On Thursday, November 17, SKID ROW performed the song "The Gang's All Here" at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden as part of a special event celebrating 100 years of Swedish ice hockey. During the "Tidernas Hockeygala" event, Swedish ice hockey's great successes was celebrated, classic moments were revisited and the greatest heroes of hockey history were honored. In addition, a specially composed jury consisting of former players/managers as well as journalists selected prestigious awards.

SKID ROW's participation in the event was first announced by the band's Swedish-born singer Erik Grönwall on November 10 via his social media. Erik, who joined the band in January, shared a photo of SKID ROW's current lineup, and he included the following message: "These guys will be flying to Sweden to perform a song at Avicii arena on November 17th to celebrate 100 years of Swedish hockey. @officialskidrow played there with @gunsnroses back in the day and I won Swedish Idol in that same arena. Another full circle. The show will be aired live on @svt".

Grönwall went from auditioning for the competition show "Swedish Idol" back in 2009 by singing a cover of "18 And Life" to being asked to front SKID ROW earlier this year.

Erik, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021, reflected on his journey in a recent interview with 80's Metal Recycle Bin. He said: "I wouldn't call myself a religious man [laughs], but I would call myself… After all of this, I'm way more spiritual. I'm, like, 'Okay, who planned this?' I was on my way to a completely different life [before my diagnosis], but it was kind of like someone just nudged me.

"I was scrolling on Instagram a couple of days ago and I just saw a post, and it was a text saying, 'I'm sorry I had to make you uncomfortable, but I had to make you move. God.' And I was, like, 'Oh, fuck, man.' [Laughs] That's what it feels like.

"I'm not sure if everything happens for a reason, but that's the only way I can explain this — getting leukemia, then ending up in my favorite band," he continued.

"When I was on stage in [Las] Vegas [with SKID ROW in March and April], I was interacting with the audience, and I told them that, 'Do you know how amazing it feels to be here singing the song that started your career?' 'Cause '18 And Life' was the song I auditioned with for the 'Idol' show; that's what got me on 'Idol'. And I told them, 'Do you know how it feels to be here on stage with your favorite band of all time singing the song that started your career?' And someone commented on it, and it was, like, 'Did he just quote the 'Rock Star' movie script?' And I was, like, 'Yeah, I didn't even think about that, but it's that movie," he said, referencing the film in which an average kid from Pittsburgh gets tapped to be the new lead singer for his favorite heavy metal band. "So it's kind of like a movie script.

"It's just incredible," Erik added. "I'm still trying to process it. It feels like I've been in the band for two years. It's been four months. We've done, like, 30 shows in four months. We recorded an album. We started working on a new album. We recorded a music video. Everything has been happening so fast. It's overwhelming in so many ways."

Erik also credited his wife with providing him with the emotional strength and support that he needed through his ordeal.

"I wanna say my wife has been incredible this whole journey, especially during the treatments, 'cause when I was ready to give up, she was, like, 'Hey, you're not giving up now. You've got so many people that love you and need you in their lives.' She was tough," he recalled. "And I needed that. So I was, like, 'Yeah, I know.' And I can mention I also have a two-and-a-half-year-old son at home. So that was really, really tough — coming back from the hospital and seeing him. That was my weak spot. She really helped me a lot, and she's very understanding. And obviously, when you have this kind of lifestyle, you need someone who really understands that lifestyle and supports it. And it's kind of a selfish lifestyle in many ways. But she totally gets it, and she's got my back."

Grönwall, who was a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T. for nearly a decade before exiting the group in October 2020, announced in September 2021 that he was cancer free after receiving a bone marrow transplant one month earlier.

"There's been a lot of tears, and I still get emotional now talking about this," Erik said. "I think I'm done with the crying [laughs] — I think — but somehow I feel grateful that I went through all of this, 'cause it gave me a lot of perspective. I'm 34, and I just feel like I've gotten a lot of perspective on things.

"Being in this business, you see a lot of comments, and you've gotta be tough in many ways," he explained. "And back in the H.E.A.T. days, negative comments could really get to me. Now I'm just, like, 'Dude, I don't care.'

"I'm so happy to wake up every day above ground. It's, like, 'Shit, I get another day? What am I gonna do with this day?'

"I was happy before SKID ROW," Erik added. "I am very happy in SKID ROW. Everything is temporary. I will be happy after SKID ROW. I'm just happy. I've got perspective, and I'm just happy to be alive. And I'm gonna keep singing until this voice can't sing anymore."

Grönwall sang on H.E.A.T.'s last four studio albums — "Address The Nation" (2012),"Tearing Down The Walls" (2014),"Into The Great Unknown" (2017) and "H.E.A.T II" (2020).

In September 2021, Grönwall released his new cover version of "18 And Life" via all streaming platforms.

In 2018, Grönwall debuted in the U.S. for 10 million viewers in NBC's live broadcast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". Along with John Legend, Alice Cooper, Sara Bareilles and others, Erik played the key role of Simon Zealotes.

This past January, Grönwall told Headbangers Lifestyle about beating cancer: "Some anonymous wonderful human being somewhere in the world donated his/her blood cells so that I could get a second chance at life. Sometimes I can just get tears in my eyes when I think about it. It's so beautiful that one person who is not connected to me in any way wanted to do that for me. He/she doesn't know that the blood cells were for me. It's completely anonymous."

In late March, SKID ROW released its first single with Grönwall, "The Gang's All Here". The song is the title track of the band's latest album, which arrived on October 14 via earMUSIC.

SKID ROW played its first show with Grönwall on March 26 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as the support act on the rescheduled dates for SCORPIONS' "Sin City Nights" residency.

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GODSMACK's music video for the song "Surrender" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Lighting Up The Sky", which will arrive on February 24, 2023 via BMG.

Co-produced by vocalist/guitarist Sully Erna and Andrew "Mudrock" Murdock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ALICE COOPER),"Lighting Up The Sky" is a testament to powerful storytelling.

"I like when a record takes you on a journey from front to back. I realized there's a whole story here about one man's journey, the ups, and downs," says Erna. "I believe it's a story everyone will connect to, on a human level, because we've all gone through things in life." The album explores boy-meets-girl, obstacles in relationships, the polarized political climate and the state of the world, betrayal, connection, rebounds, and more. It also gets into the idea of legacy, what we leave behind; fitting for what Erna has noted as GODSMACK's final studio album.

"Lighting Up The Sky" track listing:

01. You And I
02. Red White & Blue
03. Surrender
04. What About Me
05. Truth
06. Hell's Not Dead
07. Soul On Fire
08. Let's Go
09. Best of Times
10. Growing Old
11. Lighting Up The Sky

In a recent interview with Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X, Erna spoke about the fact that "Lighting Up The Sky" will likely be GODSMACK's final collection of original material. He explained: "It's the most important record, I think, we've ever written and recorded.

"I've never been that artist who says, 'Oh, this record is our newest record. It's our best work ever.' You can read any interview you want over my whole career, and you've never heard me say it," he continued. "I've always loved our records [and] I always knew there would be some good singles on it and hoped it did well, but I was never the guy that said, 'This is our best fucking work ever.' And I'm telling you right now this is our best fucking work ever. And it's because it's emotional, man. This is the last record we're ever gonna do. This is the last run around the mill for us. We put every single ounce of energy and emotion into this album. Especially for me, when I wrote a lot of these songs, it was about my life journey. That's really what the sequence of this album becomes about. Not that it was planned that way, but this really kind of mystical thing happened where I felt like the universe wrote this record.

"We went in there with no plan, no ideas — very minimal ideas, just jamming. And, 'what's gonna be the topic? What am I gonna talk about now? How many times can I talk about a broken relationship?' Blah blah blah. And then it just started happening where song after song that was written, as I'm sequencing it and putting it in the order that I would like people to hear it in… We're still old school and we like an album to have a flow from front to back. I love vinyl — I want people to listen to side A and side B. And this one really told a story. And when I started to realize that, I'm, like, Okay. Let me shuffle these around a little bit more.'"

Erna went on to clarify that GODSMACK does not intend to stop playing live shows anytime soon. "I wanna make sure people are clear about what we're saying here," he said. "I'm not saying that the band may be breaking up. What I'm saying is I think this may be the last body of work you get musically from the band. And it's because we're in this place in our lives right now where we've done a lot of work over the last three decades. Without sounding egotistical, which we're not trying to do, we're at 27 Top 10 singles, 11 Number Ones. We could literally do back-to-back nights in an arena and play 15 songs a night and never play the same single twice, let alone the 'B' cuts. And we started thinking, when we were in that thought process, why are we in here grinding all the time and doing this new music when we wanna just also know that we've never stopped in the 25 years we've been touring. We'd like to be able to enjoy our lives, our family, our houses, the things that we've earned over the years that we've sacrificed. So I think the balance for that, the happy medium, is to be able to just go out there now and continue to do live shows and put the greatest-hits show together.

"I don't know what we're gonna do after this record," he explained. "And it doesn't make sense to continue to do music. It really feels complete in a good way, in a positive way. We feel like we've honored our career, our relationships with our fans, and we're always gonna be there for them; we're gonna do shows. But as far as to continue this, after this [album], unless we just decide one day, 'Yeah, one more for the road,' I think this could be it for us with new music."

According to Erna, GODSMACK plans to hit the road after the release of "Lighting Up The Sky" and never stop. "That's forever now. It's forever now," he said. "From the point we start touring, we will always tour. We may take some breaks here and there, but we're now gonna start setting up the greatest-hits show, because we feel like we're able to do that. We can now play the best of the best that the fans have identified as what they've enjoyed the most over the years and why these songs became hit singles."

Sully said that the decision to stop releasing new albums was influenced by the fact that too many people these days don't care about new music from bands who have been around as long as GODSMACK.

"As a music lover and a fan of live shows and bands in general, that when you go see your favorite bands, there's a certain point in their career where you just go, 'I don't really give a shit about a new record anymore. I'm sorry, but I wanna hear 'Dream On' and 'Train Kept A Rollin'' and 'Same Old Song And Dance'. I don't wanna hear any of this new shit. I don't know it and I don't care. But these other songs have lived with me for two, three, four decades,'", he said. "And I just feel like we're getting to that place where… If we get out there and we don't play 'I Stand Alone' or 'Keep Away' or 'Voodoo' or whatever these songs have been for these people over the years, they ream us for it. So we know we're stuck with that. We're always gonna play the hits. But we have so many singles now that it's time, I think, to try to pull as many as we can off this record, add it to that list and then go out there and play the best of the best. And then maybe throw a few surprises every show, whether it's the drum battle or some fun cover."

Erna concluded by saying that "Lighting Up The Sky" does not represent "an ending" but is rather "a new beginning. This is a new beginning of an era — it's the beginning of our sunset years," he explained. "And in our sunset years we wanna create something really special for the fans live where we can take every cool moment that we've ever done in every album cycle — the 'Awake' album had certain things we featured in the live show; the 'Faceless' record had certain things we featured from the live show; and so on — now we can create a montage of all those special things in each tour and just do a 'holy crap' show. That's what I wanna create. We're gonna try to make it big and special and important, filled with all special moments that people have enjoyed over the years. And I think that's gonna be really satisfying to us as well, 'cause it takes a lot of pressure off of us to know now we can just go out and enjoy what we do. Playing music is what we love the most — live. And it gives us more time to connect with the fans, connect with the live show and just enjoy the best part of why we do this for a living."

"Surrender", which arrived in September, marked the first release from GODSMACK in four years, following their globally acclaimed and gold-certified 2018 album "When Legends Rise", which earned the Erna-fronted outfit a No. 1 spot across U.S. Hard Rock, Rock, and Alternative album charts.

In September 2021, GODSMACK's latest album, "When Legends Rise", was certified gold on by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies. In addition, two more of the LP's singles (the title track and "Under Your Scars") were also officially certified gold by the RIAA. The album's first single "Bulletproof" earned a platinum digital single award in September 2020 and was previously certified gold in the U.S.

"When Legends Rise" was the seventh studio album from GODSMACK. Produced by Erik Ron and Erna, it was the band's first release in four years and was recorded at their now-former headquarters (GSHQ) in Derry, New Hampshire. The album went on to garner a multitude of career milestones for the group: four No. 1 rock tracks (an accomplishment that makes GODSMACK one of only four rock acts to achieve this),and a record 11 No. 1 singles in the band's career with the album's fourth single, "Unforgettable". "When Legends Rise" entered the Billboard Top 200 album chart in the top ten (No. 8),with four No. 1 placements on other charts: Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Music Albums, Top Independent Albums and Top Alternative Albums.

††† (CROSSES) — DEFTONES frontman Chino Moreno's project with FAR guitarist Shaun Lopez — will release a new EP, "Permanent.Radiant", on December 9. The official music video for another one of the EP's tracks, "Sensation", directed by Lopez and Lorenzo Diego Carrera, can be seen below.

"Permanent.Radiant" will arrive nine months after ††† (CROSSES) released two new songs, "Initiation" and "Protection", neither one of which will appear on the new EP.

"Permanent.Radiant" track listing:

01. Sensation
02. Vivien
03. Cadavre Exquis
04. Day One
05. Holier
06. Procession

Last December, Lopez confirmed that ††† (CROSSES) had signed a new deal with Warner Records. That same month, ††† (CROSSES) dropped its cover of Q Lazzarus's "Goodbye Horses" as a digital single. The track was previously covered by ††† (CROSSES) back in 2014.

Prior to "Goodbye Horses"' digital arrival, ††† (CROSSES)'s last release was a cover of "The Beginning Of The End" by '90s electropop band CAUSE & EFFECT. Made available in December 2020, it was the first new music from the alternative band since its 2014-released, self-titled record.

Moreno told The Pulse Of Radio how he got involved with the group in the first place, which was started by Lopez and Chuck Doom. "Shaun and Chuck were working together for a while before I came into the picture, and I just so happened to come in one day," he said. "These guys were, you know, writing some stuff and I heard it and I liked it right off the bat, and I sort of weaseled my way [Laughs] into the project. I think their idea was to get a bunch of different singers to, you know, just write different tracks, and... it didn't happen."

††† (CROSSES)'s CD included the songs from the band's two previously released EPs along with five new tracks.

Moreno told Rolling Stone about ††† (CROSSES)' sound: "By listening to the music, you can tell that a lot of the influences come from the new-wave era. That was basically the scene that I came up on. I just happened to wind up in a metal band when I was 15."

Asked about ††† (CROSSES)'s heavy use of the cross in the band's imagery and songtitles, Moreno said: "I think a lot of bands are influenced by religious symbolism and not even necessarily Christianity or Catholicism. Our band definitely doesn't follow any of those. It's more of the aesthetic. The art, the way it works. The initial name of the band was going to be HOLY GHOST. But at the last minute, another band came out with the name, so Shaun suggested CROSSES. It's a very strong symbol. Three crosses is great. It's great to look at, there's three of us in the band."

††† (CROSSES) made its live debut in January 2012 at The Glass House in Pomona, California.

STILLWELL, the band featuring KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, vocalist/guitarist Anthony "Q-Unique" Quiles and P.O.D. drummer Noah "Wuv" Bernardo, has released the official Ahren Anthony-directed music video for its new single, "Welcome To My World". The track is taken from STILLWELL's upcoming fourth album, "Rock The House".

Last month, STILLWELL released the "Rock The House" title track with a music video that paid homage to BEASTIE BOYS. In September, STILLWELL dropped "Can't Stop Now", which marked the band's first new music since the release of STILLWELL's third album, 2020's "Supernatural Miracle". The follow-up to STILLWELL's past albums — "Raise It Up" (2015) and "Dirtbag" (2011) — was described in a press release as "the culmination of years' worth" of the individual members "finding their voice."

Also in September, Fieldy issued a statement saying that STILLWELL "has nothing to do with KORN". On September 6),he wrote on his social media: "Some clarity about STILLWELL. I've been doing STILLWELL for about 16 years, this isn't something new, although to some of you it is, that's cool. Along with my bros Wuv (POD) and Q (ARSONISTS, RADAMUS),we've put out 3 albums, we're about to drop our 4th.

"It has nothing to do with KORN or my status with KORN or anything else. It isn't Heavy music, it's alternative rock.

"We've always wrote STILLWELL music while on tour with KORN or at home. We've actually opened for KORN back in 2011, and to add one more little fact, the 1st STILLWELL video 'Killing Myself to Live' was during a KORN concert (2006),back when David [Silveria, drums] was in KORN, he's in the video, that's how far back STILLWELL goes. Again, it isn't metal or nu metal or heavy music, and that was my way of being respectful to the integrity of KORN, I knew STILLWELL had to be different.

"Thank you to those who have shown love and support and to those that aren't into STILLWELL, there's plenty of heavy bands out there to fulfill your needs.

"Thank you, Fieldy."

Fieldy announced in June 2021 that he would sit out KORN's ongoing tour in order to "heal" after "falling back" on some of his "bad habits." He has since been replaced on the road by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bassist Roberto "Ra" Díaz.

When Fieldy broke the news of his absence from KORN's summer 2021 trek, he wrote in a social media update: "To all KORN fans worldwide. The past 6 years I've been dealing with some personal issues that at times have caused me to fall back on some of my bad habits and has caused some tension with the people around me. It's been suggested to me to take some time off to heal. I'm going to respect what was asked of me and take that time. Unfortunately you will not see me on stage with my band. I will be working towards getting the bad habits out of my system. In the meantime I will be staying creative to keep my mind & soul in a good place.

"I'm thankful for all of your support, patience & understanding as we all have something that we deal with.

"Jonathan, Munky, Ray and Head, I love you and I don't want to bring any tension or bad vibes to the circle."

A short time later, KORN's official social media shared Fieldy's statement, along with the following message: "We love and support our brother, Fieldy. Health and family always comes first."

During a press conference at this year's Hellfest in Clisson, France, KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer was asked about Fieldy's current status. He said: "[Fieldy] needed a little time at home with his family to kind of regroup. We decided we were gonna make a record during the pandemic and use that time constructively. And once the pandemic was over and we were ready to go back on the road, he wasn't quite ready to do that yet. So the rest of us were anxious to get back in front of our fans and play for everybody."

Earlier in June, KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch told Kerrang! Radio that he had "been in contact" with Fieldy. "I just e-mailed him the other day," he said. "So we're gonna get together and talk to him, see how he's doing, see where his head is at, after this tour. Me and Munk were just talking about it. We love him, we've been in communication with him, and we'll see."

KORN drummer Ray Luzier told Germany's MoreCore that Fieldy is "doing good. He's our brother. We love him. We support him 110 percent," he said. "Bands are like marriages. Sometimes you need to step away a little bit to look at the picture and see what's going on with your individual life, and I think that's where we're all at now with Reggie. He's such a great dude and he's one of my best buds, so we support him in everything he does. No one has a crystal ball — I don't know what's gonna happen in the future — but we definitely miss him out here."

According to Luzier, Díaz is "doing a great job. He's doing a hell of a job. But there's a sound about Fieldy that isKORN," he said. "There's that signature thing that not many bass players can say that. Just that sound — you pop a KORN album on, and you're, like, 'Woah.' That bass, you take that out and it wouldn't sound normal, because Munky and Head [Brian Welch] don't sound normal, and neither does Jon [singer Jonathan Davis]. But that bass, man, it's just leading a lot of those older records."

This past February, Welch told Spotlight Report that Fieldy was "just taking a little time to be with his family. He is a great dad," Welch said. "He has so many kids. He has adult kids, teenagers and young kids. He is just taking time, and we are giving him the time. We want everyone to be healthy and happy.

"I guess we will go and tour this record," Head continued, referencing KORN's recently released album "Requiem". "I don't know a lot more other than that. We love him very much and we hope to communicate with him during the year at some stage, to see where everyone is at."

Welch previously addressed Fieldy's position in KORN during a November 2021 interview with U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine. At the time, he stated: "The best thing to do is stay at home, be with your family, and start processing. He's got to find that healing. I still struggle with it. I had a few slip-ups with my 'bad habits' three to four years ago, so I understand it, but I dealt with it by hitting it head-on and stopping it from becoming a problem. I'm not concerned because I know he's going to be okay."

Davis expressed a more worried outlook on Fieldy's predicament, saying: "I love him; he's my brother. But I watched somebody I care about die and I'm not going to fucking do that again. I refuse to. I will feel guilt for the rest of my fucking life because of that. I tried my hardest but perhaps if I'd been a little bit tougher there'd have been a different outcome. I pray that he can figure it out and get better and come back and be a huge part of this band again."

Despite the fact that he is not joining his KORN bandmates on their current tour, Fieldy did play on "Requiem".

Earlier in November 2021, Shaffer told "Loudwire Nights" host Toni Gonzalez about Fieldy: "Right now he's just taking some time to kinda figure out what makes him happy and figure out his happiness and what he wants to do with his life, I guess is the best way to put it. And make sure his mental health is at its best, because if your mental health isn't good, or you're not clear, you're gonna make bad choices.

"I make an example," he continued. "I had my own challenges through the years, and once you get clarity, your life becomes a lot easier to manage. We're just giving him time to, like, no pressure, just figure out what you want to do because we can still work and we can still go out and tour. But we miss him. We love the guy, and we want him to just be healthy."

Regarding how KORN ended up recruiting Díaz to fill in for Fieldy, Welch told 97.9 GRD: "Well, there's COVID and everything, so when we started talking about it, it was a thing where we wanted to be careful still and whatnot. So we just started brainstorming and hitting up friends and whatnot. We need the slap — we need the slap bass, we need the finger playing, we need someone, 'cause Fieldy is unique — very unique. So it just kind of happened that way, man, where Ra, he was open because SUICIDAL [was] not going out [on tour] until [the following] year. So it just worked out, man. He came down, we jammed. He's a really humble guy, and just very talented. He can play anything — from jazz to slap to anything. He played all the songs with, like, three mistakes out of 10 songs or something — little mistakes. I mean, not even mistakes — it was just, like, 'I thought I heard it that way.' They weren't even mistakes. So we were, like, 'Okay. You got it down.'"

NIGHTWISH's Floor Jansen has revealed that she is "cancer free" after recently undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

Earlier today (Friday, November 18),Floor took to her social media to write: "Great news! I am cancer free. The surgery took everything cancerous out and it hasn't spread! I'll get local radiation therapy in February to make sure everything stays out.

"I'm getting my energy back after the surgery and feel a huge relief to know it was successful! I'm not back to a 100% but I have no doubt the shows will give me the power push I need to rock with all of you on the upcoming European tour.

"Thank you for your amazing support and well wishes".

Jansen revealed her diagnosis last month. At the time, she wrote: "A letter to you, Life comes in waves, with ups and downs. I have had the joy of riding many highs, and I have shared these with you through social media and the many many shows worldwide throughout the many years of my career.

"But now a new wave hit me. Not a good one. I have breast cancer. It was diagnosed a little over 2 weeks ago and I will have surgery tomorrow to remove the tumor. My prognosis is very good!!! It seems to be a non-aggressive cancer, which seems to not have spread. I will keep my breast. And I will be cancer free after this surgery, plus a local radiation treatment that will take place three months after this surgery, hopefully. We will know more after the surgery to see if this positive prognosis stands.

"The word cancer is a shocker. All that you found important in life before this diagnosis changes radically within minutes. Now I just want to be healthy again. I want to see my daughter grow into a woman; I want to live! And the scariest part of this diagnosis is that I thought I was healthy! I didn't feel the cancer, I didn't know it was there until I, as a 40+ woman, went to a standard mammogram checkup. Something many countries offer, for free even for the lucky ones. Had I not gone there, the tumor would have gone undetected. In a year from now this could have grown much bigger. The thought of that makes me share this story with you. A mammogram is lifesaving! It's uncomfortable and you might think that you won't have something in your breasts anyway but GO! And for the men reading this: remind your wife, girlfriend, mother, sister to go and get checked. Even without the luxury I as a western woman experience with free mammogram checkups: GO! Luckily, there are many organizations that offer information about self-detection if you do not have access or funds for a mammogram.
If I might inspire you to take good care of yourself, then something good will come out of this cancer diagnosis.

"If all goes as planned, I will be up and running in time for the European tour with NIGHTWISH, that will start on the 20th of November! And I am optimistic since my prognosis is good!

"I promise to take good care of myself.

"I will be off the grid for a while to focus on myself."

Jansen made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon. Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013.

As part of NIGHTWISH, Jansen landed two number one albums in Finland, and Top Five albums in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal bands, AFTER FOREVER, when she was only 16 years old. The group went on to release five albums from 2000 to 2007, before they broke up in 2009.

Jansen's next band, REVAMP, released two albums in 2010 and 2013, before she joined NIGHTWISH as a full-time member. NIGHTWISH's first album with Jansen as the lead singer was 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which landed in Top 10s around the world. This was followed by 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." , which was also an international success.

Jansen has toured extensively with the band and appeared on three of NIGHTWISH's live albums "Showtime, Storytime", "Vehicle Of Spirit" and "Decades: Live In Buenos Aires".

In 2019, Jansen participated in the popular Dutch TV show "Beste Zangers" where she scored a big hit with "Phantom Of The Opera" together with Henk Poort. She was recognized with a Dutch Popprijs award — a prestigious accolade for artists that has made important contributions to Dutch music. In the same year, her first solo tour sold out in less than 24 hours.
Great news! I am cancer free 🤩 The surgery took everything cancerous out and it hasn’t spread! I’ll get local radiation therapy in February to make sure everything stays out.

📸 Black Halo Photography pic.twitter.com/zZvsxi1gEN

— Floor Jansen (@FloorJansen_) November 18, 2022


I’m getting my energy back after the surgery and feel a huge relief to know it was successful! I’m not back to a 100% but I have no doubt the shows will give me the power push I need to rock with all of you on the upcoming European tour 🤘🏻

— Floor Jansen (@FloorJansen_) November 18, 2022


Thank you for your amazing support and well wishes 🙏🏻🙏🏻

— Floor Jansen (@FloorJansen_) November 18, 2022

DISTURBED has shared a new, AI-generated music video for "Bad Man", directed by Tristan Holmes. The video was created using Midjourney AI and includes roughly 10,000 frames which took approximately a month of image generation entering prompts and creating frames to link the video together.

"Bad Man" is taken from DISTURBED's eighth full-length album, "Divisive", which is being released today (Friday, November 18) via Reprise. The LP was recorded earlier this year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee. The follow-up to 2018's "Evolution" includes the three recently released singles "Hey You", "Unstoppable" and "Divisive".

DISTURBED frontman David Draiman told HardDrive Radio about "Bad Man": "It could be about any number of bad men or actors in the world that are currently wreaking havoc, but this particular song was inspired by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was happening as we were writing the song, and it seemed very, very appropriate. I feel for the people of Ukraine and everything that they've had to deal with and experience and are continuing to experience. It's horrific to watch the play-by-play of a full-scale war. And it's a shame that it's become just a matter of, like, 'Oh, this is what we do. We check in to see what happened.' As opposed to — I don't know — doing more as a world, other than just throwing tons of money at the situation and contributing to more death and violence. I wish there was more that we could do as a planet to just apply enough pressure in the right places from the right people to make the madman stop."

Over the last year, DISTURBED cut these ten tracks with Fulk. After guitarist Dan Donegan shared initial ideas with the rest of the group, they locked in like never before with the groove as the backbone. Drummer Mike Wengren bolted down some of the strongest and boldest rhythms of their career punctuated by John Moyer's punchy bass. Together, the musicians collectively conjured the focus and fire of their seminal early output augmented by airtight songcraft and a heightened level of musical chemistry that could only be forged by years of writing and touring together.

As a result, "Divisive" finds DISTURBED at their most dynamic, defiant, and dangerous. Breaking ground, it also notably marks the first time the band included a guest feature on an album, boasting the epic emotionally charged duet "Don't Tell Me" with HEART's Ann Wilson. Meanwhile, the likes of "Bad Man" and "Divisive" rank amongst the band's heaviest material. At the same time, they infuse the likes of "Won't Back Down" with uplifting melodies.

"Divisive" track listing:

01. Hey You
02. Bad Man
03. Divisive
04. Unstoppable
05. Love To Hate
06. Feeding The Fire
07. Don't Tell Me (feat. Ann Wilson)
08. Take Back Your Life
09. Part Of Me
10. Won't Back Down

The DISTURBED members subconsciously rallied around a shared vision for what would become "Divisive". After a period of dormancy in the midst of the global pandemic, the group finally congregated in early 2022. Dealing with the same frustrations for nearly two years, the guys followed a collective muse without question.

"We wanted to get heavy again," exclaimed Dan. "We'll always be melodic, but there's more attitude now. We're showcasing David's animalistic side again. It touches on our early days with modern elements."

David added: "After 25 years, we've begun to anticipate each other's direction. We were all hankering to get back to chunky goodness," he laughed.

In order to do so, the band tapped Fulk as producer. With members based around the country, they chose Nashville to record, cutting ten tracks in spring 2022.

"Once we finally did get in a room together, it felt so good," Dan recalled. "It was nice to get the ball rolling and have that outlet in the studio again. Throughout our lives, music has been our therapy — as it is for most people."

Fittingly, the group kicked off this phase with the opener "Hey You". Powered by menacing electronics, a bone-crushing riff, and undeniable chorus, it marked their 15th No. 1 hit at radio, completing their quickest rise to the top and setting the tone for what was to come.

"It's the quintessential rallying cry," noted David. "It's like, 'Hey you, do you realize what you're doing? Do you see you're your own worst enemy? How are we making mountains out of mole hills everywhere we go and looking for enemies where there are none?' It was the perfect way to start."

Then, there's "Bad Man". Ominous string orchestration echoes around a jagged riff as the verses snake into an incisively infectious chant. Pressing down on the whammy pedal, Dan rips a screeching cinematic guitar lead rife with razor-sharp shredding.

"From a lyrical perspective, says David. "There's no shortage of evil maniacs on the planet who take advantage of their positions of power and have unchecked narcissism and egomania that fuels their decisions though. There was damn sure plenty of inspiration in current world events."

On "Don't Tell Me", DISTURBED joins forces with none other than Wilson for an epic duet. In two decades, it breaks ground as the first-ever guest collaboration on a DISTURBED record. Clean guitar soundtracks the story of a long-term relationship in the middle of its last gasp. David and Ann engage in a call-and-response before locking into a skyscraping harmony as the solo reaches for the heavens.

"It was very personal to me," admitted Dan. "I was going through my divorce, and I wanted to touch on the fact I was in a very long marriage to a wonderful woman. She's a great mother to my kids. We were together for 18 years. Even though the marriage was in a tough spot, it was hard to leg go, because we'd invested so much into each other. I felt like listeners could relate to it."

"In my humble opinion, I think Ann is probably the greatest female rock voice of all time," David stated. "She's untouchable. We had connected on Twitter, and I sent her the song. She agreed to jump on it, and it was humbling to work with her. She was totally pro. Her vocals are mind-blowing. It was a gift. Out of ten tracks, we needed to take at least one left turn," he smiled.

The album reaches its cathartic conclusion with a final knockout blow on "Won't Back Down". As the guitars toss and turn, the chorus assures, "I won't back down from this fight."

They've never backed down though. Instead, DISTURBED has dominated hard rock on its own terms. Thus far, they have notched five consecutive No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200, occupying rarified air alongside METALLICA — the only other hard rock group to accomplish this feat. Since their influential five-times-platinum debut "The Sickness" in 2000, they have built a bulletproof catalog highlighted by a procession of smashes, including the platinum "Stupify", "Inside The Fire" and "Land Of Confusion", two-times-platinum "Stricken", six-times-platinum "Down With The Sickness" and seven-times-platinum "The Sound Of Silence", to name a few. The latter notably received a Grammy Award nomination in the category of "Best Rock Performance" as the band earned "Best Rock Artist" at the 2017 iHeartRadioMusic Awards.

In the end, DISTURBED still wields the power to unite.

"We have a lot left in us," concluded Dan. "I know for certain I'm not done. We're always going to need an outlet for our personal sanity. I feel inspired every time we do a record. We bring the best out of one another. I'm just excited for what the future holds."

David left off: "When audiences hear the album, I hope the reaction is, 'After the last three years, this is exactly what I wanted to get out the frustration, anger, and addiction to outrage'. There are better ways. I hope you use it as an outlet and a means of exorcising the demons once again."

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Having refined their broody, mesmerizing vision of gothic/symphonic metal to cinematic levels, with three EPs and a full-length album behind them, Blackbriar continues to set their sails towards the future. The Netherlands-based band are proud to announce their signing to Nuclear Blast Records and are currently working towards their second full-length album, accompanied by long-time collaborator, Joost van den Broek.


Today, the band have released a brand-new song, "Crimson Faces". Stream the track here, and watch a music video below.


Singer, Zora Cock comments on the signing: "Dear fans, we're so excited to have partnered up with Nuclear Blast Records!!! Having been an independent band for many years, we’ve finally found the perfect fit that makes our dreams come to life! Joining forces with this incredible label is a huge step for Blackbriar! We promise you a lot of exciting things are coming, starting with a brand-new single that's OUT NOW! Listen to 'Crimson Faces' on all music platforms, and let us know what you think! ❤ Love, Blackbriar."




Jens Prueter, Head Of A&R Nuclear Blast Europe: “Please warmly welcome Blackbriar to the Nuclear Blast family! It has been a pleasure to meet them at Joost van den Broek’s studio and to get a sneak preview of the exciting things to come. We’re thrilled to work with such a creative team. It’s amazing what the band have already achieved completely DIY, creating a unique world of their own. Expect to be enchanted –this is probably the biggest gift artists can give us.”





Zora Cock continues about the new single: "'Crimson Faces' tells a story of being haunted by ghosts, jealousy, and insecurities, based on the old classic Gothic novel 'Rebecca'. You asked us to make a different kind of music video, one of us performing instead of portraying a story, and we thought 'Crimson Faces' was the perfect song to do this with. We hope we’ve fulfilled your wishes!"





Formed in 2012 by Zora Cock, René Boxem, Bart Winters, and Frank Akkerman, Blackbriar crafted their first single in 2014 with 'Ready to Kill,' but it was 2015’s second single 'Until Eternity' that truly propelled them into the scene. A sweeping track with an equally compelling and beautiful video, it continues to draw many to the band with over 18.1 million views since its debut. Taking advantage of the growing buzz surrounding them, they independently recorded and released their first EP, Fractured Fairytales, as well as acquired a second guitarist in Robin Koezen. This EP laid down an impressive foundation for the band’s ethereal, breath-taking sound, and brought about new opportunities, including tour dates in The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and more, where they played alongside Epica, Halestorm, In This Moment, Delain and Mayan. To keep moving ahead with full control of their creative ideals, the band successfully crowdfunded their follow-up EP, We’d Rather Burn, and brought it to life in October 2018. This EP would be the first time the band worked alongside esteemed producer Joost van den Broek, and this fruitful collaboration allowed Blackbriar’s whimsical and enigmatic sound to reach new sonic heights. Released the same day as their self-made video for "I’d Rather Burn," the EP showcased a stronger sense of dreamy atmosphere and brought listeners beautifully grim tales of witches, banshees, and sea sirens. Keyboardist Ruben Wijga (ex-Re-Vamp) began to take on a larger role and began playing shows, having been involved in the songwriting process since Fractured Fairytales.


A busy 2019 followed, and the band released the haunting single "Snow White and Rose Red" in May. A duet with Ulli Perhonen, their take on the Grimm’s fairy tales featured striking cinematic visuals to accompany the spellbinding track. Continuing to dig deeper into fairy tale realms, Blackbriar closed the year with their third EP, Our Mortal Remains. Ever sharpening their intoxicating blend of storytelling and breath-taking musicianship, the EP brought about new live opportunities as well. Small, sold-out tours with Epica in 2019 and 2020, as well as a sold-out opening performance for Delain’s Apocalypse & Chill release show in Utrecht followed, with future plans then put on hold due to COVID-19. Championing their continued independence, which included everything from songwriting, maintaining their web presence, overseeing merch, as well as shooting and producing their own videos and photos, Blackbriar reached out to their ever-growing and loyal fanbase for assistance to make their full-length debut album a reality in 2020.


Fans fervently heeded the call, reaching the € 25,000 goal in under 24 hours, ending with a total of € 70,000. It was an impressive accomplishment for an independent act, which shows their strong internet presence, with over 214,000 YouTube subscribers and 46.1 million channel views, as well as 27.6 million Spotify streams and 150,000 monthly listeners. Entering 2021, the band relinquished a bit of control in signing with Doomstar Bookings to help properly support their first full-length album, The Cause of Shipwreck, which was released in April. It was recorded with renowned producer Joost van den Broek (Epica, Ayreon, Powerwolf) at Sandlane Recording Facilities, and this release showcased the band’s continued evolution into masterfully dark gothic storytelling and theatrical aesthetics. On the live front, the band launched into success with six sold-out Dutch club shows, later extending into more European territories such as Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, France, and the Czech Republic.


Despite a very successful 2021, the band still hungered for more, unleashing their latest single, "Fairy of the Bog" in December. The track is a mixture of folklore, myth, and ancient local history in a more mystical and magical package, showcasing what Blackbriar does best. In April, the band parted ways with founding member and bassist Frank Akkerman, welcoming Siebe Sol Sijpkens from The Netherlands as their new bassist. A happy and energetic performer with a lifetime of global performances, he is a welcome addition to the act as they continue to strive forward. With their vision looking firmly into the future, with a major label behind them, they’ve set their sights on 2023 to conjure their most deadly siren song yet. With accolades behind them, such as being nominated three times for ‘Best Artist’ in EuroSonic/Noorderslag‘s Popgala Noord Awards (2018, 2020, 2022), and continued fan support with current monthly streaming totals on YouTube and Spotify nearing 1 million streams, the world is primed and ready for a spectacular journey ahead. Blackbriar continues to soar, ready to lure you into the sea to be swept away by addictive hooks, cinematic soundscapes, and darkly whimsical storytelling.

Swedish progressive rock outfit, Jonas Lindberg & The Other Side, released their new album, Miles From Nowhere, back in February via InsideOutMusic.


Now, while busy working on new music, the band have recorded a cover of the Spock’s Beard classic, “The Good Don’t Last”. Listen here, and below.


Jonas Lindberg had this say about recording the track: "It was fun to make a cover version out of a song that I love and have listened to so many times! It was also a challenge to make it sound different and like our own version, since I knew the song inside and out already."




The track features Jonas Lindberg on bass, keyboards, guitars & backing vocals, Joel Lindberg on lead guitars, Jonas Sundqvist on lead vocals, Jonathan Lundberg on drums, and Nicklas Thelin on acoustic guitars, percussion & lead guitar on "The Radiant Is”.