DIRTY HONEY has announced "Mayhem And Revelry Live", the band's first live-in-concert, double-vinyl CD and digital release, and its companion four-part video documentary, recorded live throughout North America and Europe on the band's 2023-24 "Can't Find The Brakes" world tour. Set for a February 21, 2025 release (Dirt Records),the album and video capture the band's explosive energy and camaraderie with its audience and each other, and puts viewers front and center inside the barricade at the band's sixty concerts. With 16 tracks total, side one of the vinyl features recordings from the North American concerts, and the side two recordings are from the European shows.

Said DIRTY HONEY guitarist John Notto: "We are very proud to present to you this collection of live performances from around the world. Like my favorite live albums I listened to constantly as a kid, I believe this album features the band in its most honest form, feeding off the audience and walking the wire with a grin and a dash of reckless abandon that can only come from that magical place we get to onstage with you, the audience. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed performing it."

"To me, live albums have always been the quintessential corner stone for any rock band's catalog," DIRTY HONEY vocalist Marc LaBelle added. "I grew up on AEROSMITH's 'A Little South Of Sanity', AC/DC's 'Live', THE [ROLLING] STONES' 'Get Your Ya-Ya's Out' and [LED] ZEPPELIN's 'How The West Was Won'. There's something beautiful about a band's unbridled live energy mixed with an audience's excitement that breathes new life into songs. The guys in the band and I have long been told 'your records are awesome, but you're even better live,' and I think that sentiment comes across loud and clear on 'Mayhem & Revelry'."

DIRTY HONEY has been touring in support of its latest album, "Can't Find The Brakes".

In April 2023, DIRTY HONEY headed to Australia to record the LP with longtime producer Nick DiDia. Unlike the band's self-titled, full-length 2019 debut, which, due to the pandemic, had to be recorded via Zoom with the band in Los Angeles and DiDia in Australia, DIRTY HONEY spent an entire month in the studio with DiDia.

The album cover art for "Can't Find The Brakes" was hand-painted by the world-renowned, Los Angeles-based graffiti artist Kelly "RISK" Gravel, who has been synonymous with the L.A. art scene for over 30 years. He was the first on the west coast to paint freight trains, freeway overpasses and signs, and the first artist in 400 years invited to paint in Michelangelo's studio.

DIRTY HONEY is:

Marc LaBelle - Vocals
John Notto - Guitars
Justin Smolian - Bass
Jaydon Bean - Drums

Photo credit: Hanane Zahrouni

New Zealand modern groove metal trio ALIEN WEAPONRY will release a new album, "Te Rā", on March 28, 2025 via Napalm Records.

Since releasing its acclaimed debut "Tū" (2018),ALIEN WEAPONRY has been lauded for its kinetic presence and sound, as well as its vital blend of culturally profound lyricism in both English and te reo Māori, the indigenous language of New Zealand. With their third full-length album, ALIEN WEAPONRY expands on its hallmark messages of cultural, societal and environmental resilience while delivering their most massive-sounding, focused musical output ever. In the hands of veteran producer/mixer Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA, MEGADETH) and featuring a guest vocal appearance from longtime ALIEN WEAPONRY champion Randy Blythe of LAMB OF GOD, "Te Rā"'s gnashing blend of groove, nu, math and thrash metal shines with anthemic choruses and refreshed technical skill.

With today's album announcement, the band have unleashed a brand new, grooving single, "Mau Moko". Featuring te reo Māori lyrics, the track honors traditional Māori face tattooing while delving into the costs of maintaining customs that are at-odds with dominant cultural norms. Check out the track and the accompanying music video below.

"Mau Moko" lyricist/bassist Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds says: "Māori have a rich history of marking traditions that were nearly lost during colonization. These traditions are currently in the process of a much-needed cultural revival, and I was inspired by that. I wanted the lyrics to remind people that moko is, and always will be, a part of who we are. With the song's video, we wanted to show the darker side of the history of moko and how the head trade played a part in the near extinction of the tradition. We fought through it and continue to fight for its revival still today!"

On "Te Rā", listeners can hear ALIEN WEAPONRY doubling down on the aggression in the verses before applying temperance, especially in the case of "Taniwha", a death metal-leaning banger featuring the particularly raw aforementioned guest vocal from Blythe. Lyrically, there's a noticeable tilt towards despondency, hopelessness, and frustration on "Te Rā". While bassist Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds's lyrics in Māori on songs like "Tama-nui-te-rā" and "Ponaturi" draw from the themes of history, battle lore and mysticism that made the first two albums so rich, frontman/guitarist Lewis Raharuhi de Jong's English-language lyrics illustrate the impact when culture collides with disenfranchisement day to day. "Crown" and "Hanging By A Thread" take us into the headspace where struggle pushes people to the brink of desperation, while on "Blackened Sky" and "1000 Friends", Lewis addresses universal woes like the looming threat of World War III and the damaging effects of social media. On album closer "Te Kore", Tūranga dives into primordial nothingness at the root of the Māori origin story, while on "Mau Moko", he finds the middle ground between these perspectives. Taken as a whole, "Te Rā" grapples with what it's like to be caught in the pull of divergent cultures — not just for the descendants of colonized people, but for all of us.

ALIEN WEAPONRY have solidified themselves as one of the greatest young metal bands of their generation with renewed musical tenacity and crucial messaging. "Te Rā" is a bold, unwavering cry for a future in which we can all take part in the legacy of peoples like the Māori and others all around us – people who, if they aren't seen, most certainly need to be heard.

ALIEN WEAPONRY frontman/guitarist Lewis Raharuhi de Jong adds: "We really stepped it up this time, as we understood that this album had to go further. We went through a lot of songs and scrapped entire sections of songs. We kept working them and working them until we got them right. Then, with the way we were pushing ourselves musically, I knew it was important to challenge myself lyrically as well. This time I delved into difficult emotional places and mental states. There's a lot of existential dread running through the album, and I tried to find the right words to describe the indescribable."

"Te Rā" track listing:

01. Crown
02. Mau Moko
03. 1000 Friends
04. Hanging By A Thread
05. Tama-nui-te-rā
06. Myself To Blame
07. Taniwha (feat. Randy Blythe)
08. Blackened Sky
09. Te Riri O Tāwhirimātea
10. Ponaturi
11. Te Kore

ALIEN WEAPONRY recently announced a massive North American tour with metal icon Kerry King, kicking off today. After the Kerry King tour, ALIEN WEAPONRY will embark on a headlining tour of New Zealand.

ALIEN WEAPONRY is:

Henry Te Reiwhati de Jong - Drums, Backing vocals
Lewis Raharuhi de Jong - Guitars, Lead vocals
Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds - Bass, Backing vocals

Photo credit: Frances Carter

COAL CHAMBER has canceled its previously rescheduled "Fiend For The Fans" U.S. tour. The trek, which was originally slated to kick off in August 2024 before being postponed to March/April 2025 due to COAL CHAMBER vocalist Dez Fafara's health emergency, was supposed to feature support from FEAR FACTORY, TWIZTID, BLACK SATELLITE and FRAYLE.

Earlier today, Fafara, who also fronts DEVILDRIVER, released the following statement via social media: "Hello everyone, first off let me say that we are sending prayers to all who are affected in these terrible California wildfires. We have many friends on evacuation or that have lost everything please donate or do what you can to help.

"At this time, I will be taking down the scheduled touring this year until quarter 4 to focus on my health.

"For everybody that has given me positive comments or sent our family prayers or contacted us with well wishes I want to thank you so much. It means a great deal to not only myself but my family during this trying time.

"I've had a very blessed life and in all lives some rain must fall and certainly over the last few years. It's been stormy for my family and I with my health.

"I'm looking forward to getting healthy. My attitude is positive and when I'm ready I'm gonna get back on the road harder than ever with both COAL CHAMBER and DEVILDRIVER.

"There are a lot of things in the works with both of those bands, but I won't go over them now because I want to focus on this announcement and I wanted you guys to hear it straight from me.

"To all those who supported me, been behind me I'm so sorry that these tours have to come down but at this time I'm just not able to go do my job at 100%.

"Love one another and be good to one another".

When COAL CHAMBER originally postponed the summer 2024 tour in August 2024, Fafara apologized to fans in a lengthy statement, explaining that an unspecified health crisis forced his hand.

"With a heavy heart, let me tell you a story about life taking a turn, I'm writing to you from my bed," he wrote at the time.

"I've been running 6 miles daily, I've been rehearsing two hours daily in my home studio and excited to hit the road, I'm excited to get on a bus with my brothers and sister and my crew. I' d never felt better and as you all know, I fought back hard after long haul Covid tried to kill me.

"Saturday morning I woke up and I was coming up my stairs. I saw flashes in my eyes. I passed out and my wife revived me. My vitals were through the roof, and I was sheet white and vomiting, and the whole world was spinning. [My wife] Anahstasia called 911. I ended up in the back of an ambulance and did nine hours in the ER testing all my vitals including taking X-rays of my heart and lungs. My doctor has advised me to get a CAT scan, and until further testing, I am on bedrest."

In 2023, COAL CHAMBER completed a U.S. tour as the support act for MUDVAYNE. Additional support on the 26-city "The Psychotherapy Sessions" tour, which was produced by Live Nation, came from GWAR, NONPOINT and BUTCHER BABIES.

COAL CHAMBER played its first two shows in eight years at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas in May 2023 and at the Inkcarceration Music And Tattoo Festival in Mansfield, Ohio in July 2023.

Photo courtesy of Adrenaline PR

In a new interview with Belgian Jasper, former NIGHTWISH bassist/vocalist Marko Hietala spoke about his desire to focus on the future and pursue multiple projects since his departure from the band four years ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I've had some really bad years behind me and it's time to go forward. That doesn't necessarily imply anything about the band. I just had to clear up quite a few things."

Hietala also talked about his recent collaboration with another former NIGHTWISH member, singer Tarja Turunen, on the "Left On Mars" single, as well as their ongoing joint live performances which began with a series of triumphant shows in South America in early 2024. He said: "So here's the thing: to do this collaboration and all these things, it kind of started already in 2017 when we cleared our old shit, so we were ready for these kind of things [to] happen. Then we were playing at a Swiss festival, both our bands. She sends me a message, would we do 'Phantom Of The Opera', that I'm demoing songs with my band. 'Yeah, well, it's exciting. I'll do it.' 'Hey, would you be interested in a duet?' 'Yeah, we'll bring your song.' And, of course, then it's touring and doing a few legendary duets and all that. It's kind of fun and nice for a while, but you can't live on it. And it doesn't really answer neither one of us ambitions. And actually, I think that at least for me mentally, this is easier to do since the NIGHTWISH guys informed the world that they're going to take an indeterminate break from touring or doing shows. So, yeah, this is okay for a while and we're still heading out also [this] year for some touring. But you cannot really expect that thing, kind of an idea, to last. It's not what we're here for."

Hietala announced his departure from NIGHTWISH in January 2021, explaining in a statement that he hadn't "been able to feel validated by this life for a quite a few years now." He has since been replaced by bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN),who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences.

In a March 2024 interview with Brazil's Ibagenscast, Hietala was asked if he would consider taking part in a reunion of NIGHTWISH's classic lineup, either for a tour or fresh material. He responded: "Hmm, I would consider it. But I think that the organization there would have to be looked very carefully into it and some of it would have to be dismantled. Because the business side and how the people there work, they are one of the big reasons why I left."

He continued: "In all the bands that I've been [in], I found out that I'm probably the most kind of courageous person there is and therefore also I have the inner strength to be the most honest and most fair and the one who upholds the justice between the people and taking care of everyone most. And that is something that I saw, the last years, were lacking. So, these kind of things would have to be taken care of. But I mean, [NIGHTWISH] was a big part of my life and I always, always backed up the music that we did because I love to do music that is versatile and ambitious with a lot of all kinds of atmospheres of all the world, from sensitive and soft into the big and pounding metal and all that. So, musically, I have no regrets at all. I'm happy and proud to have been a part of it. But, yeah, the organizational situation and the attitudes and who talks to whom and about what, those are things that I would totally dismantle and make into a transparent situation."

In an August 2022 interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Hietala revealed that he went through a dark period in his life, which included depression, insomnia, anxiety and an eventual attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. Speaking about how he eventually came to the realization that exiting NIGHTWISH was the right thing to do, Marko said: "It was a long process. Of course, the COVID year that was there, where I had a lot of time for soul searching, it obviously gave me the last incentive that I need something else, that if I just continue with this I'm just gonna get sicker and sicker. But, of course, it's a process.

"I've been chronic depressive since 2010 [or] 2011, so I've been on a permanent medication ever since," he revealed. "Sometimes you get used to the meds [and] you will need more. We did raise [the dosage] during the years also, but it just didn't work. And now that I started to do… I had psychotherapy for over four years now, and then I also talked to psychiatrists and some doctors and did that also in Spain. Then my psychiatrist here in Finland said that I should do these ADHD neuropsychological tests, which I then did in Spain. And, okay, I got it."

Hietala reiterated that he "had been thinking about" leaving NIGHTWISH "for a while" before making the final decision. "Because I had a lot of weight. And I tend to… With the attention disorder, it tells me that when there are lots of trouble, then the disorder makes it into a real chaos," he explained. "There's a shitload of stuff coming and going and no peace anywhere. And for a year or two, I was already waking up every night at three o'clock to bad dreams and anxiety. So I'd say that the whole process probably started already with my former divorce [in 2016]. That was a very sad time when you think about your kids and your broken homes and all that. And then, when I started to get clear from that, then there were, well, all kinds of things. I don't really wanna go any deeper to what kind of things I'd gone through, but I'd gone through enough."

Acknowledging that making NIGHTWISH's 2020 studio album, "Human. :II: Nature.", was a "difficult" experience for him, Marko denied that his mental state at the time resulted in a diminished role for him on the final LP. "I think the original idea was to have that… we'll do a couple of [solo vocal appearances], or one solo for me and Troy [Donockley], and the rest Floor [Jansen], and then the harmonies; that was the idea originally for that," he said. "So I don't know if it affected. I think it was sort of as planned. But at that time I already had serious trouble with concentrating and serious trouble with a constant black cloud over my head."

In July 2022, Hietala told Finland's Iltalehti that he had not kept in touch with NIGHTWISH since his departure or followed the activities of his former band.

In May 2021, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said that Hietala's decision to leave NIGHTWISH "came as a bit of a surprise." He told Finland's Kaaos TV: "Marko informed us in December [of 2020 that he was leaving the band]. And even though he has been very open about his state and problems during the past years, it still came as a bit of a surprise for us. So it was a really tough pill to swallow. And for a few days, I was actually quite confident that there's no coming back, that this is it. I remember talking to Emppu [Vuorinen], the guitar player, and we were, like, 'You think this is it?' 'Yeah, I think this is it.' I mean, enough is enough. So much has happened in the past. Something that broke the camel's back, as they say. Then, after some time had passed — a few days — we started to think that it's been such a ride of 25 years, with so many ups also, that this is not the way to end it."

Tuomas elaborated on NIGHTWISH's reasons for carrying on, saying: "I think we still have something to give, and that's the main point. The music is still there. We felt that there's still so much music that needs to come out from this band that, 'Okay, let's give it one more shot.' And then finding the new bass player was really easy."

He added: "It's not like we do this just because we need to do it and there's nothing else to do. On a personal level, I feel that there's still so many stories and melodies that I want to share with the world with one lineup or another, so that's why you want to continue and keep on going.

"I've said this a million times, that a lineup change is the ultimate energy vampire, and that's how it really felt and still feels."

In June 2021, Jansen spoke about Hietala's exit from the band in an episode of her "Storytime" YouTube video series. She said: "That was a very sudden surprise that, of course, was not fun at all. But we understand — I understand — it was a necessary thing for him to do. And from there, we had to think of how to continue without him, and that also, in preparations towards the virtual show, that was a huge challenge."

In December 2020, Hietala was crowned the winner of the fall 2020 season of "Masked Singer Suomi" — the Finnish edition of the popular masked singing contest. He was disguised as Tohtori — the Doctor.

Marko's new solo album, "Roses From The Deep", will be released on February 7, 2025, via Nuclear Blast.

ICE NINE KILLS has raised over $100,000 and counting for victims for the California Wildfires with their exclusive "Heed The Call For California" benefit shirt, 100% of the proceeds from which are going to the California Fire Foundation Wildfire and Disaster Relief Fund.

Having been personally affected by the wildfires, ICE NINE KILLS frontman Spencer Charnas shares: "The band began on the East Coast, but we consider Los Angeles our second home. Most of us live in California, and like many people here, we felt powerless as we watched the devastation unfold. However, our global community of supporters and friends is strong. We knew that if we called on them for help, they would rise to the occasion, and they have.

"We are proud to stand alongside other musicians, creatives, and workers in our industry to support the ongoing relief efforts in any way we can."

ICE NINE KILLS' "Heed The Call For California" benefit shirt will be available for the rest of this week here or fans can donate directly to the California Fire Foundation Wildfire and Disaster Relief Fundhere.

ICE NINE KILLS craft passionate and precise anthems that blend metalcore, melody, and punk with theatrical bombast, which has fostered a devoted fanbase of "Psychos" who revel in the band's horror-infused pop culture lore. Hit singles such as "Hip To Be Scared", "Funeral Derangements" and "The American Nightmare" celebrate horror legends with inescapable hooks, heavy riffs, and clever lyrical twists. Led by Charnas, the band's breakthrough albums, "The Silver Scream" and "The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood", propelled them to new heights, earning spots on major tours with SLIPKNOT and METALLICA and firmly embedding them within the horror community.

The band's immersive "INKverse" includes cinematic videos, the Psychos Only Club, graphic novels, true crime mockumentaries, and the annual Silver Scream Convention, which expanded to the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2024. Spencer Charnas, who started the band during high school, has guided ICE NINE KILLS through stylistic evolutions from their beginnings playing battle-of-the-band competitions to their status as visionary multimedia raconteurs. The Billboard chart-topping "Silver Scream" albums paid loving homage to horror icons like Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, Chucky, Pennywise, Patrick Bateman and more. "The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood" landed ICE NINE KILLS their first Top 20 placement on the Billboard 200 and introduced the chilling new slasher icon Silence.

Hailed by Loudwire as "one of the most unique acts in metal right now," ICE NINE KILLS captivates with inventive band-fan connections, immersive, theatrical live shows, and a growing legion of "pyschos" the world over. With over 2.3 million monthly Spotify listeners, 1 billion career streams, and 210 million YouTube views, the band has cemented itself as a dominant and visionary force in modern metal, fearlessly carving out a thrilling, horror-inspired legacy.

In a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine, former SKID ROW singer Erik Grönwall has opened up about his decision to exit the band less than a year ago.

The 37-year-old Swedish-born musician, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021, announced his departure from SKID ROW in March 2024, saying that it had become increasingly "difficult to prioritize" his health and full recovery as the lead singer of the group.

Addressing the circumstances that led to his exit from SKID ROW, Erik told Chaoszine (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Leaving the band was one of the toughest career decisions I ever had to make. I loved being in that band. It didn't hurt waking up being the lead singer of SKID ROW. But I would still be in the band if that was an option.

"I left to respect the person who went through the leukemia — I mean, the person at the hospital," he explained. "I promised myself that I would always put my health first. And when I felt like I couldn't do that being in the band, I just had to make that decision.

"I loved my time in the band. I had so much fun with the guys. We clicked right away, and I will always look back at that time with a smile, for sure. And I would have loved to stay in the band. But given the circumstances, we just couldn't find common ground in terms of how much we should tour."

Grönwall went on to clarify that he was always open to continuing with SKID ROW if an agreement had been reached regarding how much time to spend on the road.

"I'm not sure if it's been said in any interview, but, for me, it was never about not touring at all," he said. "I just wanted to have more time in between to recover. So, my suggestion was three weeks on the road, including traveling, and then one month off, three weeks on the road, including traveling, one month off, just to have that time in between. But they didn't find that feasible, and that's totally fine. I mean, SKID ROW has been doing this since before I was born. [Laughs] They have a recipe. I totally respect that they didn't find out feasible at all. But it was what I needed, and here we are."

According to Erik, leaving SKID ROW has given him "a lot of freedom" to pursue other projects.

"I won't stop being an artist," he said. "I can pretty much do whatever I want. And I like that. I'm not signed to any label right now. I don't wanna be. I like that kind of independence, freedom. Maybe there will come a time when it makes sense to sign with someone, but right now I'm doing everything from [my home]. It's nice to wake up, just go downstairs, put on some coffee, get in here and sing, and then go to the next room here and record the video and put it on YouTube. It's kind of convenient."

As for how he plans to release his new music, Erik said:  "I'm actually writing a lot of music now, because I wanna release something on my own. To be honest, I haven't decided if I'm gonna do it solo or in a band. But I think I wanna start a band and just release new music. I still feel like I haven't done my own thing 100 percent. I will always join bands who already had an established sound. So I'm working a lot on that, actually — writing new music and focusing on the future."

Erik went from auditioning for the competition show "Swedish Idol" back in 2009 by singing a cover of SKID ROW's "18 And Life" to fronting the band 13 years later.

SKID ROW's longtime friend Lzzy Hale (HALESTORM) handled lead vocals for the band's four concerts in late May 2024 and early June 2024, two months after Erik's exit from the group.

At the time of Grönwall's departure, SKID ROW members said in a statement that they were "proud" of what they had "created and accomplished with Erik" over the previous two years" and wished "nothing but the best to him and his health."

In a November 2024 interview with Chris Akin Presents, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo addressed Erik's exit from the group. When host Chris Akin noted that Grönwall's explanation for exiting SKID ROW sounded a little "fishy" to him and other SKID ROW fans in light of the fact that Erik had immediately announced that he was releasing his autobiography and was planning to go on tour with Michael Schenker in 2025, Rachel said: "Well, I'll put it this way: we understand exactly what you're saying. And I'd be a liar if I said sometimes I don't feel the same way. We were told exactly what he announced to the rest of the world via his YouTube channel. That's exactly what we were told. That's exactly what he sent in a text to Snake. I'm not gonna sit here and shit talk the guy because it's not gonna do anything. But we had a really, really, really good thing going, and we're here now."

Bolan continued: "You're not the first person to say this to any of us. We've all been DMed and a lot of fans thought think the same thing, and, like I said, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I thought the same thing at times, but we're just going by what he told to us."

Snake chimed in: "Obviously, we had to postpone and cancel some shows. There was definitely some health issues with him while we were out there. But what Rachel is saying is 100 percent true. This is what we were told, and we made attempts to figure it out, how we could do this where we could cut way back on the touring, but it just wasn't economically feasible for anybody — it just couldn't be done. And, yeah, we had a really, really good situation, but he was the one who left."

Bolan and Sabo also touched upon the fact that Grönwall released a demo version of a song called "Can't Kill What's Dead" which Erik said he co-wrote with his producer Jona Tee for possible inclusion on a new SKID ROW album while he was still in the band.

"Yeah, I heard the song for the first time in [Erik's October 2024] post," Rachel said. "So I'm not even sure what he was talking about."

After Akin clarified that Erik said "Can't Kill What's Dead" was one of three songs Grönwall co-wrote with Tee for potential inclusion on a new SKID ROW album, Rachel said: "That's creative wording. That's for sure."

Added Snake: "That's news to us. I mean, I guess we would have to play on it for it to be on a SKID ROW record."

Rachel continued: "Yeah, I saw the post and I was, like, 'Huh. Okay.' I was as confused as everyone else. I'm, like, 'Okay.'"

The English version of Grönwall's autobiography, "Power – Music, Death, Life", was made available on December 6 via HarperCollins.

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.

Grönwall sang on four H.E.A.T. 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, just four months before joining SKID ROW, 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.

In late March 2022, 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 in October 2022 via earMUSIC.

SKID ROW played its first show with Grönwall on March 26, 2022 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.

Grönwall lives in Knivsta, a city in Uppsala County in east central Sweden, with his wife and their son.

British family-owned publishing house Genesis Publications will release BON JOVI's first-ever authored anthology.

With unlimited access to BON JOVI's extensive archive and narrated by Jon Bon Jovi, "Bon Jovi: Forever" chronicles the band's remarkable 40-year history.

"Bon Jovi: Forever" will ship in June 2025, with the limited edition now available to pre-order.

Offering fans the first-ever anthology of BON JOVI, "Bon Jovi: Forever" is illustrated with hundreds of photographs and items of memorabilia from the band's personal archives.

The meticulously curated collection of over 1,300 images showcases a treasure trove of memorabilia, including handwritten lyrics, tour passes and posters, iconic stage costumes, guitars, studio track lists, and personal snapshots from the band's private collections. Complemented by an array of vivid photographs that capture BON JOVI live, backstage, on tour, and in the studio, this book offers fans a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the band's enduring legacy.

"Bon Jovi: Forever" is more than just a book; it's an all-access pass to the world of BON JOVI, making it an essential piece for any fan of the band or lover of rock music.

Through exclusive interviews, Jon Bon Jovi shares the intimate stories behind the artifacts, shedding light on the creative process behind his songwriting, the making of the band's legendary albums, and the key performances that cemented BON JOVI's place in rock history.

Jon's 35,000-word narrative describes writing lyrics in his high school notebooks, playing the Asbury Park scene as an ambitious teenager, recording his first hit "Runaway" and igniting the band's "rocket ship to success" (soon to be followed by the multi-platinum albums "Slippery When Wet" and "New Jersey"),and, four decades on, brings us right up to date with the making of the band's recent 16th studio album, "Forever". His candid reflections offer a deeper understanding of the band's brotherhood, their distinctive style, and the unwavering trust that fueled their success.

Over an illustrious career spanning more than three decades since their formation in 1983, BON JOVI has earned their place among global rock royalty and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as well as the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. With over 130 million albums sold worldwide, an extensive catalog of hit anthems, thousands of concerts performed in more than 50 countries for more than 35 million fans, and ticket grosses well over $1 billion around the world in the last decade alone, BON JOVI is the consummate rock and roll band.

Quarter-bound in black vegan leather, the front cover is printed with an image of the denim jacket worn by Jon on the 2024 "Forever" album cover, with embossed "Bon Jovi" and "Forever" lettering. The 264-page book is finished with silver foil lettering on the spine, a silver foil heart and dagger on the back cover and silver page edging. Each copy is individually numbered and hand signed by Jon Bon Jovi.

Presented in a black clamshell box with a silver heart and dagger foiled on the front cover, the interior lining is printed in a color montage of BON JOVI tour passes and pins. The interior lid holds an exclusive seven-inch single. This chrome-colored vinyl will present two specially selected recordings, which will be announced shortly.

A compartment under the book includes exact replicas of the following items held in the BON JOVI archive: Three BON JOVI pins/badges and two guitar picks in a small cloth bag, a VIP "Have A Nice Day" tour pass and Jon Bon Jovi's personal All Access laminate pass for the 1984 "Runaway" tour. A large pull-ribbon, printed with the BON JOVI logo, lifts the book from the handcrafted case.

With their unique blend of epic power metal and dark, atmospheric sounds, South Germany's Black & Damned is gearing up for their third studio album, Resurrection, to be released on March 14 via ROAR. The album pre-sale is available here.


Resurrection sees the band captivate with thunderous guitar riffs, intense rhythms and gripping vocals that whisk you away into a world full of myths and inner conflicts. Their music is a storm of power and emotion, perfect for anyone who wants to experience the ultimate metal rush.


But give ear, today, Black & Damned are premiering a music video for a second album single, the stomping heavy metal anthem "Bound By The Moon".




Frontman Roland "Bobbes" Seidel says: “Bad dreams don't let me sleep. Hunted by demons until the morning. My life is stuck in chaos. Even when I wake up, the fear of life remains. Bound to the moon by day and by night.”


"Bound By The Moon" is now streaming on all digital services here. Watch the new clip below:





In the four years since their debut, Black & Damned have made a first-class name for themselves, sharing the stage with Vicious Rumors, Rage and Tankard, among others, and earning great reviews in the press.


It is now clear that the band from the Stuttgart area can be described as a real enrichment of the heavy metal world and so they took no prisoners, used the energy of past live shows and composed ten new neckbreakers, which

San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans EXODUS have parted ways with singer Steve "Zetro" Souza and have been rejoined by Rob Dukes.

Earlier today, EXODUS released the following statement via social media: "Announcement! EXODUS have parted ways with Steve 'Zetro' Souza. We thank Steve for his years fronting the band and all the killer music we made during that time. We wish him only the best in the future and much success with anything he does.

"And please help us welcome Rob Dukes back to EXODUS! We are beyond stoked to have Rob back ripping up the stage with us and he's looking forward to crushing everything like only he can.

"Next chapter begins, new record rolls along as planned and the beatings will continue.

"See you soon, EXODUS".

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

The thrash metal legends in June 2014 announced the departure of Dukes and the return of his predecessor, Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Dukes addressed his then-relationship with EXODUS in a June 2022 interview with Scott Penfold of the "Loaded Radio" podcast. He said: "When EXODUS fired me, it took me about a year to not be angry about it. It was unexpected — I didn't see it coming — and it was a hard time in life. I'd just moved; I'd just gotten married. It was a heavy burden. And it took me a while. And about a year later, after Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist] called me and we spoke, they flew me up to San Francisco and I sat down with them. And we laid it out on the table. And it made it better — just to clear the wreckage of that. And I moved on with my life, and they moved on with their life. I did one show with them — I did a few songs up in San Francisco — and then I just started living my life."

Dukes went on to say that he no longer dwells on the negative circumstances surrounding his departure from EXODUS.

"[EXODUS] was definitely a part of my life, but I don't rely on it," he said. "So I just move forward. But our friendship is good, man. I went up there to see… After Tom [Hunting, EXODUS drummer] got sick [with cancer in early 2021], we were talking the entire time and I was aware of his situation. And then when the time was right, after he had done some chemo sessions and was feeling a little better, I flew up and spent a couple of days with Tom. And I saw Gary, and I went and had lunch with Lee [Altus, EXODUS guitarist].

"Look, man, we lived together for 10 years. That bond is very difficult to break," Rob explained. "Especially when the reason I got fired, it wasn't personal; it was business. I took it personally in the beginning. But this is a harsh business, man, and there's a lot of fucking snakes out there and there's a lot of weird people who want their little piece. And it's kind of what happened. It was just business. Looking back on it, it was all for the best."

Three years after he was fired from EXODUS, Dukes performed with the band during a July 2017 concert in San Francisco, California. He sang several songs with the group on the second of EXODUS's two-night stint at The Chapel in what marked the band's first headlining Bay Area club shows since late 2013.

Rob previously discussed his split with EXODUS during a December 2020 pay-per-view video conversation with Souza, recorded earlier that month at Zetro's studio in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of Souza's "Zetro's Toxic Vault" YouTube interview series. At the time, Dukes said that the seed for his exit from EXODUS was planted during the songwriting and pre-production sessions for the band's 2014 album "Blood In Blood Out". "One night, before a show, me, Lee, Tom and Jack [Gibson, drums] were sitting, and we said, 'You know, we should do this [album] different. We should do this one where we actually rehearse together and we go through the songs like a band would do 'em in the old days' — go through 'em and maybe pick apart parts, maybe make 'em better, do it that way," he said. "[I thought it was] a great plan; I agreed. I come home, fly back out a couple of weeks later and everything is done. They're doing the drums, but Jack is doing the engineering, and [longtime British producer] Andy [Sneap] is not doing the vocals. And at that time, nothing against Jack — I love Jack — but the difference was, working with Andy, I didn't have to sing the whole line all the way through over and over again. Jack wasn't able to, at this time, edit in a word if I fucked up; I had to start all over. And the dissent had started with me. I felt a lot of the songs were very repetitious.

"Now, I could have just kept my mouth shut and just went along with it if I wanted to keep my job, even though it wouldn't have mattered, because the business decisions, I think, were being made behind the scenes with Metal Maria and Chuck [Billy, TESTAMENT singer]. I, actually, in front of everyone, challenged Chuck. 'Cause Chuck was now managing the band. We're halfway through the record, and they said, 'Well, Chuck's gonna manage the band.' I go, 'You don't see that as a conflict of interest — a little bit?' And I said this to Chuck, to his face. I said, 'You're telling me, if you get an opportunity, you're not gonna have TESTAMENT [take the gig]; you're gonna give EXODUS the gig? Get the fuck outta here, dude! I wouldn't do that, so I know you're not gonna do that.' He's, like, 'I wouldn't do that.' I go, 'You're not being honest with me. You're not being honest with yourself.' And it caused, like, a thing. And everyone was mad at me, 'cause the boys don't like confrontation. And it wasn't the songs. The songs were the songs. I thought 'BTK' was killer. Dude, you did 'BTK' awesome," he said, complimenting Zetro. "There were certain things about it. I don't wanna shit on it, but some of it just seemed regurgitated. I was, like, 'This song sounds like that song,' and, 'This song sounds like this song,' and it started to weigh on me. Like I said, I could have just kept my mouth shut and just played the game and not rocked the boat, but it wasn't my nature. My nature was, 'No, man. We're better than this. We need to top ourselves over the last thing we did,' and I didn't feel like it was doing that — I felt like it was actually declining a little bit, in my eyes, from my position. But it didn't mean that I didn't give everything I had — I gave everything I had on vocals — but Jack was beating me up, because I was constantly not able to… Especially with some of the timing stuff — you've never done it before, and now you're expected to do it forever. This is the CD, man — this is forever."

Explaining why he was angry for such a long time about his dismissal from EXODUS, Dukes said: "Look, man, [I was] 47 years old [at the time]. I got married five days before. And you fucking fire me. If I was by myself, if I was just me, I would have been okay with it. I was responsible for another human being. I just moved my entire life from my comfortable New York upbringing to a place [in Arizona] where I know one person, and I don't even know him that well; I know him from touring and watching him when I was a kid. I knew Roger Miret from AGNOSTIC FRONT; it's the only guy I knew [in Arizona].

"I remember telling my wife, 'We're gonna be okay. It's fine. We're fine. I'll sell my car. And that'll get us, like, a year rent, and we'll be okay. I'll figure it out. We'll be okay.' But in my head, I was fucking terrified," he admitted. "And I felt like [the EXODUS guys] took something from me that I earned, that I deserved. But I was looking at it wrong. I didn't deserve anything. I didn't earn anything. I was grateful to be there. And I tried to do the right thing. I remember writing a statement and putting it out there. I was grateful — I was grateful for going to over a hundred countries in my lifetime, playing in front of the millions of people that I got to play over 10 years. I was grateful for every opportunity that was given to me; I was honestly grateful. But also, I was angry, and I had every right to be angry. But I wasn't able to see it for what it was until a year later — it took me a year."

Dukes said that he wishes he had been more vocal in the earlier stages of the making of "Blood In Blood Out", particularly as it relates to EXODUS's choice of producer for the sessions.

"The truth was that my part in it, had I been honest from the beginning and I had said — 'cause there were times when I didn't wanna rock the boat — 'We are making fucking mistakes. And if you guys all wanna go to this next level that you all talk about, then let's put our fucking money where our mouth is and change it the way we're doing it,'" he said. "You've done it this way all this time and you've always gotten what you got. But if you change the game… Nothing against Andy, but if we bring in Colin Richardson, bring in fucking Zeuss [Chris Harris], bring in somebody [from] outside the game who had his own ideas of looking at things and maybe corral some of the chaotic stuff that was going on. And maybe go, 'You know what? The song does sound like that song. Maybe we should fucking take this riff…' Let producers do what they do… I thought it would have been awesome for somebody like Colin Richardson or Zeuss to come in and take Gary Holt [EXODUS guitarist and main songwriter] and sit him down and go, 'This is awesome. But we can make this better. Let's try this and try that.' And that's what the plan originally was."

Looking back on how his split with EXODUS went down, Rob said during the "Zetro's Toxic Vault" chat that he was "glad that everything worked out the way it did. And I was glad that Gary called me a year later and I spoke with him," he said. "And he was legitimately sorry; I knew he was. And he said, 'I want you to come to San Francisco.' And then I was, like, 'Well, how does Zet feel?' And he goes, 'It was Zet's idea.'"

Dukes also addressed the speculation that his substandard vocals on an early version of "Blood In Blood Out" were proof that he wasn't sufficiently inspired to deliver the goods on the album. "That assumption has been said to me a bunch of times," he said. "Even Lee has said, he goes, 'Your heart wasn't in it.' And my ego, which I don't have a big ego — it's not like I'm an egotistical dick — but I can tell you that when I was on the microphone, I was giving my best, I was giving all I had. What I felt inside was that the songs weren't as good. To me, they felt rushed. I felt some of the lyrics felt rushed.

"Me and Gary look at music very differently, and I think that's why we kind of worked," he continued. "Gary will write the lyrics before he writes the music, and he fits it in, where I write the music, write the melody and then fill in the words to the melody.

"It's hard to say it without sounding like a dick, but it was very… I remember singing one song and going, 'Dude, this is that other song.' And then, hearing the lead, going, 'That's the lead from that other song.' And I think that alone, trying to take my ego out of it, maybe my heart wasn't it. I wish that it was.

"At the moment, I knew I was giving all I could, but the factors against me was I didn't think the material was as strong as what we had already done," Dukes added. "I wanted it to be better. It's like setting bar for yourself and then not giving at least that measure. And then I thought that, as much as I love Jack, he wasn't Andy Sneap. And working with Andy, there was something to working with Andy that pulls it out of me.

"I remember talking to [Rob] Halford about it, 'cause [Andy recorded] Halford with PRIEST. He made me do fucking 10 fucking takes of each line. When you do 10 takes of each line, and then he fucking pieces them together. And then you get back something and you're, like, 'Wow, that's the way I sang that, huh? Cool.' No, it wasn't. It was the way Andy put it together. And then, all of a sudden, now you have a template. 'Well, now I'm gonna do that live, 'cause that's better.' 'Cause Andy knew what the fuck he was doing. But now you're just leaving it to me raw. And I thought not having Andy there for the vocals made me mad — not mad; it just made me a little disheartened, I guess. Because working for two albums with Andy, I knew what to expect. No matter what template I was given, I knew that Andy was gonna make me do it the right way. And when we were doing it, it wasn't that."

Dukes still resides in Arizona, where he works as a mechanic specializing in car restoration.

Announcement!

EXODUS have parted ways with Steve "Zetro" Souza. We thank Steve for his years fronting the band and all...

Posted by Exodus on Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Knoxville, Tennessee death metallers WHITECHAPEL will release their long-awaited new full-length album, "Hymns In Dissonance", on March 7 via Metal Blade Records.

"There is nothing nice about 'Hymns In Dissonance', from the riffs, to the lyrics, to the overall vibe of the album," says guitarist Alex Wade of the band's latest output. "We attempted to write our heaviest album to date. We wanted to put out something that was shockingly menacing and brutal."

"The album follows the story of a cultist who is gathering worthy people to join his cult," Wade further elaborates, "and there are moments in the storyline where the cult followers are singing an evil hymn to open a portal for the head cultist to enter."

The band's dynamic, brutal musicality serves as a soundtrack to the compelling lyrical story that vocalist Phil Bozeman vividly imagines.

"'Hymns In Dissonance' is a mockery of the true nature of what hymns are," Bozeman explains. "Hymns are melodious and harmonious. Dissonance is the opposite of melody and harmony. Dissonance represents evil. The tracks on the record are the hymns, which represent the seven deadly sins, beginning from track three to track ten. Tracks one and two are the introduction."

The lineup's timely and terrifying vision was first unveiled in the fall of 2024 with the single "A Visceral Retch" inciting frenzied fans to call the song "a version of WHITECHAPEL we have never heard before. Can't explain how absolutely goddamn brutal this song is. This is a total dream come true." The title track is the LP's second single.

WHITECHAPEL, who formed in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2006, has seen the core lineup — vocalist Phil Bozeman, guitarists Ben Savage, Zach Householder and Alex Wade, and bassist Gabe Crisp — intact since 2007, with the exception of drummer Brandon Zackey, who has been playing with the band since 2022. While "Hymns In Dissonance" follows 2021's "Kin" chronologically, the new album is actually somewhat of a sequel to "This Is Exile" thematically, the three-word title "Hymns In Dissonance" representing that correlation.

The band started composing the new album at Householder's studio in June of 2023, following their headlining tour for "The Valley". The collective stuck to a strict weekday schedule, the structure allowing for maximum creativity and minimum burnout. Householder produced "Hymns In Dissonance", which allowed the musicians to seamlessly switch gears from preproduction to recording the full album without skipping a beat. The guitarist shadowed producer Mark Lewis a lot over the last five WHITECHAPEL albums and bringing that influence inside the band is a full circle moment for Householder and WHITECHAPEL.

In advance of the release, today the band unleashes a video for the title track. Notes Bozeman, "It's about [the storyline's cultist] building his cult of followers: Only the most heinous and vile people on the planet showing their devotion to their lord, committing horrible acts, and the leader showcasing his power and his purpose to commit the seven cardinal sins to resurrect their lord, and to replace divinity with evil."

Adds Wade, "Mostly written by Phil on guitar, 'Hymns In Dissonance' has a few riffs and tweaks thrown in by the rest of us. He can churn out some pummeling riffs and it's one of the best songs on the album because he had a vision for the whole song with the riffs and vocals. It's tuned to Drop G which we have been using since the self-titled LP, but the ending breakdown shifts down one whole step to Drop F, which we have never done before. Having the final breakdown shift lower than the rest of the song really helped the end have the crushing feeling it needed."

Watch WHITECHAPEL's video for "Hymns In Dissonance", directed by My Good Eye Visuals, below.

"Hymns In Dissonance", which features cover art by European tattoo artist Rob Borbas (Grind Design),will be released on CD and digital formats as well as vinyl.

"Hymns In Dissonance" track listing:

01. Prisoner 666
02. Hymns In Dissonance
03. Diabolic Slumber
04. A Visceral Retch
05. Ex Infernis
06. Hate Cult Ritual
07. The Abysmal Gospel
08. Bedlam
09. Mammoth God
10. Nothing Is Coming For Any Of Us

WHITECHAPEL will return to North American stages this spring on a month-long headlining tour. The "Hymns In Dissonance" tour runs from March 18 in Raleigh, North Carolina through April 19 in Atlanta, Georgia. Support will be provided by BRAND OF SACRIFICE, 200 STAB WOUNDS and ALLUVIAL. Tickets are on sale now.

Photo by Alex Morgan

NONPOINT drummer Robb Rivera has shot down speculation that "drugs" were a factor in his having to be rushed to the hospital after he had an elevated heart rate during the band's concert in Louisville, Kentucky.

According to the band, Robb had a sudden shift in his heart rate that was "dangerously high" during the NONPOINT concert Sunday night (January 12) at the Mercury Ballroom. Since "the paramedics were not able to get it down in time", they took him to the hospital."

Earlier today (Tuesday, January 14),Robb took to his Facebook page to share a video message in which he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "What's up? Robb here. [I'm] sitting here on the riser here at Hangar 1819 in Greensboro, North Carolina. We're about to load in because we're playing tonight.

"I wanna thank everybody at the hospital in Louisville that took care of me and they just looked out after me. It was a very stressful 24 hours, overwhelming and emotional 24 hours, and scary. I never wanna go through that again. I had an elevated heart rate and we weren't able to bring it down within five seconds, which was crazy. We did a bunch of tests. Everything was clear. And I'm here to rock out and continue the 'Painful Statements' tour.

"But I do have something that I need to get off my chest," he continued. "To the people that said that this was due to drugs — shame on you. Anybody who knows me out there knows that I do not use drugs at all or drink alcohol. Back in the day, I used to drink little sips. I've never been an alcoholic, never been a drug addict. So those people that said that, I could easily go off on you, but I'm not stooping down to your level.

"So anyway, to the people that have reached out to me, I love you.

"Tonight, 'Painful Statements', Greensboro, North Carolina.

"Florida, we're coming home to you. See ya."

A short time after the Louisville concert, NONPOINT vocalist Elias Soriano shared a video message in which he offered an update on Rivera's condition, saying: " So tonight is a pretty wild night here in Louisville. Thank you to all the fans that hung around and stayed. Robb is okay. He is back at the hospital right now, just getting some tests done. His heart rate got a little bit high today on stage. It's something that's never happened before."

He continued: "You guys know we put on an energetic show, and this is never anything that really is any different than what we normally do. But Robb is okay. They got his heart rate down, and we're just gonna wait for more news. But I just wanna let everybody know.

"Thank you so much for everybody in Louisville for coming out," Elias added. "I'm sorry we couldn't do the last song. Literally we had one and a half more songs to do and Robb really wanted to do it, but the paramedics wouldn't let him do it.

"Thank you for everybody for all your support. Everything is okay. Robb is doing good. I just wanna give you guys an update."

NONPOINT also included the following message with the video: "Thank you to the fans of Louisville for understanding us having to cut the set tonight. Robb had a sudden shift in his heart rate that was dangerously high and the paramedics were not able to get it down in time so they took him to the hospital. As of now his heart rate is stable and they're running tests. We'll keep you all posted on his progress as news comes in. Send them healing vibes our way so we can get our brother back on that drum throne. #prayersup".

Louisville was the third show of NONPOINT's "Painful Statements" tour with special guests CROBOT and HEARTSICK. The trek is in celebration of the 20th and 25th anniversaries of NONPOINT's two most popular albums, "To The Pain" and "Statement", respectively. The band is playing songs that not only haven't been heard in a long time, but also songs that have never been played live.

NONPOINT has been captivating audiences with its energetic sound and passionate performances for over two decades. Formed in 1997, the band has consistently pushed the boundaries of what modern rock can be, combining heavy metal, nu-metal, and hard rock into a unique and powerful musical force. Over the course of its 27-year career, NONPOINT has released several critically acclaimed albums and garnered a reputation as one of the most exciting live acts in the industry.

Throughout their career, NONPOINT has been celebrated for their signature sound and powerful lyrics, which often tackle social and political issues. Their hard-hitting sound and emotional live performances have earned them a dedicated fanbase, as well as recognition from the music industry. NONPOINT has received multiple award nominations and has been praised by publications such as Rolling Stone, Revolver and Alternative Press.

NONPOINT's songs "Bullet With A Name", "Alive And Kicking", "In The Air Tonight", "Circles", "Your Signs", "Everybody Down" and many others have been featured in trailers, hit movies, television, iconic video games, as well as broadcasts from NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WWF.

NONPOINT has toured with major acts like DISTURBED, PAPA ROACH, MUDVAYNE and SEVENDUST, to name a few. They have also been featured on the main stages and support stages of iconic festivals like Soundwave, Rock Am Park, Rock Am Ring, Ozzfest, Rock On The Range, Welcome To Rockville and many more.

Update

Update

Posted by Robb Rivera Nonpoint on Tuesday, January 14, 2025

ENVY OF NONE, the band featuring Alex Lifeson (RUSH),Andy Curran (CONEY HATCH),Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne, is back today with news of its much-anticipated second album, "Stygian Wavz", set for release on March 14 via Kscope. The announcement follows a recent flurry of activity from the Canadian/American band which saw them release two singles, "Not Dead Yet" and "Under The Stars", both of which included on the new album.

To celebrate the announcement, ENVY OF NONE has shared a new single — album title track "Stygian Waves" — alongside a new music video animated and directed by Mariano Biotico.

Speaking on the new single and the upcoming album, ENVY OF NONE songwriter and bassist Andy Curran said: "This track is a favorite of all four EONs. Despite the fact of the spartan lyrical content, this song features our sweet Maiah on lead vocals. Her harmonies and layers of vocals are literally symphonic! It's hard to put a finger on what style or genre this one is…and we're proud of that!"

Though they'd never describe themselves as such, ENVY OF NONE are the living, breathing definition of a supergroup. No other band on earth could rightly claim to have Lifeson — one of rock's most influential visionaries — heading up guitar duties, with Curran of CONEY HATCH and SOHO 69 overseeing bass/programming as well as producer extraordinaire Alfio Annibalini on keyboards. However, the star in this band could very well be its youngest member — American singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne — whose wonderfully emotive vocals are able to spin the music in new exciting directions that thrill to the core.

On their self-titled debut of 2022, the group were able to prove that they were a lot more than the sum of their parts, with an abundance of panache and finesse poured into a contemporary alt rock sound that was hard to predict and even harder to categorize. This year's sophomore release, "Stygian Wavz", is the sound of a band basking in the radiant glow of creative confidence and coming into their own, staggering the listener with every twist and turn encased within their heady mix of genre-splicing brilliance.

"Stygian Wavz" track listing:

01. Not Dead Yet [03:29]
02. The Story [04:41]
03. Under The Stars [04:32]
04. Thrill Of The Chase [03:40]
05. Handle With Care [04:14]
06. That Was Then [03:46]
07. Raindrops [03:33]
08. New Trip [03:55]
09. Clouds [04:02]
10. The End [03:58]
11. Stygian Waves [03:37]

"Stygian Wavz" will be released on a selection of formats, including colored vinyl, standard black vinyl, CD, Blu-ray, digitally and as a special deluxe edition boxset.

ENVY OF NONE is:

Alf Annibalini - Guitar, Keyboards, Programming
Andy Curran - Bass Guitar, Synthesized Bass, Programming, Guitar, Background Vocals, Stylophone
Alex Lifeson - Guitar, Mandola, Banjo, Programming
Maiah Wynne - Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Keyboards

Photo credit: Richard Sibbald

DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess has released the official music video for his song "The Final Threshold". The track is taken from his latest solo album, "Permission To Fly", which came out last September via InsideOut Music.

Says Rudess: "Step into 'The Final Threshold' with this stunning video by my friend Wayne Joyner! Using @Lightricks' amazing @LTX.Studio software, Wayne brought this song from my solo album 'Permission To Fly' to life in a way that's truly next level. Big thanks to Wayne and Lightricks for making creativity soar!"

No stranger to experimentation, known for leading the charge in pushing creative, sonic, and technological boundaries, Rudess's latest endeavor epitomizes this ethos, delving into the complexities of human existence within our multifaceted world.

As Jordan explains: "The essence of the album is deeply informed by the tumultuous events of 2023-2024, with motifs of peace and anti-violence woven throughout many of the songs."

While some previous releases were true solo pursuits, this time, Rudess assembled a core group of musicians to support and elevate his vision. The album features Jordan alongside That Joe Payne on vocals, Darby Todd (DEVIN TOWNSEND) on drums and Steve Dadaian on guitar, as well as guest guitar solos from Bastian Martinez.

With the music in capable hands, Rudess wanted to make sure to give the lyrics their proper attention. For that, he turned to a source close to home, his daughter.

"All the lyrics on the album were written by my daughter, Ariana," Jordan says. "While I enjoy writing lyrics myself, my primary focus tends to be on the sonic quality of the words. For this album, I wanted to delve deeper and offer something that resonated on a more profound and cerebral level. Ari did an exceptional job."

"Permission To Fly" was made available as a limited CD digipak and gatefold 180g 2LP (both including bonus material),as well as digitally.

"Permission To Fly" track listing:

01. The Final Threshold (04:08)
02. Into The Lair (09:31)
03. Haunted Reverie (05:14)
04. The Alchemist (08:36)
05. Embers (04:03)
06. Shadow Of The Moon (05:29)
07. Eternal (08:53)
08. Footstep In The Snow (04:02)
09. Dreamer (05:03)
10. Incarnation (03:31) (bonus track)
11. Chopin Fm (05:33) (bonus track)

Renowned as the "Best Keyboardist Of All Time" by Music Radar magazine, Rudess stands out as the extraordinary keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist for the platinum-selling, Grammy Award-winning progressive rock band DREAM THEATER. Embarking on his musical journey as a classical prodigy, Jordan initiated his studies at the illustrious Juilliard School Of Music at the age of 9, laying the foundation for a career marked by a distinctive fusion of classical and rock influences.

Beyond his role in DREAM THEATER and the power group LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT, Jordan's musical prowess has resonated across a diverse spectrum of collaborations. From DEEP PURPLE and David Bowie to Steven Wilson and Jan Hammer, he has left an indelible mark on the industry. Notable projects such as LMR (his side venture with Tony Levin and Marco Minneman),Steven Wilson's BLACKFIELD, guest appearances with DEEP PURPLE and THE DIXIE DREGS and collaborations with artists like Enrique Iglesias, THE PAUL WINTER CONSORT, Annie Haslam, and many others, underscore the breadth of his musical reach.

Venturing into the realm of cutting-edge technology, Jordan has emerged as a pioneer with a focus on state-of-the-art keyboard controllers and music apps. As the owner of the highly successful iOS app development company Wizdom Music, he has spearheaded the creation of award-winning apps, including GeoShred, MorphWiz, SampleWiz, Vythm, Polywave, Jam With Jordan and SampleWiz 2. GeoShred, Wizdom Music's latest triumph, was a collaborative effort with moForte, founding members of Stanford University's Sondius team. Rudess is currently working on an AI interactive project as Visiting Artist at MIT's Media Lab in the Responsive Environments group.

During an appearance on B&H Event Space's "Leica Stories", LAMB OF GOD frontman D. Randall "Randy" Blythe spoke about his upcoming book, "Just Beyond The Light: Making Peace With The Wars Inside Our Head", which is due on February 18, 2025 via Grand Central Publishing (GCP). He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "My first book, the main theme was personal accountability, about some legal problems I had, that I went through, that some people are probably familiar with. But the second book is about perspective, as far as I can tell after writing it, because I didn't have a very clear plan when I started writing it. It's about looking for outside perspectives from people or experiences I've had in order to have me course correct and not to make so many of the stupid mistakes I've made over the years.

"For me, the only way I've ever been able to shift my perspective to a more balanced perspective is listening to people who have experienced things and come out on the other side of it a better person," he explained. "So that's what I was trying to do. And there is a lot of self-searching in it. I don't know if you would describe the book as a memoir, but it's a collection, maybe, of essays or something. And I'm writing about my experiences that I've had with other people or just in life. And so I'm questioning myself, and I was questioning myself as I was writing the book. I knew I wanted to write about a couple of things, but everything else was a mystery. So, it's a lot of self-questioning.

"Something I really want for the reader — hopefully that's the main point — is to think about their own perspective on life and to ask themselves about their own perspective and how they can change it for the better."

Blythe went on to say that learning from past experiences is a fundamental aspect of personal growth and development.

"Nobody, as far as I know, has ever lived a perfect life, at least no one that I've met," he said. "And God knows I haven't. But that doesn't mean I need to sit here and castigate myself and flagellate myself and crucify myself forever. I need to learn from these experiences and hopefully become a better person. If I just sit there and [say things to myself], 'Oh, you're horrible,' and beat the crap out of yourself, it's really just the other side of the egomaniacal narcissism coin, really. Because if I'm just sitting there thinking I'm just the worst person in the world because I did something wrong, then I'm still just thinking about one person — myself. And I think as I grow older, my life goes a lot smoother the less I think about me. [Laughs] When I try and reach out and think about other people, my life tends to go a lot smoother. If I'm stuck here up in my head, it's no good. My head's a bad neighborhood. I should never go up there without adult supervision."

"Just Beyond The Light" was previously described by Blythe as a "tight, concise roadmap of how I have attempted to maintain what I believe to be a proper perspective in life, even during difficult times."

Last month, Blythe announced more spoken-word and question-and-answer events to promote "Just Beyond The Light". The special "evening with" event includes a spoken-word performance, an audience question-and-answer session, a copy of "Just Beyond The Light" and an opportunity to have the book signed.

In a recent interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", Blythe was asked if "Just Beyond The Light" picks up where his debut book, "Dark Days", which focused on his ordeal in a Czech Republic prison and his subsequent acquittal, left off or if it's a completely different book. Randy said: "It's a completely different book. It's a collection of — I wouldn't call 'em essays, but different chapters about, basically different people and experiences who have [changed] my perspective for the better.

"As I get older, I try not to make the same stupid mistakes again and again and again and again," he explained. "And surprise, surprise, if you look at people who — you look at them and you think, 'Man, this person has their life together,' or, 'They've acted in a manner that I find admirable,' if you pay attention to them and follow their example, you don't do stupid things yourself. I'm not saying that I don't still do stupid things, but I'm trying fully in my old age to learn from others more."

When Radioactive MikeZ noted that it's "interesting" that Randy actually interviewed his then-94-year-old grandmother for the book, Blythe said: "Yeah, she passed away. There's a chapter. Well, I didn't interview her for the book. I interviewed her because she was 94. She lived to be a hundred and a half. And there's a whole chapter about her. She raised me for part of my childhood and she was raised during the The [Great] Depression. She did not screw around. She was a very real person who lived through a whole lot. But I interviewed her when she was 94, just for the fact that I heard so many stories from her of growing up in a different time. And I was, like, 'She's not gonna be here forever. I might as well get all this stuff down,' just for my own purposes and for my family to have. She was the last of that generation in my family. So when I started to write this book on perspective and people I've learned things from, she was a natural choice. Luckily, I had that interview to draw on. So if you have old people in your life — this is what I'm gonna tell you — if you have old people in your life, interview them now… I'm gonna have to do that with my parents soon. I mean, they're not ancient or anything, but your memory starts failing as you get older. So it's time to get that stuff before it disappears."

Blythe told RVA Magazine about "Just Beyond The Light": "It is about trying to maintain a balanced perspective in the world right now, and in order for me to do that, I have to look to other people I admire. One of those people I write about is my grandmother, who was 94. I was beside her when she died, and I was grateful for that because it was post-COVID. I interviewed her over the course of two days and learned about her life. I asked her what the biggest difference is between [her generation] the modern age we're in right now — she didn't say computers or globalism; she said people are not as close as they used to be."

Asked if he feels like we've lost that sense of interpersonal connection between people," Randy said: "In many ways, but I don't think it's totally gone. I think it's dormant. I think it's buried under the iCloud of bullshit, and it's going to come back and bite us on the ass. In one way or another, you're going to need help. People don't know their neighbors; there's not the sense of community there used to be. In this hyper-connected world, people are lonelier than ever — particularly young people. They're interfacing with the world through this digital medium, and it's providing an illusion of connection, but real connection requires friction. There has to be a push and pull when you're in person, and that is absent via digital communications when there is a wall of anonymity."

In 2012, Blythe was arrested in the Czech Republic and charged with manslaughter for allegedly pushing a 19-year-old fan offstage at a show two year prior and causing injuries that led to the fan's death. Blythe spent 37 days in a Prague prison before ultimately being found not guilty in 2013.

Blythe's prison experience inspired two songs on LAMB OF GOD's 2015 album "VII: Sturm Und Drang": "512", one of his three prison cell numbers, and "Still Echoes", written while he was in Pankrac Prison, a dilapidated facility built in the 1880s that had been used for executions by the Nazis during World War II. It also led him to write the aforementioned "Dark Days", in which he shared his whole side of the story publicly for the first time.

WWE wrestler Damian Priest's updated version of his entrance song "Rise For The Night", featuring SLAYER guitarist Kerry King, has been officially made available on all the streaming music services.

King plays guitar on the track, which originally debuted last November during WWE's weekly "Raw" broadcast. At the time, Priest took to social media to thank King for "adding some of his genius to my theme."

Priest spoke about his love for metal in a Metal Hammer interview in April 2024. "I would say that METALLICA and Ozzy [Osbourne] were my first [bands] where I was, like, 'Oh, I love this,'" he said. "That's what really got me hooked on heavy metal."

Although "Rise For The Night" marks King's first performance on a theme song for a WWE wrestler, SLAYER originally recorded the "God Hates Us All" album track "Here Comes The Pain" for a compilation LP by now-defunct promotion WCW in 1999. More recently, SLAYER's classic 1988 song "South Of Heaven" was licensed by WWE as a one-off entrance theme for veteran wrestler Edge at "Wrestlemania 39" in 2023.

King and his new solo band will hit the road for the 28-date North American headline tour in early 2025. With MUNICIPAL WASTE as special guest and ALIEN WEAPONRY supporting, the tour is set to launch in San Francisco on January 15, 2025, and wrap at House of Blues in Las Vegas on February 22.

King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", was released in May 2024. All material for the LP was written by the 60-year-old SLAYER guitarist. Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles last year was producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.

Joining Kerry in his new band are Mark Osegueda (vocals, DEATH ANGEL),Phil Demmel (guitar, MACHINE HEAD, VIO-LENCE),Kyle Sanders (bass; HELLYEAH) and Paul Bostaph (drums, SLAYER).

In early May 2024, the KERRY KING band performed its first live show at Reggies in Chicago. In the days following, the band went from playing an intimate venue to performing at the huge U.S. festivals Welcome To Rockville (Florida) and Sonic Temple (Ohio).

KERRY KING launched a European tour on June 3, 2024 — King's 60th birthday – in Tilburg, The Netherlands. The trek combined headline shows in the U.K., The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Spain but also festival appearances such as Rock Am Ring, Hellfest, Tuska, Download, Sweden Rock Festival and many more.

The SLAYER guitarist's solo band played its first concert as the support act for LAMB OF GOD and MASTODON on July 19 at the Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas. The six-week "Ashes Of Leviathan" tour wrapped on August 31 in Omaha, Nebraska.

KnuckleBonz, the creator of the Rock Iconz music collectible series, has announced new limited-edition statue of Gary Holt of EXODUS. Officially licensed, this statue is hand-cast and painted and is created in 1/9 scale, making the average height of each approximately 8.75 inches tall. Each statue comes with a certificate of authenticity on the base of the statue.

The statue will tentatively ship in the fall of 2025.

Pre-sales are now available at knucklebonz.com.

KnuckleBonz has been developing iconic, high-quality statues of the legend of rock music since 2003.

All work created by the company is officially licensed and approved by the artists and their management.

KnuckleBonz, Inc. is a music merchandising company focused on the creation of high-end products for music enthusiasts. KnuckleBonz is committed to fine craftsmanship and artistry and has developed the Rock Iconz, 3D Vinyl and On Tour collectible series. KnuckleBonz is solely focused on offering quality products specifically for the music superfan.

Hachette Books has set an April 1, 2025 release date for Holt's upcoming memoir, "A Fabulous Disaster: From The Garage To Madison Square Garden, The Hard Way". In the book, which features a foreword by former EXODUS an current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett, Holt presents an entertaining, personal memoir detailing his "destruction-laden" life and the origins of the thrash metal scene from the San Francisco Bay Area to its world dominance.

Holt joined EXODUS in 1981, shortly after the band's formation, and has been the group's main songwriter ever since. Holt has performed on every EXODUS album, and is considered highly influential in the world of thrash metal.

Holt began filling in for SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman at live shows in 2011, and became the band's full-time co-guitarist as of 2013, while remaining a member of EXODUS. Holt played on SLAYER's final album, "Repentless", which came out in 2015.

In a June 2012 interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, SLAYER's Kerry King stated about Holt: "I always regard Gary as the Glenn Tipton of our era — really good, really polished and nobody talks about him. To this day, nobody really references [JUDAS] PRIEST and Tipton that much as guitar players and I feel the same way about Gary. EXODUS have a huge following but a little more overlooked than METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER, ANTHRAX — the 'Big Four,' so to speak, so [it is great] to be able to bring him to the forefront and shove him down people's throats and say, 'Hey, this motherfucker kicks ass. Pay attention.'"

EXODUS's latest album, "Persona Non Grata", came out in November 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap. For the third time in the band's history, they returned to Swedish artist Pär Olofsson to create the album artwork.

"Persona Non Grata" was the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' first release since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

MTV today announced the release of "Eric Clapton Unplugged... Over 30 Years Later" from its trailblazing, Grammy- and Emmy Award-winning global music franchise "MTV Unplugged". The 90-minute special will premiere in select U.S. and U.K. theaters on Monday, January 27 and Tuesday, January 28, 2025 before it is available to stream on Paramount+ beginning Wednesday, February 12, 2025 in the U.S. and globally.

Considered one of the most iconic installments of the "MTV Unplugged" series, 18-time Grammy Award winner Eric Clapton originally recorded his unforgettable hour-long performance of "Eric Clapton Unplugged" in 1992 at Bray Studios in Windsor, England. In this all-new extended, remixed and remastered edition, "Eric Clapton Unplugged... Over 30 Years Later" will feature exclusive content of Clapton discussing the inspiration behind specific songs and performances with the crew just before he took the stage, seamlessly integrated with the performance footage.

Tickets for the theatrical release are available now, exclusively at Dolby Atmos capable theaters in the U.S. and U.K. The list of theaters is available here.

During the intimate performance, Clapton reimagined his catalog with first-time acoustic arrangements of hits including "Layla", "Tears In Heaven" and more. He also paid homage to the blues music that influenced him, performing classics including "Before You Accuse Me", originally recorded by Bo Diddley; "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out", originally recorded by Bessie Smith; and more.

The subsequently released live album "Unplugged", issued in August 1992, became a monumental success, selling over 26 million copies worldwide and dominating charts worldwide. "Unplugged" went on to become the best-selling live album of all time.

Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame: as a solo artist and separately as a member of THE YARDBIRDS and of CREAM. In his solo career, he has sold 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time.

"Eric Clapton Unplugged... Over 30 Years Later" follows the release of Eric's new studio album "Meanwhile", available now.

This enhanced 30th anniversary special of "MTV Unplugged: Eric Clapton" is a unique collaboration between MTV, Surfdog Records and producer for Surfdog, John Logsdon.

Bruce Gillmer and Vanessa Whitewolf serve as executive producers for MTV with Eric Clapton, Michael Eaton and Dave Kaplan. In addition, Alicia Portugal will serve series executive in charge, with Lisa Lauricella taking on the role of series music talent executive.

“Ah-ha-ha. Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated? Good night.”


Sex Pistols fans will finally be able to judge for themselves with the release for the first time of three full live albums from the band’s legendary 1978 US tour.


Sex Pistols singer and lyricist Johnny Rotten signed off with the immortal words on stage at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on January 14, 1978 - the band’s final show until they reformed in 1996.




This year will see the San Francisco show and performances in Atlanta (South East Music, 5th January 1978) and Dallas (Longhorns Ballroom, 10th January 1978) given special edition coloured vinyl releases before all three are made available in a three-CD set and for digital download.


Even had the band not imploded soon afterwards, the tour would still have had a place in rock and roll history, the band’s reputation preceding it across America’s conservative heartlands.


John Rotten (aka Lydon), Paul Cook, Steve Jones and Sid Vicious were sent into venues primed for confrontation, police ready to clamp down on any signs of anarchy and religious protesters rallying to see off the unholy Brits.


Audiences were provoked, objects flew, tensions brewed, cracks widened among the Pistols themselves - but amidst it all was delivered some of the rawest and most honest music that the country that birthed rock and roll had ever seen. "God Save the Queen", "Bodies", and the re-targeted "Anarchy in the USA" - all launched at the crowds and the onlooking authorities.


“Now, we came to dance - what did you come for?,” says Rotten before the band rip into "God Save The Queen" in Atlanta, and then: “That was the new British National Anthem.”


The newly mastered recordings put the listener right amongst the sweating, bellowing crowd. “Aren’t we the worst thing you’ve ever seen?,” asks Rotten - but in truth the roar of Jones’s guitar and the raw snarl of his vocal are exactly what they want.


A radio advert for the Dallas show proclaims: “They said no one could be more bizarre than Alice Cooper or more destructive than Kiss. They have not seen the Sex Pistols…Banned in their own home country, England’s Sex Pistols denied admittance to the United States - the Sex Pistols bring the new wave to the Metroplex this Tuesday night in the Longhorn Ballroom.”


After the band crashed through The Stooges’ ‘No Fun’ in San Francisco, Rotten challenged the crowd directly: “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?”


Within days, he announced his departure and the Sex Pistols explosion, detonated in the turmoil of the late 1970s, was over. These primal recordings document the final shockwaves of a band that changed pop culture forever.