Europe and then ended up going back four times in one year... We toured for a year and then started tracking."

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY recorded "No Cross No Crown" in about forty days over the course of a year at a North Carolina studio with longtime producer John Custer.

For all the freethinkers and beer drinkers….
Woody and Pepper have just finished tracking one of the most meaningful...

Posted by Corrosion Of Conformity on Saturday, August 16, 2025

AC/DZ, the long-running San Francisco Bay Area-based AC/DC tribute band featuring former EXODUS singer Steve "Zetro" Souza and DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll, paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne by performing a cover of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Children Of The Grave" during AC/DZ's concert last night (Saturday, August 16) at Vinnie's Bar & Grill in Concord, California. Video of the show can be seen below (courtesy of Walter Morgan).

As part of Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series, Souza was asked to name his top three metal singers of all time. He responded: "I could go on forever; there's so many that I could say. But you have to give… For me, Bon Scott [AC/DC], Ronnie James Dio [BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL] and, obviously, Rob Halford [JUDAS PRIEST]. But I then I could go Biff Byford [SAXON], I could go John Bush [ARMORED SAINT, ANTHRAX]. I have so many that I love and am influenced by — that I'm influenced by. They're such legends and they had such an impact on how singers like myself sing today, especially Bon Scott; I mean, my voice is a pretty much imitation of it."

Earlier this month, Souza announced the first two U.S. shows as part of his celebration of the 20th anniversary of EXODUS's 2004 album "Tempo Of The Damned". Souza will play at Piper's in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on September 27 and at the Brass Mug in Tampa, Florida on September 28.

As previously reported, Souza will embark on a 10-date solo tour of Latin America in September 2025. The trek will kick off on September 4 in San José, Costa Rica and end on September 14 in São Paulo, Brazil. At all the shows, Souza will also perform classic songs from his other former bands TESTAMENT (Zetro was the lead vocalist for LEGACY, an early incarnation of TESTAMENT) and HATRIOT, as well as the Bon Scott era of AC/DC. Backing Souza on stage at the shows — billed simply as ZETRO — will be the following musicians:

* Zakk Frye (SLIKK WIKKED) - Rythm Guitar/Backup Vocals
* Kyle Smith (SLIKK WIKKED) - Lead Guitar
* Andrew Dewar (VICIOUS INTENT) - Drums
* Donny "Death" Weissinger (NASTY TRAST, HATE GRENADE) - Bass

Seven months ago, it was announced that EXODUS had parted ways with Souza and had welcomed back Rob Dukes.

Souza joined EXODUS in 1986 after previously fronting the band LEGACY (which, as stated above, later became TESTAMENT). He remained in EXODUS until their hiatus in 1993, but rejoined them for two years from 2002 to 2004. Dukes became the singer of EXODUS in 2005 (following Souza's departure) and stayed until 2014, when Souza returned.

EXODUS played its first concert with Dukes in nearly 11 years on April 5 at the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Dukes previously joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005),"The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007),"Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS's classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

Tonight we have an amazing night of Live music we are honoring the music of #acdc the #bonscott era featuring Steve...

Posted by Lommori Christine on Saturday, August 16, 2025

Puscifer, the multi-dimensional rock troupe featuring Maynard James Keenan, Mat Mitchell, and Carina Round, have released In Case You Were Napping (Puscifer Entertainment/Alchemy Recordings/BMG), a 15-song digital-only collection celebrating the band’s nearly two decade recorded legacy of boundary-pushing music. Stream/download the collection here.

Pulling from the band’s albums and EPs, In Case You Were Napping serves as both a primer for new listeners and a curated journey for longtime fans. The tracklist highlights favorites such as “The Humbling River, “ “Momma Sed,” and “Conditions Of My Parole,” alongside standout tracks including “The Mission – M Is For Milla Mix” (featuring vocals from Milla Jovovich), the prescient 2020 single, “Apocalyptical,” and Sessanta tour closer, “Grand Canyon.”

The collection arrives as Puscifer has publicly confirmed their fifth studio album will arrive in 2026. Fans won’t have to wait long for a preview, on August 11, the band will perform the as-of-yet untitled record in its entirety over two performances at Exchange L.A.. The 8 PM set is sold out but a limited number of tickets remain for the 5 PM set. Get tickets here.



In Case You Were Napping tracklisting:

“Queen B”
“Momma Sed”
“Indigo Children”
“The Humbling River”
“The Mission” – M Is For Milla Mix
“Conditions Of My Parole”
“Horizons”
“Man Overboard”
“The Remedy”
“Grand Canyon”
“The Arsonist”
“Apocalyptical”
“Bullet Train To Iowa”
“The Underwhelming”
“Breathe” (Versatile Mix)

In a new interview with Matt Bingham of the Z93 radio station, GREAT WHITE rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Michael Lardie confirmed that the band is working on new music with Brett Carlisle, who was officially named the band's new vocalist in October 2022. Brett joined the group as the replacement for Andrew Freeman (LAST IN LINE),who sang for GREAT WHITE for only five months. Regarding what it has been like "adding fresh blood to a band that's been doing it for 40-plus years", Michael said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, it's great. [Brett's] got a great energy. He's a totally sweet dude. I mean, he's just one of those kids that gets 'it'. You would think that because of his age being — I don't know; I think he's 28 now — that does infuse us with a certain amount of new energy, which is very cool. But he's very interested in recording some new material with us because he would like to put his stamp on the GREAT WHITE history. And we are working on tunes all the time. I think that it shouldn't be difficult at all for him to, to find his voice within the framework of what [GREAT WHITE guitarist] Mark [Kendall] and I are coming up with. So we're looking forward to that.

"I think what we're gonna try and do this time around is instead of doing an entire album, do two or three songs at a time, put 'em out there, maybe do a video, and then when we're close to 12 to 15, we'll slap them all together and make them available as an entire album," he explained. "But because of social media, the attention span, as you know, is somewhat diminished from what it was. I mean, think about when you were a kid, putting on a [LED] ZEPPELIN record or an AEROSMITH record, you wanted to listen to the whole record. And that's the thing that is different about the way people consume music now. So we wanna make sure that we are true to our fans that have been with us forever, but also understand that life is so busy that we want them to ingest new material. It's just the way society is now. It's just they need to take it in smaller doses."

Lardie went on to say that he misses making full-length albums. "I've been doing records — I've been an engineer since 1979, which is, in fact, when I met GREAT WHITE in the studio in '83 and worked on their very first record when they were on EMI," he added. "That's when they were definitely more in the realm of, say a JUDAS PRIEST — the sound was more like that. And I think when Mark found himself as a blues player, it really kind of clicked as to what our signature sound was going to be. But I miss doing records — I mean, in their entirety. You're talking two, three months block out of time, every day you're going to the studio, you're doing the thing… So I do miss doing entire records, but one has to stay with the times."

This past May, Kendall confirmed to Rev. Tom Brice of Sportzwire Radio that e and his GREAT WHITE bandmates were working on material for the follow-up to 2017's "Full Circle" album. He said: "We made a lot of demos. It shouldn't be too long. I've been saying it for so long, but it's just hard to put it together, man. But literally I've flown Brett out here [to California] multiple times, and we're just going in and presenting the band with ideas. It's also a case of we don't know exactly how we're gonna do it, with today's world."

He continued: "To bombard people with, like, 13 songs, it almost doesn't make sense. With all the medium stripped away, except for downloading, I'd rather get the full attention of maybe one song and a video. Let them trip on that, and then we'll come with another one and another one, and maybe then hit 'em with eight songs or whatever. Because it's not like when we were teenagers where we knew everybody's name in every band and we'd sit there and read the liner notes and trip on an album all day long and go out and buy it and take it home and it'd be a 10-hour project. Now they just download a couple of songs from this guy and that guy. It's not the human connection that we used to have, so we have to conform to that. Our thing is we just want to get the music to the people. We want you to hear it 'cause we want feedback. We want you to say 'it sucks' or 'it's great' — tell me something, man.

Back in April 2024, Kendall told George Dionne of KNAC.COM about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the next GREAT WHITE LP: "I've been having [Brett] out recording new stuff. Because I want him to be inspired and just not singing our [old] songs perfect but put his name on some new stuff. So we've been recording. I got a friend, his studio is a little bit more upgraded than mine. This guy Tracy G [Grijalva], he's like a teenage friend of mine who was in DIO. He just has a better studio. So I go down there and lay down ideas and then I have Brett out and go, 'Check this out,' and we sit together. And it's coming out amazing."

Regarding how GREAT WHITE is planning to release its new music, Mark said: "We're not sure how we're gonna put it out, with this day and age. We're talking to a lot of people about it. 'Cause we don't want the music to kind of get lost, with this downloading world. It's not like when we were growing up, we'd buy a record and sit there and listen to [LED ZEPPELIN's] 'Physical Graffiti' all day. Now they just download a couple of songs from this [album], a couple of songs [from that record]. So we're thinking maybe the idea could be [to] just put two or three songs out, maybe a video, and just keep coming with three at a time or something. That way, the music isn't wasted; it actually gets to the people. That's all we're concerned about. We know it's gonna be free on the Internet immediately."

He continued: "Even in our heyday, I was always more interested in the feedback. I want people to tell me, 'Man, I really like this song' or, 'I hate it,' or whatever. I used to go straight to a friend of mine, as soon as we were done, before it was out or anything, because you've gotta wait about four months. So I'd ask him, I go, 'Man, please tell me I'm great. Tell me something good.' He would always pick the singles. And the guy can't — he can't hold a tune in a bucket. I mean, he's so tone deaf, it's insane. But he can listen and he could always pick the singles. I'm going, 'What are you judging by? Is it the beat?' He goes, 'I don't know.' So there's no answer there. But I always like to get the feedback 'cause I wanna know… You have to wait this waiting period after you finish a record to find out if you're good or not, or if people are gonna be accepting. So it is a frustrating time. So I always race all my friends and play it for 'em. So that's what I'm more interested in than the dollars, really, is what people think. And maybe we have a chance to create some more memories."

Asked if he and his bandmates were "a little bit apprehensive" about the fact that Carlisle is only 28 years old while GREAT WHITE, as a group, has been in existence more than four decades, Mark said: "He's in his late 20s, but, believe it or not, he's kind of an old soul in a way. Nothing overwhelms the guy. He just goes out and just totally handles it every night, engages the crowd. He's real good with the interaction. He sings perfect all the time. And he's got really good song sense for a young man. I'm used to feeding people melody ideas when I write a song because that's the way I do it. Everybody has their own way to do it, but I always know that there's a lot of melody available, and he sometimes comes up with something way better than I had. So that's a good sign. And the way he delivers the new stuff, he really has a good handle on the music. And I don't know — I think he was born in the wrong time or something. In other words, we can stand together. It's not like he's standing next to his grandpa or something. It's not like we're CROSBY, STILLS & NASH, and, 'What's that 13-year-old doing there?' When we stand together, it just looks like a band. It doesn't look like we're with a little kid or anything. He's a little better-looking than us, but apart from that…"

Carlisle was officially named GREAT WHITE's new vocalist in October 2022. Brett joined the group as the replacement for Andrew Freeman (LAST IN LINE),who sang for GREAT WHITE for only five months.

Regarding what it has been like working with a singer who wasn't even born when some of GREAT WHITE's classic songs were written, Lardie told Robert Miguel of Uvalde Radio Rocks: "Well, I think he gets what we're trying to do. It's been a godsend to have someone with his youth, but at the same time he has what a lot of people would deem as an older soul. His parents did a great job bringing him up on '70s and '80s rock, so he's pretty well versed in that. And he comes from the South, so he's got a little bit of that blues and gospel edge to him."

Michael went on to say that he is "really looking forward" working on the new GREAT WHITE album with Carlisle. "In fact, before we were going on the other night, I was playing him a little bit of a thing that he and I are working on, and he's going, 'Oh, yeah, I got this idea,'" Lardie said. "So he's really psyched about working with us. And it's a joy to be onstage with him. He's turned into a great little performer, and when he's offstage, he's the most down-to-earth, righteous young man that I've come across in a while. And it's been a joy."

Michael added that Carlisle has the singing ability to handle anything from GREAT WHITE's catalog. "With his energy and his vocal range, we can do pretty much anything," he said. "If somebody throws out a tune, no matter how obscure it might be or how high it might be in terms of range, he's, like, 'Yeah, I can do that.' Like one of the songs we are doing from the very, very first record is 'Stick It'. And he hits every one of those notes spot-on every night. So it's awesome."

Regarding the musical direction of the new GREAT WHITE material, Lardie said: "It's hard to say. I would love the album to be kind of an amalgam of '...Twice Shy' [1989], 'Hooked' [1991] and 'Psycho City' [1992]. I mean, that, to me, would be a great combination of things."

In March 2024, Kendall told The Logan Show about Carlisle: "Even though he's younger than us, he's kind of, like… Nothing overwhelms the guy. He's respectful and everything, but he's not, like, 'Oh, my god. Look at this. Oh, my god. [Look at] that.' He just goes out and just totally handles it every night. Yeah, he's younger than us and whatnot, and, like you said, he wasn't even born in our heyday or whatever, probably, but he just goes out, he really brings the crowd into the show. He's really good and natural at… He doesn't have a script when he goes out there; he just kind of whatever he's feeling, and he sings like perfect, no matter what. It's pretty incredible, really. We're looking forward to doing an album with him, I can tell you that much."

After interviewer Logan Crosland noted that "quite a few people online" have commented that Brett is "probably the closest-sounding singer to Jack Russell," GREAT WHITE's original vocalist, and asked if that was a criteria when hiring Brett to front the band, Mark said: "Not necessarily. What it was is he just sang the songs correctly and he has the range to sing 'em. I don't think his voice sounds that much like Jack, but he has the range of Jack in his heyday. And so we're able to play anything we want, and we really haven't been able to do that in the past. Like we're playing 'Stick It' off the first album, which is up in the astral planes with the vocal range, and he's hitting all those notes full power. I mean, it's not like a falsetto, weak high notes. He's like straight from the gut just like screaming these notes, like full power from A to Z. There's not a song in our catalog that he can't totally handle. And I've been writing with him."

Regarding whether he has any songs already completed, Mark said: "Oh, yeah. I probably have seven complete songs on tape right now. [They're] just absolutely killer. But we haven't collaborated. The way we do it is we get together and we sit in a circle and say, 'What do you got? Let's hear it. What do you got?' And if a riff kind of pokes out, we say, 'Let's work on that. That's badass, dude. That's killer.' And that way it's more of a group effort."

Carlisle made his live debut with GREAT WHITE on September 24, 2022 at the Cannery Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to Brett, he felt welcomed by his new bandmates and the GREAT WHITE fans from the get-go.

"After meeting [the GREAT WHITE guys], they're all super-cool dudes," he told Kevin McKay of the 99 Rock WKSM FM radio station. "In Vegas, we had a rehearsal the day before, and I already knew half the songs well enough to be able to do it. So I wanted to do the best that I could on 'em. But after we hung out, everybody was cool and stuff. I mean, it's a big crowd. I love big crowds; they're fun."

Carlisle has been playing guitar and singing since the age of eight and counts bands like VAN HALEN, SKID ROW and METALLICA as his main influences.

In May 2022, GREAT WHITE announced that it had parted ways with singer Mitch Malloy and had replaced him with Freeman. Malloy had been in GREAT WHITE for nearly four years, having joined the group in 2018 following the departure of Terry Ilous.

Ilous, frontman of '80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after stepping in for touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and 2017's "Full Circle", before Terry was dismissed from the group.

In January 2023, Kendall told the "Mark 2.0" podcast that he was surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response to Carlisle's addition to GREAT WHITE. "It was world news," he said. "I'm seeing stuff on the Internet from Italy, Germany, the U.K. And even some of the more online dirt-seeking-type entities that normally are just huntin' for the headline to say, 'He said his singer sucks'. That's the article. That's the way it starts. These guys actually said good things and posted some of the [fan-filmed videos]. They're cellphone cameras, so the quality probably isn't… But you can hear it. You need to sing great."

In October 2022, Carlisle was asked in an interview with AL.com about his approach to singing GREAT WHITE's classic songs. He said: "I just want to do the songs justice, because that's what people expect to hear. They want to go to the shows and hear the songs the way they remember them, the way they know them. It's not about me and how many high notes I can hit or anything like that. I just want to do the give the people, and the band, what they want."

Brett went on to say that he is honored to be singing for a band whose songs — including "Save Your Love", "Rock Me" and "Lady Red Light" — he had previously covered with his other band ALL OR NOTHING.

"I just want to learn from them," Carlisle said of his new bandmates "It's just really cool to be included in what I've grown up listening to, like looking at the CDs and everything. And then now people are coming up after the shows asking me to sign like original GREAT WHITE cassettes and stuff. And I'm sitting here feeling like I'm not worthy. Because I didn't record that. But I'm, like, 'I just sang with them, so, sure, if you want me to.'"

GREAT WHITE press photo courtesy of Jeff Klein / Atomic City PR

In a new interview with the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld and guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei of the reunited classic lineup of BIOHAZARD spoke about "Divided We Fall", the band's first studio album in over a decade, which will arrive on October 17 via BLKIIBLK. Asked if it was weird getting back in the studio after so long, Billy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I would say no, because we didn't get together… We put the band back together. We're the only band from the '90s that has original guys, and we didn't realize that until three years later. But we got back together. We had two shows booked, three shows, and we pretty much all just kind of went with the flow. We really didn't make much plans. If we would've sat down and said, 'Hey, let's put the band back together. Let's have go on tour for a couple of years, have some amazing shows, and let's do a record.' Any time we kind of planned things in our career, it never worked out. When we let things kind of just stick on the wall and just go with it, it worked. So BIOHAZARD was never like a big business entity that planned all these things with this huge marketing plan and this business proposal that works to the tee. We're the underdog. So, being the underdog, our back's against the wall, we come out swinging, and we make it up as we go along. And it works."

Asked what it was like working with producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, HATEBREED, DEFTONES) on "Divided We Fall", Evan said: "Matt's awesome. We're all very experienced in recording music, obviously. And some of the guys — Billy has his own studio — everyone in this band's prolific and can make an album. The role of the producer is to bring it together into like a common unified vision. And Matt shot us down, like, day one. I think we were all kind of overthinking, what's gonna be the progression? What's the next step for BIOHAZARD? And he was, like, 'Hey, man. You guys are BIOHAZARD. You've gotta just make a BIOHAZARD record like it's 1993, bro.' And we were, like, 'Wait. Wait a second. You mean like what we naturally just kind of sound, you think that's what people want?' And he was, like, 'Yeah, 'cause only you guys can do that.' And we looked at each other, like, 'Aha.' And next thing we know, album's done and we're all psyched and we're on the phone with you on the radio."

Billy also talked about the themes covered on "Divided We Fall" and the importance of having lyrics that are "incredibly relatable". He said: "One of the things that I think that everyone gravitated to BIOHAZARD for when we started was the realism. We always wrote, and we only write, about things that are real to us, things that we experience, things that we go through. And when that resonates with somebody else… That's why we all love BLACK SABBATH, we all love Ozzy [Osbourne], we all love TOOL and all the other bands that we love because there's a certain symbiotic kind of connection that we have. With BIOHAZARD, our lyrics are straight up in your face and they're honest. And I think that, if you go look at the comments… We dropped two singles [so far from the upcoming album], but those lyrics… Look at the comments on the video. Everyone's, like, 'They're back. I feel 16 again.' And if you're 16, you're gonna relate to it like someone who's 29 was relating to it when they were 16. So it's great to be relevant and doing what we do. We're proud of what we have. The record 'Divided We Fall' is the BIOHAZARD record of all BIOHAZARD records. In our opinion, this is gonna go up there with 'Urban Discipline' and 'State Of The World Address'. And we can't wait to bring it to your part of the world."

BIOHAZARD has released two singles so far from "Divided We Fall": "Forsaken" and "F**k the System".

Graziadei commented: "'F**k the System' is BIOHAZARD calling it like it is. The powers that be have us at odds and beefin' with each other while they sit back and cash in. It's no accident the world's burnin' in front of our eyes. It's all divide and control — while they keep us divided by politics, class, race, all of it, and have us out here fighting each other, they're pulling the strings. 'F**k the System' is our war cry about the state of the world with no sugarcoated bullshit."

Produced, mixed, and mastered by Matt Hyde (SLAYER, HATEBREED, DEFTONES),"Divided We Fall" captures BIOHAZARD at their most raw, relentless, and unifying. The album blends the band's unmistakable fusion of hardcore, metal, and streetwise groove with a sharpened edge for a fractured modern world delivering a powerful reminder of why BIOHAZARD remains one of the most vital and influential bands in heavy music.

Recording sessions took place at Shorefire Recording Studios in Long Branch, New Jersey and The Hydeaway in Van Nuys, California, with engineering by Joseph DeMaio and additional recording from Matt Hyde. Guitar and production tech duties were handled by Phil Caivano.

"Divided We Fall" track listing:

01. F**k The System
02. Forsaken
03. Eyes On Six
04. Death of Me
05. Word To The Wise
06. Fight To Be Free
07. War Inside Me
08. S.I.T.F.O.A.
09. Tear Down The Walls
10. I Will Overcome
11. Warriors

In a recent interview with Chicago's Rebel Radio 92.5 FM as part of the station's 31st-anniversary celebration, Graziadei stated about "Forsaken": "The song 'Forsaken' is a killer BIOHAZARD track. It's the first one off the new record that we started playing live.

"We were on tour in Europe with LIFE OF AGONY and a band called LYLVC," he continued. "We had a great tour. Most of it was sold out. So we started playing new songs during soundcheck, and one night we threw 'Forsaken' into the set. Because once social media started happening and everybody had a cell phone, we didn't like playing new songs because it was up on YouTube the next day. So we were, like, 'Screw it. Let's just play it. Who cares?' And then we played it. And, bro, it was like 1992 again, the way the kids and the audience was reacting. We kept playing it every night. And then the [fan-filmed live] videos started coming out [on YouTube]. And it's funny, because we weren't tight with the song. And it's always like that — a new song, it takes a little while to get tight. But after, like, a week of play that every night, there was another video of us playing it, and it got better and better. So then we were like, 'Yo, the kids like this new song. Let's do a [proper] video.' So I talked to the label, and the record wasn't even done yet. But I was, like, 'Let's just do a video. Let's film this. If something comes cool of it…'"

Billy added: "People have been seeing the [reunited] original [lineup] BIOHAZARD playing live for [the last] three years. We've been talking about doing a [new] record, we've been teasing it and we finally did it late last year and finished it during the winter and then went on tour. So it just came together. I hired some dudes I knew from England [to make the 'Forsaken' video]. They flew over to Amsterdam and Belgium, filmed a couple shows, and then we put together this… It's a real video. It's not a live video, but it captures all the energy. The new record is like that."

Touching upon BIOHAZARD's approach to making the new album, Billy said: "One of the things about BIOHAZARD was we always were better live than we were on records. So that was a goal of mine, is to try to capture that live energy and sound. And I never was able to do it. With BILLYBIO and my solo stuff, I figured it out. BIOHAZARD, this record we worked with this producer named Matt Hyde, and he brought a whole different element and realization to the table with me. 'Cause I have POWERFLO with Sen Dog and Christian from FEAR FACTORY, I have my solo stuff, BILLYBIO. He said, 'You grew as an artist, as a writer.' He goes, 'And I love it. It's great. But you can't be that dude. You gotta be Billy BIOHAZARD from 1994. That's when people fucking loved you guys. You've gotta be Billy BIOHAZARD from the early '90s when everybody loved you. That was when you guys made music and you didn't care about structure. It was real and raw and right in your face.' And that realization, that was the resonating theme of this record. And we went back — every band says, 'We're going back to the roots.' Guys, you heard it on 'Forsaken'. We're dropping something new next. You'll hear it."

Elaborating on the musical direction of the new BIOHAZARD material, Billy said: "The record — it's not a rerun, but it's kind of like we really found the heart and soul of the band that we… I guess it's just the formula of the four of us being together. And being on the road for three years playing like all the classic BIOHAZARD songs, it reignited the same passion that we had back then. And it's all there on the new record. So I can't wait for you guys to get another track to play. The next track won't let you down."

As previously reported, BIOHAZARD will team up with the American hip-hop group ONYX for a North American tour this fall. Additional support on the "Divided We Fall" trek will come from BAYWAY and SWOLLEN TEETH.

BIOHAZARD was joined by ONYX on stage on February 23 at the Academy in Dublin, Ireland to perform the 1993 ONYX song "Slam".

"Slam" was originally released in May 1993 as the second single from ONYX's debut album, "Bacdafucup". An official remix, "Slam (Bionyx Remix)", was a collaboration with BIOHAZARD and was made available as a maxi-single titled "Slam: The Alternatives" in June 1993.

BIOHAZARD and ONYX also worked together on the song "Judgment Night" for the soundtrack to the 1993 film of the same name.

BIOHAZARD, renowned for their aggressive style and socially conscious lyrics, has been a seminal force in the hardcore and metal scenes since their formation in the late 1980s. Their unique blend of hardcore punk, heavy metal, and hip-hop elements has garnered them a dedicated fan base and critical acclaim.

Musical pioneers in every sense of the word, BIOHAZARD were one of the first bands to seamlessly blend hardcore, heavy metal, punk, and hip hop into an intoxicating genre all their own. After more than a decade away, the Brooklyn, New York band's OG lineup reunited in 2023 to both fan fervor and critical acclaim, headlining the opening night of the legendary Milwaukee Metal Fest for their first show back. Ghost Cult magazine said they "explosively unleashed their fury with fortitude and force" with "a superhuman set and an awe-inspiring show."

The band followed with two sold-out hometown shows in New York City, a late-summer festival run in Europe, and a fall direct support slot with MEGADETH across North America. That was just the start. They returned to Europe in 2024 for the early summer festival season and made their triumphant return to South America in spring, then returned home to blow out America's exploding festival circuit.

Photo credit: Istvan Bruggen

In a recent interview with Randy Hulsey of Backstage Pass Radio, POISON drummer Rikki Rockett offered an update on his health, more than 10 years after he was diagnosed with oral cancer. The 63-year-old Rikki, whose real name is Richard Allan Ream, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I am coming up on nine years in remission. And it was pretty miraculous, really, 'cause I only really had about a 10 percent chance of making it, because I was stage four. It didn't get better. I did chemo, radiation, and it didn't get better. And I wound up down at Moores Cancer Center, which is part of UCSD [University of California, San Diego] in San Diego, and Dr. Ezra Cohen took me on as a patient and got me on a clinical trial. And in about nine to 12 weeks, it was gone. It was amazing."

Asked if this was "an alternative type treatment to radiation and chemotherapy", Rikki said: "Yeah, it is. And a lot of people are receiving it now. It got approval shortly after my trial ended. And so my trial was a big part of that. I mean, I wasn't the only one on the trial, of course, but, yeah, they pushed it into high gear once they saw my response."

Regarding whether there were any "warning signs" prior to him being diagnosed with oral cancer, Rikki said: "The thing that was odd about it is the whole family had a sore throat, including me. We all had sore throats… So we went to the doc, got meds. My wife got better, the kids got better. I didn't. So I went back and I'm, like, 'I didn't get better. They're good.' He said, 'Well, maybe you have a secondary infection. Let's go ahead and scope you. Have you ever had that?' And I went, 'No.' He goes, 'Well, we go up your nose and look down your throat and I can see if there's anything else going on.' And when he did, there was something else going on. And it was a lump on the base of my tongue. The thing that tipped them off was I had a lymph node that was swollen, like really bad. You can feel 'em sometimes if you're sick, a little bit, but this was, you could see it in the mirror. And so that was another big tip-off too. So then I went through getting biopsies and all that stuff and then went into treatment."

On the topic of when he found out that his cancer was stage four, Rikki said: "Yeah, head and neck cancers are actually staged higher, for some reason. So if it's a two, they call it a three. I don't know why; I don't remember the answer. And I think they may have changed that now. But the reason I was stage four is because we did the chemo and radiation and we did all that and it didn't work. So now it jumped to the other side, there's other lymph nodes involved, and that's why it became stage four. So now I can't do radiation, 'cause I've already done it. The chemo may keep it at bay, if I try something else. Surgery is an option, but they wanted to take my whole tongue out. So the other option was immunotherapy, but if it didn't start to respond, I could get to the point of no return. So it was a roll of the dice. And I was just, like, 'I don't know if I wanna live with no tongue and a bag and all this stuff. I don't know. What I know I do wanna try is this immunotherapy. So when I went to the doc, he goes, 'You know what? I think we do have time. I have a way of getting around some of this. If it seems like it's going the wrong direction, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve.' So, we did it, and the first imaging they did, it was a tiny little bit left — tiny. And a couple of weeks later, that was gone too. And it's never come back."

In June 2015, Rikki visited his primary care doctor with a sore throat. His doctor found a small tumor at the base of his tongue, and Rikki learned he had human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oral cancer. He endured nine rounds of chemotherapy and 37 sessions of radiation therapy. The tumor initially responded, but returned three months later, spreading to his lymph nodes. Rikki then saw Cohen at UCSD Moores Cancer Center, who helped him enroll in a clinical trial of pembrolizumab (Keytruda). Rikki's tumor responded immediately. Just over two months into the trial, a scan revealed that his tumor had shrunk over 90 percent.

Regarding the fact that his cancer diagnosis was caused by HPV, the human papillomavirus, the most common sexually transmitted infection, Rikki told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk": "There's a lot of HPV out there, and HPV is the one — two of the strains, I think 16 and one other strain is the main ones that are causing cancer. In girls, uterus cancer, uterine cancer, a lot of oral cancer is coming down the pike. And this is because of stuff we would never have thought about years ago. We would have never thought that you get cancer from having oral sex with some girl. You would have never thought that, but that's how a lot of this has gotten spread. But we're gonna beat it, I think, with the next generation as long as people don't hold back on these vaccines because the HPV vaccine… I don't wanna get into politics at all, but I'm telling you the HPV vaccine is the thing that will keep people from getting HPV in the first place. And so my son had it, my daughter just got her first dose. So when they go out into the cruel world and — I don't even wanna think about it, but when they do, they're not gonna get HPV and get cancer from HPV, because we should be able to wipe it out."

Rikki also addressed the fact that regular screenings, such as colonoscopies, mammograms and wellness exams, can lead to early detection and even save your life. He explained: "Yeah, there's this really delicate line of having health anxiety or being just really on top of your health. And so it's a fine line to walk, honestly. But I think, go in once a year and get a physical and if something comes up and it doesn't go away… For me, I did have symptoms. Everybody in my family actually got a sore throat the month that I was diagnosed. The only thing is my sore throat didn't go away and everybody else's did. So when I went back in, the doctor said, 'We'd better take another look and see if there's a different infection or something else going on.' And that's when he said, 'Yeah, there's something down there that shouldn't be down there. We've gotta get you a little more imaging.' And that's when my life changed forever. It will forever be different now. But I'm going on eight and a half years now that I've been in remission, and I'm in great shape. I'm able to ride motorcycles and go to Brazilian jiu-jitsu and go and train, work out and keep up with my kids, which is the most challenging one of all, by the way. And play. You used to hear that — if you have your health, you have just about everything. Honestly, you can have 99 problems. If you have a health problem, you've got one problem, 'cause it'll take you down. So, yeah, everybody stay on top of it, just do the best you can. Some of us have better genes than others."

In 2020, Rockett told "Trunk Nation" that he was afflicted with the same type of cancer as what IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson and MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine had.

"It was base of tongue with an associated lymph node, which is pretty common as far as head and neck cancers these days," he said. "HPV-related head and neck cancers usually are base of tongue. There's a few people that I've sort of mentored or helped out, and many of 'em are musicians. And HPV is pretty rampant — it really is. If you have a kid, get 'em inoculated."

Asked what his symptoms were, Rikki said: "I had a sore throat that wouldn't go away. That was the main thing. And then I had a lymph node that was kind of sticking out. First, they tried antibiotics, and they didn't work at all — they didn't even touch it. So it was, like, 'Okay, we need to do a biopsy. We're gonna go down and scope and take a look.' And there was a lump down there. Then, after a few weeks, it started to get hard to swallow, 'cause the lump was getting bigger — the tumor was getting bigger. So I went and did the typical treatment for it, which is chemo and radiation, and it did not work. And by the way, it's a fairly curable cancer, especially with HPV — there's a high percentage rate of success with it, of cure. But in my case, it didn't cure, so my options were a whole lot less. My doctor told me recently — he didn't tell me this before — but he told me recently that I had about a 10 percent chance if I would have went down the regular path. But we didn't — we used immunotherapy, and it put it in remission in about 10 weeks. When it works, it is amazing."

Rockett first revealed that his tongue cancer diagnosis was caused by HPV — the most common sexually transmitted infection — in a 2015 interview. He said: "It is the number one leading cause of oral cancer these days. There's less and less of the truck drivers that chew tobacco for thirty years getting it, because people are more aware that that kind of stuff isn't good. So we are getting marathon runners and all these elite athletes with this. I have a friend that's a therapist, and five years ago, it was five percent of the people she treated, and now it's close to ninety percent."

He continued: "It can be spread sexually, but now they're saying that it can spread [through] deep-kissing and actually hand to mouth. I mean, if you see the Olympic swimmers, they swim and they smack their hand on the side of the pool for each lap, and their hands are full of warts and stuff from HPV. Now the wart kind of HPV is not the same as the strain that causes cancer, but it is spread almost identically. For men, you can't tell if you have it. For women, you can get a papsmear. But the doctor estimated probably it was 15 [or] 20 years ago [when I contracted it], and my body probably got rid of it, but it mutated itself and my body would probably see that again and get rid of it. But there's no way to tell who got it. I mean, I know a couple that's been married for 15 years and they've never cheated on each other, and they're pointing their finger at each other [after one of them was diagnosed with oral cancer], and it turned into a thing until the doctor sat 'em down and went, 'Look, you can get this so many ways.'"

Rockett's memoir, "Ghost Notes", is due this fall via Rare Bird Books. The book was written with writer duo Leif Eriksson and Martin Svensson.

Rikki is the co-founder and drummer for the band POISON, which exploded into the highly competitive Los Angeles music scene in the 1980s, making a name for themselves in the clubs on the Sunset Strip.

POISON's reunited original lineup — Rockett, singer Bret Michaels, bassist Bobby Dall and guitarist C.C. DeVille — completed "The Stadium Tour" with MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS in 2022. The trek was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In April 2022, Rockett married his longtime girlfriend TC Smith at the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, California.

Rikki was previously married to singer/songwriter Melanie Martel. They share joint custody of their two kids — son Jude Aaron Rockett and daughter Lucy Sky Rockett.

In September 2024, Rikki announced the launch of a new band called THE ROCKETT MAFIA. Joining him in the group are Brandon Gibbs (DEVIL CITY ANGELS) on vocals and guitar, Mick Sweda (BULLETBOYS) on guitar and backing vocals, and Bryan Kimes on bass and backing vocals.

“Brave Force” is the new single from Bravelord, the solo project of Chilean musician Rodrigo Bravo, who has been turning heads with a style that harks back to the best of late 90s power metal. This single serves as the final preview of The Power From The End Of The World, the debut album set for release this November.



The song, produced by Nicolás Arce at AST Studios, is part of a conceptual album that tells an epic story set in the south of Chile.

“The album tells the story of Bravelord, the guardian of the end of the world, who must defend the earth from evil forces. In this particular song, Bravelord questions his role as the hero of the earth, leading the forces of nature to come to his aid and form the Brave Force, an army that will confront The Evil and its destructive machines. While it’s a fantasy story, it’s a metaphor for how humanity is destroying nature. It’s a call to unite as a society to defend our planet”, says Bravo.

“Brave Force” features the vocal talents of Jaime Salva (Valkiria, Husar, Concerto, Rising Angel) on backing vocals and Paulo Domic (Inquisición, Witchblade, Queen Milk, Domic), who personifies the “Timeless Forces of Nature”.

Stream the single here, and listen below:



The album, The Power From The End Of The World, also includes guest appearances from YouTuber Nico Borie and Caterina Nix (Chaos Magic), who portray The Evil and the Angel Of Light, respectively.

The Power From The End Of The World tracklisting:

“Threatened World” (Intro)
“The Power From The End Of The World”
“Destruction Is Coming”
“The Awakening of Bravelord”
Interlude I
“Legendary War”
“Sometimes”
Interlude II
“Brave Force”
“To The Victory”
Interlude III
“The Power Of Darkness”
“The Answer Will Be In The Sky”

Slipknot drummer, Eloy Casagrande (ex-Sepultura), has shared drum-cam video from the band’s performance of “Duality”, filmed at Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium on June 20. Watch below:



Slipknot recently announced Slipknot (25th Anniversary Edition) – a deluxe reissue celebrating the release of their iconic eponymous debut album which catapulted the band in 1999. This special release immortalizes the band’s creative process at the time when the Iowa nine went from a newly-signed fledgling metal act, to an unexpected and unstoppable cultural force that redefined heavy music for a new generation.

Slipknot (25th Anniversary Edition) will be available in stores and across digital retailers on September 5 via Roadrunner Records.

Slipknot released a special edition of the box set directly to fans. Limited to 100 blood-filled vinyl copies via their secret site 742617000027.net, the edition sold out in seconds, crashing the website in the process.

Available for pre-order now are a 6LP Box Set with blood splattered vinyl (limited to 1899 copies), red/black 2LP, and 2CD in addition to digital on streaming services. An exclusive orange 2LP will be available via Knotfest. Depending on the format (see a full list and packshots below), this release includes the original Ross Robinson produced album, plus recordings which only the band and their inner circle heard at the time of the production. All collected from the original sources, these include unreleased takes, alternate versions, and mixes from SR Audio, Indigo Ranch and more, as well as ‘test mixes’ from alternate mixers. Not only are these recordings the full story behind the recording of this now-iconic album, they also chart the course of choices made and paths taken, and how the Slipknot the world knows today came to be.

Slipknot shared their unreleased demo of “Prosthetics” which was recorded before the band entered Indigo Ranch with Ross Robinson. The demo was then refined in the studio, ultimately landing on their debut album. Listen below:

Finnish thrash metal juggernauts, Bloodride, return with the lyric video for “King Of Pain”, the latest offering from their new album, Deafening, out now worldwide through Wormholedeath.

“King of Pain” is a vicious psychological purge — a relentless dive into numbness, rage, and the unbearable weight of existence. With razor-edged riffs and raw, unfiltered lyrics, the track explores a protagonist trapped in a cycle of self-loathing and emotional torment, ruled by a need to feel something — even if it’s pain. It’s not just a song; it’s a scream from the void, a twisted anthem for those who’ve ever stared into the abyss and dared it to stare back.

Formed in Helsinki in 2000, Bloodride have spent over two decades perfecting their signature cocktail of razor-sharp thrash, death metal menace, and hardcore aggression. The band’s previous album, Idiocracy (2021), was praised across international metal media for its unrelenting energy and cutting social commentary — a tradition that Deafening carries forward with even greater ferocity.

Stream/download Deafening here.



Tracklisting:

“Sardonic Grin” (Intro)
“Kill Without Hate”
“Come In Peace”
“Hindsight Einstein”
“Ashes Remain”
“Holy Simplicity”
“King Of Pain”
“The Dark Triad”
“Simply Complicated”
“Death Sentinel”
“Erase And Replace”

7 Mater / Sevan Mater will release the first-ever single vinyl editions of two iconic live performances from gothic metal legends, The Gathering: Live At Dynamo Open Air and Katowice. These historic recordings will be out on October 21 and are now available for pre-order in limited quantities.



Live At Dynamo Open Air is a historic live performance reborn on vinyl with raw energy, soaring emotion and pure 1990s magic. With their bold blend of doom metal roots, atmospheric rock, and ethereal vocals, The Gathering were already reshaping heavy music in the mid-90s. Few recordings capture that electric live energy better than their iconic set at Dynamo Open Air, and now, for the very first time available on a single edition vinyl, this legendary moment finally arrives.

Expertly released by 7 Mater / Sevan Mater, the deluxe edition of Live At Dynamo Open Air is limited to 500 copies each on black and purple vinyl, with a custom cover artwork designed by Sevan Mater that honours the spirit of the era while bringing new visual depth. It’s not just a reissue, it’s a resurrection. Recorded during a time when the band was ascending into cult status, the Dynamo performance showcases the perfect fusion of Anneke van Giersbergen’s soaring vocals with the band’s dynamic instrumental interplay. Songs like “Eleanor” and “Leaves” ring out with clarity and emotion, capturing both the power and subtlety that defined their live presence.



Katowice will also be available for the first time in a single vinyl edition. A breathtaking live moment finally pressed on wax: intimate, ethereal and long overdue. For decades, fans of The Gathering have cherished the band’s dynamic evolution, from doom-tinged gothic metal to ethereal rock explorations, but few live recordings capture that transformation as poignantly as Katowice.

Katowice was originally recorded in Poland in 2003 and was previously only available as part of the “Sleepy Buildings” sessions. 7 Mater / Sevan Mater delivers a deluxe edition that’s both elegant and essential, with new cover artwork. Pressed in two limited runs of 500 copies (Black and Marbled Red vinyl), housed in a gorgeous sleeve, this reissue is a testament to timeless beauty in sound.

From the haunting melodies of “Adrenaline” to the atmospheric sweep of “Sand & Mercury”, and the slow-burning emotional power of “The May Song”, this album is a masterclass in restraint, atmosphere and vocal grace. Anneke van Giersbergen’s performance is, as ever, spellbinding: delicate yet powerful, understated yet unforgettable.

August 29 will see Swedish metal vikings, Månegarm, release their new studio album, Edsvuren, via Napalm Records. The limited wooden box and deluxe vinyl editions of the album are unboxed in the new video below:



Known for weaving Norse mythology, ancient rites, and folkloric wisdom into an unrelenting metal tapestry, Månegarm celebrate their 30-year career with the release of their most evocative album to date. As one of the leading bands in the genre, they once again bring their inimitable style and the blood oath of viking, black and folk metal back together for an unforgettable and diverse sonic journey. Pensive and dreamy atmospheric monsters meet songs for a proper mead binge – this mixture has brought the band a loyal international fan base and highly acclaimed appearances at prestigious festivals such as Ragnarök and Summer Breeze Open Air.

On their forthcoming studio offering, Edsvuren, Månegarm offer necessary authenticity with the use of traditional Nordic instruments. Guest vocalists Ellinor Videfors and Lea Grawsiö Lindström, who have also supported the band on previous albums, once again provide the perfect contrast between harshness and beauty. On title track “Edsvuren”, singer Liv Hope Lenard joins the wolf pack for the first time and provides one of the album’s most breathtaking highlights. On violin, the acoustic master Martin Björklund is back again, especially shining on pieces like “Rodhins hav”. Edsvuren was recorded and mixed by Pelle Saether at Studio Underground, and was mastered by Sverker Widgren at Wing Studios. The epic cover artwork was created by Kris Verwimp.

Melding raw aggression, ancient beauty and hypnotic black metal influences, Norse mythology, rites and folkloric wisdom in a relentless frenzy of orchestral finesse – on the battlefield of viking metal, only Swedish legends Månegarm can emerge victorious with their thunderous anthems. With over 30 years of battle-tested heritage, Månegarm continue to assert themselves as torchbearers of the genre with Edsvuren!



Edsvuren will be available in the following formats:

– 4 Page Digipack
– 1LP Gatefold Black
– Wooden Box
– 2LP Gatefold Marbled Orange, White, Blue, Verde
– 1LP Gatefold Marbled Black Smoke
– Ynglingaättens Öde Wooden Box & Edsvuren Wooden Box
– Digital Album

Pre-order here.



Edsvuren tracklisting:

“I skogsfruns famn” (feat. Lea Grawsiö Lindström)
“Lögrinns värn”
“En blodvittneskrans”
“Rodhins hav” (feat. Ellinor Videfors)
“Till gudars följe”
“En nidings dåd”
“Hör mitt kall”
“I runor ristades orden” (feat. Ellinor Videfors)
“Skild från hugen” (feat. Ellinor Videfors)
“Likgökens fest”
“Edsvuren” (feat. Liv Hope Lenard)
“Ofredsfylgjor”
“As Long As Winds Will Blow” – Falkenback Cover (Wooden Box + Deluxe Vinyl Edition Bonus Track)
“Flight Of Icarus” – Iron Maiden Cover (Wooden Box + Deluxe Vinyl Edition Bonus Track)
“Hear My Call” – English version of “Hör mitt kall” (Wooden Box + Deluxe Vinyl Edition Bonus Track)
“Ulvhjärtat” – Exclusive piano Version (Wooden Box + Deluxe Vinyl Edition Bonus Track)

Today, Swedish supergroup, Crowne, is pleased to share a new single, “Heaven Tonight,” taken from their upcoming studio album Wonderland, set for release on August 22 via Frontiers Music Srl. The new track comes accompanied by a visualizer, available to view below.

Vocalist Alexander Strandell commented on the new record by saying: “It feels incredible to share this third chapter with all of you. Working alongside the amazing team at Frontiers and my brothers Jona, Kicken, John, and Love has been an absolute honour. If you’re a fan of Art Nation, The Poodles, H.E.A.T., Dynazty, or Europe – this one’s for you.”

Watch the visualizer for “Heaven Tonight” below:



Crowne are back with their third studio album, Wonderland. Continuing their musical evolution, the band builds on their signature blend of melodic rock infused with powerful, metal-tinged soundscapes.

Wonderland delivers an unforgettable listening experience filled with epic atmospheres, anthemic choruses, and technical brilliance that showcase the band’s top-tier musicianship.

At the helm is Alexander Strandell, renowned for his soaring vocals with Art Nation, Lionville, and Nitrate. His impassioned delivery adds intensity and depth throughout the album. Guitarist Love Magnusson (Dynazty) provides electrifying riffs and solos, while Jona Tee (H.E.A.T) crafts lush keyboard textures that elevate the album’s cinematic feel. Legendary bassist John Leven (Europe) offers a thunderous low end, and drummer Christian Lundqvist (ex-The Poodles) drives each track with precision and force.

One of the standout moments on the record is “Warlords Of The North,” a powerful anthem featuring a songwriting contribution from Biff Byford, the iconic frontman of Saxon. This collaboration adds majesty and weight to an already monumental track.

With Wonderland, Crowne continues to push the boundaries of melodic heavy rock, delivering a collection of songs that are as emotionally compelling as they are technically impressive. It’s an essential release for fans of melodic metal and arena-ready anthems.

Pre-order Wonderland here.



Tracklisting:

“Wonderland”
“Waiting For You”
“Eye Of The Oracle”
“Heaven Tonight”
“Warlords Of The North”
“Timing Is Right”
“Goodbye”
“Love Thy Enemy”
“Legacy”
“Hearts Collide”
“The Fall”

All Hail The Goat! Century Media Records has forged a pact with Aberdeen, Scotland’s ibex-obsessed blackened thrash bastards of Hades, otherwise known as Hellripper.

The brainchild of guitarist/vocalist/solitary force, James McBain, Hellripper has been running like a denim-vested, backpatch-encrusted William Wallace, brave-hearting his way through metal’s bloodiest battlefields since first coagulating his personal darkness in 2014. Taking armaments from Kill ‘Em All-era Hetfield and Welcome To Hell-era Mantas, McBain has immersed his fascination with darkness and speed with Scottish history and come with bloody masterpieces like 2023’s Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags.

“I’m very pleased to announce that Hellripper is now working with Century Media Records!” comments McBain. “It’s a label that I’ve followed for a long time now and am honoured to become a part of such a great legacy. We share a common vision for the future of the band, and together, we vow to spread the word of the Goat Kvlt! I’m excited to embark on this new chapter of the band’s journey and I can’t wait to share it with you all! All Hail the Goat!”

McBain is presently sharpening his blades and casting new spells that will transmogrify into Hellripper’s Century Media debut, due around the vernal equinox of 2026. In the meantime, McBain and his trusted roundtable of sonic knights have taken to battle on European soil, leaving the likes of Norway’s Beyond the Gates, Czech’s Brutal Assault, and Germany’s Summer Breeze bloodied and staggering in their wake. In March 2025, Hellripper played their first US show at Houston’s Hell’s Heroes festival to a similarly stunned crowd of fans who were left beaten, bruised and beer-soaked by a crowd-swimming McBain by the set’s epic conclusion.

“Hellripper is the high-bar for thrash”, states Century Media, Vice President of A&R, Mike Gitter. “Like an angry billy goat, with his beard washed in blood, James McBain is a feral force that brings together the best elements of metal, black metal, crusty, d-beat punk and speed metal. James’ sonic evil knows no boundaries and isn’t afraid to push the extremes of earslaughtering noise or unexpected guitar melodies. Century Media is proud to be a refuge for the Goat Horde!”

Enter the GOAT KVLT and check out a glimpse of what’s to come below:

WITHERING SCORN, the new band featuring former MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover and his brother, and fellow ex-MEGADETH member, Glen Drover, along with former FATES WARNING bassist Joe DiBiase and German singer Henning Basse, who has previously played with FIREWIND, METALIUM and MAYAN, is mixing its second album, "Sanctum Of The Depraved". The effort will be the follow-up to WITHERING SCORN's debut, "Prophets Of Demise", which came out in July 2023 via Frontiers Music Srl.

On Thursday (August 14),WITHERING SCORN shared the following message via social media: "Hello WITHERING SCORN fans. It's been a while, but we've been busy navigating our way through the process of releasing our new album 'Sanctum Of The Depraved', which is being mixed as we speak.

"As you know, being in this industry is really a struggle for bands right now. We've come to the conclusion that the best way to get this new album out is release it independently That being said , we're in the unenviable position of having to ask for donations to accomplish this. We hate it. But we feel really good about the new record and we want you guys to hear it.

"Thank you all in advance because we can't do this without your help."

"Sanctum Of The Depraved" will be released independently on vinyl, CD, and digital. To make this happen, WITHERING SCORN has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover the costs of manufacturing, artwork and promotion.

WITHERING SCORN was formed in 2020 by Glen and Shawn, who previously played together in MEGADETH, as well as in EIDOLON. The pair teamed up once again for their latest musical offering and are joined by DiBiase, who played with FATES WARNING for 14 years on multiple records and world tours, and Basse.

In a July 2023 interview with Sleaze Roxx, Shawn stated about how WITHERING SCORN came together: "It really started with the pandemic. Since the music industry was basically shut down in terms of touring, Glen and I started to write some new songs and possibly put a new record together, so we asked our friend Joe DiBiase if he was interested, to which he was and we did the same with our singer Henning Basse. So the four of us, over the course of the next three years on and off, put ['Prophets Of Demise'] together which was released worldwide via Frontiers Records. We are really proud of the work we put into this record."

In a separate interview with Antichrist Magazine, Glen described "Prophets Of Demise" as "an old-school heavy metal album with lots of dynamics." He added: "Musically, we have never really strayed away from writing heavy metal music, so this wasn’t anything difficult to do, really."

Regarding the lineup for WITHERING SCORN, Glen said: "Well, in this situation, it worked out very well. Sometimes the chemistry is off when you put a certain lineup together, whereas in this situation, we all get along and work very well together. [I] could not be happier."

Asked how the new band is different and similar to his previous collaborations with Glen, Shawn told the "Nothing Shocking" podcast: "It's been really similar to the first band that Glen and I did years ago, which was a band called EIDOLON. We released, actually, five records on Metal Blade in the early 2000s, right before we both got into MEGADETH. And the dynamic of that was that I write most of the material. Although Glen does contribute to some of it, I usually have the main germ of ideas, and, of course, he records all that stuff. So he's kind of a studio guy. He's the guitar player, but he handles all of the studio recording affairs, and I just kind of take on the job of creating most of the music. And we finetune it — he tweaks it and kind of makes it his own in a way. But that's kind of the working relationship we have with that. Because if Glen wrote all the music, I'd basically be doing nothing, and he would have to tackle all the work on his own. So we made a decision years ago — that was back in the mid-'90s, actually, when we put out our first bit of music, before we got signed to Metal Blade — that's always been the working dynamic, is I create most of the material, and he handles all the recording affairs with that. And it's worked out quite well. So that's what we're doing this time as well."

Shawn joined MEGADETH in 2004 as the replacement for Nick Menza, who had only just rejoined the group. Drover performed on four MEGADETH studio records: 2007's "United Abominations", 2009's "Endgame", 2011's "TH1RT3EN" and 2013's "Super Collider".

Glen Drover left MEGADETH at the end of 2007 and was replaced by Chris Broderick, who previously played with NEVERMORE and JAG PANZER.

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TOMMY'S ROCKTRIP, drummer Tommy Clufetos's (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK SABBATH) hard rock outfit where he offers his take on the rock 'n roll influences that made him one of the most sought-after drummers in the current hard rock scene, has released a new single, "My Wild Child".

Tommy says in a press release that the song will "pummel out of your speakers while you spill your love out on overflow and overload your electric magnetic flow."

Performing with Clufetos in TOMMY'S ROCKTRIP's current touring and recording lineup are three members of the band LOST HEARTS: Max Frye on vocals and guitar, JT Shea on bass, and Victor Adriel on guitar.

TOMMY'S ROCKTRIP has scheduled five shows in August as the support act for Ted Nugent. The band will also play a headlining concert on September 12 at The End in Nashville, Tennessee.

Prior to TOMMY'S ROCKTRIP's March 2024 run of shows, Clufetos told The Detroit News about his latest touring and recording project: "I'm going on tour as a little experiment, to get out some pent-up rock 'n' roll energy. It's a melding of the styles I enjoy, updated with a youthful rock 'n' roll attitude. It is pile-driving hard rock 'n' roll. My own tunes are hard rock with a little more blues than what's going on with modern rock radio.

"It has that raw and real in-your-face feel," he added. "We're just four musicians playing together, which is a dying thing. We have guitars, bass, drums, vocals, no filters, no click tracks, no pre-recorded anything. We're just four guys, for better or for worse. It could be great, or it could be a train wreck. We'll see what happens."

At the time, Ozzy Osbourne told The Detroit News: "I'm really proud that Tommy is going out and doing his own shows. Not only is he one of the best drummers I've ever played with in my life, but I consider him a friend. I understand he'll be playing 'War Pigs' [by BLACK SABBATH] in his set. Believe me, I would love to be up there singing it, with him playing drums."

In May 2021, TOMMY'S ROCKTRIP released its debut album, "Beat Up By Rock 'N' Roll", via Frontiers Music Srl. Eric Dover, known for singing and playing guitar with JELLYFISH, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT and Alice Cooper, handled lead vocals on the LP (though Tommy grabbed the mic for three tracks). Eliot Lorengo (bass),Hank Schneekluth (guitar) and Nao Nakashima (guitar) rounded out the supporting cast.

Clufetos worked with such rock icons as Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie before joining Ozzy Osbourne in 2010. That led to a spot as the drummer on BLACK SABBATH's last two world tours.

In a 2021 interview with Jason Saulnier, Clufetos was asked if he ever finds himself looking back on the fact that he played drums for BLACK SABBATH on the legendary heavy metal band's final tour. "I always feel blessed that I was lucky, I was honored to play with those guys 'cause they're a great musicians," he said. "But I don't look at it as — I was never a member. Once a gig's over, a gig's over. So I don't really live in the past concerning that; I always have to plow forward — as does everybody. I can't look back. I can appreciate it — that's not saying I don't appreciate it — but I'm also not gonna dwell on I played with BLACK SABBATH one time, because then you're living in the past. I've got many more years to move forward to continue my career and pay my bills. It doesn't mean that I don't love what I do, but it is my job, and it's my craft, and it's an ongoing thing to me. So that was that gig, and that ended, and now it's, what do you do next? It's always that."

He continued: "Every tour ends; every band ends eventually… To me, it's work. To, that works to me. And I'm working to be better, and I'm working to get better. Hopefully I'm a better drummer than [I was] then. And it's always been the process; I'm always chipping away at the stone. And my drums are right there. And after I get done with these interviews, I will go right there and play and see what else comes out of me going right there and playing. 'Cause everything has come out of me sitting at the drums trying to be the best that I can be."

Clufetos did not play on the SABBATH reunion album, "13", a role that was filled by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE drummer Brad Wilk. Ozzy Osbourne told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that Clufetos was gong to play on the record until producer Rick Rubin stepped in.

Although original BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward was initially announced as part of the reunion in late 2011, he dropped out within a couple of months, saying he was offered an "unsignable" contract.

The members of SABBATH were reportedly concerned that Ward's health would not hold up on the road and allegedly asked him to accept the use of a second drummer on tour, which he refused.

Image credit: George s Pogacich

Looking forward to getting on stage on these select dates in Michigan with the man himself Ted Nugent !! Also our Sept 12 show in Nashville at The End

Posted by Tommy’s RockTrip on Monday, August 4, 2025

During an appearance on the August 14 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson addressed the band's request for fans to put their phones away while attending concerts on the British heavy metal legends' recently launched "Run For Your Lives" world tour. Other acts, such as TOOL, have also employed a similar approach, requesting fans stay off their phones until the final song of their set. Meanwhile, Swedish metallers GHOST have made their entire 2025 tour a phone-free experience — with attendees maintaining possession of their phones at all times, secured in Yondr pouches — after playing a pair of phone-free shows in Los Angeles in 2023 for the filming of the "Rite Here Rite Now" concert film.

Dickinson told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I can only speak from my personal point of view. I've witnessed the GHOST thing [where no phones were allowed] now two or three times, and it is a totally different experience. People talk to each other. They behave like human beings with each other. They're not jumping over seats, trying to take selfies and stuff like that. They're concentrating on each other and the joy of being with a band and the experience and in the moment. It's what music should be, of bringing people together, not having somebody just like focused on 'me and my little narcissistic two-inch screen.' And also, they don't take the phone off you. You keep it with you in your little baggie. They're not stealing your phone. But I think there are, in truth, some practical limitations to it. "

Bruce continued, referencing GHOST's approach of requiring attendees to seal their phones in Yondr pouches, purpose-built phone-locking pouches designed to unlock when a concert or experience is over: "It's relatively — relatively — easy to do in an arena setting, 'cause people all come in and out through entrances and exits and things like that. So it's relatively easy to do. Where it gets difficult is when you start going to football stadiums and things like that. The quantity of people moving in and out, the number of little phone baggage you get, I think — and I was talking to Tobias [Forge, GHOST mastermind] about this the other night [when Bruce saw GHOST's concert in San Diego on August 10], and he acknowledges that as soon as GHOST start… You go to a festival. As soon as you end up in a festival situation, there's no way on on God's green Earth you're gonna be able to put a hundred thousand or fifty thousand people, who are coming in and going out and sleeping in tents and stuff like that. How are you gonna police that? You can't. So there are, I think, some limitations on it."

Dickinson added: "Again, if you're gonna do that… Everybody knows if you go to see a GHOST show, you put your phone in a baggie at the moment. So that's clear from the get-go. But I think that as far as MAIDEN is concerned, we didn't advance that upfront with people. So it's not fair if people have bought a ticket expecting they're gonna be able to use their phones to try and then say, 'Oh no, you have to put your phone in the baggie.' 'Nobody told me about that,' yada, yada, yada. So the other thing as well is we're doing a lot of outdoor shows now. So that kind of knocks that whole thing into touch. So our thing was a polite request: 'Look, just try not sitting there having the stupid phone in front of your face.' And the annoying ones are the semi-professional guys that they've got a web site and they just think, 'Oh, yeah, well, I paid the ticket. Therefore I own the right to do a full-length video of X, Y, and Z.' Well, actually, no, you don't. And that's one good thing now is that YouTube people will take that stuff down [when they are asked to do so]. But if somebody wants to put up a video of them bouncing up and down, 'This is me having fun at a show,' it's kind of harmless."

Asked by "Trunk Nation" host Eddie Trunk if Bruce has noticed, during the recently completed European leg of the "Run For Your Lives" tour, that most MAIDEN fans respected the band's request to put away their phones during the shows, Dickinson said: "Yeah. It depends on different places, different attitudes and things like that. In general, I'd say that the real diehard fans, who are basically all the people who are down the front, respected it and they got it. So, yeah, most of them respected it. And it was blindingly obvious when there was one person or something in the middle of a whole bunch of people and he was having his phone [out and filming], and you could see people going, 'Hey, hey, hey. What are you doing? Come on. Put it away. We're trying to have fun here. It's not all about you.'

"So, yeah, it's one of those things that will go on and on and on, but I think at a certain point, a band becomes too big that it's very difficult to make it work physically," Bruce explained. "You've got fifty thousand people — that's tough to make it work. Fifty thousand people outdoors, it's, like, come on. You don't wanna get to the point where you're feeling like there's some sort of guards at some concentration camp looking to see if the guy's got his phone out. There's that fine line."

Last month, Bruce was asked by Charlie Kendall of Charlie Kendall's Metalshop if putting away the phone is "a requirement now to attend" an IRON MAIDEN show. Bruce clarified: "It's not a requirement. It's a request. It's a polite request.  What is the point in paying all this money and turning up and staring at a tiny little box for, like — I don't know — however long. I mean, first of all, MAIDEN's show is two and a bit hours long, so your arm's gonna get real tired."

This past May, MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood took to the band's web site to share a post titled "Put away your phones and get ready to Run For Your Lives!" in which he urged fans to experience the shows "in the moment" rather than on smaller screens at a later date.

"We really want fans to enjoy the shows first hand, rather than on their small screens," Smallwood wrote. "The amount of phone use nowadays diminishes enjoyment, particularly for the band who are on stage looking out at rows of phones, but also for other concertgoers.

"We feel that the passion and involvement of our fans at shows really makes them special, but the phone obsession has now got so out of hand that it has become unnecessarily distracting especially to the band. I hope fans understand this and will be sensible in severely limiting the use of their phone cameras out of respect for the band and their fellow fans."

Less than two weeks later, Smallwood called out fans for their concert phone etiquette, thanking those who "kept their phones down" and respecting "the band and their fellow fans" and shading those who didn't obey during the opening show of the European leg of MAIDEN's "Run for Your Lives" tour.

"It is so much better when they can see you unencumbered and that drives them on without that distraction," he wrote of the band. "For the selfish few that didn't and just had to keep videoing... I wish you nothing but a very sore arm!"

Smallwood clarified that the concerts don't need to be completely phone-free. "As I said before, by all means take the odd quick pic as a memento of a great night," he added, "but otherwise please keep your phone in your pocket."

In the same statement, Rod thanked fans for the "amazing welcome" they've given MAIDEN's new touring drummer Simon Dawson, who "felt your support from the start — and asks me to thank you all."

MAIDEN's request for fans to put away their phones came just months after GHOST enacted a phone ban for anyone attending shows on their ongoing "Skeletour".

Back in 2012, Dickinson blasted a fan at a MAIDEN concert in Indianapolis, Indiana for paying more attention to his cell phone than to the band's performance. "You've been texting for the last fucking three songs," Bruce said. "You're a wanker."