To celebrate DEF LEPPARD's sold-out European arena tour this year, the band presents a newly mastered, limited-edition "Greatest Hits" set. The set is being made available on one LP and across two formats: standard black vinyl and special edition blood red marbled vinyl featuring exclusive 2026 tour edition artwork. The latter is exclusive to the tour. The album includes some of the band's most iconic tracks from their stellar career.

To pre-order, click here.

"Greatest Hits" track listing:

Side One

01. Pour Some Sugar On Me
02. Hysteria
03. Photograph
04. Love Bites
05. Animal

Side Two

01. Rock Of Ages
02. When Love And Hate Collide
03. Bringin' On The Heartbreak
04. Foolin'
05. Armageddon It

This past January, DEF LEPPARD released a new single, "Rejoice". The dynamic track came ahead of DEF LEPPARD's triumphant return to Las Vegas for their "Def Leppard: Live at Caesars Palace The Las Vegas Residency" that kicked off on February 3 and ran through February 28. "Rejoice" is available via UMe on all streaming platforms.

In January 2025, DEF LEPPARD released a cover of Ben E. King's 1961 classic "Stand By Me". All proceeds from the song went to FireAid, which raises money for those impacted by the fires that swept through Los Angeles in January 2025.

DEF LEPPARD's version of the song is featured in the Netflix film "Bank Of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger", which was released in January 2025. The band can be seen performing the track before the credits.

DEF LEPPARD's "Just Like 73" single, featuring a guest guitar solo from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, was made available in June 2024.

DEF LEPPARD's 12th studio album, "Diamond Star Halos", came out in 2022. A year later, the band followed it up with "Drastic Symphonies", a collection of reimagining of some of DEF LEPPARD's greatest hits with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road. The album spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Current Classical chart.

In late 2024, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell underwent a bone marrow transplant as part of his treatment plan for Hodgkin's lymphoma, with which he was diagnosed in 2013.

In June 2025, Campbell revealed that he is "completely in remission" from the cancer of the lymphatic system.

Campbell — who before joining DEF LEPPARD in 1992 was well known for his work with DIO and WHITESNAKE — went public with his Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis in June 2013.

Vivian underwent three separate spells of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, only for his Hodgkin's lymphoma to return.

Seven years ago, Campbell underwent spine surgery.

Vivian and his DEF LEPPARD bandmates were finally inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2019 — 14 years after the British rockers first became eligible.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin (courtesy of Ume)

London fragrance house Czech & Speake has announced a limited-edition batch of its No.88 cologne, which was Ozzy Osbourne's fragrance of choice for 30 years.

The batch, which sold out almost immediately after it was announced on Wednesday (April 29),comes in a black sleeve and purple foil along with a note from Sharon Osbourne.

Each bottle costs $370, with 20% of the sales being donated to Cure Parkinson's.

Czech & Speake says: "Ozzy Osbourne was the most loyal fan of No.88, our signature and most unique perfume, for over 30 years. At Czech & Speake, we are proud to be working with the Osbourne family to honour The Prince of Darkness with this limited tribute edition.

"No.88 has a fresh, woody top note of reviving bergamot, the richness and warmth of geranium, rose otto, cassie and exotic frangipani, combined with dry base notes of vetiver and sandalwood.

"UNIQUE. CLASSIC. SOPHISTICATED: No.88 announces itself with a woody top note of reviving bergamot and the warmth of geranium, rose otto and exotic frangipani, before giving way to a dry base of vetiver and sandalwood.

"LONGEVITY: Our signature scent - modern, timeless fragrance of sophisticated sensuality, perfect for that special occasion or for travelling. Enjoyed by both men and women.

"DESIGN: Handmade, high-grade stainless steel lids cap off the iconic Czech & Speake spray bottle, with exclusive fragrance designs, inspired by Ozzy Osbourne, printed directly onto our iconic glassware.

"COMPLEX FORMULATION: Crafted with the purest quality aromatic essential oils and natural ingredients, for deep and lasting undertones."

The message from Sharon recalls the moment she introduced Ozzy to the cologne.

"I don't know exactly how long Ozzy wore No.88, but I'm sure it was at least 30 years," Sharon wrote. "As soon as he smelled it, he said to me, 'I'd like to smell like this for the rest of my life!' And he did!"

Ozzy's death certificate revealed that died on July 22, 2025 of a heart attack. 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, 2025 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer's friends and family members attended the service, 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.

Almost 10 months ago, Ozzy reunited with the rest of the original BLACK SABBATH lineup — guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward — for what was his final performance at the "Back To The Beginning" charity concert in their original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

At "Back To The Beginning", Ozzy played a five-song set with his solo band — consisting of guitarist Zakk Wylde, bassist Mike Inez, keyboardist Adam Wakeman and drummer Tommy Clufetos — before being joined by Iommi, Butler and Ward for four classic SABBATH songs: "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "N.I.B." and "Paranoid".

Ozzy's solo set consisted of four songs from Osbourne's 1980 solo debut album "Blizzard Of Ozz" — "I Don't Know", "Mr. Crowley", "Suicide Solution" and "Crazy Train" — along with his 1991 "No More Tears" ballad "Mama, I'm Coming Home".

The 76-year-old heavy metal singer sang while seated on a black throne and appeared overcome with emotion at times. "You have no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart," he told the crowd.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

For over 30 years, Ozzy wore one fragrance. No.88 by Czech and Speake. The moment he smelled it, he said: ‘I’d like to...

Posted by Ozzy Osbourne on Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Prescott Niles, founding member and bassist of THE KNACK, will return to the stage in Los Angeles next month, celebrating the music and legacy of the iconic power-pop group.

THE KNACK now features Prescott Niles on bass, Gabe Niles (MISSING PERSONS, GATEWAY DRUGS) on drums, Rocky Kramer on guitar, and Matt Starr (ACE FREHLEY, MR. BIG) on vocals.

The new lineup of THE KNACK will make its live debut on Saturday, May 2 at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California.

Prescott explains: "People have encouraged me to put the band back together for years but it never felt right, until now. One of the last things Doug [Fieger; THE KNACK rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist] said to me before he passed was, 'keep the music alive.'"

Starr first met Prescott in 2010 while Starr's band THE AUTOMATIC MUSIC EXPLOSION was working with KNACK producer Mike Chapman. Starr, primarily known as a drummer for his work with Ace Frehley, MR. BIG and other artists, will be singing lead and playing rhythm guitar.

Matt says: "I'm honored to have this opportunity to celebrate THE KNACK's amazing catalogue of songs that meant so much to me growing up. I first sang 'Sharona' with Prescott and Gabe about 15 years ago, we have a long history together and this feels like family which makes it that much more special."

Drummer Gabe Niles has long been part of the extended musical circle surrounding THE KNACK's legacy.

"This opportunity is tremendous, to be asked by my father and fans to secure his legacy and bring new life to the incredible music they made," Gabe says. "Most importantly, the joy this brings my father is immeasurable."

Guitarist Rocky Kramer, whose single "Rock Star" hit No. 1 on the Global DRT Charts in 2019, brings his exceptional talent to the ensemble.

"It's an honor to work with Prescott and be able to contribute my guitar work to such a legendary and iconic band," Kramer says.

AMBER WILD drummer Thomas Lowrey will be filling in on the first show.

THE KNACK first rose to prominence in 1979 with the release of its debut album, "Get The Knack", produced by Mike Chapman. The album became one of the fastest-selling debuts in rock history and featured the international No. 1 hit "My Sharona", along with the Top 40 single "Good Girls Don't". The record went multi-platinum and helped define the power-pop sound of the late 1970s.

Following several successful albums and years of touring, the band reunited in the 1990s and continued performing and recording into the 2000s. THE KNACK's final performances took place in 2009. In February 2010, lead singer and songwriter Doug Fieger passed away after a battle with cancer.

Prescott Niles has remained active in music, performing, recording, and working on various projects, including Josie Cotton, George Harrison and MISSING PERSONS.

The Canyon Club performance will feature music from throughout THE KNACK's catalog, focusing on the first three albums.

THE KNACK will also perform at The Stratosphere in Las Vegas on June 6.

"The Singularity" is the name of Emmy- and BAFTA Award-winning composer Bear McCreary's symphonic metal project. In 2024, McCreary released an ambitious hard rock concept album of the same name. The album featured guest appearances by an extraordinary lineup of rock talent, including Serj Tankian (SYSTEM OF A DOWN),Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT),Rufus Wainwright and more.

Today, McCreary is thrilled to announce the release of "The Singularity: Ekleipsis", the follow-up album, which continues the metal saga of a damaged world in turmoil. Penned primarily by McCreary and his multi-talented brother, Brendan, "Ekleipsis" draws its name from the ancient Greek word meaning "abandonment" and explores themes of disillusionment and perseverance through struggle.

The album arrives on July 31 via Sparks & Shadows Records and Mutant. Pre-order information will be available soon.

Another impressive collection of rock and metal luminaries are featured on the new album — it's truly a who's who of the hard rock world and the guest list includes: Joseph Duplantier (GOJIRA),Patrick Stump (FALL OUT BOY),Claudio Sanchez (COHEED AND CAMBRIA),Jens Kidman (MESHUGGAH),Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY),Tim Henson (POLYPHIA),Steve Vai, Slash (GUNS N' ROSES),Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES),Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),Stewart Copeland (THE POLICE),and more.

Today, McCreary shares "Black Box", featuring Duplantier and the legendary women's choir the Mystery Of The Bulgarian Voices. Listen below.

"I need more cinematic metal in my life!" exclaims McCreary. "'The Singularity: Ekleipsis' builds upon the musical and narrative themes of my 2024 album 'The Singularity', and this time around it rocks even harder. My brother, vocalist/producer Brendan McCreary, and I were once again thrilled to partner with a number of inspiring artists for this record, each of whom brought their unique musical personalities and perspectives to the project.

"'Black Box', our debut single, was written in collaboration with and features Joe Duplantier, of the iconic band GOJIRA. It blends my cinematic background with Joe's distinctive vocals, harmonized beautifully by the legendary women's choir the Mystery Of The Bulgarian Voices. Equally inspired by '90s alternative bands, Eastern European folk music, symphonic film scores, and progressive metal, 'Black Box' encapsulates the epic scope of 'Ekleipsis' while just cracking open the door to the rest of the album."

"The Singularity: Ekleipsis" track listing:

01. Overture II
02. Our Kingdom (feat. Alissa White-Gluz and Brendan McCreary)
03. The Chandelier (feat. Patrick Stump)
04. Black Box (Feat. Joe Duplantier and The Mystery Of The Bulgarian Voices)
05. Kill Us Anyway (feat. Brendan McCreary)
06. Sweet Misery (feat. Claudio Sanchez and Tim Henson)
07. Blueshift (feat. Steve Vai, Tim Henson, and Brendan McCreary)
08. Alexandria (feat. Raya Yarbrough and Guthrie Govan)
09. Pray for a Storm (feat. Stewart Copeland and Brendan McCreary)
10. Supernova (feat. N.T. Bullock)
11. Cool Kids (feat. Slash, Duff McKagan, Chad Smith, and Brendan McCreary)
12. Shades of Gray (feat. Brendan McCreary)
13. The Elephant's Foot (feat. Jens Kidman)
14. One Fine Day (feat. Slash and Brendan McCreary)
15. I Forever (feat. Brendan McCreary)

McCreary has also announced a West Coast tour. All dates are below. Tickets go on sale on May 4 at 10 a.m. PST.

Bear McCreary tour dates:

Sep. 08 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
Sep. 09 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
Sep. 10 - Vancouver, BC - The Rickshaw Theatre
Sep. 13 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
Sep. 15 - San Diego, CA - The Magnolia
Sep. 16 - Phoenix, AZ - Walter Studios
Sep. 17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Belasco
Sep. 18 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues Las Vegas

Award-winning composer and recording artist Bear McCreary began his career as a protégé of legendary film composer Elmer Bernstein, before bursting on to the scene scoring the revered series "Battlestar Galactica" in 2004. Since then, McCreary has won three Emmy Awards, including two for Disney's "Percy Jackson And The Olympians" and one for his theme for "Da Vinci's Demons", a musical palindrome, and has won twelve International Film Music Critics Association Awards, including the award for "Score Of The Year" in 2024, his second. Named the 23rd Most Definitive Bear In Popular Culture (The Ringer),he's also been the subject of a clue on "Jeopardy!" Project highlights include "The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power" (Amazon); "Foundation" (Apple TV); the beloved series "Outlander" (STARZ); "Godzilla: King Of The Monsters" (Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures); "The Walking Dead" (AMC); and Netflix's Academy Award-nominated documentary "Crip Camp" (produced by Barack and Michelle Obama). McCreary's celebrated scores for Sony PlayStation's blockbusters "God Of War" and "God Of War Ragnarök" have earned him two BAFTA Awards and two Grammy nominations. McCreary has collaborated with artists from across the musical spectrum, including Hozier, Fiona Apple, Shirley Manson (GARBAGE),Annie Lennox, and the late Sinéad O'Connor. In 2014, maestro Gustavo Dudamel conducted a suite of McCreary's music with the L.A. Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD returns today with "All My Friends", featuring Jeris Johnson, a venomous new single that slams the band's signature rap-rock attack into a world of monsters, spectacle, pressure, and consequence. Out now via Sumerian Records, the track is another major anthem built for the Undead Army and serves to further cement the band's new, unstoppable era since signing with the globally renowned independent label.

"All My Friends" sees HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD delivering the razor-sharp, combustible energy that has defined their most enduring anthems. The track pairs arena-conquering vocal hooks with rapid-fire vocal exchanges, lacing its huge chorus with images of monsters, holy water, choppers, bright lights, burning days, and the uneasy cost of chasing glory. There is a sinister, theatrical charge to the song, with Jeris Johnson adding his own edge and pushing HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD's collision of rap, rock, and heavy music into a darker lane.

Watch the visualizer for "All My Friends" below.

"All My Friends" follows HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD's recent run of single releases since signing with Sumerian Records, including "Hollywood Forever", "Savior" and "1x1". Together, the tracks have marked a renewed chapter for HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, one that has reintroduced their iconic masks, further sharpened their creative identity, and carried the band into one of the most successful stretches of their career.

"Hollywood Forever", the band's October 2024 Sumerian Records debut, set the tone for this new era, cracking 20.3 million cross-platform streams and peaking at No. 18 at Active Rock radio. "Savior" followed in June 2025, pulling the band in a more emotionally exposed direction, before "1x1" arrived in March 2026 with a sample of SLAYER's legendary "Raining Blood" riff and the sound of a band still dominating a genre, almost two decades into their career.

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD heads into the release with over 3.8 billion all-time streams and a global fanbase that has followed them from their masked MySpace-era explosion to sold-out shows, festival stages, and a continually evolving catalogue that refuses to slow down or pull punches. Seventeen years after their debut album "Swan Songs", the band are still finding new ways to sound dangerous and innovative.

"All My Friends" arrives as HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD gears up to lay waste to the global summer festival circuit. The band will play Welcome To Rockville in Daytona, Florida next weekend before heading to Europe to play a swathe of huge festivals. including Download, Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, Nova Rock and Graspop Metal Meeting. They will then return to the U.S. for Inkcarceration in Mansfield, Ohio, Rock Fest in Cadott, Wisconsin, Les Grandes Fêtes TELUS 2026 and Rock La Cauze in Quebec, Canada and Rocklahoma in Pryor, Oklahoma.

In a new interview with Clint Switzer of On The Road To Rock, SALIVA singer Bobby Amaru spoke about the band's recent experience of performing in Russia for the first time. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was eye-opening. It was amazing. Honestly, I can't even explain it, because growing up, I would watch the PANTERA home video. You remember when they did their infamous set in Moscow or whatever, like in '91 or whenever it was, and it's like half a million people. So growing up, I'm, like, 'Oh my God, how do I play in front of that?' So I always thought of Russia [in that way], like the [Moscow Music] Peace Festival in '89, and METALLICA, them doing Monsters Of Rock. So, I never thought I would play there. And then we went. And some people were giving me crap for it. They thought, like, 'You're supporting wars,' and all this stuff. And I was, like, I'm so not political at all. And I'm really not. I'm, like, music first, man. And I said, 'I just have this feeling…' 'Cause [other] bands were canceling [tours of Russia] — bands would confirm and then they kept canceling. And people are reaching out to me saying, 'Dude, you're gonna get detained. They're gonna hold you for, like, 10 hours. They're gonna take your phone, they're gonna do all this stuff.' And [they would] get me all nervous about it. And then we went. We were in customs for, like, 10 minutes. We went right through. We had the proper visas. [We stayed in] five-star hotels. The restaurants are fantastic. The service is fantastic. I mean, everybody is just so polite. They love American music. They love music. They're just so supportive. They're fanatics, man. You would've thought I was fricking Justin Bieber or something. Dude, it was crazy. They would meet you at the train station and stuff. It was everything you hoped that it would be and more. And it was. It was eye-opening for me, man. And [there was] not one talk of politics about anything. They were there for the music, and we were there for the music and for the fans."

Elaborating on the fact that he and the rest of SALIVA felt welcomed by the Russian fans during their stay in the country, Bobby continued: "It was unbelievable. People can say all they want, or talk. Until you've been there, until you go, you don't know anything. And I'm telling you, those people are great people. They just were, man. We didn't have one issue at all. Not one issue. We were just waiting for someone to mug someone. It was actually a breath of fresh air. 'Cause you're thinking about in America, you're seeing all that stuff. And then it pops up on the social media that [a gunman is] trying to break into the ballroom [during the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner] the other night or whatever, and you're seeing all that, and meanwhile there's none of that going on there. Everybody was just — they love each other."

Amaru added: "I'm not a citizen [of Russia]. I don't live there. I live here [in the U.S.]. And so I can only like tell you my experience, and when I compare the two, the difference I see is they're aware that these things obviously happen within their government or where they live, but they don't let it ruin their lives, they don't let it ruin their relationships, they don't let it come in between their daily routines. They're just doing their thing, man. The malls are amazing. People go to the malls. People are shopping. I mean, dude, the fricking food was phenomenal. I mean, it was. The freshest tomatoes, the freshest stuff you imagine. It was great."

After Switzer expressed hope that more American bands "will follow suit" and play in Russia, Bobby said: "I think so, man. Some bands that were gonna go canceled and stuff, they reached out to me, 'cause they knew we were there. And they were, like, 'How is it? What's going on? I need to know. And I get that, because, look, man, there's two sides to the way it works. And some people, the way they feel, they don't wanna go and play somewhere if they feel like it's supporting this or supporting that. But once again, I'm not a citizen there. I don't live there. Look, I wanna go play for people who love rock and roll. I wanna go play for people who give a shit about rock and roll, dude. And they showed up and they give a crap about rock and roll."

Last month, SALIVA returned with a new single, "Cope", featuring Trevor McNevan of THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH, available now via Judge & Jury Records.

SALIVA's career launched in 2001 with the release of "Every Six Seconds", a certified double platinum-selling album, containing the hits "Click Click Boom" and 2002 Grammy-nominated "Your Disease". SALIVA's in-your-face, anthemic writing style continued with a certified gold-selling album "Back In To Your System" that contained top singles "Always", "Raise Up" and the Nikki Sixx-co-written "Rest In Pieces". Despite original vocalist Josey Scott leaving the band in 2011, the addition of Bobby Amaru brought a contemporary feel to SALIVA, all while staying true to the band's blue-collar roots. Amaru has been the SALIVA frontman for the past decade plus and was featured on the most recent releases, "Rise Up", "Love Lies And Therapy", "10 Lives", "Every Twenty Years" EP and "Revelation".

Shortly before the release of the most recent album, SALIVA guitarist Wayne Swinny passed away unexpectedly. The "Come Back Stronger" video was notably filmed just days before Swinny's death, and was dedicated to the fallen guitarist . The album went on to be highly acclaimed by critics and the singles "Crows" and "High On Me" charted Top 20 on Billboard's Active Rock chart. The band continues to honor "Uncle Wayne" at every show.

With nearly four million monthly listeners and Spotify and a catalog that boasts more than one billion streams, the popularity of the music, old and new, endures.

To celebrate the release of "Revelation: Retold" earlier in 2025, the deluxe album from SALIVA, the band released a music video for "Horizon" featuring Kevin Martin of CANDLEBOX, honoring their musical legacy with never-before-seen clips of Swinny on stage and in the studio. The deluxe record is available on Judge & Jury Records, a powerhouse record label and production company founded by multi-platinum producer Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, SEETHER, SKILLET, OF MICE & MEN) and Neil Sanderson of THREE DAYS GRACE. The track was recorded at Valley Recording Studios, Benson's studio in Woodland Hills.

SALIVA is Bobby Amaru (vocals),Brad Stewart (bass),Josh Kulack (guitar),Sebastian LaBar (guitar) and Sammi Jo Bishop (drums).

Long-running Texas-based doom metallers SOLITUDE AETURNUS have parted ways with vocalist Robert Lowe.

The band, which returned to activity in 2024, has played sporadic live shows in the last couple of years, including at the Up The Hammers festival in Greece this past March.

On April 28, SOLITUDE AETURNUS members John Perez (guitar),Edgar Rivera (guitar),Lyle Steadham (bass) and Logan Cade (drums) released the following statement via social medial: "To all our dedicated and loyal fans, we have some significant news to share. After much consideration, the band has decided to part ways with vocalist Robert Lowe. No doubt this will come as a shock to everyone, but we feel this is a necessary change if we are to move forward as an active band.

"We would like to thank Robert for his years of amazing work with the band, and wish him the best in any and all of his future endeavors. This was not an easy decision, of course, but we feel positive about it as we move forward with more shows and other plans.

"No replacement has been named as of yet, however, we will still be performing at the Maryland Deathfest on May 21 with our good friend and fellow Texan, Jason McMaster, stepping in as guest lead vocalist. Many of you know Jason from his fantastic resume of bands, including WATCHTOWER, DANGEROUS TOYS, IGNITOR, and the recent reformation of SA SLAYER. Jason has also performed as guest vocalist for ACCEPT and ARMORED SAINT, so we are confident he can handle the job, and we are excited to bring you a unique and HEAVY performance!

"Thanks to all our fans for your continued support. We will continue to bring you the HEAVY music and performances you expect from SOLITUDE AETURNUS, now and in the future!"

SOLITUDE AETURNUS's latest album, "Alone", came out in 2006.

Formed as SOLITUDE in the spring of 1987, SOLITUDE AETURNUS began after Perez quit his former seminal thrash metal band ROTTING CORPSE. Assembling a group and recording a demo in early 1988, SOLITUDE began planting the seeds within the tape-trading and underground metal network. In late 1988 changes started to occur and the band finally settled on a lineup that consisted of Perez, Rivera, Lowe, Steadham and John "Wolf" Covington on drums. A legal threat from another group forced SOLITUDE to change the name to SOLITUDE AETURNUS during the spring of 1989.

SOLITUDE AETURNUS entered the prestigious Dallas Sound Lab in January of 1990 to record their classic debut album, "Into The Depths Of Sorrow". After some shopping around, the LP eventually caught the attention of Roadrunner Records. Following numerous delays, the album finally saw the light of day in July 1991, a full year and half after it was recorded. No tours followed, although by this time SOLITUDE AETURNUS had already written enough songs for a second album. In March of 1992 the band entered Sound Logic recording studios to begin the sessions for "Beyond The Crimson Horizon". The album was released in July 1992 and eventually a U.S. tour was set up with Paul Dianno's KILLERS. Within a year, the band was dropped from Roadrunner and SOLITUDE AETURNUS had signed a new recording contract with Pavement Records. The band decided to get away from its familiar surroundings and took off for England to record its third album, "Through The Darkest Hour". Recorded in late March 1994 at Rhythm Studios, this was to be SOLITUDE AETURNUS's best work to date, showcasing a more riff-oriented and heavier direction. "Through The Darkest Hour" received critical acclaim all across the globe upon its release in August 1994. The band went on the road with metal legends MERCYFUL FATE for an extensive U.S. tour and shortly after embarked on their first tour of Europe with fellow doom band REVELATION. After this tour, SOLITUDE AETURNUS went through a long break that would last until April 1996, when recording for the next album commenced. During this time Perez started his own Brainticket Records label as well as recording a solo album. The next album, "Downfall", was recorded in Dallas, and despite receiving praise once again for their efforts, SOLITUDE AETURNUS was extremely dissatisfied with the end product. After years of hard knocks and never-ending struggles, the band underwent its first major lineup change, with Steadham leaving to pursue other musical interests. The band continued on, enlisting the services of Teri Pritchard (LAST CHAPTER) in as temporary bassist. It was this lineup that toured Europe in April 1996 with Swedish power metal band MORGANA LAFEY. Another unintentional break followed and a split from Pavement Records eventually occurred. During this time, new bass player Steve Moseley was added to the band. SOLITUDE AETURNUS then signed on to German label Massacre Records in December 1997 and recorded what was to become "Adagio". The band went back to Rhythm Studios in England and the album was recorded in March 1998 and released in June of the same year. The band toured Europe in September 1998 with SAVIOR MACHINE. After several festival shows during the years after "Adagio", SOLITUDE AETURNUS underwent a temporary hiatus with members taking time off to focus on other things. Perez focused his efforts on the Brainticket Records label and also recorded another psychedelic album with his LIQUID SOUND COMPANY in 2003. Moseley, Lowe and Covington formed another group during this time called CONCEPT OF GOD. During this hiatus, Rivera and Covington both left the band. Longtime SOLITUDE fan and veteran metalhead Steve Nichols joined the band on drums in 2005, along with master bassist James Martin. With this new lineup, the band completed a mini tour of Greece and Germany during spring of 2006 and spent countless hours crafting the songs for "Alone", SOLITUDE AETURNUS's sixth studio, which was released in November 2006 via Massacre Records.

Image credit: Nikos Giannakis

To all our dedicated and loyal fans, we have some significant news to share. After much consideration, the band has...

Posted by Solitude Aeturnus on Tuesday, April 28, 2026

In a new interview with Rock Kommander, David Ellefson reflected on his early years with MEGADETH as well as how he has kept himself busy with multiple bands and other projects in the years away from the Dave Mustaine-led outfit. The bassist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "For me, MEGADETH is something I did for so many decades. 'Cause I was a founding member of it. So we met just like this, in an apartment, and drank some beers, talked about heavy metal, talked about rock and roll. We got guitars in our hands. The songs were starting to be written. And we just kept it moving from there.

"When you start something, you really have to believe in it, because you're ultimately trying to convince other people that this is the thing, this is cool," he explained. "Now, I was lucky because with MEGADETH, the music connected with people. They liked it. There was a story there about Dave [Mustaine] coming out of [his former band] METALLICA. So right from the beginning there was a story. Because what makes my band any different than your band or his band or her band? What's the hook, as they say, right? So there has to be something of interest. And so I was lucky with that, to move from Minnesota out to Hollywood and land in something like that right away — and at the very beginning. I didn't join the group; I helped form it."

Ellefson continued: "The first 20 years — I call it the Capitol Records years — those first 20 years of the group was really what defined the sound of it. The sound evolved. It constantly was being kind of tended to. You wanna do what you wanna do as an artist, and then sometimes some other things come along. Like in our case, the '90s was very interesting because the Seattle movement showed up — NIRVANA, PEARL JAM, all that we know it is. [It was] very different, because that affected what things outside of us were gonna be reacting to — MTV, the media, radio. And as we need those vehicles to help our fans always be connected with us, probably one of the greatest things that happened was this new thing called the World Wide Web, otherwise known as the Internet. And Capitol Records came to us in 1994, when we launched an album called 'Youthanasia', and they asked us if we would be interested in forming basically the very first-ever band web site, which we did, called Megadeth Arizona — 'cause the band was based in Arizona at that time. And so we were a very much an early adapter. We were always an early adapter with technology, with kind of the new way of doing things. We were dubbed, at one point, the world's state-of-the-art speed metal band. And, so when the Internet opportunity came to us, we said, 'Absolutely.' So we did. And the Internet, Megadeth Arizona was used as a way to launch that album in 1994. And then we secured Megadeth.com. Some fans actually had already bought it, because that's what they do, right? They would buy and and hold on to it. So we were able to acquire that from them. We started Megadeth.com. We had our chat rooms, we had our message boards, so we were in this long before today the news sites and people with the leaving comments open and all this kind of stuff. The Internet, for us, was a very useful tool to be connected with our fans all around the world, 'cause we were a big international rock group."

Ellefson added: "I was just talking to an artist yesterday, a brand new artist, and they were talking about how much the Internet has helped them to gain this very big worldwide fanbase, and they're just now starting to go on tour and they're very young group. Young people understand the Internet. It's been their friend from the beginning. And so I'm glad I got to be part of that generation at the very beginning, to understand what it is. And it's always kind of an ongoing learning about that. But any way that we can to try to connect with our fans.

"So fast forward all these years later, there was a season — MEGADETH disbanded," David said. "I wasn't part of the reuniting in 2004 and [200]5, but I went back to the band in 2010 and had another 11 years with the group. And we did some big things, with the 'Big Four' — METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX. We put out more records, one of which finally won us a Grammy nomination, or a Grammy Award, actually, finally. We had, I think, 11 nominations, and then we finally won one. And, to our fans, did they care if we won a Grammy? Probably not. For the industry, I think it was a cool acknowledgement that we always mattered, we were always relevant, we were always important not only to our fans, but even inside the industry of music and entertainment, we were always a leader. So, finally to have won the award was kind of, like, 'Okay, good. Check. Got that done.' And that was on the 'Dystopia' album, which was really one of the great MEGADETH records; I feel like that was really one of the great ones. So, time to move on from the, from the group.

"For me, I had spent a lot of time concentrated in that band during the '80s and '90s. In the 2000s, when the group disbanded, I quickly moved on to some other things. I actually went to college. I got my business degree. I worked for Peavey, doing artist relations, which was a way to sort of connect to companies' musical products with the artist community. And at the time, a lot of young groups like SLIPKNOT, Kid Rock, NICKELBACK were coming up the ranks, and I interfaced with them very early on. And they became tomorrow's big rock groups. They became the KISS of tomorrow. So I understood it. I also started some other groups. I had a band called F5. I did some guest appearances, like with Max Cavalera on two of his SOULFLY records. So that kind of opened and it expanded my musical horizons to be able to do more than just be in one group. So I got to do both then. So when I went back to MEGADETH, now I had this experience as a founding member of MEGADETH and as a songwriter and a contributor to that band, but also to have my world wide enough that I knew how to step into situations to record, to perform with them. I started another all-star group called METAL ALLEGIANCE that we put on the MOTÖRHEAD 'Motörboat' cruise. And that kind of started the all-star thing on these cruises where famous rockers get together and they do the all-star jam kind of thing. So, I got to be part of a lot of early ideas, early things that stuck and caught the attention of other people."

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

Mustaine reformed MEGADETH 22 years ago. Originally setting out to record a solo album, Mustaine enlisted studio musicians to play on what ultimately became MEGADETH's 2004 "The System Has Failed" comeback album, subsequently recruiting former ICED EARTH bassist James MacDonough to take Ellefson's place for the album's touring cycle.

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

In his first book, Ellefson admitted that he became a salaried employee upon his return to MEGADETH 16 years ago. He told Metal-Rules.com in an interview: "Going from being a co-founding owner to just a sideman musician was initially why I didn't come back in 2004. I was not happy with the participations that were presented to me. In recent times, coming back, I found great joy in doing music with a lot of other people in other settings that helped me fall back in love with playing music. Now I can come back into or go into musical situations and be able to be there for a purpose and level of pay. Being a sideman absolves you from being involved in all the other stuff. At this point in my life, I would rather leave that stuff on the sidelines. Like American Express says, 'membership has its privileges,' being a sideman has its benefits. In my case, it helps retain a friendship too. In order to have a friendship, I had to give up some ownership."

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

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

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

During an April 28 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", LYNYRD SKYNYRD vocalist Johnny Van Zant — brother of late great SKYNYRD frontman/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant — was asked about the group's future and how long he thinks he and his bandmates can keep performing live. Johnny responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, you know what?! Before Gary [Rossington, guitarist and sole surviving original member of LYNYRD SKYNYRD] died [in March 2023], he used to always call us 'Bubba'. He said, 'I don't know how much I'm gonna be able to play anymore' and stuff. He said, 'THE ALLMAN BROTHERS are gone.' Now that Gregg's [Allman] gone, you don't hear much about 'em. Charlie Daniels was a big influence on the guys. He's passed away, and you don't hear much about him. He goes, 'Whenever I'm gone, man, I hope this music can carry on.' So he was wanting it to carry on.

"So as long as I have good health and got good people like [current LYNYRD SKYNYRD guitarists] Damon Johnson, Rickey Medlocke and all the guys and girls in the band, we'll see where it leads us."

The 66-year-old Johnny continued: "Hey, you know what?! I always say it's up to the fans. You come out, we'll play. 'Cause I love doing it.

"I've had people telling me, 'Oh, you're not Ronnie,' 'You're not this,' 'You need to wear a cowboy hat, 'You need to go shoeless.' I said, 'Well, that was Ronnie's thing. I'm Johnny.' And 40 years next year is a long time that people have been coming back," Johnny added. "And they just love this music. They love what it is. It's more than fans. I call it our Skynyrd Nation… They're family to us, man. We're THE GRATEFUL DEAD of the south. They follow us around all summer and come to the same shows and just about hear the same set."

LYNYRD SKYNYRD released its last album, "Last Of A Dyin' Breed", in 2012. Only one other song has been released since, back in 2020, "Last Of The Street Survivors".

"Last Of The Street Survivors" — which shares its name with what was the time of the song's release supposed to be LYNYRD SKYNYRD's farewell tour — was penned by Rossington alongside Van Zant, Medlocke and songwriter Tom Hambridge, and found the Southern rockers reminiscing about their career and the bandmates they lost.

After four SKYNYRD members were killed in an October 1977 plane crash, Rossington recruited Johnny to fill his brother's shoes a decade later.

Medlocke, who played drums in SKYNYRD in 1970-71 before leaving to lead his own band BLACKFOOT and coming back to SKYNYRD in 1996, defended LYNYRD SKYNYRD's decision to carry on, telling Cleveland.com in May 2023: "People have beat us up over the years: 'Ah, you guys ain't nothin' but a freakin' tribute band' and blah, blah, blah.

"There's a lot of tribute bands out there to LYNYRD SKYNYRD, but none of them holds it as dear to their hearts as the guys who have been there as long as we have," he explained. "We have the history; I played on the first (recording) sessions. We just know that we have to portray the music with the integrity and the sound and the love as close as we can to when it was originally created."

LYNYRD SKYNYRD and FOREIGNER recently announced a North American co-headlining tour for the summer of 2026.

During an appearance on the April 29 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Ronnie James Dio's widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio confirmed that there are still plans to reissue "Stars", the 1985 charity single for famine relief released under the HEAR 'N AID banner. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We have been working on that. We've had a couple of little things that have happened. But Metal Blade has offered us a deal for this. And hopefully it could come out, yes, soon. And we're working on a book as well, a HEAR 'N AID book of photos, because we have so many photos from that time. So, yeah, there's a lot of HEAR 'N AID stuff in the works right now. As I said, we have an offer from Metal Blade, and we've been working on getting that together. It's just a lot of stuff, red-tape stuff that has to be done before you can put something out."

Asked if there are still plans to record a new version of "Stars" with today's artists to accompany the reissue of the original version of the song, Wendy said: "Not at the moment, but I would still like to do that. At the moment, we're trying to get out the HEAR 'N AID, the original one, on vinyl and on CD. So we've been trying to work with that at the moment, and that is what we will put out. In the future. I would like to do that. Yes, I definitely would."

As for what else will be included in the HEAR 'N AID reissue, Wendy said: "With the book that we're working on, we are getting people to write, [some of the artists] that were [there], like [JUDAS PRIEST's] Rob Halford. And [prominent U.K. music writer, journalist, and industry executive] Dante Bonutto, who actually wrote the foreword for the original record, he's going to write something for us. So, yeah, we've been working on that. It's been a very long, hard road to get it out, but we will get it out. We never give up."

On May 20 and May 21, 1985, 40 artists from the metal community gathered at A&M Records Studios in Hollywood, California to participate in the making of a record called "Stars" as a part of a very special fundraising project spearheaded by Ronnie James Dio known as HEAR 'N AID. The "Stars" single and a video documentary on the making of the record was used to raise money for famine relief efforts in Africa and around the world. These 40 artists — including members of MÖTLEY CRÜE, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, QUIET RIOT, TWISTED SISTER, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT and even SPINAL TAP — along with hundreds of other volunteers, donated their time and talent over four months to make HEAR 'N AID a reality. "Stars" was a plea for unity in the fight against world hunger.

Due to contract differences with the labels, the "Stars" song and album weren't released until New Year's Day, 1986, and were only ever made available on vinyl and cassette. But Wendy said during a September 2023 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that she was continuing her efforts to correct that.

"Well, we've talked about it a lot," she said at the time. "I never seem to have the time, but it will be down the pipeline. I'd like to add some new stuff to it, to get some new, younger bands in there as well to record some stuff along with the old stuff. Obviously all the money will go to [Ronnie James Dio] Stand Up And Shout [Cancer Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable fund dedicated to support research and education that furthers early detection, prevention and treatment of prostate, colon and stomach cancers]. But it is in the works, but we just have to have the time… It's such a lot of things with… The bands are always great and the musicians are always great. It's all of the red tape behind it with the managers and the record labels, and that's what we have to deal with. But we will do it. It will be there sometime soon."

Back in 2016, Wendy told "Trunk Nation" that both a new version and the old version of "Stars" would be included on the reissue package. "Because the old version was only ever on, I think, vinyl and cassette; it was never on a DVD or on CD," she explained. "And we also have a lot of stuff that was behind the scenes that wasn't heard or seen, which is kind of fun. There's loads of photos we have. I think we have about a hundred signed posters by everyone, and a lot of those people are not alive now. But I just feel we wanna update it a little bit. So instead of just bringing the old stuff up as a reissue, let's update it with a bonus of some kind."

Earlier in September 2023, former DIO and current DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell told Guitar Interactive magazine about his involvement with "Stars": "When we did that, we were at Rumbo Recorders in L.A. recording the [DIO] 'Sacred Heart' album. And it was a really dark time for Ronnie and for the band. I mean, nobody wanted to be around Ronnie. Ronnie and Wendy had split up. They weren't getting divorced, but they were living separate lives. And Ronnie's mood was really, really dark. And the big difference between the 'Sacred Heart' album and [the first two DIO albums] 'Holy Diver' and 'The Last In Line' is that when we did 'Holy Diver' and 'The Last In Line', everyone was in the studio all the time. We were all there offering encouragement. There was a really good vibe. And then nobody went home early. Everyone was waiting for everything and excited by every little development in those records. When we were doing the 'Sacred Heart' album, nobody wanted to hang around. We cut the tracks and it was, like, 'Oh, okay. I'm gonna go. You done with me?' And it was just left Ronnie and Angelo [Arcuri], our engineer, and it was because of that energy, that vibe that was coming from Ronnie at that time. So it was really, really difficult to make. I'm not saying it's a bad record, but it was really difficult for [then-DIO drummer] Vinny [Appice] and [then-DIO bassist] Jimmy [Bain] and myself, and obviously for Ronnie, to make it."

He continued: "So, at that time, that 'We Are The World' thing had come out, with Michael Jackson and all the pop stars that made this great record. And Jimmy and I, who were roommates at the time — we were living in an apartment together — we happened to do an interview for a station called KLOS in Los Angeles, and the DJ asked us, he said, 'How come nobody from the hard rock world was invited to participate in that?' And we thought, 'You know, you're absolutely right.' And this was an era when hard rock was really sort of shunned. I mean, it never got nominated for a Grammy or anything. There was no real industry recognition, even though it was a very, very popular cultural force and sold in multi-millions. But the industry was yet to really fully recognize it as being legit. And so anyway, we were joking about this, and it was Jimmy who — he was a funny guy — and Jimmy right off the bat said, 'Yeah, we should do one. We should call it HEAR 'N AID.' We were all, like, 'Hahaha'; we fell off our stools. And then we went back to our apartment and Jimmy said, 'Well, do you wanna actually do this?' [And I said] 'Really? I mean, do we have time for this?' And he said, 'Yeah.' So Jimmy and I wrote the song. We didn't write the lyrics. We put the music together. We thought, 'We're not gonna get this off the ground without Ronnie. We need some clout. We need the name.' So we went in the studio the next day As I said, we're in the middle of doing the 'Sacred Heart' album. Ronnie's in a real dark spot. We offer it, and we say, 'Ronnie, what about this?' He immediately shuts it down. No interest. So, we keep pushing it on him for a couple of weeks, and then eventually he came back to us and said, 'You know what? Yeah. I'll get on board with this.' So he wrote the lyric for it."

Regarding how they ended up recruiting so many big names for the project, Vivian said: "I, with the help of a publicist we were working with at the time, went to the office every day with a publicist. She let me go through her Rolodex — this is how old school this is; her Rolodex — and look up names. I'd go, 'Oh, Jon Bon Jovi.' I'd literally be cold calling people that I didn't know… [I was] trying to explain, 'We're making this charity record. And we'll cover expenses. We'll get some sponsorship.' So that was my life for weeks, every day going into a whole different world for me, just getting on the phone and calling people. 'Hi, Neal Schon. Love your JOURNEY stuff. Is there any chance you could…?' 'Who else is doing it?' And the same old thing — nobody wants to commit until [other big names are involved]. But I was able to throw Ronnie's name there. I said, 'Well, Ronnie's doing it.' 'Oh, okay.' And calling up studios, like A&M studios, 'Hey, is it possible we can get a day free in the studio? It's for charity.' 'Hey, American Airlines, is there any way we can…?' 'Hey, Holiday Inn, can you…?' It was something I'd never done before, but I spent weeks and weeks and weeks doing it. And so it all came together, and it was just bonkers that it did.

"I remember the day we were doing it at A&M, with a film crew in there, and the guys from SPINAL TAP even showed up. And that made it great because that brought a little much-needed humor to the whole situation. And all these great guitar players — we had Yngwie [Malmsteen] there and George Lynch and Neal Schon, guys who were blazing guitar [players]. And I just remember I was so busy making sure that everyone had a limo ride, had a flight, had a hotel room, had something to eat. And then, at the end of the day, it's, like, 'Okay, now you've gotta play guitar.' It's, like, 'What?'"

When POWERMAN 5000 broke through in 1999, with their third album "Tonight The Stars Revolt!" and the single "When World's Collide", the band was already close to celebrating its tenth anniversary. Now they're bearing down on the fortieth, but POWERMAN 5000 continue living up to their name, with a further dozen albums to their credit, and some of the most instantly appealing album titles in music history — from "The Blood-Splat Rating System" to "Somewhere On The Other Side Of Nowhere", and on to the still-resonant "Anyone For Doomsday", POWERMAN 5000's nomenclatural ingenuity is just one more reason to love this band.

Now another of their titular triumphs prepares to come back beneath the microscope as Cleopatra Records prepare a very special reissue of "The Noble Rot", the ever-adventurous industrial metal mavericks' much-praised 2020 album, and one that is already loaded down with major hits… a spellbinding rerecording of "When Worlds Collide" made for a very well-chosen bonus track, but elsewhere on the disc, a dark reimagining of THE GO-GO'S' "We Got The Beat!" joined the band's own classics-in-waiting "Black Lipstick" and "Cannibal Killers That Kill Everyone".

Due on May 29, this new edition of the album includes two further tumultuous tracks, as German industrial legends DIE KRUPPS deliver fresh, dynamic remixes of both "When Worlds Collide" and "Black Lipstick".

"Black Lipstick" premiered a few weeks back, but today sees the one we've all been waiting for, as "When Worlds Collide (Die Krupps Remix)" arrives as POWERMAN 5000's latest single. The biggest song in POWERMAN's repertoire is now among their most powerful, as well.

"The Noble Rot" reissue track listing:

01. Cannibal Killers That Kill Everyone
02. Brave New World
03. Play God Or Play Dead
04. Black Lipstick
05. Special Effects
06. Let The Insects Rule
07. Movie Blood
08. Strange People Doing Strange Things
09. We Got The Beat
10. VHS

Bonus tracks:

11. Black Lipstick (Die Krupps Remix)
12. When Worlds Collide (Die Krupps Remix)

"The Ghost Of A Future Dead", the latest album from Swedish melodic death metal pioneers AT THE GATES, has topped the official chart in the band's home country. It marks the first time ever that AT THE GATES has entered the main Swedish album chart at No. 1.

Released on April 24 via Century Media Records, "The Ghost Of A Future Dead" also landed at No. 1 on the Swedish physical, vinyl and hard rock charts.

The follow-up to 2021's "The Nightmare of Being", "The Ghost Of A Future Dead" marks a special tribute to AT THE GATES frontman Tomas Lindberg, who tragically passed away in September 2025.

"The Ghost Of A Future Dead" was recorded and mixed by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden and comes with artwork created by Robert Samsonowitz.

"The Ghost Of A Future Dead" track listing (running time: 42:30):

01. The Fever Mask (03:12)
02. The Dissonant Void (02:47)
03. Det Oerhörda (03:35)
04. A Ritual Of Waste (03:35)
05. In Dark Distortion (03:50)
06. Of Interstellar Death (03:45)
07. Tomb Of Heaven (03:53)
08. Parasitical Hive (04:34)
09. The Unfathomable (04:07)
10. The Phantom Gospel (02:44)
11. Förgängligheten (02:41)
12. Black Hole Emission (03:39)

In a recent interview with Finland's Chaoszine, AT THE GATES bassist Jonas Björler reflected on the final months of Tomas's life. Jonas said: "It's like with all the cancer diseases, it's always a rollercoaster ride. It's positive news and it's bad news. And we got positive news every other week and we got negative news every other week. So it was [up and down]. So it's really unsettling… The last month, from mid-August [2025] to mid-September [2025], the situation was really bad, because he had massive infections and stuff like that, so they couldn't really treat it. So we kind of knew that it was going in the wrong direction, for sure. So, everybody in the band — except Adrian [Erlandsson, AT THE GATES drummer]; he's in U.K. — we went down to his hospital work and met him. But he was in a really, really bad shape. It was really tough."

Lindberg was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare oral cancer, in December 2023, which led to a major surgery that removed a large portion of the roof of his mouth. He had also undergone radiation treatment and had been on a path to recovery, but then doctors found traces of the cancer in early 2025. In May 2025, an undisclosed "setback" placed Tomas in long-term care.

"We entered the studio and started recording the music [for 'The Ghost Of A Future Dead'] when Tomas actually had his first surgery," Jonas recalled to Chaoszine. "And he managed to sing all the vocal demos for all the songs. So that's what we used for the album… He did good versions or good takes in a studio in Gothenburg before the surgery. So, that was done in, like, December [of 2023] or January [of 2024], and we entered the studio in February [of 2024]."

Asked if "The Ghost Of A Future Dead" is a difficult album for him to listen to now, having lost Tomas less than six months ago, Jonas said: "No, because it's kind of Tomas's legacy and stuff. So we all want it to get out now, I think, so people can hear it… I know Tomas was proud of it and wanted it to be released. So we just waited in case his situation would improve. So that's why we waited. But we could have released it one year ago. It was fully mixed in 2024, in June, it was already done, everything. So it's been there for one and a half years, all done… I heard [the songs] for so long now, [they are] feeling kind of old to me. But it's gonna be nice to hear people's reaction to it."

Asked if Tomas was "super determined" to finish his vocal tracks for "The Ghost Of A Future Dead" before he underwent his surgery, Jonas said: "Yeah, yeah, of course. It was totally done. The only thing that wasn't done when he got the terrible news, it was missing three or four songs that [weren't] recorded yet. So he just went to the studio and did it before the surgery, because he knew that was a very invasive surgery; they took half the jaw away. So he knew he couldn't sing or would have problems singing."

Jonas went on to say that Tomas was "always positive" about his chances of beating the cancer. "And we all were," he added. "That's the only chance to survive it, I think, or get through it."

Regarding what AT THE GATES fans can expect from "The Ghost Of A Future Dead", Jonas said: "I mean, [guitarist] Anders [Björler, Jonas's brother] is back [in AT THE GATES], since three years [ago]. And I think if you like 'At War With Reality', you will like the new one, I think. There's a mixture of 'Slaughter Of The Soul', 'At War With Reality' and some progressive elements of the last two. So that's what you can expect, I think."

Asked if he and his AT THE GATES bandmates had a vision of where they wanted to go musically with the new album, Jonas said: "Me and Anders just wrote half and half. We didn't have any guidelines. We just wrote it, what we felt like. We usually don't do that because it restricts you. So I don't like to do that."

As for the possibility of AT THE GATES doing shows to celebrate Tomas's life and legacy, Jonas said: "Yeah, we haven't really discussed those things because we're gonna release the album first and then we'll see. Maybe some shows to celebrate him or something, but we are not sure about anything right now."

When the first details of "The Ghost Of A Future Dead" were announced on February 20,AT THE GATES said in a statement: "We are proud to finally share some news about our eighth studio album, 'The Ghost Of A Future Dead'. The album will be released on April 24, 2026 — more than two years after it was completed in the studio.

"As you all know, Tomas Lindberg passed away last year due to complications from his cancer treatment. Over the past few years, we worked closely with Tomas, discussing and refining every detail to ensure nothing was left to chance.

"In accordance with Tomas's wishes — including the album title, sound mix, track order, artwork, and overall presentation — 'The Ghost Of A Future Dead' remains true to form. It combines the ferocious energy and hard-hitting powerful melodies that is the essence of AT THE GATES. This album is Tomas's legacy".

AT THE GATES lineup for "The Ghost Of A Future Dead" album:

Adrian Erlandsson - Drums
Jonas Björler - Bass
Tomas Lindberg - Vocals
Anders Björler - Guitars
Martin Larsson - Guitars

Lindberg was 52 years old at the time of his death.

In August 2025, Tomas's AT THE GATES bandmates announced that the singer was receiving "around-the-clock" care at an unspecified hospital after being diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC),a rare, slow-growing but aggressive cancer that typically develops in the salivary glands, particularly the minor salivary glands of the head and neck.

On August 15, 2025, AT THE GATES released a message from Tomas, written in March 2025, where he reflected on the previous 15 months and the reasons for the group's radio silence. In the message, Lindberg wrote: "Hello everyone. I guess some of you may have been wondering why it has been so silent on the AT THE GATES front lately. Well, in December 2023, I was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (a cancer in the mouth and palate) and have since then gone through a lot, it has been a very tough year. First there was a major surgery, where they took away a big part of the roof of the mouth. This was followed by radiation therapy for two months, and ever since it has been a long hard path towards recovery. Now, in the beginning of 2025, they have found some remains of the cancer, and it is inaccessible by surgery or radiation. So, we will see what the next step is, but probably some form of chemotherapy, to keep the cancer in check.

"Luckily, we recorded vocals for the demos for the new album before all of this happened. The last version of the vocals, the ones that will end up on the album, were recorded in ONE day, mostly one takes, the DAY before the surgery, just to make sure we HAD the album, so to speak. So the vocals were actually recorded BEFORE the rest of the album.... a bit different, but it felt good to have it done.

"We have now decided to not wait any longer to release this new album. We had first planned to wait with the release until we knew if/when I would be able to sing again, and we were able to support the release with shows. Now when everything about the future is a bit more unsure it feels good to deliver this album. It is an album that we all are very proud of, and it's the first time in 10 years that Jonas and I have worked together with Anders writing an album's worth of music. It is a bit more of a return to the 'roots', probably best described as a mix between the two last albums we did with Anders ('Slaughter Of The Soul' and 'At War With Reality'). Hope you all will enjoy it!"

AT THE GATES released its definitive album, "Slaughter Of The Soul" — often regarded as one of the all-time greatest metal albums — on Earache in 1995, before touring the world and abruptly disbanding. Members of the band went on to play major roles in other notorious metal acts such as THE HAUNTED and CRADLE OF FILTH, before reforming in 2008, with Lindberg juggling his day job as a teacher with being a death metal frontman.

Back in October 2022, AT THE GATES announced that founding member and guitarist Anders Björler was returning to the band's lineup after a handful of years of absence.

In August 2022, AT THE GATES parted ways with its guitarist of the previous five years, Jonas Stålhammar.Stålhammar joined the band in September 2017 as the replacement for Anders Björler, who left AT THE GATES in March of that year.

Photo credit: Ester Segarra

The Swedish chart results are in, The Ghost of a Future Dead has reached #1 on the Album, Physical, Vinyl, and Hard Rock charts. Thank you!

#atthegates

Posted by At The Gates on Friday, May 1, 2026

FOZZY, the band featuring wrestling superstar Chris Jericho and STUCK MOJO mastermind Rich "The Duke" Ward, has released a new single, "I Know Evil". The song serves as a high-octane preview for the band's upcoming "Twisted Faith Tour 2026", set to take place around the band's appearances at the Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple festivals. Along for the ride for FOZZY's headlining shows will be FLAW, SPINESHANK and WHO ON EARTH (on select dates).

"I Know Evil" is the follow-up to "Fall In Line", which was released in April 2025 via Madison Records. Prior to "Fall In Line"'s arrival, FOZZY released another standalone single, "Spotlight", which was made available in October 2023. All three tracks were helmed by FOZZY's longtime producer Johnny Andrews (THREE DAYS GRACE, ALL THAT REMAINS, HALESTORM).

In a recent interview with U.K.'s MetalTalk, Ward was asked if FOZZY fans can expect to see a follow-up to the band's 2022 album "Boombox" in the not-too-distant future, Rich said: "I think we're gonna stick with just releasing singles for a while. And I think part of the reason for that is on the last album, 'Boombox', we spent so much time on it. And every song is very important to us. And then two or three songs get released to singles and then the rest of them kind of go in the bin, so to speak. And Chris Jericho, the singer in FOZZY, just so for context, he was really hurt by it, because he realizes that now because we're not in the age of albums anymore where people go and buy physical albums — we're in the days of playlists and singles and streaming — and [he] felt like we should spend our time really focused on a song at a time and release them like that. And it's helped us in a lot of ways because the pressure of making a 12- or 14-song album, especially when Chris has two or three other careers that take up a lot of time. So it allows us to not water down the process by focusing on this, this, this and this and this. And making an album, to do it properly, if you were all in a room together as a band, about a month to write and a month to record. And FOZZY can't do that, just because of, like I said, just the way that we are as a band, the way that it came up."

Rich continued: "We started as kind of a covers project. Our first two albums were covers albums because Jericho was wrestling full-time with the WWF, I was in a band called STUCK MOJO, and FOZZY was our love-affair band. It was our side project that we put all of our passion into. And then when it became our priority, and you know that it's Chris's priority because his handle says Chris Jericho FOZZY on social media, not Chris Jericho wrestler. He is a passionate lover of music and a performer and songwriter. So the goal moving forward is just to put everything we have into every song. There's a brand new song that we're working on right now. Chris just recorded the vocals last week. It'll probably be released, I would say, March, something like that. We were hoping to get it out for this most recent U.K. tour that I'll be seeing you guys in a few weeks. But like I said, it's up to the universe. We work with a producer named Johnny Andrews. He produces a million big bands himself, so it's all down to scheduling."

Ward also talked in more detail about the FOZZY songwriting process, explaining:  "Now that we are in this mode where we're working on a song at a time, we realize that it's important to be as perfect as we can make it. Because it's like a small-bite dinner, if you're creating as a chef, so we know you have one chance to make a perfect meal for this customer. And our fans are loyal, and because we've been around a long time, we've built this incredible bond with our fanbase, and they deserve the best, especially when we're only, like I said, releasing one song a year. And there may come a point where're releasing two or three songs a year. It really just kind of comes down to, how is the material? We've got three or four songs that we've already gotten rough skeleton demos in the works. So I think 'Fall In Line' is about as good a song as we've ever written, and it energized us that this late in our career, that we're still capable of writing interesting songs and yet songs that aren't self-indulgent. Because I don't wanna get into that phase where you're writing for yourself. And they get so pointed inward that they're not going to reach out and speak to anyone else. I do think that there are artists that get into those phases of their life where their songs meander and [they aren't] focused, and I think working with a great producer helps."

Ward continued: "I'm 57. When I was writing albums in STUCK MOJO when I was in my early twenties, it was a much different process. It was much more guttural. It was much more reactionary. It was based on emotions that I was having. And now writing songs is more of an intellectual process. And we listen to other albums. I'll listen to a QUEEN album, I'll listen to a PINK FLOYD album and an AC/DC record, and we'll write about things that we really loved about those albums. What was it that inspired us when we were kids from those? So we're going through a lot of this kind of exploration of what it was that made us such big music fans ourselves when we were younger."

Last September FOZZY surprise released its cover version of the OZZY OSBOURNE classic "Crazy Train". The track arrived two months after FOZZY released the official Lawrence Hinson-directed music video for "Fall In Line". The clip was filmed at HM Studios in Las Vegas, Nevada, based on a video concept by Hinson and Mark Willis.

"Boombox" came out in May 2022 and featured "I Still Burn", which has more than three million views on YouTube. It also included the Top 10 singles "Nowhere To Run" and "Sane".

In January 2022, FOZZY parted ways with longtime drummer Frank Fontsere and replaced him with Grant Brooks (THROUGH FIRE).

Fontsere was a founding member of FOZZY, having formed the group in 1999 with Jericho and Ward.

When FOZZY announced Fontsere's departure, the band said that he was "stepping down to focus on his family and other projects."

FOZZY is Jericho, Ward, Brooks, Billy Grey (guitar) and P.J. Farley (bass).

Marking three decades as one of rock's most enduring and beloved bands, BUSH has released a more intimate version of "Swallowed". First made available on the landmark 1996 album "Razorblade Suitcase", the song became a soundtrack to many people's lives. Years of playing it live has, of course, reshaped the song for both the band and fans. This new version adds an extra layer of tenderness thanks to a choral ensemble.

BUSH frontman Gavin Rossdale comments: "There's something about stripping a song all the way back to its DNA, the melody has all the power. I wanted 'Swallowed' to feel like a hymn."

BUSH is currently on the "Land Of Milk And Honey" tour, with recent stops at Brooklyn Paramount and then Stagecoach this past weekend. The North American run continues through May 24, closing out at BottleRock festival in Napa, California, before heading overseas for a European leg and then continuing to Australia in September.

BUSH embarked on a U.S. tour earlier this month with support from MAMMOTH and JAMES AND THE COLD GUN.

BUSH's tenth studio album, "I Beat Loneliness" came out in July 2025 via earMUSIC. The LP was produced by Rossdale and Erik Ron (PANIC! AT THE DISCO, SET IT OFF, BAD OMEN).

2024 marked the 30th anniversary of the release of BUSH's six-times-platinum debut album, "Sixteen Stone".

BUSH released "Loaded: The Greatest Hits 1994-2023" in November 2023 via Round Hill Records. The set included a new song called "Nowhere To Go But Everywhere", which was written by Gavin and produced by Rossdale and Corey Britz.

BUSH's current lineup consists of Rossdale, Chris Traynor (guitar),Corey Britz (bass) and Nik Hughes (drums).

BUSH broke up in 2002 but reformed in 2010, and has since released six albums: "The Sea of Memories" (2011),"Man On The Run" (2014),"Black And White Rainbows" (2017),"The Kingdom" (2020),"The Art Of Survival" (2022) and "I Beat Loneliness" (2025).

"Black And White Rainbows" was crafted after Rossdale went through a divorce with pop star/reality TV judge Gwen Stefani in 2015.

Photo credit: Ben Alexis

GHOST was honored in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal" category at this year's edition of the Swedish Grammis awards (Swedish Grammy equivalent),which was held Wednesday night (April 29) at Annexet in Stockholm.

GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge was joined by his songwriting team of Max Grahn, Vincent Pontare and Salem Al Fakir when he accepted the award for last year's "Skeletá" album, beating out fellow "Best Hard Rock/Metal" nominees SABATON ("Legends"),SARCATOR ("Swarming Angels & Flies"),THE HAUNTED ("Songs Of Last Resort") and THE HELLACOPTERS ("Overdrive").

In his acceptance speech, which can be seen below, Tobias reportedly said that he was "incredibly grateful" to everyone involved in the making of "Skeletá" and joked that "hopefully, even after I've stood here rambling through this speech without notes, people will keep loving this record into eternity".

GHOST was presented the award by singer Joey Tempest of fellow Swedish hard rockers EUROPE, who took to social media afterwards to share: "Huge congratulations to GHOST for winning the Swedish Grammis! It was an absolute honour to present you with the award! And thanks for joining us to have some fun during the recording of our upcoming album."

GHOST was nominated in a total of six categories at this year's edition of the Swedish Grammis awards. In addition to being up for the "Artist Of The Year" and "Album Of The Year" awards, GHOST was in the running for the "Hard Rock/Metal" honor, while Forge, Grahn, Pontare and Al Fakir were also up for "Producer", "Songwriter" and "Lyricist" awards for their work on the record.

GHOST had been nominated for seven Grammis awards in the past, and had won the "Hard Rock & Metal" award four previous times: for "Infestissumam", "Meliora", the "Popestar" EP and "Impera".

In May 2025, "Skeletá" landed at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 86,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the LP's first week of release. According to Billboard, 89% of that figure (77,000) consisted of traditional album sales, with vinyl purchases accounting for over 44,000 copies. Notably, "Skeletá" was the first hard rock album to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 since AC/DC's "Power Up" in 2020.

"Skeletá" marked GHOST's ninth Billboard 200-charted effort and was the band's fifth to reach the Top 10. The band first landed on the chart in 2013 with its second album, "Infestissumam".

Prior to "Skeletá"'s arrival, GHOST had peaked at No. 2 with its previous full-length studio album, 2022's "Impera".

The 2026 North American leg of GHOST's "Skeletour" world tour kicked off on January 21 at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida and concluded on February 23 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California.

The European leg of GHOST's 2025 world tour kicked off on April 15, 2025 in Manchester, United Kingdom and concluded on May 24, 2025 in Oslo, Norway.

The North American leg of GHOST's 2025 tour launched on July 9, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland and wrapped up on August 16, 2025 in Houston, Texas.

In a new interview with Laughing Monkey With Shawn Ratches, drummer/vocalist Chris Reifert of Californian gore death metal originators AUTOPSY spoke about the band's plans for a follow-up to their last full-length effort, "Ashes, Organs, Blood And Crypts" which came out in 2023. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "As of now, the big plan is just to make the new album before the year's over and get it kicked out the door next year. And it should be good timing in that regard. So that's what we're shooting for."

Regarding a possible musical direction for the next AUTOPSY LP, Chris said: "As long as long as it sounds like something AUTOPSY should be doing, that's what we're shooting for. We never wanted to make 'Severed Survival Part Two' or try and recreate something that we've already done, 'cause we already did it. But at the same time, you wanna sound like yourself, and we're not trying to all of a sudden sound like — I always pick on this band unfairly, but we're not gonna all of a sudden start trying to sound like DREAM THEATER or something. I'm sorry, DREAM THEATER. I don't know why I always use you for a reference of what we're not gonna do. My apologies… Yeah, we just wanna sound like what we should sound like. And hopefully people will agree with that. And if not, we can't please everyone… [You wanna do something that sounds] just [fresh] enough to where you're not imitating something you already did, but not too outside of the bubble… Some bands, you do want them to repeat themselves. Like, when MOTÖRHEAD was around, every time you'd get a new MOTÖRHEAD album, and I would get the new ones, I always was happy it was just like the records before, but in the best way. You don't want 'em to fuck with it."

"Ashes, Organs, Blood And Crypts" was recorded by Scott Evans and Greg Wilkinson at Sharkbite Studios with additional tracking at Earhammer Studios by Greg Wilkinson and was mixed by Greg Wilkinson and mastered by Ken Lee. The cover artwork was created by longtime collaborator Wes Benscoter (BLOODBATH, SLAYER). Inspired by the title, the band let Wes's imagination run amok, conjuring up yet another horrifying monument to AUTOPSY's latest musical offering.

One of the longest-running death metal acts active today, and an inspiration for whole generations of depraved metal maniacs the world over, AUTOPSY formed in 1987 and released four albums on Peaceville Records — beginning with the classic debut "Severed Survival" in 1989 — before disbanding in 1995, with members going on to form the equally disturbed ABSCESS. AUTOPSY officially returned after a fifteen-year hiatus with the 2010 EP "The Tomb Within", followed closely by their fifth studio album, "Macabre Eternal" in 2011, which set them on a new bloodthirsty trail, with the reinvigorated intent of creating more of the sickest and most twisted and uncompromising music ever to grace a turntable. The band has remained prolific ever since.

Photo credit: Nancy Reifert (courtesy of Secret Service Publicity)

In a new interview with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio, TYPE O NEGATIVE drummer Johnny Kelly revealed that he recently unearthed a cassette containing an unreleased song from the songwriting sessions for TYPE O NEGATIVE's fourth studio album, 1996's "October Rust".

"I dug up a whole bunch of cassettes recently and I found a lot of stuff — demos. I actually found a song that we never used," Johnny said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET)."

Regarding the origin of the cassette containing the unreleased TYPE O NEGATIVE song, Kelly said: "I would go to [TYPE O NEGATIVE keyboardist] Josh's [Silver] house when we were working on the records. I would always go home — say, after the day, we were working on a song. This was back when cassettes [laughs] were being used. CDs really weren't standard yet as far as in the studio for refs and stuff like that. So I have a bunch of ref[erence] cassettes from demos that we did and stuff. And then I was just listening to them, and I came across the song. Part of it wound up getting cannibalized. Parts of the song wound up on other songs, on 'Life Is Killing Me' and stuff like that. But it's a complete song."

As for the possibility of the song in question being made available in the not-too-distant future, Johnny said: "At the time, the song wasn't strong enough to be on 'October Rust'. And if we were releasing 'October Rust' today, it still wouldn't make the record… But 30 years later, to release it as a bonus track on something, it's worth it — it's worth it for that. Now, if we can get a good transfer from a cassette and actually get a good mastering out of it and make it sound good…"

He added: "This year is the 30th anniversary of 'October Rust', but I don't know if it's good policy to have the [previously announced TYPE O NEGATIVE] live record coming out this year and a box set for 'October Rust'. Maybe. I don't know. We'll have to see. But right now I'm just going through the cassettes and seeing what I have."

TYPE O NEGATIVE effectively broke up after the passing of frontman Peter Steele in April 2010 from heart failure at the age of 48. Born Petrus T. Ratajczyk on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York, he stood 6' 7" (201 cm) tall, and had a low, bass-heavy voice, which was one of the most recognizable features in TYPE O NEGATIVE's music.

Before forming TYPE O NEGATIVE, Steele played for the metal group FALLOUT and the thrash band CARNIVORE.

TYPE O NEGATIVE, known for its brooding soundscapes and cult status in the 1990s and early 2000s, has recently seen a cultural resurgence as new generations discover the band's genre-defining music.

TYPE O NEGATIVE was a New York–based goth metal band formed in 1990 by Steele, alongside Silver, guitarist Kenny Hickey and drummer Sal Abruscato — later replaced by Kelly. Their 1991 debut, "Slow, Deep And Hard", introduced their brooding style, followed by the provocative "The Origin Of The Feces" (1992). TYPE O NEGATIVE achieved breakthrough success with "Bloody Kisses" (1993),which earned a cult following and featured the single "Black No. 1". The band continued to evolve with albums such as "October Rust" (1996),"World Coming Down" (1999),"Life Is Killing Me" (2003) and "Dead Again" (2007).

Revered for their distinctive blend of goth and metal, as well as Steele's deep, iconic vocals, TYPE O NEGATIVE left a lasting legacy in heavy music. The band concluded in 2010 following Steele's death, but their influence endures across the alternative and metal landscape.

A full-length concert recording from TYPE O NEGATIVE is currently being prepared for a tentative late 2026 or early 2027 release.

Last November, Johnny told Sh!t Talk Reviews about the group's upcoming live album: "We were able to get our hands on a show… And we were gonna put it out with one label, and now I believe we're doing it with Nuclear Blast."

He added: "At this point it's really hard to find stuff that's of any sonic quality that we could release. At this point I'm willing to just repackage bootlegs and put 'em out. Why not? PEARL JAM sells 'em at every show."

In a new interview with KillerTube, DIMMU BORGIR guitarist Sven "Silenoz" Kopperud spoke about the Norwegian symphonic black metal band's upcoming album, "Grand Serpent Rising", which will arrive on May 22 via Nuclear Blast Records. Asked about the "serpent" imagery about "shedding skin and renewal" and how it relates to what DIMMU BORGIR has gone through in the eight years since the release of DIMMU BORGIR's previous album, 2018's "Eonian", Silenoz said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've had to shed quite a lot, as usual, maybe more than previously. But it's all a good thing. I feel like great things shouldn't be easily achieved. It should include a lot of sacrifice, and that's what we feel like we have done with this record. And it just sucks that it took us eight years to have it out. But there you go. I'd rather have quality over quantity any day. So, whenever we feel ready to release it upon the world, that's when we do it."

Silenoz also talked about the process of "cutting the fat" from the DIMMU BORGIR songs in preparation for the "Grand Serpent Rising" recording sessions. Asked how hard it was "to let go of some of that stuff", Silenoz said: "It can be challenging. It's like if you have worked on a musical part for like weeks and months and it doesn't find it way into a song for whatever reason, and it's still a great piece of music that doesn't make it to the album — it happens more than once. And it's part of being an artist. You have to write for what's best for the songs. You cannot force things in there just to have a piece of the pie extra. That doesn't work for the overall picture. So, I think we've gotten a lot better doing it the way we do it on this album, the last few times, because, yeah, it just feels the flow is there a bit more, I think, and we try not to analyze it to death. I think that's also very important, that you do spontaneous things and you take things as they come."

Silenoz went on to say that he didn't allow his expectations for the "Grand Serpent Rising" album to affect the songwriting process in a negative way.

"If you do something and you don't expect a reward for it, that's usually when the great things come," he explained. "If you try and force things to you, then that's just going to go further away then. Obviously, we don't mind the 'thumbs up' and people coming to our shows — this is what we do for a living — but we would still do it in whatever level we would be at, 'cause it's part of you. And if we did it for other reasons, we would have an album out every year."

Earlier this month, Silenoz told Australia's Everblack podcast about his expectations for "Grand Serpent Rising":  "Of course you have an anticipation for how you want the public to receive it. But at the end of the day, we feel strongly about it and we feel like we've done a collection of great songs, and that's essentially what the new album is. If it stands the test of time as one of our better albums, then so be it. That remains to be seen. But I think we have accomplished the goal, which was to make another new good-sounding record."

He continued: "I think especially the previous [album, 2018's 'Eonian'], and maybe this new one even more so, it's something that some of it hits immediately and some might need some extra time, which is always usually a sign of a great record. Some records are immediate and they still continue to be great 15, 20 years later, but it all comes down to a combination of what you probably expect, want and need from your artists, I guess. And a new record is always a subjective thing, isn't it? So it's bound to disappoint a lot of people, even before they've heard it. But that's the day and age we live in, isn't it?"

Asked if he and his DIMMU BORGIR bandmates felt any pressure to deliver something special this time around, Silenoz said: "It might sound cocky, but I think if there is any pressure, it's the one that we put on ourselves and not from exterior things. Obviously, after so many years, decades of being in the band and releasing albums, you always have in the back of your mind, even though you don't think about it very often, but it's still there, it's like, yeah, obviously you want the audience and your fans to approve of what you do and that you put so many hours and [so much] energy into it. But at the end of the day, talking to you now, before it even actually has been released, which [will be] the 22nd of May, it's already a success in many ways because we have accomplished what we set out to do and that's to make a collection of great songs as a new album, and do it our way, without compromising in any field. So that makes me proud already. But, of course, the 'thumbs up' and that people love it and will go and see us at the shows and stuff, that's the bonus. That's the top cream of the cake, basically."

Silenoz also talked about the "killing your darlings" part of the songwriting process, which involves removing some of his favorite lyrics, melodies or parts that he loves but that do not serve the songs' overall purpose. He explained: "It's the crucial part where the producer in you comes out, and you have to, as much as it hurts, put a lot of your ego aside and see things from the outside and look at the songs as a whole chapter, basically. And imagine all the great parts, all the great pieces of music and lyrics that didn't make it to this album. I mean, the percentage that made it to the album in terms of songs are smaller than the material that we had to work with. And, of course, it's a slap to the ego in the sense that, yeah, we all have parts that we have worked on for hours and hours, and it doesn't make it to the album in the end because it's not ready for being put into a song or a piece of music. So it's still a great piece of music, but it's being shelved for now, and see if maybe later at some point, it's the right time to use it. Who knows? It's just a part of being an artist and a creative person, is that you have to sacrifice to get to the end goal, which is to finalize the album. And, of course, when you don't really have a particular deadline for recording and stuff like that, things can drag on, because you feel like, 'Oh, we can still have time to work on this.' But I think this time we just made the decision to, 'Well, we have enough material now. Let's work on that and let's shave off and trim off the fat and book the time in the studio so we have, actually, a conclusive timeframe.' That's a difficult and the challenging part when you not necessarily have a deadline."

Recording for "Grand Serpent Rising" once again took place in Gothenburg with trusted producer Fredrik Nordström, the consummate professional behind such DIMMU BORGIR classics as "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia" and "Death Cult Armageddon". Asked what Nordström brought out of him and his bandmates this time that some of the previous producers DIMMU BORGIR had worked with didn't or hadn't, Silenoz said: "What they have in common — I think I can speak for all of the people that we worked with over the years — is that they do their best to bring the best out of us, and they do because there are no shortcuts here. I mean, we come very well prepared to the studio. We have demoed every song down to the last little detail that we think is crucial for it to sound. So it's easier for us to have an overview already before we start the main tracking of the album, basically, which is a re-tracking in terms of you gotta get the real drums on there instead of the programmed drums that we have been working on. And also re-record everything and adjust everything with guitars, keyboards, and vocals and leads and all that stuff. But we already have that as a demo, so we know what type of highlights in each song that needs to be at the forefront. And I think Fredrik, he was very impressed and thankful that we come so prepared, and I think that's also, of course, a result of us taking the time it takes and taking the time it needs to finish it. And so for us, the album is, in many ways, I guess you can say, it's finished before we start recording with Fredrik because we lived with these songs so many years already. Some of them are from 2018, 2019. And so for us it's basically just go into the studio and re-record everything and to get the full production out of all the songs, basically. So, in that sense, Fredrik, he obviously has no say in the way the songs are structured, but he can always come up with a solution to maybe highlight an idea or a detail and we see what that sounds like in the mix. And it was, like, 'Yeah, why not do it like this?' So there's very little room for improvisation once we actually start recording the album, 'cause we have been living with the songs for so long and we have taken it apart, tweaked and twisted it around like you have no idea and re-edited pieces here and there, back and forth. So once we go into the studio to record, we are totally focused on the actual performance of the songs and not like, 'Oh, we can change the song around here.' Then that part of it is already done."

Silenoz also discussed his long-running working relationship with Shagrath, having formed the band together in 1993. Regarding how they have navigated all the changes in the music industry and the challenges they have faced over the course of the last three decades, the guitarist said: "I think it's not always easy, and I think something great never comes out of doing things easy or doing shortcuts and going the easy way. It takes a lot of determination, focus, stubbornness and being at the right time and place more than once. Actually, you have to be at the right place and time, every time. [Laughs] And you have to work at it. It's, like, if you look at successful bands, imagine how many times they have failed. But that doesn't come to the surface. People only see the successes. So, I think both me and Shagrath have the same amount of determination and ownership to what we have created over the years. We were there since the beginning, and we are just the same driven people. We are definitely very different in many ways, but we also have things in common, which is for the benefit of the band and for the music that we make. And despite common belief, I guess, we do agree more than we disagree. [Laughs] So I'm really proud that even if you have disagreements along the way, which you should have, doing it for this long, that's just normal, I'm proud that we actually are still on the same page when it comes to the major things."

He added: "At the end of the day, the feeling is still there as it was in the beginning because we do this because we want to, not because we have to. And it's a huge difference. I mean, if we did this because we had to, we would've released an album every second year, because it would look better on the bank account and we could use that as an excuse to tour more often. But that's not the case. We do this because we love creating art and, yeah, we love to take our time doing it, that's for sure. I'll take that. But it is what it is. And I think to make something a great product, you have to really sacrifice to get there. And people have no effing idea what sacrifice really means. So, I think that's the main clue."

When "Grand Serpent Rising" was first announced in late March, Silenoz said about the eight-year gap between "Eonian" and the new LP: "No question: quality must always trump quantity. We eventually set deadlines, but in the early stages of a new album, there are no schedules at all. Rushing means nothing to us. The most powerful blackened art simply can't be forced without losing its essence."

The guitarist paused, then continued: "It can easily become an endless process. Whatever you create, you constantly feel it could be improved — that's the artist's curse, and that's why you eventually move on to make another album. But with every record, a point finally comes when everything feels exactly right. And that's when it's time to let it go."

On the topic of the "Grand Serpent Rising" album title, Silenoz said: "It fits perfectly. DIMMU BORGIR is a leviathan of a band on a grand scale and we are rising once again. While the serpent represents evil to some, for us it symbolizes something else: renewal, growth, knowledge, and liberation. Shedding our skin, so to speak. And let's not forget that February 2026 marks the end of the Year Of The Snake, roughly the same moment this album was completed."

"Grand Serpent Rising" was recorded as a full-band effort, with Daray (drums),Victor Brandt (bass),Gerlioz (keyboards) and Damage (guitars) all playing vital roles.

Lyrically, the album follows a clear spiritual trajectory without becoming a rigid concept record. Themes of transformation, ego dissolution, and awakening resonate throughout, drawing on esoteric traditions and alchemical self-transformation, the act of shedding the old self in pursuit of one's true potential.

"Within every human being lie dormant divine centers, the chakras, whose awakening may take countless lifetimes through natural evolution," Silenoz explained. "Yet once the soul reaches sufficient maturity, this process can be accelerated. Through disciplined self-training and deep meditation, the sacred force may rise within a single lifetime, activating each center in turn."

Photo credit: Stian Andersen