In a recent interview with Masters Of Shred, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner talked about what it's like having former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch as his father-in-law. Faulkner and Lynch's daughter, Mariah Lynch, welcomed their first child, a baby girl, in July 2020. Asked what holidays are like with the Faulkner and Lynch families, Richie said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[George and I] start off on our best behavior, really. We start off with our family and what's been going on, and it gradually descends into the depths of shred and Eric Johnson, Michael Schenker, Ritchie Blackmore, [with us watching clips on] YouTube. Everyone else leaves the room and we are left in there talking about what we can't [do on guitar]… We've been trying to emulate this stuff for years — Schenker, Blackmore; that's why everyone's doing it — but we just can't do that, which is the unattainable goal, always, but that's what keeps you striving."

Richie continued: "There's people [who react] like that for [Lynch]. They watch George. Especially, [JUDAS PRIEST] just went out to Japan. And we had George's granddaughter with us. And everyone's, like, 'Is that George Lynch's granddaughter?' They're taking photos and whatever, buying her gifts and everything.

"He's a legend," Faulkner added. "You go to some stores and they've got the ESP section and stuff and they've got… Papa's left his guitars there. [His granddaughter] can't work out, 'Well, why's he left his guitars there?' Do you know what I mean? So it's sweet."

Elaborating on what makes George's playing style so special, Richie said: "I've gotta say, he's such a unique player. I mean, everyone knows it. It was him, [Steve] Vai. There's a handful of them; there weren't many of them. And everyone else was kind of — not copies, but everyone was trying to do that. And he was one of the originators. And he's always had something unique. Even today, you sit down with him, you look at his hands — his hands are unique. You can tell that's his hand, and the way he plays and the notes he goes for is just totally unorthodox. Especially at the time as well. So, he's a really unique player and it's a really valuable thing… He's a legend, he's an icon."

Back in October 2023, George spoke to Let's Rock about Richie's skills as a guitar player. He said: "He's a natural. It's not fabricated. That guy is just good beyond his — he's not even aware how good he is; he's just so good. [Laughs] He reminds me of my guitar teacher when I was a kid coming up. I had this guy. And he was so mature in his playing. And this was — whenever it was — late '60s, early '70s, I guess. And his hands were just so mature. His vibrato, his phrasing — everything; he had it all. And I's just feel, like, 'Oh.' I wanted to be like [him]. I'd look forward to my lessons every week and I always wanted to impress him, and I could never get there. And he just had it in his hands. But Richie reminds me so much of [him]. Even the way he looks and then just his demeanor and then his phrasing — everything about him is just so… He's just got this mature style that's just so deep, where I'm just wrestling around trying to come up with something, and he's just, like, 'It's all right there.' It's just, 'Goddamn it.'"

George also praised Richie on a personal level, saying: They just made the most beautiful, cutest, lovable, funnest little baby on the planet. What a gift to the world. He's a very sweet, bright, talented man and I feel very fortunate that he is taking care of my daughter the way he has. And I really appreciate him so much."

Five years ago, Lynch jokingly expressed his desire to play in PRIEST alongside Faulkner. Speaking at a Pitbull Audio guitar clinic in San Diego in January 2020, Lynch said: "I still to this day love PRIEST. I wish they would call me up and hire me. Glenn Tipton, hello?"

Faulkner joined PRIEST in 2011 as the replacement for original guitarist K.K. Downing.

Richie was once the guitarist in the backing group for Lauren Harris, daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris.

In September 2020, Richie spoke to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about what it's like having George as a member of his family.

"The first time George and his wife came over, the night they got here, me and George just played guitar all night," Richie said. "So the women chatted and me and George just played guitar.

"George is a lovely guy; he's like a quiet, humble guy. He's a killer guitar player, as we all know. And he texts Mariah every day: "When can I see my granddaughter?'

"But, yeah, we sat there [and] we played guitar. We talked about guitars. And he's a big PRIEST fan as well; he loves PRIEST. So, yeah, we were talking all night until I put on some Eric Johnson, and then that kind of shut us both up — we didn't wanna play guitar anymore. But he's a lovely guy, man."

Richie also jokingly suggested that his daughter will take after him and her grandfather and start shredding the axe.

"It's the next in line of that heritage — George Lynch, LYNCH MOB, DOKKEN, there's JUDAS PRIEST in there, and now we've got a little princess," he said. "So she's the next in line in the gunslingers. EMG pickups, they sent me this beautiful pink flying V for her first guitar. It's absolutely beautiful — bright pink with a little pickup in it. And it actually plays well. So that's her first guitar. So she's well on her way now."

In a new interview with The Metal Voice, METAL CHURCH singer Marc Lopes was asked about the band's current status, a year after METAL CHURCH canceled its previously announced 2024 tour dates due to "an ongoing back issue" suffered by guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Ask them. [Laughs] I don't know anything about nothing."

He continued: "It was doing amazing, everything was going really good, and then stuff happens. [Laughs] I haven't heard from anybody in a long time. That happens."

Lopes added: "People sometimes, they've gotta go do their thing. So I don't know. I don't know. I have no idea… There's nothing to hide. I don't know anything. You know what I mean? [Laughs]"

When interviewer Neil Turbin (ex-ANTHRAX) told Lopes, "I guess they didn't put you on the need-to-know basis or something," Marc clarified: "Well, it's not just me. [Laughs]"

A year ago, Lopes told The Metal Voice about METAL CHURCH's tour cancelation: "We did this whole tour from May [of 2023] till December [of 2023], [finishing] in Australia. [Kurdt's] had a chronic problem with his back for a long time. And I can understand that, 'cause I do too. It's a little bit different. But he battled through as best as he could always; I mean, he never not did what needed to be done. And it just got to the point where if he didn't address it, it would just end up being — he wouldn't be able to play. So, rather than take that chance, it was better off that he go and get it taken care of and then carry on from there."

Asked by host Jimmy Kay if METAL CHURCH was "continuing" despite Kurdt's health setback, Marc said: "As far as I know. [Laughs] I haven't got that memo [that the band is over] yet. And in all honesty, if it did happen, I would understand. It would suck, but I would totally understand. But we're not there. So that's good. But hopefully we'll get together and write more. We were actually starting to get into that mode of writing the next record. I had a billion ideas ready to go — you know me — so, that probably will happen at some point, depending on how [his recovery is]."

When METAL CHURCH first announced that it was canceling its tour dates, Vanderhoof said in a statement: "As some of you may have recently noticed during our live performances, I frequently will disappear to the side of the stage during a set and continue playing while sitting on a chair. This is due to an ongoing back issue that I've needed to deal with for a while now. I kept putting it off and it's finally caught up with me, so I'm going to get this taken care of so I can continue performing live in the future.

"That being said, sadly we will be canceling all upcoming show dates for 2024. I apologize for this but I need to get this taken care of.

"Check with your local venues for any refunds.

"Thank you for your continued support and I'm looking forward to seeing you in the future!"

METAL CHURCH made its live debut with Lopes on June 3, 2023 at the Legions Of Metal festival at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois.

Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Mike Howe, who tragically passed away in July of 2021. The band's most recent lineup was rounded out by guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and drummer Stet Howland.

Lopes's first studio album with METAL CHURCH, "Congregation Of Annihilation" came out on May 26, 2023 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The LP was produced by Vanderhoof.

Two legendary titans of the extreme metal scene — Igor "Iggor" Cavalera (SEPULTURA, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY) and Shane Embury (NAPALM DEATH) — join forces for a unique split of brooding dark ambient, industrial strength noise, and heavy synth-laden electronics, creating what feels like the lost soundtrack to some dystopian fever dream.

Setting the tone for this double-headed behemoth with creeping, cinematic dark ambience, Cavalera's side-long "Neon Gods" unfolds into a brutal sonic nightmare. Equal measures of dread and anguish come together with the occasional reprieve of slow, pulsating drones and almost meditative waves of static. The crescendo of harsh industrial noise with heavy death industrial vocalization is nothing short of pummelling.

Igor says: "'Neon Gods' is a bit of a sonic trip, with different layers of atmospheric vibrations, from darkness to light.

"It's an absolute pleasure to do this split release with Shane, I believe we share a lot of similar ideas when it comes to opening our mind to different styles of sounds."

Embury's "Own Your Darkness" merges menacing, pitch-black dark ambient and hypnotic bass swells with celestial synth lines that subtly lurk around the peripheries. Rising and falling, ebbing and flowing — until finally the all-encompassing apocalyptic bleakness, the enveloping darkness, closes in around you.

Shane says: "Iggor and I have been good friends for decades and this is a record very different for us both but amazing! A very interesting track to make, it was my first experiment with the Solar 42. An excellent synth for those eternal drones of despair and was assisted my long time colleague Russ Russell. As I journey ever onward in through my individuation it's imperative that I own my own darkness... hence the title. We all need to strive for balance and to kindle a light in the darkness of being."

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

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

For two decades, Igor has been part of the MIXHELL DJ/hip-hop/electro project with his wife Laima Leyton.

Six years ago, Igor teamed up with Wayne Adams (BIG LAD, DEATH PEDALS, JOHNNY BROKE) to form the PETBRICK project.

Images courtesy of Cold Spring Records

Multi-camera video of SLIPKNOT's December 4 concert at QUARTERBACK Immobilien ARENA in Leipzig, Germany can be seen below (courtesy of Bahomar).

The setlist for the show was as follows:

01. (sic)
02. Eyeless
03. Wait And Bleed
04. Get This
05. Eeyore
06. Me Inside
07. Liberate
08. Purity
09. Prosthetics
10. No Life
11. Only One

Encore:

12. Spit It Out
13. Surfacing
14. Scissors

Last year, SLIPKNOT completed the North American and European portions of the "Here Comes The Pain" tour. In 2024, the nine celebrated the 25th anniversary of their seminal debut album, "Slipknot", which catapulted the band back in 1999.

SLIPKNOT's 14-song set consisted of nothing but material from that LP, including two tracks which hadn't been performed in almost 25 years.

"Nothing you will hear tonight was written after 1999," SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor told the crowd at all the shows, which normally opened with "(sic)", "Eyeless" and "Wait And Bleed", and included "No Life" and "Scissors", neither of which had been played live since 2000. Other rarely performed songs included "Get This" (played for the first time since 2019),"Me Inside" (first time since 2015) and "Only One" (2012).

At all of SLIPKNOT's shows in 2024, the band adopted a classic look, bringing back the 1999 red jumpsuits and elements of their early masks into their modern versions, tying into the fact that SLIPKNOT was celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Produced by Live Nation, the "Here Comes The Pain" tour's highlights included Los Angeles's Intuit Dome, Austin's Moody Center and more with direct support from Kentucky's young and vibrant hardcore/metal forerunners KNOCKED LOOSE. ORBIT CULTURE and VENDED provided support on select dates.

In a new interview with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio, LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia was asked about the addition of Italian guitarist/producer Daniele Salomone to the band as the replacement for LACUNA COIL's longtime guitarist Diego Cavallotti. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, Daniele is not like an official new member of LACUNA COIL. We're still, let's say, testing him. He's a great friend and we love him to pieces, but he's relatively new to the band. He came in at the very end of the recording cycle, the writing cycle to help us out. I mean, he helped us out in the past with many guitar sounds. And he was actually helping Diego to fix some things. So he was the first name that we thought about when we found ourselves in need of a guitar player, because we had gigs coming."

She continued: "We could have had many session guitar players — we know many and they're all great — but we wanted to have a person that we knew that could share the time with us on a tour bus, because for us being on tour is like traveling with your second family. So it's cool to have someone that just comes on stage and plays, but we need the band to be cohesive like a family. So we took the decision to not to work again with Diego, because every person in the band has to contribute to songwriting, and, of course, Maki [bassist Marco Coti Zelati] is the internal producer and so-called leader of the band because he's been there from day one and he knows exactly what we want to achieve with the LACUNA COIL sound. Myself and Andrea [Ferro, LACUNA COIL co-vocalist] are responsible for vocal lines and lyrics. But it needs contributions from the outside. It doesn't need to be taken for granted. If you're in a band, you have to contribute. Even only with your passion for the band or just hanging out with the other members because you feel you want to be with those people and you want to play that type of music. Not only just to be on tour and have fun. So we thought about a new start with a new cycle, and we feel that it was the right decision."

Asked if the split with Diego was "a mutual thing" and whether there is "still a relationship there", Cristina said: "No, no, no, no, no. Obviously not, because we had a different opinion. [Laughs] We had a different opinion, so yeah, sometimes it happens that you disagree. We had some talks before we got to that point, but we saw that nothing was changing — the things that we weren't agreeing on weren't changing — so we said, 'What's the point?' There was no change there.

"It's like a relationship," she explained. "Sometimes it's not even like a fault. I mean, you are who you are, so there was no guilt in that. And whatever you do, you do it because you feel like [it], so there is nothing else to add. It just happens."

Cristina previously discussed Daniele's addition to LACUNA COIL earlier this month in an interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. Asked how Salomone came to join the band, she responded: "We've been knowing Daniele for a few years now. He came on board, actually, a few years ago because he actually helped us during other recordings as well, just helping us setting the guitar tunes or just taking care of some equipment. So we asked him to help us out for the cycle.

"[When] we had this lineup change, we immediately thought about him because it's a person that we know personally, so we know that we can get along well," Cristina explained. "We know that he's an incredible, great guitar player. He knows everything about the equipment, because he has a studio himself, he produces other bands as well, so he knows how to handle things. And he was the first person that came to our minds when we were searching for a person that would play guitar."

Scabbia went on to clarify that Salomone has not yet been made an official member of LACUNA COIL and is currently touring with the band in a session-musician capacity.

"He's not like the new guitar player of LACUNA COIL because we always need some time — we need some time," Scabbia explained. "In order to be part of the family, you just have to tour with LACUNA COIL to see if it's your thing. So you don't know if it's something that you can actually take because the lifestyle of a musician is not easy."

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

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

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

LACUNA COIL's new album, "Sleepless Empire", will be released February 14, 2025 via Century Media Records.

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

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

Photo credit: Patric Ullaeus

Australian guitarist Orianthi has sustained an injury which has apparently forced her to pull out of her previously announced return to Alice Cooper's touring band for the legendary rocker's January and February 2025 dates. Taking her place in Cooper's group is former GUNS N' ROSES axeman Gilby Clarke.

Clarke is filling in for Cooper's longtime guitarist Nita Strauss, who was unable to make the shows due to a scheduling conflict with her solo tour.

Although Cooper's press release announcing Clarke's addition to Alice's band cited "unforeseen circumstances" as the reason for Orianthi's absence, she has revealed on Instagram that she is recovering from an injury she suffered during her last run of shows.

"Unfortunately I have a torn hamstring and damage to my hip after last tour," she wrote. "Not sure exactly when it happened but the pain I feel/felt is bad… getting it fixed up now."

Orianthi performed while seated at PRS Guitars' 40th-anniversary show on Friday, January 24. On Sunday (January 26),she posted a picture from what appears to be a doctor's office where she was receiving treatment for her injury.

Orianthi toured with Alice from 2011 to 2014, along with longtime band members Chuck Garric, Glen Sobel, Tommy Henriksen and Ryan Roxie.

Orianthi (Orianthi Panagaris) looks as much like a rock star as she does a supermodel. But it's her extraordinary guitar chops that turn the most heads. She began playing professionally when she was thirteen years old before going on to perform and/or tour with Carlos Santana, Steve Vai, Alice Cooper, Richie Sambora and Dave Stewart. She was hired by Michael Jackson for his "This Is It" tour before his untimely death and performed with the supergroup HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES (Cooper, Joe Perry, Johnny Depp and Tommy Henriksen). Orianthi's debut album, "Violet Journey", was released in 2005 and she has issued five solo albums to date. She was featured accompanying Carrie Underwood during a Grammy Awards telecast, performed on "American Idol" and appears in Jackson's documentary concert film "This Is It". Elle magazine named Orianthi one of the "12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists" and she won the 2010 "Breakthrough Guitarist Of The Year" award from Guitar International magazine.

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Former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Gilby Clarke will join Alice Cooper's band for shows January 31 through February 16, filling in for Nita Strauss, who unfortunately has conflicting obligations of her own. Previously, guitarist Orianthi had been planning to fill in for Strauss, but due to unforeseen circumstances, Orianthi is unable to do the tour.

Alice Cooper tour dates featuring Gilby Clarke on guitar:

Jan. 31 - Augusta, GA - Bell Auditorium
Feb. 01 - Cherokee, NC - Harrah's Casino Resort Event Center
Feb. 02 - Greensboro, NC - Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts
Feb. 04 - Mobile, AL - Saenger Theatre
Feb. 06 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock
Feb. 07 - Ft Myers, FL - Barbara Mann Performing Arts Hall
Feb. 08 - Clearwater, FL - Coachmen Park
Feb. 11 - St. Augustine, FL - Amphitheatre
Feb. 13-17 - Miami, FL - Rock Legends Cruise

Alice will be announcing further 2025 tour dates, with Strauss back in the fold, including the already revealed shows on at the Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio on May 9, the Boardwalk Rock Festival in Ocean City, Maryland on May 18, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Lincoln Financial Field on August 15 with MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE.

The now-62-year-old Clarke replaced Izzy Stradlin in the GUNS lineup in 1991, during the "Use Your Illusion" tour, and stayed with the band for three years. After exiting GUNS N' ROSES, Clarke continued as a producer and solo artist, while also playing in SLASH'S SNAKEPIT, ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA, HEART and other acts.

Clarke, along with fellow GUNS N' ROSES members Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler and Matt Sorum, played three "Appetite For Destruction" songs with Myles Kennedy at the band's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in April 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio, although Gilby himself was not inducted as part of the group. Kennedy, who handles lead vocals in Slash's solo band and ALTER BRIDGE, sang "Mr. Brownstone", "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City", with "Use Your Illusion"-era member Sorum sitting behind the drum kit on "Brownstone" and the man he replaced in GN'R, Adler, pounding the skins for the other two songs.

In 2021, Clarke addressed his non-participation in GUNS N' ROSES' reunion tour, which features three-fifths of the group's classic lineup — singer Axl Rose, Slash and McKagan — during an interview with "The SDR Show". He said: "They didn't ask me to join the band; they asked me to come out and do [a guest appearance] with the band. And it just happened to be the day that I was in Chicago with my daughter. Her band was playing Lollapalooza [in July 2016]. And I'm actually her roadie. I don't think anybody would know how to tune the guitar if I wasn't there. Just kidding. But, yeah, it was just bad timing. I just said, 'Look, I think it's a great idea. I'm up for it. I just can't do it today.' And they literally asked me that day. And I never heard back from them after I said that."

Gilby also confirmed that he only had a week to learn the entire GUNS catalog when he first joined the band three decades ago. "That's true," he said. "They told me on a Monday, that 'You have the gig,' and the next week we were flying to Boston for our first show. And I literally had a week. And remember, this is before YouTube. I was glued to their records with the headphones on, trying to learn the catalog. And the last song I learned was a song called 'Estranged', which was a really long ballad piece. And if you listen to it, it's kind of one-dimensional guitar-wise — it really just features Slash. So I was listening to it, and I really couldn't figure out what I should do in that song. So I went to Dizzy [Reed, GUNS keyboardist]. I go, 'Hey, man, can you sit down with me, and let's work on 'Estranged'.' I go, 'I just wanna kind of figure it out.' And he goes, 'Oh, well, here's the music book.' And he handed me the music book. And I went, 'There's a music book? I just spent a week learning every note by ear when I could have just grabbed the freakin' music book…' I mean, I read charts — it would have taken me an hour. I was a little pissed off that I didn't ask. They could have offered it to me."

Clarke's latest solo album, "The Gospel Truth", was released in April 2021 via Golden Robot Records.

Gilby released his solo debut, "Pawnshop Guitars", in 1994.

In November 2023, Clarke underwent surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome, a repetitive stress condition that happens when a person does repeated movements with the hand and wrist.

At this weekend's NAMM convention in Anaheim, California, Jeff Loomis spoke to Seymour Duncan about the return of his longtime band NEVERMORE. Bassist Jim Sheppard isn't involved with the reunion, which was initially teased on December 27, 2024 via a one-minute video containing various NEVERMORE-related imagery and silhouettes of Loomis and drummer Van Williams along with the text "Resurrecting The Dream". The teaser ended with the NEVERMORE logo along with the line "A New Chapter Rises" and the year "2025".

Jeff said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Not many people may know yet, but NEVERMORE is coming back in 2025. It's been a long time, but Van Williams and me have decided to bring the band back and find a new bass player and a new vocalist. We already have the new [second] guitar player, but we are in search of a new bass player and a new vocalist. So that's what we are doing right now."

He continued: "We have over 350 submissions already. It's a lot to look through. We're taking our time with it. We wanna make sure we're doing it right, and get somebody to honor [late NEVERMORE singer] Warrel Dane's name, but still somebody that can sing like him, but still give a little bit of their own self, or their own self-worth."

On December 31, 2024, Loomis and Williams announced that they were holding open auditions for the new NEVERMORE vocalist and bassist. They also defended the NEVERMORE reunion from criticism from Sheppard, who co-founded the band in 1991 with singer Dane. Dane died in December 2017 at the age of 56.

On January 4, 2024, Sheppard released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "In my heart, NEVERMORE will always be Warrel, Jeff and I living in a one-room apartment, slaves to an eight-track recording machine, non-stop songwriting insanity. We were driven, we were hungry... To quote Dave Mustaine, we were ready to 'smile, eat shit and ask for more!'

"True, I've been retired. I enjoy my new life in Alaska following bears with my wife Priscila, a wildlife photographer.

"My opinion of [Loomis's and Williams's] press release [announcing the NEVERMORE comeback is] Van came across self-promoting and Jeff felt very sincere; he truly wants to capture a little piece of the magic we held.

"I'm disappointed no one reached out to me concerning the name NEVERMORE, a name that means blood, sweat and tears.

"With that said, I wish them the best."

NEVERMORE effectively split up in 2011 when Loomis and Williams announced their departure from the band due to personal differences with Dane and Sheppard. Warrel later described NEVERMORE in an interview as "the greatest band that alcohol ever ruined."

Dane died in São Paulo, Brazil while recording his posthumously released solo studio album, "Shadow Work". The musician reportedly had a heart attack during the night and could not be revived.

According to guitarist Johnny Moraes, who played in Warrel's solo band, Dane had a history of addiction and other health issues. "His health was already very weak because of his diabetes and his problems with alcoholism," he said.

The instrumental parts for Dane's follow-up to 2008's "Praises To The War Machine" solo album were almost completed and he had begun laying down his vocals shortly before his death.

When Loomis and Williams revealed their plan to launch a "world search" for a vocalist and bassist for the reformed version of the band, Van addressed Jim's absence from the reunion, saying: "Some people think it's disrespectful not to involve Jim or inform him of our plans. But those who feel that way don't know the history of the band or the behind-the-scenes dynamics that led to this decision. While it may not have been the most ideal approach, the reality is that there hasn't been communication with Jim in years.

"We felt that sometimes, for the sake of a fresh start, it's necessary to move on from relationships that may no longer be conducive to growth or new beginnings. We made this decision with the intention of honoring the legacy of the band while moving forward in a way that felt right for us at the time. That said, we wish him good health and he is free to pursue whatever path he chooses. Without going into too much detail, I'll just say respect goes both ways, and certain things became irreconcilable over time for us… I wish the situation with Jim were different, but the past has brought us here."

Williams also denied that he and Loomis were reforming NEVERMORE as a "money grab", explaining: "Most musicians don't do this for the money. We've spent countless hours thru the years sweating, rehearsing, performing, and recording simply because we love it. This is what we chose to do in life because we've always loved it. That's what drives us, the passion for music, the connection with fans, and the creative process. If money comes from that, great but it has never been the focus, but we also have bills to pay like you."

For his part, Jeff defended the decision to reactivate NEVERMORE with new musicians, writing: "No one can replace Warrel Dane. Bottom line. With his interesting melodies and charisma onstage, he was a force that was a huge part of the band both lyrically and spiritually. With that being said, we aren't looking for a Warrel Dane clone. We are looking for someone that can carry the older NEVERMORE tunes in his vocal style, and someone who can add something new and refreshing to the next chapter of the band. Obviously, this won't be the easiest thing to do."

Loomis "amicably" left ARCH ENEMY in December 2023 and was replaced by Joey Concepcion.

Jeff, who was the main songwriter in NEVERMORE, joined ARCH ENEMY in late 2014, but was not involved in the writing for the latter act's last two albums, 2017's "Will To Power" and 2022's "Deceivers".

In December 2019, Sheppard launched a project called THE DEAD HEART COLLECTIVE, featuring music and lyrics inspired by Dane. At the time, Sheppard sent his synopsis of THE DEAD HEART COLLECTIVE to BLABBERMOUTH.NET in which he explained his decision to start a new project as a vehicle for Warrel to "channel songs and paintings" through him.

Multi-platinum, award-winning band BLINK-182 — Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker — has announced a one-night-only benefit show at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California on February 13 to support Los Angeles fire relief. 100% of the ticket proceeds from the Live Nation-produced event will be donated to the Pasadena Humane Society, California Fire Department, LAFD Foundation and ARC Firefighter Fund. Punk band ALKALINE TRIO — Matt Skiba, Dan Andriano and Atom Willard — will open as support.

Tickets go on sale Monday, January 27 at 3 p.m. PT at Ticketmaster.com. To protect the prices originally set by the artist, this show will use Ticketmaster's Face Value Exchange for all necessary resale and make tickets mobile only and restricted from transfer. This means if fans purchase tickets and can no longer attend, they'll have the option to resell them to other fans at the original price paid using Ticketmaster's Face Value Exchange tool.

BLINK-182 released "One More Time… Part-2" last September via Columbia Records. The group notably expanded its 2023 blockbuster Billboard 200 No. 1 album "One More Time…" with eight brand new tracks on "Part-2".

"One More Time…" not only marked the first album to feature the group's iconic lineup — Hoppus, DeLonge and Barker — since 2011, but it also kickstarted the comeback of the decade. In 2023, the album crashed the Billboard 200 at No. 1, notching the band's third career No. 1 debut on the respective chart. Given this stratospheric success, it concluded 2023 as "the biggest rock album of the year," registering over one billion streams to date.

The album also received widespread critical acclaim. In a coveted "Hear This" review, Rolling Stone raved, "The California pop-punk pioneers hark back to the thrashing sound of their most beloved albums, 1999's 'Enema Of The State' and 2000's 'Take Off Your Pants And Jacket', as they tackle death, existential crises, and DeLonge's return to the band after a hiatus that began in 2015," going on to profess, "'One More Time…' offers the perfect opportunity to take one last stab at it all: the smart-ass attitude, the genre-defining music, and the rock-star dreams." Spin proclaimed, "this reconciliation feels fresh, fun — and hits like a goddamn freight train," and Kerrang! hailed it as "one of the best, most consistent records of their whole career." Slant claimed, "its brightest, most exhilarating spots are a welcome reminder of what made the trio so iconic in the first place." Brooklyn Vegan summed it up as an "enjoyable record that celebrates this band's career and friendship, and it's full of moments that are endearing and heartwarming, especially to longtime fans."

Meanwhile, they have sold out stadiums on multiple continents, launching the biggest, boldest, and best world tour of their career in support of "One More Time…"

Coming back together, surviving tragedy, and triumphing as loudly as possible, BLINK-182's union as bandmates and brothers is stronger than ever. With "Part-2", they deliver the definitive version of "One More Time…" and show no signs of stopping or slowing down either.

Photo credit: Rory Kramer

In a new interview with "The Garza Podcast", hosted by SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Chris Garza, SNOT guitarist Mikey Doling and bassist John "Tumor" Fahnestock confirmed that there are plans to write new music for the reactivated Santa Barbara-based metal/punk rock hybrid. Mikey said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, I got riffs, man." Tumor added: "We tracked stuff six, seven years ago, Mikey and I, that sounds jaw-dropping like SNOT, 'cause that's just how we work together." Mikey continued: "There are no vocals on it yet, but we're writing." Tumor said: "But the music, you'll be like, 'Holy shit. That's like SNOT.' It's just what we do. It's not a struggle. We just write that way. And when we pair it together. And it was kind of like an East Coast-meets-West Coast thing back then, and it still jells; it still works."

Elaborating on the SNOT songwriting process, Mikey said: "Whenever John and I get in a room together, it's pretty fucking rad, like when we start writing, 'cause we start developing and talking and all of a sudden we're talking the same language and all of a sudden we're, like, 'Whoa.' It's easy."

Tumor explained: "Like, he'll need a little puzzle. And usually Mikey's got the main idea, everything. And I'm this guy, I've always been known to write the bridges for the songs. And I'm, like, 'I've got this riff that'll fit right in there, like a puzzle.' And then we're, like, 'Holy shit.'"

SNOT's first concert with new singer Andy Knapp took place on January 17 at the Parish room at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California. The performance was also livestreamed via the band's Instagram.

SNOT played a second show with Knapp, who also sings for fellow Southern California band STRONGER THAN MACHINES, on January 18 at Brick By Brick in San Diego, California.

SNOT's current lineup also includes guitarist Sonny Mayo and drummer Jamie Miller.

SNOT is scheduled to play three more club concerts in February and April 2025, leading up to the band's appearance at the Welcome To Rockville festival in May 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. SNOT will also play at select European festivals, as well as at the Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival in Mansfield, Ohio, this summer.

Upcoming SNOT shows:

Feb. 08 - Santa Barbara, CA - SOhO (with SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET, PETMEDZ)
April 25 - Denver, CO - HQ
April 26 - Colorado Springs, CO - The Black Sheep
May 18 - Daytona Beach, FL - Welcome To Rockville
July 18 - Flint, MI – The Machine Shop (with THE UNION UNDERGROUND)
July 19-20 - Mansfield, OH - Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival
Aug 8-10 - Kortrijk, Belgium - Alcatraz
Aug. 14-17 - Carhaix, France – Motocultor

SNOT disbanded in 1998 following original singer Lynn Strait's death, putting an end to a career that generated considerable promise but only one studio album, "Get Some". The band had been writing material for its sophomore CD and had completed 10 songs at the time of Strait's tragic passing. As a memorial to Strait, SNOT eventually decided to release those tracks, with lyrics and guest vocals provided by a host of stars from the alt-metal community. The resulting album, "Strait Up", was a fitting tribute from Strait's peers and friends, featuring members of LIMP BIZKIT, KORN, SLIPKNOT, SEVENDUST, (HED) P.E., COAL CHAMBER, SUGAR RAY, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, SOULFLY, and more.

SNOT in 2014 recruited Carl Bensley (VITIATE, CONSUME THE FIRE) to sing for the band following the departure of Tommy "Vext" Cummings (ex-DIVINE HERESY, BAD WOLVES).

Reflecting on SNOT's original split and 2014 comeback, Doling told The Kevin Powell Podcast: "Un-fucking-fortunately, our singer Lynn Strait, the great, mighty Lynn Strait, who I miss and love so much, he passed away in a car accident and it put a halt to SNOT. We just couldn't go on without him at that point. And so we stopped for many years. And then we kind of got back together with some friends, and it wasn't real serious — [we] just [played] some shows. I don't really wanna say their names right now, but they're cool people and they helped us out."

As for how SNOT's latest reunion is different from the band's 2014 comeback, Doling said: "This one, it's serious. We're back-back. We got the booking agency. We got high-level shows and festivals. This is the real deal for us. We're back right now. And, yeah, that's where we are right now. And we're hungry to do it again. I'm very excited about it."

Doling previously discussed SNOT's reunion during an appearance on an episode of the "Talk Toomey" podcast. Regarding how the band's comeback happened, Mikey said: "Well, let's see. About a year ago, I was seeing the festivals that were coming in 2024, and I was noticing there were so many bands out there from our genre. You have the COAL CHAMBERs, the MUDVAYNEs and just so many bands out there killing it. And I'm sitting there thinking, 'Man, SNOT, it's time that we get on board with this.' So I talked to the dudes. We didn't even have a singer at that point. So anyway, so I reached out to the band and said, 'Hey, man, I think we should find a singer and play some festivals and have some fun.' And they were, like, 'Yeah, well, we're in if you can find us the right singer.' So, I looked around for a while. I had no luck. But I kept looking. And then I reached out to Alex Gilbert over at TKO — it's our booking agency — and I asked him, I said, 'Hey, man, I'm currently looking for a vocalist. And if I put all this work into putting SNOT back together, would you be interested in booking some shows and festivals for us?' And he said, 'I'll put the feelers out there and let's see how it goes.' So, a year went by. I didn't hear anything back. I kind of thought, 'All right. No interest.' So about three months ago, Alex called me. So I'm looking at my phone, like, 'Whoa, it's Alex from TKO.' I answered and I asked him how he's doing. And he said, 'Hey, man, I'm getting a lot of interest for SNOT. It's a lot. Everybody I talk to wants the band.' So I told him, 'Look, man, we're into it.' I didn't even let him know we didn't have a singer yet at that point. And I said, 'Let me get back to you. I'll talk to the guys.' So I instantly jumped on social media for a little something about looking for a vocalist for SNOT. And I got a lot of response. I got, like, eight videos and audio of dudes who just didn't fit. What they did is they would sing with the album, 'Get Some', and it just didn't fit. So I almost kind of gave up. And so right there at the end, before I threw the towel in on the whole thing, a friend of mine from Santa Barbara hit me up, texted me and said, 'Hey, I found the guy for SNOT.' And, I was, like, 'Yeah, sure,' in my mind thinking, 'Yeah, yeah. Right. Right.' So I jumped on the phone with him — let's say it's a girl, with her — and she said, 'I saw a guy. He has a band. And he reminded me of Lynn. It was goosebumps,' she said. And I said, 'Cool.' And Lynn is one of his favorite all-time singers. So, she put me in contact with him. And, again, I asked him, I said, 'Look, we're looking for a singer. Do me a favor. Set up a camera, microphone and sing along to 'Get Some', our album. And so about three or four days go by and then I get some videos on my phone. So I'm watching the video, and immediately it just punched me in the face how good it was. I was, like, 'Wow, this is the guy.' What he did is he set up in front of his — he has a little rehearsal spot, drums and amps, and he put 'Get Some' through his P.A. system and he wrapped the cable from the microphone around his arm and laid into it as if he was doing a show. He did, like, five songs and he was absolutely incredible, nailing it. He looks right. He's got the whole punk vibe that we're looking for. And he just nailed it, man.

"Singing like Lynn Strait is not easy, man. And he absolutely fucking rocked it, to the point where I had to sit down; I was so blown away. And so I immediately contacted Tumor, John Fahnestock, bass player for SNOT. And Tumor, [he is the] best guy in the world, but [he] hates everything. I sent it to him, and he called me right away. He was, like, 'Dude, holy shit. You found our guy.' That was the first thing he said. 'Who is it? Is this real?' I was, like, 'It's real.' So then I sent it out to the rest of the guys, Jamie and Sonny, and, and yeah, boom, it's there."

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lynn died in died in a car accident in December 1998 as he attempted to drive across Highway 101 in Mussel Shoals, California. The 30-year-old singer died instantly after his 1992 Ford Tempo was broadsided by a southbound full-size pickup truck about noon. Also killed was Strait's small bulldog, SNOT's mascot Dobbs, who adorned the cover of the band's debut album, the 1997 Geffen Records release "Get Some". Strait, a Santa Barbara resident, was crossing the highway after visiting his girlfriend in the community. Lynn apparently pulled into the path of the truck, which was going about 65 mph. The impact sent Strait's car spinning into the center divider where it stopped, a California Highway Patrol officer told the Los Angeles Times at the time.

SNOT's most recent U.S. tour, during which the band performed "Get Some" in its entirety, kicked off in late November 2014 in Palm Desert, California and wrapped in late December 2014 in Pomona, California.

Cummings fronted SNOT in 2008-2009 before he and Mayo exited the group amid "strained relationships."

In November and December of 2024, ANTHRAX set out on the band's European tour with KREATOR and TESTAMENT. On this 18-show run, the band — Joey Belladonna (vocals),Scott Ian (rhythm guitar),Jonathan Donais (lead guitar),Frank Bello (bass) and Charlie Benante (drums) — performed some of the biggest, sold-out headline shows of their career that included stops in the U.K., France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Italy and more. Filmmaker Metal Dave Media (ROB ZOMBIE, BLACK FLAG, PHIL ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS) shot and edited all 18 shows, providing the viewer "a front row seat" and "a backstage pass."

To check out the tour recap clips, see below.

At this past weekend's NAMM convention in Anaheim, California, Bello confirmed to American Musical Supply that ANTHRAX's long-awaited follow-up to 2016's "For All Kings" album is tentatively due in September/October 2025.

Last November, Bello returned to Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Northridge, California to resume recording the bass tracks for ANTHRAX's new LP.

Frank played his first show with ANTHRAX in nearly a year and a half on October 12, 2024 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

Bello and ANTHRAX were supposed to perform at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky on September 27, 2024, but their show ended up being canceled due to severe weather.

Prior to Aftershock, Bello last played with ANTHRAX in May 2023 at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In April and early May 2024, Bello sat out ANTHRAX's South American tour as well as two U.S. festival dates due to "personal reasons." Filling in on those shows was ANTHRAX founding member and original bassist Dan Lilker, marking his first appearance with the band in 40 years. Lilker, who co-wrote and played on ANTHRAX's debut album "Fistful Of Metal", was also a member of STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH with ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Scott Ian.

Frank made his live debut with Norwegian black metal veterans SATYRICON on June 6, 2024 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

Bello played bass for SATYRICON for the band's summer 2024 European festival appearances, including Hellfest in France and Tons Of Rock in Norway.

ANTHRAX celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021 with a number of special activities and events. Formed by Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, New York on July 18, 1981, ANTHRAX was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast and quickly became regarded as a leader in the genre alongside METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.

Active over the past five decades, ANTHRAX has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple gold and platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 playing thousands of shows, including headlining Madison Square Garden and playing Yankee Stadium with the "Big Four".

"For All Kings" was called by some critics ANTHRAX's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the group experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the "Big Four" tour, and continuing with the release of comeback LP, 2011's "Worship Music".

In a thrilling announcement sure to excite fans across North America, Polish extreme metal veterans DECAPITATED have just released two new performance videos, setting the stage for their upcoming "Nihility" tour. The videos, featuring the tracks "Names" and "Eternity Too Short", were filmed live from the band's rehearsal room, offering fans a raw, intense preview of what to expect on the road.

The double video release serves as a precursor to DECAPITATED's eagerly awaited tour across North America, beginning February 4, 2025, in Tampa, Florida. These exclusive performances capture the band in a visceral, intimate setting, showcasing their technical prowess and relentless energy. "Names" and "Eternity Too Short" are both seminal tracks from their acclaimed album "Nihility", which will be played in its entirety on the tour.

DECAPITATED states: "Get ready, North America! We can't wait to make our highly anticipated return and play the entire 'Nihility' album! Let's make this one a tour to remember!"

The tour will cover 23 cities in the United States and Canada, concluding on March 2 in Santa Ana, California.

Fans can look forward to an electrifying lineup with DECAPITATED headlining, supported by the formidable talents of INCANTATION and DARKEST HOUR, with EXMORTUS opening each night. This assembly of metal powerhouses guarantees a series of high-octane performances, filled with the heavy, intricate, and soul-stirring music that has defined their genres.

Tour dates and venues:

Feb. 04 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
Feb. 05 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
Feb. 06 - Greensboro, NC - Hangar 1819
Feb. 07 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
Feb. 08 - Boston, MA - Middle East Downstairs
Feb. 10 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theater
Feb. 11 - Montreal, QC - Beanfield Theatre
Feb. 12 - Ottawa, ON - Overflow
Feb. 13 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
Feb. 14 - Lakewood, OH - Mercury Music Lounge
Feb. 15 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
Feb. 16 - Minneapolis, MN - The Caboose
Feb. 18 - Denver, CO - Oriental Theater
Feb. 19 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
Feb. 21 - Calgary, AB - Back Alley
Feb. 22 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room
Feb. 24 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
Feb. 25 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
Feb. 26 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
Feb. 27 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
Feb. 28 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
Mar. 01 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720
Mar. 02 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory

Last October, DECAPITATED announced that it had parted ways with vocalist Rafał "Rasta" Piotrowski and replaced him with Eemeli Bodde of Finnish metallers MORS SUBITA.

Bodde made his live debut with DECAPITATED on November 1, 2024 at Damnation Festival's "A Night Of Salvation" at BEC Arena in Manchester, United Kingdom. Also joining DECAPITATED at the gig for several "classic" tracks was the group's original vocalist Wojciech "Sauron" Wąsowicz, who was previously a member of DECAPITATED between 1996 and 2005.

Across eight studio albums, DECAPITATED grew from the adolescent dream of teenagers from a small Central European town to one of the leaders of the metal genre. Each successive album further expands the band's sound with genre-bending authenticity and integrity. As Metal Injection rightfully observed, "any self-respecting death metalhead knows the name well." Like a rose in the devil's garden, the DECAPITATED story builds triumph from tragedy. The gleeful grotesquery of extreme metal imagery and riff-tastic bludgeoning beckons listeners to uncover broader truths.

Their latest studio album, "Cancer Culture", was released in 2022, with instantly recognizable devastation and deceptively sinister hooks abound. Newly minted DECAPITATED anthems like "Last Supper", "Hello Death", "Just A Cigarette", "No Cure", "Iconoclast" and "Cancer Culture" shimmer with sonically sharp production and unrelenting bombast. There's also a newly increased emphasis on melody, even venturing into darkly romantic territory. JINJER vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk and MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn make impressive guest appearances. Flynn contributes a hauntingly beautiful vocal to the "Cancer Culture" track "Iconoclast", with Shmayluk, a formidable screamer, going the clean vocal route on track "Hello Death".

In 2003, the historic courtyard of Chile's Instituto Nacional, one of the country's most emblematic high schools, became the unlikely stage for a groundbreaking event: a live performance by the legendary Brazilian/American metal band SEPULTURA, organized entirely by students. Now, this extraordinary chapter of metal history is being brought to life in "Labor Omnia Vincit", a new documentary directed by Álvaro Cariqueo of Ilufilms. Featuring never-before-seen footage, interviews with the students who made the event possible, stories from fans who witnessed the concert, and exclusive commentary from the band itself, the film offers an unprecedented look at a once-in-a-lifetime event.

After a 10-year hiatus from filmmaking, Álvaro Cariqueo returns with his most ambitious project yet. From the rediscovery of rare tapes by Ignacio Onell, the young mastermind behind the concert, to an exclusive interview with Andreas Kisser during SEPULTURA's farewell tour in Ireland, "Labor Omnia Vincit" promises to captivate both music fans and history enthusiasts.

The film is currently in post-production and aims to debut at international film festivals in 2025.

SEPULTURA's farewell tour launched in March 2024 and is expected to last through 2026.

SEPULTURA's current lineup comprises Kisser, vocalist Derrick Green, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and drummer Greyson Nekrutman.

SEPULTURA kicked off its farewell tour on March 1, 2024 at Arena Hall in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The sold-out show marked the band's debut performance with Nekrutman, who previously played with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.

SEPULTURA is planning to put together a live album commemorating its last run of shows. The band is recording 40 songs in 40 different cities for what will be a "massive compilation of our best, most energetic moments on stage," according to a statement released by SEPULTURA in December 2023.

Savatage / Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Chris Caffery has checked in with the following update:

“‘I don’t know, where the years have gone.’ Paul O’Neill places these words on ‘When The Crowds Are Gone’ by Savatage. As the crowds return to Savatage, I am still working on putting together a new release for my solo music. This cammo face photo was taken for my WARPED CD. The makeup and photo were both done by my good friend Kemp Muhl. Kemp is a very successful model, artist and musician who has great knack for photography as well.

As you may or may not know I recorded a new single called ‘Do You See What I See Now’ last year. I had first thought of the idea of placing it on a 20 year anniversary of the release of my WARPED CD; my record label, Metalville Records, in Germany suggested I try to make it something a bit different. So, my idea was to do 20 Years Of The Music Man since every piece of music I recorded as a solo artist was completed 2004 – 2024.

I had a couple songs released as singles, a few unreleased tracks, and some that I felt never saw all the light of day they deserved. ‘Music Man’ was one of those songs, as well as ‘Pisses Me Off’, so I’m going to include those two on the release.

I’ve never released a vinyl solo record so I thought having a heavy side and a side with songs like ‘Music Man’ would be kinda cool for that.



Here is a current tracklisting for vinyl:

Side 1
“Do You See What I See Now”
“May Day” (single release only)
“Sick Of This Shit” (single release only)
“Fright Knights” (track from WARPED, only released on my Mold EP)
“Last Time” (unreleased track from Faces)
“Pisses Me Off” (shorter version off Music Man EP)

Side 2
“Music Man”
“What Child Is This” (instrumental from Music Man EP)
“My Light” (released on Metalville anniversary CD)
“I Miss You Sometimes” (unreleased track from Faces)
“Glitter” (single release only)
“Then She’s Gone” (unreleased demo)

The CD version will have a few choice bonus tracks from all of my records. Any songs you want me to add?

The other artwork in this post are more amazing graphics by Frederic Descamps. I really love the piece with the tornado for the album cover! Hoping to release this in the summer.”

DEAFHEAVEN have shared details of their new album, "Lonely People With Power", set for release March 28 via their new label home, Roadrunner Records, which they've formally announced today. The band have also shared the album's first single "Magnolia", which is available today on all streaming platforms and is joined by an official music video directed by Sean Stout. Watch it below.

Recorded with producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen (St. Vincent, M83) and mixed by Zach Weeks of GodCity Studio, "Lonely People With Power" follows DEAFHEAVEN's 2021 studio album, "Infinite Granite", which saw the Grammy-nominated band charting new ground and expanding stylistic boundaries. On "Lonely People With Power", DEAFHEAVEN again confound expectations, piling element on element, and towering towards the sky with their most ambitious release yet. Tracked at EastWest Studios, "Lonely People With Power" includes additional vocal contributions from Jae Matthews of BOY HARSHER and Paul Banks of INTERPOL.

"Lonely People With Power" is available for pre-order / pre-save today, with a 2x LP deluxe edition and several limited-edition vinyl color variants available in DEAFHEAVEN's store.

Tour dates in support of "Lonely People With Power" will be announced in the coming days. For now, DEAFHEAVEN have several U.S. and international festival appearances slated for 2025, including Sonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio (May 9),Welcome To Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida (May 15),Rock Am Ring in Nürburg , Germany (June 8),Outbreakfest in Manchester, United Kingdom (June 14-15),and more.

Originally formed in San Francisco, DEAFHEAVEN is comprised of vocalist George Clarke, guitarists Kerry McCoy and Shiv Mehra, bassist Christopher Johnson and drummer Daniel Tracy. The band gained widespread acclaim for their groundbreaking 2013 album "Sunbather", which redefined the margins of heavy music, earning esteemed spots on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time" and Pitchfork's "200 Best Albums Of The 2010s." DEAFHEAVEN again challenged genre conventions on 2015's "New Bermuda", earning widespread acclaim, while their 2018 LP "Ordinary Corrupt Human Love" garnered the band their first-ever Grammy nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" field. Always moving forward, the band's 2021 album "Infinite Granite" continued their evolution and galvanized with a refinement pointed at lusher textures and lilting melodies. Revered for their transcendental live shows, DEAFHEAVEN have toured the world over performing at festivals such as Coachella and Primavera Sound, while sharing stages with everyone from SLIPKNOT and KNOCKED LOOSE to CHELSEA WOLFE and MONO.

"Lonely People With Power" track listing:

01. Incidental I
02. Doberman
03. Magnolia
04. The Garden Route
05. Heathen
06. Amethyst
07. Incidental II (feat. Jae Matthews)
08. Revelator
09. Body Behavior
10. Incidental III
11. Winona
12. The Marvelous Orange Tree

DEAFHEAVEN 2025 tour dates:

May 09 - Columbus, OH - Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival
May 15 - Daytona Beach, FL - Welcome To Rockville
June 08 - Nürburg, Germany - Rock Am Ring
June 12 - Nickelsdorf, Austria - Nova Rock
June 14 - 15 - Manchester, United Kingdom - Outbreak Fest
June 19 - 22 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting
June 21 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
June 25 - Oslo, Norway - Tons Of Rock
June 28 - Ysselsteyn, Netherlands - Jera On Air

Photo credit: Nedda Afsari

During an appearance on the January 23 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavarsh "Shavo" Odadjian was asked if there has been talk of him and his bandmates releasing a new studio album, two decades after the arrival of "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" LPs, which came out in 2005. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't know. [Laughs] We always will talk about it here and there, but I don't know if this will happen or not. I mean, if it does, beautiful. But if it does, it needs to be amazing. It can't just be us riffing. 'Cause we've got a lot to live up to, bro. It's a little nerve racking, a part of it. 20 years [ago], the last thing we did, won a Grammy. It needs to really be the greatest it could be. And I'm not saying it can't be or we're not up to it — we are. Daron [Malakian, SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist] probably has thousands, hundreds of songs. Serj's [Tankian, SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer] probably got a lot up his sleeve. I personally — I don't bring complete songs in; I bring riffs that work together, and then we arrange it together. That's my style of writing when it comes to SYSTEM. And I've got a lot stored up.

"So I don't know," he continued. "I can't promise. We haven't said anything. Like I said, man, there is no pressure. We said, 'Let's get together. Let's play these shows, see how it goes.' We haven't done this many shows… Literally, we're doing more shows this year than we have the last seven years combined. So, let's do that first and see where that takes us."

Elaborating on what it would take for SYSTEM OF A DOWN to work on a new album, Shavo said: "If we did it, bro, it would have to be agreed upon how it's gonna work before we even went in. It wouldn't be like we walked in blindly and just said, 'Okay, I have a song.' It wouldn't be like that. It would be, like, we'd probably say, 'Okay, this is kind of a strategic… You'll bring this much, and we'll do this, and I'll bring my stuff, and we'll see how it works, and we'll split it this way, and whoever writes this will get this much, and whoever writes that…' You know what I mean? We'd probably have that all on the table before we go out. But like I said, I'm just throwing it out there right now. I'm not even saying that it's happening. You ask the question, and I'm answering it. I hope this doesn't go into clickbait and say 'Shavo says we're making a record.' We're not. None of this is confirmed. There's nothing. We haven't even talked about it… We're just kind of assuming if this happens, that could happen. But nothing has been said. Because people will come at me and say, 'Why did you say that?' I'll be, like, 'I didn't say that.' It was taken out of context."

Shavo added: "But I'll end it with that. Nothing is for sure. I didn't say we're making a record. We are going on tour this year. We're gonna have some fun out there. I can't wait to go to these cities. I can't wait to go to South America."

Last month it was announced that SYSTEM OF A DOWN has added second shows as part of their one-of-a-kind massive stadium events this year. The run of 2025 North American shows will kick off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on August 27-28 with special guests KORN, as well as two night at Soldier Field in Chicago (August 31-September 1) with AVENGED SEVENFOLD and a final stop at Rogers Stadium in Toronto on September 3 and September 5 with DEFTONES.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN will also play a run of South American stadium gigs this spring. The seven-show "Wake Up! South America" tour is slated to kick off on April 24 in Bogota, Colombia at the Estadio Nemésio Camacho El Campin, followed by a show in Cercado De Lima, Peru at the Estadio Nacional. The tour will move on to Chile, Argentina and Brazil, wrapping up with a run of three shows in Curitiba, Rio De Janieiro and São Paulo. The concerts will be SYSTEM OF A DOWN's first visit to South America since 2015.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, but has only managed to record two songs in the last 19 years, "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Released in November 2020, the tracks were motivated by the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN's ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they raised over $600,000.

Tankian addressed the creative differences between him and Malakian while promoting his memoir, "Down With The System", in an interview with Tom Power, host of "Q" on Canada's CBC Radio One. Regarding how his relationship with Malakian has evolved over the years, particularly as it relates to their collaborative partnership, he said: "Well, changing the dynamic is basically years of time and the progression of the band, the success of the band, everything that happened in between the day that we met and now, basically, so 25, 30 years. A lot changes in that time. And so I think that's a part of it.

"Daron's been a lifer and he's incredibly serious about his music and he's incredibly protective of his music and vulnerable due to his music," Serj explained. "All of those things kind of go together. So it's those things, I think, that created some of the creative differences that we started finding. And it's also our progression. Listen, when Daron and I started working together, I didn't really write a lot of instrumental music — I mostly wrote lyrics; I was the lyricist; I was the singer. And he didn't write any lyrics; he just wrote music. But as time progressed and I played more musical instruments and I started becoming a songwriter/composer and he started writing more lyrics, we started kind of covering each other's territory. And I was okay with that. If he wrote lyrics, I was trying to encourage him to write more, because I believe in artistic growth. I believe in progression. I don't believe in things staying the same way, for music's sake. Otherwise the music becomes the same thing over and over again. That progression is necessary in every artist's life or in every group's life. So I was very encouraging of that. And I just wish that I got some of that back. And so that wasn't the case, and it was disappointing. And it became a creative difference over the band's path, and whatnot, over time."

Doom metal legends TROUBLE returned to the live stage last night (Saturday, January 25) at the Cobra Lounge in their hometown of Chicago, Illinois. It marked TROUBLE's first live appearance in nearly a year and a half. Video of the Cobra Lounge concert can be found below.

In a recent interview with Scott Davidson of Chicago's Rebel Radio 92.5 FM, TROUBLE singer Kyle Thomas spoke about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the long-awaited follow-up to the band's 2013 album "The Distortion Field". He said: "So, on and off for several years now — I mean, probably better than a decade — there's been pre-production very slowly just kind of creeping down the line here. So, I don't know — there's about eight to ten songs, maybe, on this thing. And they've been trickling the recorded music versions of them to me so that I can get myself in gear and started [on vocals]."

As for a possible release date for the new TROUBLE album, Kyle said: "I couldn't give you a timeline on it. I'm always scared to do that anyway, because it seems like every time you say something's gonna happen at a certain time, it doesn't. I think more importantly, we're busy, we're working on it, and that's something that really hasn't happened for a long time. But, yeah, we're ready to get this thing going and give everybody a quality TROUBLE record. It's been a long time."

Regarding where he gets the inspiration for his lyrics in TROUBLE, Kyle said: "Well, I think it's safe to say most of what I write comes off my sleeve. I like to write from my life experiences. That doesn't mean that everything that I write has something to do with my life in particular. It might be current events that I'm looking at, it might be something that happened to someone I know that's inspired me to jot something down. So, it's never really one thing, but I do try to at least have most of the lyrical content have some meat to it. But on another hand, there are times when I'll scat into a microphone when I'm listening to a new piece of music and whatever comes out, if it sounds cool, I'll try to find words that match what I scatted. But you try to keep it interesting, you try to not get into a pattern. I think more than anything, you don't wanna be in a pattern that's looping the same thing over and over again. I think that gets a little boring, perhaps.

"I used to work with a producer when I was younger, and he had a word that he used when we were experimenting, and he liked to call it 'blowing things up,'" Kyle continued. "Like, 'Let's blow this up. Let's blow that up.' And all that really meant was, 'Let's experiment with this idea and see if it sticks.'

"For me, my passion is a lot more aligned with songwriting and production and the magic that you make with your music in that regard, more so than trying to be a virtuoso at this or that," Thomas added. "That's less important to me than the quality of the craftsmanship of the material that you're working on. So, I don't know — maybe one day I'll figure out the songwriting enough to be able to live off of it. But that's definitely more important than just trying to be killer at something."

When Davidson noted that Kyle sings the classic TROUBLE songs the way they were originally sung, Thomas said: "I'm a TROUBLE fan. Before I was really even in bands, I was listening to TROUBLE. And I'm definitely a fan of [original TROUBLE singer] Eric [Wagner] and Eric's work, his legacy, the band and its legacy. So, for me, it was never an option of… I'm not gonna sit there and pretend to sing like Eric or pretend to be Eric. I think that is a disservice to Ericand to me, but to me, what Eric did in the song, the spirit of TROUBLE through him, through his voice, through his soul, is what I like to honor. I wouldn't dream of trying to put my own spin on it, per se. Now, again, like I said, I'm not trying to imitate him, but at the same time, there's a certain way the songs need to be sang.

"There's people that probably never will love me in this band because I'm not Eric," Kyle acknowledged. "And I mean, I can't help that. So, the good news is those old records will never let you down. Listen to those old records and stay home. And the people that wanna come see the show, they'll come and enjoy it. I've met people on the road that are old, old friends of the band, old friends of Eric's. They came up to me after a show and they go, 'Man, we didn't want to like you, but you do such a good job, it's obvious that you care about the songs and the band.' And I'm, like, 'Yes.' That's priority number one."

When TROUBLE announced its co-operation with Hammerheart Records in January 2020, it was already planned to record a new LP in the summer of 2020. However, that did not happen due to several reasons, including the coronavirus pandemic. But recording finally started in July 2022, according to founding guitarist Rick Wartell.

Back in February 2019, Kyle, who joined TROUBLE in 2012, told "The Metal Magdalene With Jet" about the band's plans for a new album: "This time they've actually written songs with me in mind as the singer instead of, 'These songs were written when Kory Clarke was in the band, but that didn't work out, so let's give it to Kyle and have him back-cleanup, I guess.'"

TROUBLE's first studio album in six years, "The Distortion Field", landed at position No. 25 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200. Released in Europe in August 2013 via FRW Records, the 12-song follow-up to 2007's "Simple Mind Condition" was helmed by veteran producer Bill Metoyer (SLAYER, W.A.S.P., ARMORED SAINT, DARK ANGEL, SACRED REICH, CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER, D.R.I.) and marked the recording debut with Thomas following the departure of the group's frontman of four years, Kory Clarke (of WARRIOR SOUL fame).

TROUBLE played its first show with the band's new lineup in October 2013 at the Day Of Doom festival in Barcelona, Spain.

TROUBLE formed in 1979 and released several classic albums like "Trouble", "Manic Frustration" and "Plastic Green Head".

Singer Eric Wagner left TROUBLE in April 2008, citing his disdain for the touring life as the main reason for his departure.

Eric, who was TROUBLE's original singer, died in August 2021 after a battle with COVID pneumonia. He was 62 years old.

According to Wagner's TROUBLE and THE SKULL bandmate Ron Holzner, Eric was generally opposed to institutionalized medicine but he wouldn't make an exception for the COVID vaccine.

"We argued about it, and he stood his ground on the matter," Holzner told the Chicago Reader. "I always joked, 'The World According To Eric Wagner — you should write a book.' He lived his life his way."

Wagner, who smoked cigarettes and occasionally drank and vaped, had health issues, but had begun taking better care of himself and switching to a plant-based diet, Holzner said.



Posted by Trouble on Saturday, January 25, 2025



Posted by Trouble on Saturday, January 25, 2025



Posted by Trouble on Saturday, January 25, 2025



Posted by Trouble on Saturday, January 25, 2025

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman kicked off his "Live Drama 2025" U.S. tour on Saturday (January 25) at Count's Vamp'd in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fan-filmed video of the entire concert can be seen below (courtesy of Rusty Brockson).

Friedman's latest solo album, "Drama", came out last May via Frontiers Music Srl.

Recorded in Italy, "Drama" showcases Marty's unique touch, for the first time using both vintage and modern guitars, delivering a pure delight for lovers of music everywhere. From the captivating first single "Illumination", to the album's breathtaking "Mirage" and 10 other emotionally charged mini-symphonies, Marty paints atmospheric elements with a modern and exotic flair, promising an unforgettable musical experience.

During the question-and-answer portion of the November 2023 Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp's "Metalmania III" in Los Angeles, Friedman spoke about "Drama". He said: "I've got 15 solo albums now, and each time I try to do something new and something I've never done before. I don't want ever to be heard as one of those guys, 'Ah, his early albums were great.' You know what I mean? I used to say that about my favorite guitarists — sadly — and I never wanted that to be said about me. So I'm always challenging myself on new stuff. On this new album, the closest thing I can relate it to is an album I had called 'Scenes' [1992], which I released quite a while ago. It was very dramatic and orchestral, and there was a lot of other type of instruments — violins, cellos and all that type of stuff. So it's more of a dramatic, orchestral concept. But everything that I've learned since that 'Scenes' album has just exponentially grown, so it's a much bigger scale. So if you like that 'Scenes' album at all, I think this one will be right up your alley."

Marty previously talked about "Drama" in October 2023 in an interview with Chris Akin Presents. Asked what challenges and motivates him to keep pushing forward with his music, Marty said: "I'm not really so much into trying something that I haven't done for the sake of trying something I haven't done. I'm trying to impress me with something that I've never done before. It's not like I'm gonna suddenly wake up one day and say, 'Okay, I'm gonna be a rapper' or something. I do what I do and I have my musical vision and sound. I just try to do deeper things with it. I try to make more complex emotions, deeper emotions in the music, more interesting, melodic twists and turns, more adventurous things, things that I wasn't deep enough to do last year or two years ago, or five years ago, things that I couldn't hear back then, things that I can only hear because life has given me more experiences since then, and, of course, more musical experiences, and just to consciously be aware of stuff that I've already done and not repeat it. It's a natural challenge that I've been doing forever, and the hardest part is that blank sheet when I just start from zero. It's, like, 'How am I going to top that last thing that I just did? I worked my ass off. I'm completely done. I have nothing left. I've got zero.' And so that's the challenge."

Marty's presence in the world of music, the world of guitar and Japanese pop culture is mystifying, bizarre, and nothing short of inspiring. His first major impact in music was in the game-changing guitar duo CACOPHONY, which he founded with equally enigmatic and now-legendary guitarist Jason Becker. He then spent 10 years as lead guitarist in the genre-defining thrash metal act MEGADETH before moving to Tokyo due to his love for Japanese music, language, and culture.

Following his move, he landed a starring role for a new TV comedy "Hebimeta-san" ("Mr. Heavy Metal") and its spinoff, "Rock Fujiyama", which ran for six seasons and propelled him into the living rooms of Japan's mainstream. He has since appeared in over 800 TV shows, movies and commercials, including a two-year campaign with Coca-Cola for Fanta, authored two best-selling novels and was the first-ever foreigner to be appointed as an ambassador of Japan heritage and perform at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Marathon.

At the same time, Marty has continued his career in music with several solo albums in addition to writing and performing with the top artists in Japanese music, racking up countless chart hits, including a No. 1 with SMAP, two No. 2 songs with MOMOIRO CLOVER, a No. 2 with SOUND HORIZON — just to name a few.

Friedman's autobiography, "Dreaming Japanese", arrived on December 3, 2024 via Permuted Press.

In a new interview with Cassius Morris, Steve Vai paid tribute to legendary English guitarist John Sykes (TYGERS OF PAN TANG, THIN LIZZY, WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, SYKES),who died last week at the age of 65.

Vai, who had a brief tenure in WHITESNAKE more than three and a half decades ago, having played on the band's 1989 album "Slip Of The Tongue", said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, [John] was such a phenomenal rock guitar player. When that WHITESNAKE [self-titled] record came out [in 1987], we were all just stunned. He really captured that audio real estate with a guitar tone and a playing style that created like a fever. And he really has a stamp in his musical DNA and he delivered so much. He was really a great player and a great guitar orchestrator."

He continued: "I didn't know him very well. Our kids went to school together. He lived right down the street, and our kids went to the same school, and his son would come over a lot, but actually we have never really hooked up; we were always on tour or something.

"He kept his illness very quiet, so I know I didn't know about it, and I don't know anybody that I know that knew him that knew about it," Steve added.

"Everything in this world is coming and going and coming and going, and if it doesn't go, that only means you went before it.

"But he really delivered. He came and he lifted the whole scene. He really did."

Referencing "Slip Of The Tongue" and how it compared to its predecessor, WHITESNAKE's 1987 eight-times-platinum eponymous album, Steve said: "In the '80s, when that WHITESNAKE [self-titled] record came out [that John played on], it was a phenom. I mentioned that I wasn't gonna try to sound like him. A better way of putting it is I can't. I sound like me, which is very obvious when you compare the two WHITESNAKE records."

WHITESNAKE scored the band's third consecutive platinum record with its eighth studio album, "Slip Of The Tongue". Originally released in November 1989, it peaked at No. 10 on the U.K. and U.S. album charts thanks largely to its two Top 40 hits — "Fool For Your Loving" and "The Deeper The Love". The fan favorite turned 30 in 2019 and Rhino celebrated with several new versions, including a colossal seven-disc boxed set.

Following the success of its eponymous album in 1987, WHITESNAKE returned two years later with "Slip Of The Tongue". At the time, the band included singer David Coverdale, bassist Rudy Sarzo, drummer Tommy Aldridge, guitarist Adrian Vandenberg and Vai. Vandenberg and Coverdale co-wrote all but one song on the album, but Vandenberg couldn't record them in the studio at the time due to a hand injury. To fill the void, Vai joined the band for the album and tour.

"When I had joined WHITESNAKE, the tracks were already recorded and Adrian had laid down guide rhythm tracks," Vai told Guitar World. "What had happened was Adrian developed this situation with his wrist that persisted throughout the tour. I'm not sure what caused it, but he'd have to soak his wrist after every show.

"Adrian's such a great player, but the injury made it so he couldn't really sustain for too long because of the pain. I've stayed pretty close with Adrian over the years and I see him whenever I'm in Holland, and when I spoke to him a couple of years ago, he was still having that wrist problem — but they located the source of it to his neck.

"So Adrian had made these guide tracks and that were basically chords and structures, and I obviously copped a lot of the riffs from those, but I put my spin on them because it was all like one track of guitar. I went in with 20 tracks on some songs; it's a very dense guitar record and I definitely did my best to decorate it. It was a departure for what WHITESNAKE was normally known for in the guitar department."

Asked if he had any reservations about not staying wholly true to WHITESNAKE's old signature sound, Vai said: "You have to find a balance between what's expected of you from the band, what the fans are expecting, what the song requires and is telling you to do — and also being true to your own voice. I had no choice but to express my own voice because that's all I know.

"If I had tried to sound like Yngwie [Malmsteen] when I had joined ALCATRAZZ, it just wouldn't have worked because I'm very satisfied with the way I play, but I also can't play like Yngwie. It was the same thing when I was playing with Dave [David Lee] Roth; I needed to deliver in a rock context — which was very natural to me — but I'm not going to compete with Edward Van Halen.

"There's no way those records would've been accepted if I didn't have some kind of rock integrity, but I knew what the songs needed and I knew what the audience was expecting and there's a side of me that I knew could deliver that. It was the same thing with WHITESNAKE.

"The foundation of WHITESNAKE's sound was rooted in rock blues, and there's a whole culture that emanated from Europe in that traditional solid rock blues guitar playing that had a real authenticity to it.

"Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, Adrian Vandenberg, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page — that was the sound all WHITESNAKE records had been built upon. But WHITESNAKE had gone through different permutations of guitar sounds throughout the years, and the previous one to me was John Sykes, and he absolutely had his own sound.

"Sykes didn't sound like any other previous WHITESNAKE guitarist, but his thumbprint is an indelible part of the WHITESNAKE record he did. The fatness of that record and the rock integrity it had was all Sykes. So I knew I wasn't going to sound like Sykes and I wasn't going to try to.

"You cheat yourself when you try to do that and play like someone else. And the audience is a lot smarter than you think; they're very intuitive and perceptive and if you try to pull anything over on them — like biting someone else's thing — you'll get beat up for it."

Image credit: AlongTheDrive

At this weekend's NAMM convention in Anaheim, California, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello talked to American Musical Supply about his new signature Spector bass as well as the band's plans for the coming months. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We have a new ANTHRAX record [coming out]. And it's been about eight years. [Laughs] It's been a while. So, we have a new ANTHRAX record. This bass will be shown everywhere we go. We're gonna start touring. The record's supposed to come out September, October. So big touring plans. If you know ANTHRAX, you know what we do — we stay on the road for quite a while. There's some very big shows being planned right now, which I can't talk about, but I'm very psyched. So 2025 is the year. And I'm glad that we have this [new Spector bass] ready in the chambers, because this bass is gonna go a long way, and I just can't wait — I can't wait, 'cause I know what I have on stage. I'm very psyched about it."

Last November, Bello returned to Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Northridge, California to resume recording the bass tracks for ANTHRAX's long-awaited follow-up to 2016's "For All Kings" album.

Frank played his first show with ANTHRAX in nearly a year and a half on October 12, 2024 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

Bello and ANTHRAX were supposed to perform at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky on September 27, 2024, but their show ended up being canceled due to severe weather.

Prior to Aftershock, Bello last played with ANTHRAX in May 2023 at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In April and early May 2024, Bello sat out ANTHRAX's South American tour as well as two U.S. festival dates due to "personal reasons." Filling in on those shows was ANTHRAX founding member and original bassist Dan Lilker, marking his first appearance with the band in 40 years. Lilker, who co-wrote and played on ANTHRAX's debut album "Fistful Of Metal", was also a member of STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH with ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Scott Ian.

Frank made his live debut with Norwegian black metal veterans SATYRICON on June 6, 2024 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

Bello played bass for SATYRICON for the band's summer 2024 European festival appearances, including Hellfest in France and Tons Of Rock in Norway.

Frank released a memoir, "Fathers, Brothers, And Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, And Anthrax", in October 2021 via Rare Bird. The foreword to the book was written by KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons.

Bello recently joined the Spector artist roster.

Frank exclusively played Spector basses for rehearsals, recording and in the fall 2024 during ANTHRAX's European co-headlining tour with German thrash titans KREATOR with Bay Area thrashers TESTAMENT.

PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix spoke to Audacy Check In about the band's latest single, "Even If It Kills Me", which was made available on January 22 via the group's own label New Noize Records/ADA. he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's just got such a cinematic feel to it and it's just got the big riffs that we are known for. And it's got a hooky chorus. I really love the chorus. And it's just one of those songs that when I heard the demo, when the band wrote the music, I just instantly picked up the phone, I called [PAPA ROACH bassist] Tobin [Esperance]. I'm, like, 'Dude, I don't even have to think twice on this one. It's go time on this track.'"

Jacoby continued: "When we land on those moments when we're making music, when I just know there's an inner knowing, there's something magic in that. And it sets a tone for then what's to come and what we're gonna write after that. And we kicked it off with this one and it just was so inspired. It was the first song that we wrote after we had been touring on our last album, [2022's] 'Ego Trip', and it was the first one that we went back into the studio and we were, like, 'All right, let's start writing music again.' And it seems like when we've kind of been out there working and playing songs live and been out on tour and hadn't been writing new music in a while, it's like when the levee breaks, and it's just this flood. And that's what happened when we wrote that song, and we're so proud of it. And I've gotta tell you, just wait till you see the music video for this one, 'cause it's leaps and bounds levels up of what we've done lately with our music videos. And I'm so excited about this one."

Asked if there is a new PAPA ROACH album on the way, Jacoby said: "So we've been in the studio throughout 2024 working on a bunch of music, and we have songs in a lot of different states. There's songs that are completely finished. We have other songs that are like verses and choruses, and we've gotta write maybe a bridge or get back there and kind of retweak 'em and work 'em. And so they're in all these different states. There's another couple of songs that are just acoustic guitar and vocal, and it's, like, 'All right, this one's gonna be a banger. We've just gotta go in there and, like, bandify the song.' And so we have a ton of material demoed out. And so throughout this year, we're just gonna keep jumping back into the studio and finishing up those pieces. Management's going, 'Let's try to hit it later this year.' And I'm, like, 'I wanna release music throughout the whole year.' And it's going to lead up to an album eventually. Whether it's the end of 2025 or early 2026, there will be a new PAPA ROACH album."

He continued: "The music we're making right now is very inspired and it's got us all pumped up. When you go back in the studio, you just don't know what's gonna come. And after we wrote 'Even If It Kills Me', I'm just, like, 'Oh. It's on. Let's go.'"

Shaddix also talked about PAPA ROACH's musical evolution, saying: "We have definitely come a long way since 1993. And over the last six months, I've kind of been diving back into the old early, early, early releases of PAPA ROACH 'cause I just was doing some purging of things from my home and just clearing stuff out. And I found all these old demo CDs of early iterations of 'Last Resort' and stuff well before that. And just kind of seeing where we started as a band and where we're at right now is definitely… We've grown so much, and to be as inspired as we are these days, it's exciting. Being this deep into our career and still making music that feels current — it feels like we're pushing the bar, honestly, and raising the bar, and to be doing that, I'm grateful for it. And it's a testament to our passion to this craft of what we do. And also, I think for us, our willingness to shake things up and try working with different producers and seeing how they reflect the mirror back at us and we break this thing down and we build it back up. And yeah, man, I'm fricking stoked where we're at right now, especially we're on the precipice of one of our biggest tours throughout Europe, and I'm just, like, 'We turned up over here.' It's gonna be good."

PAPA ROACH's just-launched "Rise Of The Roach" tour sees the band bringing its biggest-ever production and journey deep through their vast music catalogue, including a celebration of the 25th anniversary of their iconic breakthrough album "Infest". Special guests for the global tour include WAGE WAR in Europe and RISE AGAINST and UNDEROATH in the U.S.

PAPA ROACH has also charted Top 15 for the first time at U.S. Hot AC with "Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark)". Earlier this month, the track and campaign were recognized in the 2025 Clio Music Awards, where it received a Bronze award in the category of Social Good.

In a recent interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, Shaddix stated about PAPA ROACH's new material: "We're really proud of the stuff that we've done. And I think the fans will be surprised. As we evolve the music and push things forward, you never know what's gonna happen in the studio. And I've gotta tell you, what happened in the studio this time around has been just exciting.

"We've had a really good run with our [last] album, 'Ego Trip', and a lot of successes, especially here in America as well, as well as Germany, we've had some great successes on that record, and it's just been one of those records that our fanbase has been really excited about. And so we're taking that momentum and going back into the studio and creating again, it's been a really good feeling."

In November 2024, PAPA ROACH guitarist Jerry Horton was asked by The Mistress Carrie Podcast if the experience of making the band's upcoming album was different to the way he and his bandmates went about making "Ego Trip". He responded: "I would say that maybe the experience — well, definitely the experience was different, 'cause we kind of bounced around different producers, different studios, but I think the energy is the same. We're still fired up about it. And the first song coming is — it's a banger. It's heavy, catchy — it sticks in your head, for sure. And the record is diverse, just like the last one. It's experimental and it's emotional, it's dynamic. I think even though the experience was different, it has more in common with the last record than not."

In October, Shaddix told "The Jasta Show" about his band's plans for new music: "We've been getting in the studio for the last five months. I'd say probably about 10 days a month we're together. We'll go, write, create, step away, trip out on what we created and finetune it the next time. And now we've got seven or eight songs. And the first kind of go-around for us, we went in… 'Cause our current single, it's an acoustic song; it's very heartfelt. And we're, like, 'All right, let's flip the script. We need to go write the heaviest P-ROACH we possibly could ever write. Let's just go see what that sounds like. Let's go experiment in the studio.' And so we've done that a few times over, and some of the stuff that we're… We've drop tuned some of the stuff. We're messing with some of the tunings, which then adds even a heavier element to it. And you know I love heavy music. It's something that is in my blood as well. I'm a fan of many styles. And it just feels natural to wanna lean into that heavy sound for us right now. And I'm excited. I feel inspired about creating."

PAPA ROACH are two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock music, who in 2025 are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their iconic album "Infest". PAPA ROACH are not unfamiliar with calling attention to mental health and have been doing so since the seminal release of their first hit single "Last Resort". Since then, the band has gone on to create 10 studio albums, their most recent, "Ego Trip", on their own label New Noize Records.

Photo credit: Bryson Roatch

SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith spoke to Audacy Check In about the band's newly released two singles, "Three Six Five" and "Dance, Kid, Dance", which were made available on Friday (January 24) via Atlantic Records. Addressing the fact that the songs are musically completely different from each other, Brent said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it definitely had a bit more tempo than maybe the last song that people were familiar with on maybe the more mainstream-leaning, pop-leaning-type songs. So we kind of bumped up the BPMs a little bit on that. And 'Dance, Kid, Dance', we just went to the wall with that."

He continued: "It's interesting. I had a friend of mine the other day say to me, 'Are you a rock band? Are you a metal band? Are you an alternative band? Are you a pop [band]? What are you?' And I'm, like, 'We're just SHINEDOWN.' We play in a big sandbox.

"We've always been a genre-bending band because we're inspired by a lot of different styles and we're constantly evolving," Brent said. "So we felt like the right move, with the first new material that people would hear from us, that we gave them kind of two sides of us."

Elaborating on SHINEDOWN's need to explore a variety of different styles on each album, Brent said: "I think along the way, people started to get pigeonholed or they started using boxes or 'stay in your lane' or 'you're only this genre'.

"When you expand your palette sonically or what have you, you're just trying to reach as much of the audience as you can. Some days you feel like you wanna throw down and rock, some days you're a little bit more emotional. But that's the beauty of music, man. It constantly evolves. And the only thing that we've ever done in this band is anybody from anywhere at any time, we wanted them to be able to know that SHINEDOWN has a lot of peaks and valleys, kind of like a rollercoaster ride. But there's something for everyone."

The two new singles embody the many multifaceted talents of the SHINEDOWN: One part rock 'n' roll dynamism and one part incredible songwriting and passion. "Dance, Kid, Dance" hits hard right out of the gate with incredibly heavy guitars and a tempo that just doesn't quit. It's part social commentary and part "don't overthink it, let's just rock out and LET'S DANCE!" The song pushes boundaries and is a reminder of why SHINEDOWN hold the record for the most No. 1 songs at Active Rock Radio of all time with "Dance, Kid, Dance".

"Three Six Five" is an example of the band's ability to tackle the tough subjects through impeccable songwriting. Anyone who has ever experienced loss knows that every day we draw breath is an opportunity to live out loud — to live for those we have lost. At its core, "Three Six Five" is a reminder to stop wasting time and focus on the moments we have right now and treasure time with the ones you love the most. The song honors the people in our lives who aren't with us anymore. It reminds us to stop taking time for granted, because it's not promised. Take chances, be bold, and don't sweat the small stuff, because as the song says: a lot can happen in a year. "Even though I said all the things that mattered most, while I held on tight to the end of the rope, I could keep you close, but I couldn't keep you here, a lot can happen in a year."

Smith and SHINEDOWN bassist/producer Eric Bass co-wrote "Three Six Five", and "Dance, Kid, Dance" was co-written by Smith, Bass and Dave Bassett. The songs were produced by Bass at his own Big Animal Studio in Charleston, South Carolina.

When "Three Six Five" and "Dance, Kid, Dance" were first released, Smith said: "We needed to approach everything different this time… The last two albums were both conceptual so it was important for us to really ask ourselves creatively where do we want to go. The answer to that was we want to go everywhere so there was no specific direction. We just started writing, and let the new songs guide us. I also think we stopped saying 'why?' and started saying 'why not?'"

In celebration of the new songs for 2025, the "Dance, Kid, Dance" tour kicks off on April 25 in Des Moines, Iowa and will be one of the band's largest U.S. tours ever. The 35-date run will hit some of the country's most iconic venues, including New York's Madison Square Garden (July 20),Boston's TD Garden (July 19) and Nashville's Bridgestone Arena (May 10) and more! Joining them on the tour are BEARTOOTH and BUSH (on select dates),as well as Morgan Wade on all shows.

For the tour SHINEDOWN has teamed up with Musicians On Call (MOC) and will be donating $1 for every ticket sold for the tour. As the nation's leading provider of live music in hospitals, Musicians On Call has delivered the healing power of music to patients, families and caregivers in healthcare environments for 25 years. More than one million people across all 50 states have experienced the joys of live music in the hospital setting through MOC's bedside, virtual and streaming programs. MOC Volunteers perform live for children and adults facing any health challenge, including Veterans recovering in VA facilities, family members supporting loved ones in need and healthcare workers caring for patients. The collaboration is just one of the many charities SHINEDOWN supports as they frequently give back to organizations in need.

Smith said: "When we were thinking about touring, we had certain artists in mind," he continued. "Instead of being of the mindset that they wouldn't want to come out to tour with us, we just asked them — and they said yes. Honestly, it's quite humbling, we are extremely excited for this new chapter, and tour. SO LET'S GO!!!!"

Last week, SHINEDOWN was nominated for numerous iHeartRadio Music Awards including "Rock Song Of The Year" for "A Symptom Of Being Human", "Rock Artist Of The Year", and Sanjay Parikh was nominated for "Favorite Tour Photographer" for SHINEDOWN. The new nods bring the band to a total of 13 iHeartRadio Music Awards since the band's inception with no sign of slowing down.

SHINEDOWN continues to demonstrate that they are one of the most forward-thinking powerhouses in music, forever pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a modern-day rock band. The tour and new music not only kick off a new era for SHINEDOWN but continues to celebrate the momentous acclaim the band received from their juggernaut song "A Symptom Of Being Human" off their seventh studio album "Planet Zero" (Atlantic Records). The song, which has reached over 100 million streams and counting, crossed over not only to Alternative but Top 40 radio and resonated with fans across the globe for the unifying message of its lyrics: that it is our human connections that matter the most.

Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz