Brazilian rock trio ELECTRIC MOB are proud to share the new live version of “4 letters,” taken from the upcoming digital deluxe edition of their sophomore album ‘2 Make U Cry & Dance,’ set for release on July 10th via Frontiers Music Srl. The digital deluxe edition will feature the full studio release alongside six live tracks performed at Capital Moto Week 2024.

On the live version of “4 letters,” the band shares:

“It’s a deep honest declaration of the reality of love. For someone, something or simply yourself. We often downplay or trivialize feelings like it’s nothing, and ‘4 letters’ is a wake up call to love and to mean it.”


Without hiding their classic rock influences and driven by a modern, restless vision, ELECTRIC MOB are unafraid to break away from clichés and push rock fans beyond their comfort zone.

Hailing from Curitiba, Brazil, the band burst onto the scene like a mad dog on the loose with their debut album ‘DISCHARGE’ (2020). Raw, unapologetic, and emotionally charged, the record broke through borders, surprising international audiences and carving out space on rock radio stations throughout the United States and Europe.

In January 2023, the band released their second album, ‘2 MAKE U CRY & DANCE,’ earning positive reviews across multiple countries. This was followed by a Brazilian headlining tour through 12 cities in six different states. The momentum continued as ELECTRIC MOB joined forces with Project 46 for a nationwide run that expanded into Brazil’s Northeast.

Their live streak carried into 2024 and 2025 with a strong presence at major festivals, including Summer Breeze Brasil, now known as Bangers Open Air, where Billboard Brasil cited the band as “one of the most praised performances of the event.” Additional highlights include a main stage appearance at Capital Moto Week, which resulted in the live recording ‘Live @ Capital Moto Week,’ and performances at Porão do Rock (DF), Mundial Rock (SC), SBO Rock Fest (SP), and HackTown (MG).


On the upcoming deluxe release, vocalist Renan Zonta comments:

“We’re thrilled to release this super special edition of something we’re very proud of. The DLX version of our second album ‘2 Make U Cry & Dance’ comes with kickass live and raw cuts and it’s here to reinsure the power inside this beautiful cake. Give it an extra spin while we’re cooking a new one ⚡️😈”

Guitarist Ben Hur adds:

“We’ve always considered ourselves a band forged on stage. That’s where everything truly comes to life. In this deluxe release of our second album, we’re capturing a part of that energy and sharing it with fans who haven’t yet had the chance to experience it with us in person.”

Pre-Save the ‘2 Make U Cry & Dance’ Digital Deluxe Edition HERE

‘2 Make U Cry & Dance’ Digital Deluxe Edition Track List:

1. Sun Is Falling
2. Will Shine
3. IT’S GONNA HURT
4. By The Name (nanana)
5. Soul Stealer
6. 4 letters
7. Locked n Loaded
8. Saddest Funk Ever
9. Thy Kingdom Come
10. Love Cage
11. WATCH ME (I’m Today’s News)
12. WATCH ME (I’m Today’s News) (Alternative Version)
13. Will Shine (Live at Capital Moto Week, Brasília)
14. IT’S GONNA HURT (Live at Capital Moto Week, Brasília)
15. By The Name (nanana) (Live at Capital Moto Week, Brasília)
16. 4 Letters (Live at Capital Moto Week, Brasília)
17. Sun Is Falling (Live at Capital Moto Week, Brasília)
18. Love Cage (Live at Capital Moto Week, Brasília)

ELECTRIC MOB are:
Renan Zonta – Vocals
Ben Hur Auwarter – Guitar
Mateus Cestaro – Drums

A few weeks ago, Berlin thrashers DEIMOS’ DAWN not only announced their upcoming live album (Live To The Slaughter, out May 8), but also teased a separate surprise. Now the cat is out of the bag: the band has taken on the Depeche Mode classic “A Question of Time” and turned it into a punchy thrash metal version.

Anyone who ever doubted that a 80s synth pop song can’t be a headbanger should definitely give this one a spin. Frontman Marc Grewe once again proves that he is not just Germany’s true death metal allrounder, but also has a wide vocal range, putting his own stamp on the track.

“A Question of Time” is out now on all major streaming platforms, as well as a video featuring studio recording footage on YouTube.


Next Live Date

April, Kiel “Mosh im Mai” (Live To The Slaughter Record Release)

Finnish Heavy Doom band Occult master are set to release their self-titled debut album on August 14th 2026 via Inverse Records. The first single ‘Island of Leper’ is unleashed today and it’s available on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/occult-master-island

The band comments:

“A contemplative, multi-part, poignantly beautiful and overwhelmingly heavy progressive metal epic takes listeners on a sombre, melancholic journey, centered around two former lovers who are struck by a devastating misfortune after contracting leprosy. The couple, beloved of youth, meet on the island of the lepers, where they reminisce about their wonderful youth. The island, their final resting place, ultimately embraces them in its leprous embrace, where they will find an ultimate fulfilment.”

–Composed & lyrics by Ari Eskola
–ISRC: FI3FC2552702
–Cover art by Kimmo Lukkari


Occult Master Track list:

Just Another Nail in the Failier’s Coffin
Island of Leper
Heavy Metal Madness
Lucifer’s Henchman
Ground of the Damned
Who Is Our Enemy
Sorry Soul
Soothing Swamp
Gnarly Geezer
–Recorded by Jussi Risto
–Mixed & mastered by Kimmo Lukkari
–Cover art by Jarno Vesa

From the beginning, it was clear that Beyond Creation possessed a special aura. Back in 2011, the Montréal four-piece quickly proved they were the next progressive evolution in technical death metal with their very first album. Now, fifteen years later, the genre still basks in the enduring glow of The Aura.

“Laden with atmosphere, The Aura stands out from the crowded 2011 tech/death scene thanks to the prominent use of fretless bass, varying drum patterns, and experimentation with tempo”, wrote Metal Injection in a recent retrospective. “Combine that with a variety of searing vocal styles and classically-influenced, lightening-fast sweeps, The Aura is a decadent joy to the mechanically and sonically minded”.

As the Independence Music Award winners and Canadian Grammy nominees prepare to perform their landmark debut in full for the very first time on their upcoming Latin American tour, today, Beyond Creation are announcing a special anniversary reissue of The Aura. The new limited-edition colored vinyl variant is cut at 45 RPM for superior sound quality. It comes with a double-sided full color poster and an embroidered patch.

“Fifteen years ago, The Aura marked the beginning of our sonic journey”, Beyond Creation lead vocalist and guitarist Simon Girard reflects. “Our celebration of its 15th anniversary officially begins with this special limited-edition reissue. Join us in the celebration during our upcoming tour of Latin America with our special guests Fallujah, where we will perform the album in its entirety for the first time ever, as well as our new single ‘Reverence’”.


The special 15th anniversary edition of The Aura comes out July 17, 2026 on Season of Mist. Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/BeyondCreationAll

Tracklist

No Request for the Corrupted (4:56)
Coexistence (7:37)
Chromatic Horizon (1:54)
Omnipresent Perception (6:12)
Injustice Revealed (3:55)
Le détenteur (2:35)
The Aura (7:07)
Social Disability (5:30)
Elevation Path (1:45)
The Deported (11:09)
Total runtime: 52:09
Listen to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel:

California has always been fertile ground for thrash metal, leading the charge with some of the genre’s most legendary acts. San Diego’s NUKEM follows in the footsteps of thrash metal’s founding fathers, producing the kind of time-tested, neck-breaking thrash that invokes deep nostalgia while still sounding fresh and modern.

The thrashers are now pummeling fans with a performance video for the single “Policies of Hate,” which can now be found at THIS LOCATION.

The track is taken from the band’s new sophomore full-length, ‘The Grave Remains,’ which was released on April 10th, via Redefining Darkness. The album can be purchased in the U.S. HERE and the rest of the world HERE.


The artwork for ‘The Grave Remains’ was created by Megan Mushi and can be found below along with the tracklist.

Tracklist + Running Times:

The Dead Draw (01:04)
Policies of Hate (05:30) [WATCH]
Random Acts of Violence (04:37) [WATCH]
Tactics of Terror (03:49) [WATCH]
Into the Kill Zone (04:39) [WATCH]
Unconditional Surrender (06:18)
Sentenced to Die (00:59)
Curse of the Devil’s Bible (04:49)
Empress of Evil (04:55)
Torture, Murder, Mutilate! (05:34) [WATCH]
Pro Mortuis (04:39)
Don’t Believe a Word (Thin Lizzy Cover) (02:14)

Nukem is a Thrash metal force from San Diego, California, that delivers an honest, old school thrash attack. Formed in 2012, Nukem released their 2016 debut album “The Unholy Trinity,’ which was mixed & mastered by Ulrich Wild (Pantera, Static X, Dethklok, White Zombie) and was released via Sleaszy Rider Records out of Greece.

Nukem had entered the studio in 2024 once again with Ulrich Wild to work on our second album. Ten songs of pure molten metal! Some songs are full on unstoppable Bay Area style Thrash metal violence while others are more of a mid tempo power groove. Nukem has now forged a new union with Redefining Darkness for the release of their oncoming onslaught… stay tuned!

Recording Lineup:
Steve Brogden – Vocals & Guitar
Norm Leggio – Drums
Don Lauder – Bass

Live Lineup:
Steve Brogden – Vocals & Guitar
Norm Leggio – Drums
Don Lauder – Bass
Xander Gambini – Guitar

Special Guests:
Gary Holt (Exodus, Slayer) – Solo on ‘Empress of Evil’
Lee Altus (Exodus/Heathen) – Solo on ‘Don’t believe a word’
Rob Cavestany (Death Angel) – Solo on ‘Into the Kill Zone’
Russ Tippons (Satan) – Solo on ‘Random Acts of Violence’
Laura Christine (Dark Angel/Warface) – Solo on ‘Empress of Evil’

Cover Art: Megan Mushi

Produced by Steve Brogden & Nukem
Recorded at The Wilderness with Ulrich Wild & Forge Audio with Steve Brogden
Forge Audio with Steve Brogden
Mixed by Ulrich Wild
Mastered by Maor Appelbaum

30 years since they first donned metal’s crown of horns, Cryptopsy remain insatiable as ever. The Montreal legends’ latest album, An Insatiable Violence, received their second nomination for Best Metal/Hard Music Album at this year’s JUNO Awards, a category they won two years ago. Now, as they prepare to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their Decibel Hall of Fame inducted album, None So Vile, with a headlining run on this year’s Decibel Magazine Tour, Cryptopsy are proving once more why they are the most vile band in death metal.

Today, Cryptopsy are releasing the uncensored version of the music video for “Malicious Needs”, the second single and harrowing finale of An Insatiable Violence. While initially labeled too vile for unfiltered consumption on YouTube, the uncensored video fully reveals the explicit desires feeding our digital fantasies.

“‘Malicious Needs’ is the last song that we wrote for An Insatiable Violence and right away, we were all completely enamored with it”, Cryptopsy vocalist Matt McGachy says. “We are thrilled to finally unleash the fully uncensored version of the video, which brings the dystopian horror story behind our latest album writhing and screaming into the light! Come see us perform this song during our headline set on this year’s Decibel Magazine Tour, which starts this month! ”.

“Between the strength of the material on their latest release, An Insatiable Violence, and the anniversary celebration of their landmark, None So Vile, 2026 is clearly the year of Peak Cryptopsy”, Decibel Magazine’s Editor-In-Chief Albert Mudrian says. “We couldn’t be more honored to bring the band’s paramount present and potent past together to headline this year’s Decibel Magazine Tour”.


Chat with Matt McGachy ahead of Cryptopsy’s headline run on The Decibel Magazine Tour during this Saturday’s Reddit AMA.

Wormholedeath is proud to announce the signing of Canada’s premier Symphonic Power Metal Opera force, LIVA, for the worldwide reissue of their masterful album, Ecce Mundus, due for release on May 29, 2026.

Ten years after their previous release, Liva returns with a new album, Ecce Mundus (“This is the world”). According to composer Pier Carlo Liva, this is his most ambitious work since Requiem (2002).

The album pushes the band’s signature blend of power metal and classical music even further. Expansive sonic exploration and detailed orchestration open up a broader instrumental scope. Liva also returns to Latin texts, drawing from medieval sources and themes rooted in Antiquity. The record explores the glory of Rome, the story of Samson and Delilah, and enduring human flaws such as greed, corruption, and hypocrisy—issues that remain unchanged from ancient times to today.


Known for its symphonic power metal opera approach, Liva is among the first Canadian acts to merge classical music and metal in this format.

The lineup on the new album features Nadine Guertin (soprano), Pier Carlo Liva (death and tenor vocals, guitars, electronics), Martin Tremblay (bass), and Claude Lacroix (drums). Following the recording, Philippe Leblanc joined the band as the new drummer.

Liva’s back catalog includes Requiem (2002), a heavy metal interpretation of the Latin requiem mass; De Insulis (2007), based on the Latin texts of 12th-century theologian Alain de Lille; and Human Abstract (2013). In March 2002, the band performed live with a 13-piece chamber orchestra for a Radio-Canada broadcast. The following year, they received the MIMI award for “artiste le plus avant-gardiste” (most avant-garde artist), recognizing their fusion of classical and metal.

Over the years, Liva has shared the stage with acts such as Voivod, Gorguts, Nightwish, Kataklysm, and Therion.

The album also features key collaborators. Christophe Pilon contributed orchestrations, while Christophe Viau created the album artwork. Long-time collaborator Patrick Bouchard, who has worked with the band since 2002, handled the graphic design.

Ecce Mundus was recorded and mixed by Pier Carlo Liva at Magic Forest Studio. Mastering was completed by Maxime Lacroix at House of Gain Studio.

Tracklist:
1-De avaritia et luxuria mundi
2-Materiae summa
3-Ecce mundus demundatur
4-Sunt 3m34s
5-Samson & Dalila I
6-Samson & Dalila II
7-Obscura
😯 Roma nobilis
9-Silence

Experience the power and grandeur of Ecce Mundus through the video for “Samson & Dalila, Pt. 1″:

Denmark’s finest AOR export, Boys From Heaven, unveil today a new single, “Hold Your Heart”, along with an official video, ahead of their upcoming third studio album, “The Wanderer”, set for release on May 22, 2026, via Frontiers Music Srl.

The band commented: “Every great rock album needs a grand ballad. “Hold Your Heart” is the hopeful melancholic flipside to our previous single. Where “How Long” was a tale of regret, “Hold You Heart” is the hopeful story of a hopeless romantic, the longingly naive inner monologue of a dreamer. And if the saxophone fade-out towards the end doesn’t immediately transport you to a simpler, more carefree time, then we don’t know what will!”


Pre-Order “The Wanderer” HERE

“The Wanderer” marks a significant milestone for Boys From Heaven, as their debut release for Frontiers Music. Known for their unique blend of 80s rock nostalgia and fresh, forward-thinking songwriting, the band continues to carve out their own niche – one that evokes the timeless class of Toto, the smooth sophistication of the L.A. soft rock scene, and their own Scandinavian melodic sensibility.

Produced by frontman Chris Catton together with the band, and mixed and mastered by genre heavyweight Erik Martensson (Eclipse, W.E.T.), this new chapter sees Boys From Heaven refining their sound to its purest form.

The result is an album that shines with lush, almost luxurious arrangements, velvety layers of keys and sax, pristine harmonies, and melodies that stay with you long after the music stops.

The band stated: “Recording the last record ourselves and having Erik Martensson take care of mixing and mastering was a winning combination, so we had no doubt that we wanted to do the same thing with “The Wanderer”.

“With the new album we’ve leaned even harder into that 1980’s synthesizer-driven power rock sound, and our fans can definitely look forward to an album which is high-energy right from the first chord is struck, all the way to when the last note has rung out”, they added. “We can’t wait to share it with you all!”


With special guest contributions from Lucas Szczyrbak (bass) and Michael Catton (background vocals), the album is a true ensemble effort, executed with taste, precision, and emotion. From the first track to the last, the band demonstrates their deep respect for the genre’s legacy while injecting it with rich textures, impeccable songwriting, and a clarity of vision that’s rare in modern melodic rock.

Warm yet vibrant, technical yet deeply human, this album confirms that Boys From Heaven are not just students of AOR – they’re master craftsmen.

“The Wanderer” Tracklist:

1. I’ll Wait
2. Hotline
3. Hold Your Heart
4. Street Life
5. Say Goodbye
6. How Long
7. Eileen
8. I Will Never Let You Down
9. Time Is On Our Side
10. Till The Bitter End

Line Up:
Chris Catton – Lead vocals
Jonas Klintström Larsen – Saxophone
Mads Noyé – Keyboards
Mads Schaumann – Guitar and backing vocals
Søren Viig Mathiesen – Drums

Guests:
Lucas Szczyrbak – Bass
Michael Catton – Background vocals

“And so it begins…”: Hardcore juggernauts PRO-PAIN share the third single from their upcoming album, Stone Cold Anger, out May 15, 2026 via Napalm Records. “Scorched Earth” sets the tone for the future, accompanied by heavy riffs, catchy guitars, and sing-alongs. A sinister yet fiercely anthemic track, “Scorched Earth” is a pummeling demonstration of power, perfectly fitting for the band’s first album in 11 years. PRO-PAIN are back—and they stayed on top of their heavy game!

Gary Meskil about “Scorched Earth”:
“Scorched Earth explores what happens when ordinary people are pushed to their breaking point. Drawing inspiration from films such as the 1990s Michael Douglas drama Falling Down, the lyrics examine how pressure, frustration, and a sense of powerlessness can build over time. The song speaks to themes of reckoning, consequence, and the desire for genuine accountability”.


Legendary New York hardcore juggernauts PRO-PAIN make their debut on Napalm Records with their sixteenth studio album, Stone Cold Anger, out on May 15, 2026. Their first release in eleven years showcases the band’s explosive energy in its purest form: Stone Cold Anger unfolds heavy, angry, and ready as ever—proving PRO-PAIN haven’t lost even an ounce of strength. An exceptionally catchy offering, the new album fortifies its groovy melodies and stirring guitar riffs with furious and inciting, anthemic vocals, turning the ten new songs into worthy follow-ups to their 3.5M-stream hit “Voice Of Rebellion” (2015).

Stone Cold Anger is an enthralling, memorable, and triumphant milestone for PRO-PAIN, and an impressive demonstration of power. See you in the pit!

Gary Meskil about Stone Cold Anger:
“Thank you to our fans worldwide for 35 years of unwavering support. After a decade away from the recording studio, we return with Stone Cold Anger—an album forged from global tension and the rising demand for accountability.”


Order your copy of Stone Cold Anger NOW

The highly anticipated new album (which features the return of former guitarist Eric Klinger) opens up with the punishing “Oceans Of Blood”, an energetic and captivating track which confirms once again that the hardcore icons have not lost one bit of their relentless anger in the last 35 years. The title track abruptly commences with soaring melodic guitars acting as sirens around frontman and bassist Gary Meskil’s commanding barks. Aptly named “March Of The Giants” is just that, a show of brute force layered upon an ever-so-heavy groove-laden foundation. “Uncle Sam Wants You!” displays a more rock ’n’ roll attitude, complete with a driving bass line and distinct social commentary; the raw and honest vibe continues throughout “Demonic Intervention” and “Rinse & Repeat”. Meskil’s raspy shouts fill the melodies of “Hell Or High Water” before PRO-PAIN forge onward and into the anthemic “Scorched Earth”—fiercely belting “And so it begins…” The following track, “Jonestown Punch”, galvanizes with stirring, up-tempo two-steps before “Sky’s The Limit” rounds off the album with catchy sing-along choruses.

Stone Cold Anger tracklisting:

Oceans Of Blood
Stone Cold Anger
March Of The Giants
Uncle Sam Wants You!
Demonic Intervention
Rinse & Repeat
Hell or High Water
Scorched Earth
Jonestown Punch
Sky’s the Limit

Hammerheart Records have announced the re-issue of Viking metal outfit Mithotyn‘s debut album In the Sign of the Ravens. The 1997 classic, remastered by Nightside Audio (God Macabre, Skymning) will be out on 5th June via the label.

Pre-orders are available HERE.

After releasing four demo tapes, Mithotyn finally put out their first full-length album in 1997. In the Sign of the Ravens delivers a hard, cold take on Viking metal, and at this early stage the band hadn’t yet fully embraced the stronger melodic elements that would become more prominent on later records.

One area where this record really shines is its atmosphere. In many ways, the Viking feeling here is the strongest in their entire discography. This is especially the case during the instrumental tracks like ‘Lost in the Mist’ and ‘Let Thy Ale Swing’. The band creates a mystical mood with folky keyboard melodies layered behind distorted guitars, growls, and occasional chants.

If you’re already a fan of Viking or black Metal, you’ll know roughly what to expect: longer songs with some variation, harsh growled vocals balanced with cleaner chorus sections, and a strong sense of atmosphere. It’s a familiar formula, but one that works well and captures what makes this style of music so enjoyable.


Track-list:
1. Upon Raging Waves
2. In the Sign of the Ravens
3. Shadows of the Past
4. Lost in the Mist
5. Embraced by Frost
6. In the Forest of Moonlight
7. Tills Dagen Gryr
8. Stories Carved in Stone
9. Freezing Storms of Snow
10. Where My Spirit Forever Shall Be
11. Let Thy Ale Swing

German atmospheric black metal act WANDAR presents the first offering from their upcoming new album “Tiefe Erde” (Vendetta Records) with the release of the lyric video for their new single “Trug”. As the album’s debut single, the track sets the tone for what’s to come – immersive, emotionally charged, and steeped in the band’s signature blend of haunting atmosphere and raw intensity.

“Trug” captures WANDAR at their most evocative, weaving together melancholy, tension, and surging aggression into a dense and hypnotic soundscape that pulls the listener deep into the record’s dark thematic core.


Formed in 2006, WANDAR emerged to cast a shadow over every ray of light creeping down from the heavens. Rejecting flashy posturing, the band has built its name on crafting incredibly dense and immersive atmospheric black metal. Rooted in Scandinavian tradition, shaped by representatives of the Cascade region, and ultimately refined through modern perspectives and uncompromising standards.

Torn between raging fury and pain-filled lamentation, teetering between erupting rage and melancholic powerlessness, WANDAR create a state of ominous suspension, a menacing intoxication that can be dangerously beautiful to succumb to. Their messages are full of melancholy, longing, and absolute passion. Coming from deep within crypts, with scarred hearts and bloody eyes.


Tracklist:

Bedrängnis
Trug
Visol-Bolvis
…Nächtlich
Drangsal
Erden
Irrlicht
Hetäre
Gestirne
As the band states: “We burned our temple of the elemental. We descended into the depths of transcendent hells. We bled, we suffered, we fell, and we became one with ancient earths. ‘Tiefe Erde’ completes the circle we began with ‘Landlose Ufer’ and ‘Zyklus’. The fire will always be light!“

“Tiefe Erde” will be released on May 1 via Vendetta Records and is available for pre-order HERE

Line-up:
Kallenheim – Vocals
Zazhgul – Guitar
Karlsgrad – Guitar
Mara – Bass
Totz – Drums

SOUR BLOOD is an progressive/alternative rock band from Poznań, Poland.

A band Sour Blood already released new single titled “Of Animal Flesh and Inhuman Soul” together with video done by Maciej Gensler from costamwyszlo. Song is available for listening at popular streaming platforms. “Elegy” was mixed and mastered by Konrad Janiszewski (Heresy Denied, Stayfires, Kansha).

“Of Animal Flesh and Inhuman Soul” is a song about a person who lives unreflectively within a civilizational bubble, and in their increasingly dominant apathy drifts toward self-destruction. The way we live shares much with the existence of farm animals, while we grow ever more disconnected from nature. We could — and often even want to — question the system and the modern lifestyle built upon it more decisively, but we simply lack the will..

Trio comments new single:

“Life in large cities offers comfort, technology demands little thought from us, art and culture have been overtaken by kitsch, and our herd mentality manifests itself on social media. We want to believe it’s all fine. We like thinking that way — it makes us feel better.

In the song, the lyrical subject in part criticizes others for this behavior, yet is painfully aware that they are guilty of the same ignorance and conformity. The dominant emotion is a sense of hopelessness — or perhaps even more so, disappointment in oneself, as well as in humanity as a whole. It is the realization that one is part of the problem, but in the face of its overwhelming scale, it feels easier to simply coexist with others, even as the world seems to be falling apart before our eyes.

Apathy becomes a vicious cycle — an orbit encircling our entire planet.“


LINE-UP:

Karol Chapko – vocals
Witold Brylewski – guitars
Sergii Serdiuk – drums

THE PRETTY RECKLESS has released "Love Me", the third single from the band's highly anticipated fifth studio album, "Dear God", due on June 26 via Fearless Records. The track arrives as the band prepares to embark on their 2026 headlining world tour.

With "Love Me", THE PRETTY RECKLESS continues building on that trajectory, delivering a bold, emotionally charged track that blends a gritty edge with their signature explosive guitar work and Taylor Momsen's unmistakable powerhouse vocals. Produced by Momsen, guitarist Ben Phillips and Jonathan Wyman, the song highlights a sound that feels both refined and hard-hitting, pushing their intensity even further.

Following the album's introduction with "When I Wake Up", currently at No. 10 on the Mediabase Active Rock chart and reaching No. 16 on Billboard Mainstream Rock last week, "Dear God" leans further into vulnerability, intensity, and creative freedom, shaping one of the band's most raw and uncompromising releases to date. Written with diaristic honesty, the record captures THE PRETTY RECKLESS at their most unfiltered.

Speaking about the song, Momsen said: "'Love Me' came from a place I didn't want to admit I was in. There's this moment in your life where you're so hollowed out that you start bargaining with God, not even for happiness, just for proof that someone sees you. That's what this song is. It's not pretty. It's not wrapped up. It's just a raw, ugly need and I think that's exactly why people connect with it."

THE PRETTY RECKLESS will bring its electrifying stage performance to fans across the world with their all-new headlining "Dear God" tour. The tour will kick off in North America, making stops in New Orleans, Dallas, and Los Angeles before wrapping in Europe. This tour follows their incredible two-year long trek across the globe alongside AC/DC on the "Power Up" tour.

This upcoming marquee year follows a remarkable 12 months for THE PRETTY RECKLESS, which included an acclaimed performance at the prestigious 2026 MusiCares Person Of The Year Gala, where Taylor honored the legendary Mariah Carey alongside the FOO FIGHTERS, as well as a performance at the 2025 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame where Taylor performed with SOUNDGARDEN for their induction. Additionally, the band released their holiday EP "Taylor Momsen's Pretty Reckless Christmas", which features the revamped "Where Are You Christmas?" — the lead single hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, reigniting over two decades of global fandom and nostalgia.

"Dear God" track listing:

01. Life Evermore Pt. 2
02. For I Am Death
03. When I Wake Up
04. Love Me
05. Dragonfire
06. Dear God
07. Life Evermore Pt. 3
08. About You
09. Spell On You
10. Rollercoaster Of Life
11. Eye Of The Storm
12. Devil In Disguise (Michelle's Song)
13. Dark Days
14. Life Evermore Pt. 1

THE PRETTY RECKLESS is a record-breaking rock band fronted by the incomparable Taylor Momsen, whose commanding vocals move seamlessly between raw power and haunting vulnerability. Known for their electrifying live performances, the band has toured the world with legends including AC/DC, THE ROLLING STONES and SOUNDGARDEN. Since their debut "Light Me Up", they've earned global acclaim with hits including "Heaven Knows" and made history as the first female-fronted band to score eight No. 1 singles on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart. Their latest album, "Death By Rock And Roll", is a visceral exploration of life, loss, and the enduring spirit of rock. In 2025, they released their holiday EP "Taylor Momsen's Pretty Reckless Christmas", led by a reimagined version of Momsen's iconic song "Where Are You Christmas?". Next, the band will release their forthcoming fifth studio album "Dear God" and will support the album with a headlining world tour. Marking the beginning of a new creative chapter, "Dear God" embraces vulnerability, intensity and artistic freedom, inviting listeners into one of the band's most raw and uncompromising records yet. The album's release is preceded by its lead single "For I Am Death", which saw the band repeat their record of earning four consecutive number ones on Billboard's mainstream rock chart.

Canada's progressive sci-fi metal innovators VOIVOD will release "Symphonique", a special live collaboration with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra (Orchestre Symphonique De Québec),on June 5, 2026 worldwide via Century Media Records.

"Symphonique", which functions like an epic piece of cinema, showcases VOIVOD's pioneering futuristic metal with the strains of a symphony orchestra, and features a carefully curated VOIVOD best-of setlist composed of 12 songs across 73 minutes, recorded live on June 4, 2025, at the Grand Théâtre in Québec City, Canada.

Offering a first taste of "Symphonique", the band shares the first single, "Forgotten In Space (Symphonique)", alongside an official visualizer curated by Cloud Motion Design, available to view below.

VOIVOD's drummer and founding member Michel "Away" Langevin comments on "Symphonique": "This live album with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra is a longtime dream turned reality. Thankfully, we will experience it again in 2027 with the Orchestre Symphonique du Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, right in the region where VOIVOD formed back in 1983. We wish to take this show across the globe with local orchestras one day, but in the meantime, I hope you will enjoy this epic release. It's the closest we've ever come to sounding like a dystopian sci-fi movie soundtrack, another dream of ours!"

About the first single "Forgotten in Space (Symphonique)", VOIVOD bassist Dominic "Rocky" Laroche adds: "Taken from the album 'Killing Technology', 'Forgotten In Space' transports us to a 'Mad Max'-esque science-fiction universe. [Late VOIVOD guitarist] Denis 'Piggy' D'Amour was even inspired by it when composing parts of the original version. This incredible symphonic masterpiece, orchestrated by Hugo Begin, offers a powerful orchestral introduction that takes us on a musical journey where the fusion of metal and classical music invites us to imagine, for six minutes and 27 seconds, that humanity itself may have been forgotten in space…"

"Symphonique" track listing:

01. Experiment (Symphonique)
02. Holographic Thinking (Symphonique)
03. The Unknown Knows (Symphonique)
04. The End Of Dormancy (Symphonique)
05. Into My Hypercube (Symphonique)
06. Forgotten In Space (Symphonique)
07. Cosmic Drama (Symphonique)
08. Pre-Ignition (Symphonique)
09. Nuclear War (Symphonique)
10. Fall (Symphonique)
11. Tribal Convictions (Symphonique)
12. Astronomy Domine (Symphonique) (PINK FLOYD cover)

VOIVOD previously played two shows with the Orchestre Symphonique De Montréal on January 29, 2025 and January 30, 2025 at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletie in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Regarding how the collaboration with the Orchestre Symphonique De Montréal came about, Langevin told The Metal Voice in a December 2024 interview: "Oh my God, I think we've been dreaming about that forever. But it came through a strange chain of circumstances, where I did an interview for the magazine L'Itinéraire, for homeless people selling magazines on the street, and then I did an interview with one of the journalists for the magazine, and it ended up being published online by La Presse. And then the people directing the orchestra, the organization, they were made aware of that by one of the musicians from the orchestra, which is a metal dude and he's a fan."

The drummer continued: "It's funny because since my cousin Richard Langevin is married to Diane Dufresne, a famous singer from Montreal, and she had done the orchestra before, so they got in touch with him, because I was mentioning him in the article because he showed me how to draw. [Laughs] And anyhow, they phoned Richard, my cousin, and he phoned my mother. [Laughs] And when I came back from touring with VOIVOD, I had a message on my answering machine saying that the orchestra were looking for us. So, quite amazing."

Langevin added: "We didn't approach [the orchestra], but we always talked about either doing symphonic shows or doing a soundtrack for a sci-fi movie or something like that. It's part of the dreams we have."

VOIVOD guitarist Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain, who previously wrote an eight-minute arrangement for the brass quintet that performed with VOIVOD at the Montreal International Jazz Festival (Festival International de Jazz de Montréal) in June 2019, went on to say that the collaboration with the Orchestre Symphonique De Montréal is "a dream come true."

"I never tried to write for a whole orchestra," he explained. "I know a little bit about it, studying orchestration at university and knowing my music theory and all that. But what happened is that my help with the project was to provide the music sheets to the arranger, Hugo Bégin. He did an amazing work. He took the music sheet that I wrote for guitar and bass. So he had a template to work on. And so he orchestrated it for the whole orchestra and added his own color to it. And it's very efficient. It's like a movie soundtrack, like the movie we used to watch, like 'Planet Of The Apes' and 'Ben-Hur' and 'Mad Max' and all that. VOIVOD has been influenced since the beginning by those movies, so you can hear it, but with the whole orchestra, it's very exciting. So I exchanged a lot of e-mails and messages with Hugo, the arranger, and we worked really hard on it and he was really, really fast and efficient. And until the last minute, the last day, there was little modifications here and there, but it's gonna be amazing. It's a dream come true, but it's so big that you only imagine something like that in your wildest dreams, but you know it's not gonna happen. So this is just a life-changing experience, a bonus in a career. It's gonna be grandiose."

Added Langevin: "We're also gonna put a lot of work into the visuals with a company called Noisy Head. They're really high tech. It's gonna be spectacular. They did stuff for Lizzo or CHEMICAL BROTHERS. And also they did a symphonic show with the music of Harmonium. And so, yeah, it's gonna be pretty sci-fi visually as well."

VOIVOD is a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Québec. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s. Starting out as a speed metal band, VOIVOD have added a mix of progressive metal and thrash metal to create their own unique metal style, and are credited as one of the "big four" Canadian thrash metal bands, along with SACRIFICE, RAZOR and ANNIHILATOR. They are considered by many as one of the most influential metal bands from the '80s, influencing and gaining praise from multiple bands and across numerous genres.

VOIVOD found mainstream success in the late 1980s with their fifth studio album, "Nothingface" (1989),which is the band's only album to enter The Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number 114.

VOIVOD's long-awaited official documentary, "We Are Connected", received its world premiere on July 29, 2024 at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Canada.

"We Are Connected" dives deep into the 40-plus-year legacy of one of the most original and influential metal bands in history. From their explosive beginnings in Jonquière to their groundbreaking global journey, VOIVOD's story is one of unparalleled creativity, resilience, and evolution. The film covers VOIVOD's history from unlikely origins in northern Québec at the height of the Cold War to underground success to sharing tours and stages with IRON MAIDEN, RUSH and METALLICA. Included in the documentary are high and lows throughout those 40 years, from major-label support and Billboard recognition to seismic lineup changes and an event many critics claimed to be the end of VOIVOD: the death of co-founding guitarist and composer Dennis "Piggy" D'Amour.

Directed by Felipe Belalcazar and produced with full access to the band's archives, this film features exclusive insights and appearances by metal icons like Tobias Forge (GHOST),Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH),Jason Newsted (METALLICA),Zach Blair (RISE AGAINST, GWAR),Tom G. Warrior (CELTIC FROST, TRIPTYKON) and Ivan Doroschuk (MEN WITHOUT HATS),among many others.

VOIVOD has been touring in support of its latest album, "Morgöth Tales", which was released via Century Media, The Orchard and Sony Music.

The band's 2022 release, "Synchro Anarchy", garnered significant acclaim, winning the 2023 Juno Award for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Album" in Canada.

Once more recorded and mixed by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio, mastered by Maor Appelbaum and produced by VOIVOD, "Morgöth Tales" includes fresh studio re-recordings by the band's current lineup of nine especially selected, not-so-obvious picks from the band's hyper-classy and extremely diverse back catalogue (between 1984 and 2003) as well as a brand-new song and the album's title track, "Morgöth Tales".

Press photo credit: Stéphane Bourgeois

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have confirmed that they will not attend their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year.

The 2026 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony will take place on November 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. At the time of the event, IRON MAIDEN will be in the middle of an Australian tour, with dates booked for November 13 in Melbourne and November 15 in Sydney.

IRON MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood told Billboard in an e-mail: "As the most observant have already noticed, the band will be on tour in Australia around the November date of the induction ceremony for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Los Angeles. In accepting, IRON MAIDEN made it very clear to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame that the fans always come first and that the shows will, of course, go on.

"We would like to assure all our fans in Australasia that the Australian and New Zealand dates will remain unaffected," Smallwood added, "and we look forward to bringing the 'Run For Your Lives' tour to them on the penultimate stop of our 50th-anniversary celebrations."

MAIDEN's Australasian tour will kick off November 7 with the first of two shows at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, before hitting Adelaide Entertainment Centre (November 11),Melbourne's AAMI Park (November 13),Sydney's Allianz Stadium (November 15) and wrapping up with two shows at Brisbane Entertainment Centre (November 18 and November 19). Support on the trek will come from MEGADETH.

IRON MAIDEN is among the artists who will be inducted in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame class of 2026 Performer category. Also set to be honored are Phil Collins, Billy Idol, JOY DIVISION/NEW ORDER, OASIS, Sade, Luther Vandross and WU-TANG CLAN.

Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Gram Parsons will be presented with the Early Influence Award; Philly Soul songwriter Linda Creed, producer Arif Mardin, producer Jimmy Miller and Rick Rubin will be honored with the Musical Excellence Award; and Ed Sullivan will be given the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

"Induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is music's highest honor," John Sykes, chairman of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, said in a statement. "We look forward to celebrating these remarkable artists at this year's ceremony — it's going to be an unforgettable night."

The ceremony will air on ABC and Disney+ in December.

When IRON MAIDEN's induction was first announced earlier this week, Smallwood said in a statement: "We'd like to thank the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for including us (and former members who were all part of our story) in the 2026 roll call of inductees.

"IRON MAIDEN have always been about our relationship with our fans above anything else, including awards and industry accolades. However, having said that, it's always nice to be recognized and honored for any achievements within the music industry too!"

Smallwood added: "It also seems appropriate for the band to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year as we continue our 50th-anniversary celebrations with our 'Run For Your Lives' world tour visiting the Americas and beyond. We would also like to congratulate our fellow 2026 inductees and extend our gratitude as ever to our fans for their loyalty, perseverance and support for over 50 years now! See you all, somewhere on tour."

The MAIDEN musicians being inducted are singer Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris, drummer Nicko McBrain, and guitarists Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers, along with former guitarist Dennis Stratton, former singers Paul Di'Anno and Blaze Bayley, and former drummer Clive Burr.

Having been eligible for induction since 2005, IRON MAIDEN is one of the biggest bands on the planet. Since the release of their self-titled debut album, the British heavy metal legends have released a further 16 full-length studio records, and sold over 100 million copies.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until 2016.

Nominees are being voted on by more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals.

The only metal or metal-adjacent acts to have made it into the Rock Hall so far have been BLACK SABBATH, LED ZEPPELIN, METALLICA, AC/DC, JUDAS PRIEST, KISS, VAN HALEN, RUSH, GUNS N' ROSES, Ozzy Osbourne and DEEP PURPLE.

IRON MAIDEN finished in the fourth place in the fan vote for the 2023 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction class. This year, they reportedly received 395,000 votes in the fan vote.

Seven years ago, Harris said that he didn't care that his band had yet to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame despite the fact that it had been eligible since 2004.

"I don't mind that we're not in things like that," he told Rolling Stone in an interview. "I don't think about things like that. It's very nice if people give you awards or accolades, but we didn't get into the business for that sort of thing. I'm certainly not going to lose sleep if we don't get any sort of award, not just that one, any award. I don't think we deserve to have this or that necessarily. With what we do, whatever comes of it is great. Whatever doesn't come of it is great, too."

Dickinson made headlines in 2018 when he referred to the Rock Hall as "an utter and complete load of bollocks" during a spoken-word gig in Australia, insisting that the Cleveland-based institution is "run by a bunch of sanctimonious bloody Americans who wouldn't know rock and roll if it hit them in the face."

Bruce later told The Jerusalem Post that he was "so annoyed with that coverage because they took my statement out of context to make it seem like I was upset that we weren't in the Hall Of Fame.

"I'm really happy we're not there and I would never want to be there," he continued. "If we're ever inducted, I will refuse — they won't bloody be having my corpse in there.

"Rock and roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland," Bruce added. "It's a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it's dead. It's worse than horrible, it's vulgar."

Harris previously told "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" that he wasn't concerned about whether IRON MAIDEN would eventually be inducted into the Rock Hall. "I don't really think about it, to be honest. I think awards are things that are nice to have when you get them, but it's not something you're really striving for — it's not what it's about it," he said. "It's never been about that. It's aways been about just trying to make good music and go out and play good live shows, and that's it, really. Hopefully people will appreciate it. It's probably nice when people give you awards — don't get me wrong; I think it's great — but it's not something that you would lose sleep over if you didn't get any.

"It's the way that I am," Harris added. "I don't know. Maybe the rest of the guys [in the band] might think differently to me, but that's the way I think. It's not that I don't care about [awards]. It's just… And it's not that they're not meaningful when you do get 'em — it's nice. But I certainly don't worry about it or anything like that. I think other people are the ones that make a bigger deal out of it than us, about whether we got one or not."

The 2026 edition of the "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" will take place November 13-15 at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The four members of KISS's current lineup — Gene Simmons (bass, vocals),Paul Stanley (guitar, vocals),Tommy Thayer (guitar) and Eric Singer (drums) — will perform two "unmasked" shows at the event, just as they did at last year's "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas". The 2026 "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" will also include question-and-answer sessions with KISS and other activities.

More information about ticketing, including VIP packages, can be found on the event's web site.

Over the years, KISS had hosted 11 branded "kruises" that have departed from Los Angeles, Miami and New Orleans, but for the twelfth installment of the event, KISS announced that the "KISS Army Storms Vegas" event would "transform" into "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" and would be Sin City's Virgin Hotels complex last November. This special KISS Army fan event, co-produced by Pophouse, Topeka and Vibee, celebrated the band's five-decade career and the 50th anniversary of the KISS Army. In addition to KISS "unmasked" performances — the band's first live appearances in two years — the weekend included appearances from QUIET RIOT, Stephen Pearcy and Warren DeMartini performing the music of RATT, Bruce Kulick, Sebastian Bach, BLACK 'N BLUE, KUARANTINE, School Of Rock and more.

Speaking to the audience at Indy KISS Fan Expo on Saturday, Stanley stated about "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas": "So, the funny thing with the KISS Kruise — a couple of things. When we were first approached with the idea of doing a KISS cruise, when we first heard about it, I went, 'Who is gonna go on a KISS cruise?' And we've had people from 33 countries around the world for every time we went out. So it was amazing. But the crazy part about it is that over the years everybody started doing cruises, so we can't get a ship most of the time. So last year we decided, I said, 'Well, let's do a 'KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas'.' So we did that, and it was really fun. Having the band play was amazing and seeing everybody was great. And that was the first one. We'll do it again this coming year. We'll do it in November. And as good as that one was, this one's gonna be so much better, because we learn as we're going. And this next KISS Kruise in Vegas is gonna be awesome. I mean, we can't wait to play, and we can't wait to have the bands we're gonna have and be with you again. So, pack your bags."

The legendary rockers kicked off the 2025 edition of the "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" with an outdoor unplugged performance on November 14, 2025 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. At the beginning of the concert, Stanley asked fans in the audience to lift the electric candles which were handed out to everyone prior to the gig in honor of founding KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, who died in October 2025 at the age of 74. Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer also played an electric "unmasked" show the same weekend, marking the first time KISS had performed together since retiring from touring in December 2023.

Simmons told Rolling Stone in a November 2023 interview that the second Madison Square Garden "End Of The Road" concert would mark "the final KISS-in-makeup appearance."

Ace co-founded KISS with Paul, Gene and Peter Criss in New York City in 1973. Frehley appeared on KISS's first nine albums, and returned for the band's 1998 reunion album, "Psycho Circus", only to leave again. He was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with the rest of KISS's original lineup in 2014.

Frehley first left KISS in 1982. He rejoined in 1996 and parted ways with the band once again in 2002 after the conclusion of KISS's first "farewell tour." Since his departure, guitarist Tommy Thayer had assumed the role of the Spaceman.

KISS KRUISE: LAND-LOCKED IN VEGAS returns to Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on November 13–15, 2026 🤘

KISS Army VIP members...

Posted by KISS on Thursday, April 16, 2026

In a new interview with U.K. radio veteran Paul Stephenson of VRP Rocks, former MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland spoke about the song "Liar" from the band's 1988 album "So Far, So Good... So What?", which was written by Dave Mustaine about him. Asked if being publicly called a "liar" by Mustaine hindered his career at the time, Poland said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'm sure it did affect my career, but my career was playing instrumental, whacked-out fusion [music]. I had a handful of people that listened to my music. Those people didn't even listen to MEGADETH, so it didn't matter. And then when [Mustaine] asked me to come back [to MEGADETH] — I don't hold any grudges. Sometimes I get a little upset, if I think about it, but I never read [Dave's] books. People would tell me stuff he said [about me], and I'd be, like, 'What are you gonna do?'"

Poland continued: "I'm writing a book [called 'Now Leaving Metalopolis'] right now with [music journalist, podcaster and author] Matt Herring. And some of that stuff — I have my little rebuttal about stuff that was said [by Dave] about me. 'Cause, first of all, I don't hit girls. There's a lot of things he said [over the years about me] that's total B.S. But you know what? Like I said, I didn't, and I don't, hold a grudge. It's not worth it. And you know who helped me with that was [late MEGADETH drummer] Nick Menza. Cause Dave should have taken care of Nick, and it would get me upset, and I'd get all heated, and Nick would go, 'Dude, you can't carry that around, man. You gotta let all that go.'

"Yeah, I learned a lot from Nick, just in the short time that we were together," Chris added. "I miss him."

Asked what stage he is at right now with his book, Poland said: "Oh, it's close [to being completed]. It's close. And it's good, 'cause I told all the funny stories. I mean, you get to the part where it's the heavy stuff, and it's, like, yeah, it's heavy, but a lot of people have been through that. And it is what it is. But the funny stories are pretty funny, man."

Four separate audio excerpts from Poland's upcoming book, "Now Leaving Metalopolis", as read by Chris's co-author Matt Herring, can be heard below.

Back in May 2025, Poland reflected on his MEGADETH tenure while appearing on "The David Ellefson Show" video podcast, hosted by ex-MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and podcast co-host Joshua Toomey. Poland said at the time:  "I have no regrets about everything that's happened — except one. I regret that Mustaine for years would go on stage and call me a liar. I never really thought much about it, but then I did the math and I realized that's why things were so hard for me to try and get deals. I walked into Carvin [guitars] one day and I thought, 'You know what? These guitars aren't bad. I wanna talk to their A&R guy.' So I spoke to the guy and he goes, 'Dude, we don't use people like you on our roster.' So, I was, like, 'Oh, okay.' So I have a feeling that Dave's anger with me about what it was really was like dragging around a fucking 50-pound ball all the time — back then."

Ellefson chimed in: "Well, look, he did it to [another former MEGADETH guitarist] Jeff Young. There was some derogatory comment [Dave made] that kept [Jeff] from getting work for a long time. I could say the same was attempted at me. Fortunately, I just kept moving. I just kept going and was, like, 'All right, I'm just gonna ignore that comment and keep moving.'"

David continued: "It's interesting. There's always been a lot of these 'former MEGADETH members unite' [situations]. And it's not an intentional thing. It's not. In fact, when I was going back to MEGADETH [15 years ago], Jeff was really taking an issue over Dave [saying in interviews that Mustaine was] whistling or singing guitar solos to him [while Jeff was in the band] or something, and it was a public thing. And he is going, 'Come on, we gotta unite.' And I said, 'Hey, Jeff. I just got home from San Diego. I literally just rejoined MEGADETH.' And this was 2010. And I remember Dave came to me about it, and I said, 'I'll handle it. I'll take care of it.' And I made it go away — as I do. Because that's just part of — I don't know — part of the gift I've been given on this planet. It's, like, we're gonna come to peaceful terms, we're gonna make that go away, and we're all gonna just move on."

Added Chris: "It's not sour grapes or anything. It's just it finally dawned on me just how much damage that really did."

A little over four years ago, Poland told Sofa King Cool about the lyrical inspiration for "Liar": "Obviously, Dave was very upset with me when I left the band — when he fired me, basically."

Asked if he was angry when he first heard he was the lyrical inspiration for the song, Poland said: "No, man. It's like the pot calling the kettle black, man. When you point your finger, man, there's three pointing back at you. I just rolled my eyes and was, like, 'Really?'"

Poland was a member of MEGADETH from 1984 to 1987, during which time he performed on the band's classic albums "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!" and "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" He is also a featured soloist on the group's 2004 album, "The System Has Failed".

Back in 2004, Poland and/or his management and attorney filed a lawsuit against Mustaine regarding the use of the three "Rust In Peace" demos on the album's reissue without Chris's permission. According to MEGADETH's webmaster, Mustaine included the demos because he thought Chris would be "thankful for the promotion, the tipping of the hat, and showing the fans how Marty [Friedman, MEGADETH's guitarist during some of the post-Poland years] had actually been influenced by some of Chris's solo selections for those songs." Chris also allegedly tried to sue Dave for defamation of character because Dave called him a "thief," but Chris's attorney "dropped that after he found out that Chris had actually taken the band's gear and sold it for drugs," according to MEGADETH's webmaster. "Remember, there is a confession in the VH1 'Behind the Music' on MEGADETH," the webmaster said. Chris eventually settled for $9,500 and thereby ended a professional relationship with Dave and MEGADETH.

In a September 2020 interview with Darren Paltrowitz (host of the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" podcast),Mustaine singled out Poland, saying: "Chris Poland, as much as I don't really like the guy, he was a great guitar player, and I wanted to give him a shot when we did the 2004 reissues for 'Peace Sells' and 'Rust In Peace', and I wanted to put that song out on the 'Rust In Peace' reissue. He got involved in a nuisance lawsuit, I think it was, and we just ended our friendship. And I thought, 'God, that was such a waste.'

"There was a little teeny mountain that was right out by where we live, and I said I could have just as soon bought that piece of dirt there than sell Chris's friendship, and I'm so bummed that this happened," Mustaine added. "'Cause I thought it would have been terrific to have him on the record. [When] people say, 'Hey, this sounds like Marty Friedman.' No, Marty Friedman sounded like this, because Chris played it first."

Poland previously discussed the legal issues surrounding the 2004 reissue of "Rust In Peace" in a 2018 interview with the As The Story Grows podcast. He said: "When I did 'The System Has Failed', [Dave] was working on adding the demos to a re-release of 'Rust In Peace'. And I wasn't going to get paid, but I didn't realize that until it came out. I was like, 'Wait a minute — I'm not getting paid for this.' And I tried to call Dave at least a dozen times, and I never heard back from him. Then I called Dave's manager a dozen times, and he wouldn't get back to me. The last time I called him, I said, 'Hey, man. If you don't call me back, I'm going to call [my lawyer], and we're going to have to get into it.' [The manager] calls me back and totally insults me, saying, 'You played a couple solos. So what?' And I'm like, 'What do you mean, 'So what?'' 'Well, Dave thought that you would do it for the fans.' I said, 'Okay. Is everybody else that played on that demo doing it for the fans? Are they getting paid?' He said, 'Chris, that's not the point.' I said, 'Listen, man, we have to do something here. I'm not just going to walk away. I love the fans, but I'm just not going to do it. If everybody else is getting a performance royalty for this, I want one.' I want everybody to know that it wasn't a nuisance suit, it wasn't anything like that. I made every attempt to work it out, and they just ignored me."

For more than two and a half decades, Poland's main musical focus has been the fusion band OHM:, which has released several full-length studio albums to date.

Ellefson and Young are currently playing together in a band called KINGS OF THRASH. In May 2025, the band released a single called "Lockdown", featuring a guest appearance by Poland.

Photo credit: Anabel DFlux (courtesy of ABC Public Relations)

In a new interview with Niels Guns of Sixty Scales And The Truth, Kiko Loureiro spoke about his decision to leave MEGADETH at the end of 2023 after a nine-year run with the band. The 53-year-old Brazilian guitarist, who lives in Finland with his wife and three kids, said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "During MEGADETH, it was great, so nothing to complain. But it was eight years, almost nine years, and then I was touring maybe — I don't know — five months, maybe sometimes six months [in a year], so that's a lot. It's very different than doing 25 days [as I have done on my solo tour]."

He continued: "[There were] many reasons [that contributed to it]; there's never one reason when you take a big decision in life. So one of the reasons was the family. That was the more intensive reason. After doing the tour, there was another three-month tour, and then it was, like, 'Oh, maybe this is too much.' But I was fighting with these thoughts since I joined MEGADETH, basically. My daughter was around five [when I joined MEGADETH], and then one year later [in 2016], after joining MEGADETH, the year that we released the 'Dystopia' album, the Grammy winner and all that, I had twins. So all those years in MEGADETH was difficult to be traveling and having newborn twins at home, and then traveling. So it makes you think a lot, because that's what I always wanted, to be touring, etc., and playing guitar. And then also have the kids, and then your mentality, your mindset changes a lot. And then have the pandemic, and then do another album, etc. And then, at some point, I said, like, 'I think eight, nine years is enough.' And then I felt, like, okay. And then also I felt that the kids needed me more, more than before. [There were] some other issues happening. And there was a three-month tour [coming up], so [I said], like, 'Look, I can help to find a substitute. If you can wait, great. If you don't wanna wait, it's fine as well.'"

Elaborating on some of the other reasons that contributed to his decision to leave MEGADETH, Kiko said: "We did record the [2022] album ['The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!'] in between, in that period. And composing is something that I like as well. I think at some point, [you start thinking about having] freedom of your schedule. I have elderly parents in Brazil, so I wanted to [spend time] there, and there was never a time to travel and to stay — I don't know — 10 days."

Kiko continued: "It's a common thing, it's a common thought [with touring musicians], I believe, depending on your age, of course. And then most of the places I played — we played in amazing places, but I've been doing this for a long time as well. So you think about this, like, 'I did this a lot, and where [can I go] from here?' And also there's that too. Sometimes you think about, 'I would love to do something else,' or, like, 'Should I play other kinds of music or compose differently or be more open to different things?' But that's a constant. The creative mind, let's say, is never satisfied."

Loureiro went on to say that he had some room to express his creativity while he was a member of MEGADETH.

"In MEGADETH, I could be creative there because we did two albums," he explained. "I could say whatever I wanted to say about the concert, or ideas for the lights, or stage performance, or whatever. Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] was very open to [my input]. I think we had great conversations about everything in life, and also about the MEGADETH business. And that's why I think I was such a long time there, and then I had maybe, like, 13 or 15 compositions with Dave, which is pretty much. But I think there's always an expiring date, let's say. There's a moment that it's, like, 'Yeah, maybe it's time to go to another place.' So those actual forces kind of push you — maybe the family, maybe some stuff that was happening inside the band as well, maybe something about, as I said, I would love to decide when I want to go visit my parents or not. Because when you have kids, you cannot just travel. I was traveling a lot, and when you go home, you just wanna stay home."

Kiko previously talked about the circumstances surrounding his MEGADETH exit in a January 2024 interview with Guitar World magazine. "It started when I booked a trip home to Brazil," he revealed. "The last time I'd been was in 2019, before the pandemic; I got to a point where I said, 'I need to visit my family,' so I booked a trip for the Thanksgiving period in 2023 because MEGADETH never does anything around that time.

"When you're young, not married and have no kids, the mindset is, 'The more concerts, the better.' But my daughter is [a teenager] now, and I want to spend time with her. I also want to be out there playing. When the MEGADETH thing happened for me in 2015, I had a young daughter and twins who were newborns. I was always struggling with knowing I needed to be touring, but also wanted to be home with my kids and my wife. So the feeling of, 'Should I be out doing this rock star thing while my kids are at home?' kept coming up. And the more moments and important dates I missed, the harder it was. It got harder in 2023, especially during the three-month summer tour. So I went to Dave in June [of 2023], saying, 'This is too much. I'm not feeling like I'm in the right place or mood to give 100 percent.' It was complicated for me to say because I wanted to play, but I knew I needed to be at home. And, of course, Dave was not expecting it. We had just done a show in Florida with the MISFITS, and it was right after that show that I talked to Dave. And then MEGADETH management was there, and I let them know I could not do the September [2023] gigs. I offered to help find a replacement and do what was needed to help MEGADETH be ready to go."

Regarding what led to his departure being a permanent situation rather than just a temporary thing, Kiko said: "My proposal was not to do the September [2023] shows and help them find a replacement, which turned out to be Teemu [Mäntysaari]. But then I had some situations with my kids and had to go to the doctor, and I felt like I wanted to be home.

"And I get it — MEGADETH must go on, right? Being able to pick and choose where and when I play is not going to be a thing. I mean, I guess it could be, but that's not the way it turned out. Maybe they felt like, 'Well, Kiko might come out on the next tour and say the same thing,' which I understand. So I told them, 'I understand if you guys feel that I'm unreliable,' They kept asking me, 'Are you sure?' Ultimately, I had to take control because I knew I needed and wanted to be home. People who don't have kids won't understand, while if you do, you will."

In November 2023, Kiko announced his decision to "extend" his absence from MEGADETH's touring activities, explaining that he didn't want to "hinder any of the band's plans or the hard work of all the incredible people involved in the tour."

Kiko revealed in September 2023 that he would sit out the next leg of MEGADETH's "Crush The World" tour in order to stay home with his children back in Finland.

One day after Kiko's announcement that he was "extending" his absence from MEGADETH's touring activities, Mustaine released a statement in which he said that he loves Loureiro and respects and fully supports Kiko's decision. He described Kiko as "a top-notch professional, a maestro" and thanked the guitarist "for his dedication and hard work these past nine years, helping us to achieve a Grammy on 'Dystopia' and the additional awards we have received on this latest record 'The Sick... The Dying...And The Dead'." Mustaine added: "I could not have done this without Kiko Loureiro."

MEGADETH played its first concert with Mäntysaari on September 6, 2023 at Revel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The 39-year-old Mäntysaari was born in Tampere, Finland and began playing guitar at the age of 12. In 2004, he joined the band WINTERSUN. He has also been a member of SMACKBOUND since 2015.

Loureiro officially joined MEGADETH in April 2015, about five months after Chris Broderick's exit from the group.

In addition to Mustaine and Mäntysaari, MEGADETH's current lineup includes former SOILWORK drummer Dirk Verbeuren and bassist James LoMenzo.

Image credit: Metal Total Brasil

Video of former SEPULTURA and current SLIPKNOT drummer Eloy Casagrande's April 11 performance at The Europe Drum Show in Friedrichshafen, Germany can be seen below.

In an interview with Thomann's Drum Bash, Casagrande explained how he came to join SLIPKNOT in early 2024 prior to the launch of the heavy metal giants' 25th-anniversary North American tour. Reflecting on how he approached his first jam with the other SLIPKNOT musicians, Eloy said: "When I was invited to do the audition for SLIPKNOT, I didn't know how the guys wanted the drums to sound like, what they were looking for, if they wanted just a replacement for [original SLIPKNOT drummer] Joey [Jordison], for [more recent former SLIPKNOT drummer] Jay [Weinberg], or if they wanted a new, a different personality on the drums. So that was my biggest concern at the beginning — how I'm gonna approach the songs. Can I put myself into the music, or I have to respect all the original recordings, the original drummers? So when I went to the audition, I knew all the songs, but I knew also things that I could change by myself. But at the beginning, I was trying just to be the most respectful that I could be for the original arrangements. Don't change the music, don't change the songs. And then from time, like after a few months, I was able to change a few things. The band liked that. They also wanted to have a different personality on the drums. They wanted to have myself, Eloy, on the drums and not any previous member playing the drums."

Elaborating on how much freedom he had to express himself on the drums during his SLIPKNOT audition, Eloy said: "It depends a lot on the gig that you're gonna get. But the best thing that you can do is to talk to people, talk to the other musicians. Don't try to guess what they want from you, what they expect from you. So if you get a new gig, just go there and talk to the other musicians, what they are looking for, what they expect. And then you can prepare yourself. And in my case, I didn't have the chance to talk to SLIPKNOT before I went for the audition. I just met the guys on the first day of the audition, so I had to be prepared for everything. But I had that mentality — if you don't know how it's gonna be, just be prepared the best you can in different perspectives."

Asked if he feels comfortable in gigs where there's no place for him to be himself and where he is expected to only replicate the parts that were previously recorded and performed by another drummer, Eloy said: "Oh, yes. I did that a few times in my life. And some of the arrangements that I had to play either with SLIPKNOT or with SEPULTURA, I had to respect the original arrangement. Some of this stuff is very classic; you're not supposed to change that. There are just a few things, small details that I can change, some drum fills, but the structure of the song, the soul, the meaning, you cannot change that. But also if I had to play exactly the same thing, I wanna be able to do that, I was able to do that. But I feel a lot more comfortable if I have my freedom of speech, my freedom of musicality, if I can be myself at least a little bit. And that's something that I have always been concerned [about] in my life — to be in a band, to be in a place that I can express myself, that I'm not gonna be just a hired gun, a hired musician playing whatever they want me to play. And I was lucky enough to play in bands that the guys, the other musicians, they wanted me to be myself. They wanted me to have my perspective regarding music. So I'm very lucky regarding that. But in the past, yes, when I was a teenager and I was playing professionally, doing some pop gigs, country gigs in Brazil, a lot of recording sessions, I was just doing what the producer wanted me to do, or the band wanted me to do. I was having fun either way because I was playing the drums by the end of the day, but it's different when you can just sit and the people wanna listen to you. I'm very grateful for that."

Back in October 2024, Eloy told ProMark Drumsticks about how he came to join SLIPKNOT: "I just got a call from the manager. He asked me if I was interested in doing an audition for the band. So I came here to the U.S. I spent 10 days with the band. We were just jamming so we could check if there was some kind of chemistry between us. We spent, like, four or five days just recording new stuff. I think they wanted to check if I was able to compose some drum parts and to check if I was also able to record drums in the studio, because that's a whole different universe. So that was a very complete audition. And after those same days, I went back to Brazil. And they gave me a call two days later saying that I was in the band, that I made it. That was super cool."

Reflecting in more detail on his SLIPKNOT audition, Eloy said: "I had, like, 15 days to learn the songs; they gave me a big list of songs that I was supposed to learn. Every day in the rehearsal, we were trying different songs, picking different stuff from different albums. But, of course, I already knew how to play some of their songs.

"I remember the first day that I was there. I was warming up in the studio. I had, like, my pad, drumsticks, pedals. And the guys from the band, they started arriving at the studio, and I was in shock. When we played the first song, I did several mistakes, because I was so in shock to see everybody in front of me. And I couldn't think. I couldn't even breathe. But they were, like, 'Okay, we understand that you're in a difficult situation right now. We understand your side. So just relax, have fun. We're just here to see the vibe.' And then from the second day, I think everything got better. I was more relaxed to play the drums and just let the music flow."

Casagrande said that it was a huge honor and a dream come true for him to be an official member of SLIPKNOT.

"I have been listening to SLIPKNOT since I was a teenager, and it was very important to my musical formation," he said. "And here we are now, after a couple of months, we're here. When I was — I don't know— 12 years old, watching them on MTV playing 'Duality', that blew my mind. It's such an honor to be here now.

"Now, I never imagined that this was something possible," he added. "There is the difference of countries — I live in Brazil; it's an American band. We don't forget that I was lucky to be at the right moment in the right spot. So, I was invited to be here."

In an interview with Tone-Talk, SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root spoke about how Casagrande came to join SLIPKNOT and his impact on the band's overall sound. He said: "We didn't even try anybody else. Eloy's name came up. He contacted us, actually, about wanting to be a part of it and started sending a bunch of videos in. I think him and our bass player [Alessandro 'Vman' Venturella] might've had a little bit of a relationship before. I think they knew each other. They had mutual friends. And Vman's really in tune with a lot of really great, proggy, heavy musicians that are passionate about their instruments. And it just seemed like a no-brainer. And he's really respectful of the legacy of Joey, and Joey was a huge influence on him. And he's so humble. The dude has so much humility. And you could tell he just lives and breathes his craft, to the point where I see his passion and it ignites my passion for my instrument. And Brazilians, South Americans in general, are so passionate about what they do. Our manager told me, he was out to dinner with four or five promoters from South America, and they were all really stoked. They're all, like, 'It's so good you've got a Brazilian drummer in SLIPKNOT now. We kind of feel like we've won the World Cup.' It's a cool feeling. And God, he just fits in so well. I don't know, man. I mean, there's a lot of things I can say about it. I'm just glad it happened when it did. And we're lucky to have him — we are really lucky to have that dude."

After parting ways with Jay Weinberg in November 2023, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer in March 2024, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption "Rehearsal."

The band explained in a statement that the split with Weinberg was a creative decision. Jay followed up with a statement of his own, saying that he was "heartbroken and blindsided" by his dismissal.

Casagrande abruptly quit SEPULTURA in February 2024, shortly before he was supposed to begin rehearsals for the band's recently launched 40th-anniversary farewell tour.

"February 6th, a few days prior to the first rehearsal, drummer Eloy Casagrande informed the band that he was leaving SEPULTURA to pursue a career in another project," the band said in a statement.

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA more than 14 years ago as the replacement for Jean Dolabella.

SLIPKNOT's latest album "The End, So Far", arrived in August 2022. It marked the band's the last full-length LP before the departure of both keyboardist Craig Jones, who left the group in June 2023, and Weinberg.