During an appearance on the latest episode of Knotfest's "She's With The Band", the show hosted by Tori Kravitz aiming to amplify the voices of women on stage, backstage and in the business, former ARCH ENEMY singer Alissa White-Gluz, who is vegan and straight edge, spoke about some of the most common misunderstandings of a plant-based lifestyle. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have seen animal rights, not even just veganism, but just animal rights in general, go through a rollercoaster of successes and losses. It's always a very interesting thing where if somebody rescues a beagle from an animal testing facility, which actually just happened — a bunch of beagles were rescued and the activists went to jail — but they're applauded as heroes, because they saved dogs. But if those same people were walking out with another animal — let's say a very similar animal who actually is more intelligent and shares more DNA with humans, a pig — then people probably wouldn't applaud them. They would just comment 'bacon'. And the thing is they can comment that all they want — I know where bacon comes from; you're not blowing my mind.

"I think that, unfortunately, right now we have reached a point where there's so much oversaturation in the influencer culture that veganism got kind of sucked into a diet trend, which it is not," she continued. "Just to make it perfectly clear, for someone who has never met a vegan, you probably won't know that they're vegan until you maybe go out to eat with them somewhere and they place an order. And then you still might not know unless you straight-up ask them. It's not something that ever comes up in conversation.

"I think people have this weird misconception, because they maybe have never met a vegan, and they're, like, 'Oh, vegans just walk up to you and say, 'I'm vegan and you should be vegan.'' That has never happened. [Laughs] That doesn't happen. I have some friends that I've known for years that I didn't know they were vegan, and then we were, like, 'Oh, me too. Cool. Okay, great.' You know, acquaintances."

Alissa, who has been vegetarian since birth, and vegan since the 1990s, added: "I went vegan because I love animals and I don't wanna hurt them. That's it. And if other people feel that same way and they don't wanna hurt animals, we're at a point in time now where it's actually really easy to avoid hurting them. So they could find that, 'Hey, I found a way to stop hurting animals. It's really easy. It doesn't cost anything. All that it involves is me choosing to eat that thing instead of that thing. Cool. Same price, same nutritional value. One thing is made from plants and the other thing is made from dead animals.' It's so easy now.

"I think that where we are faltering is that in 2018, 2019, there was huge successes in the vegan movement where people were really understanding and getting into it. And we had really influential documentaries, like 'The Game Changers', and then the pendulum sort of swung back and there's a backlash against it. I mean, I see it all the time. If I post anything about animals that's not a dog or a cat, then there's people that start to come up with all these arguments, and blah, blah, blah. And I'll leave it in the comments, or I'll respond to some of them, because I want people to see that so that they can see, like, 'Well, actually that doesn't make sense because, no, well, look, she answered that.' And so I'll just leave it there in the comments. But I think the carnivore diet took off, and quite transparently the meat industry paid influencers to say that they were vegan and stopped being vegan. This is a fact. It's a documented fact. The meat industry is one of the biggest, most successful, most high-valued industries in the world. It's up there with oil — it's huge. And they started actually seeing their business suffer because of people who wanted to be healthier or wanted to help animals, especially in dairy, because most people are allergic to dairy anyways. And so they started to do things to swing it the other way. And some of it was successful. There are vegan influencers who were never actually vegan, who were paid to say that they were vegan: 'And here's why I've stopped being vegan now' and make these videos and rage bait everyone. I mean, that's marketing, right? It's pretty intelligent marketing, actually. There's laws being passed in different parts of the world saying that you can't call soy milk, soy milk, and you can't call oat milk, oat milk. It has to be 'soy beverage' because they're so afraid of the word 'milk' being used to describe something that didn't come out of a cow's boob. So I can see that they're struggling, and that makes me feel good [laughs], that we're making some impact, but I think that they have succeeded in marketing against veganism quite a bit, which sucks, because, again, at the end of the day we're just people that don't wanna hurt animals."

Alissa went on to say that replacing animal products with plant foods is critical to reducing the devastating harm that animal farming inflicts on the planet.

"I don't care what you do — I don't care. Do whatever you want it. I mean, it applies to everything. Drive whatever you want, sleep with whoever you want, eat whatever you want, wear whatever you want, as long as you're not hurting anyone. All those things, when they're done without hurting anyone, I don't care. It's up to you. You have free will. Go enjoy it. But if you choose to wear a real fur coat, you're hurting someone," she explained. "So now it's not just about you. Now you're involving somebody else, and you're taking their life — many lives, actually, for a fur coat.

"I've had to really think about this a lot because in my head it's so easy to be vegan that I'm, like, 'Well, why would it be a problem? It's so easy.' But I think that if people love animals and care about animals, or care about their health or care about the environment, even if they're able to just do it a little bit, it helps," she added. "Because, look, if there's people that are vegan half the time, that's the same as if we had half the amount of people vegan all the time. So it's the same impact. So if people are, like, 'Yeah, I'm mostly vegan,' but they like to have their cheese or whatever now and then, they're still doing a great job. And so I think that there's no need to like strive for perfection and feel like they're like locked into something. Again, for me, I don't waiver because I don't want to, but if other people have a hard time with it, even if they do it most of the time or some of the time, it's still a good help. And I think that everybody has the ability to do that."

Apart from her musical acclaim, Alissa's dedication to animal rights is evident in her collaborations with various animal welfare organizations and her outspoken stance on issues related to animal exploitation, aligning her musical career with a fervent commitment to creating awareness and promoting compassion for all living beings.

Alissa's distinctive blend of artistry and activism has garnered widespread acclaim, earning her recognition as a trailblazer in the realm. As an influential figure in both the metal community and the animal rights movement, White-Gluz remains steadfast in her commitment to creating a more compassionate and just world for all beings.

During the 2023 edition of the Tuska festival in Helsinki, Finland, Alissa was asked by Kiki of the "Bleeding Metal" podcast if her activism is part of her identity. Alissa responded: "Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I am an activist before I'm a musician even. That's really what drives me forward every single day, is hoping that in some way my existence on this planet can make it a little bit better for everybody else who is currently existing on the planet and who will exist in the future. And that's first and foremost animal rights."

Asked if she would describe that as her purpose in life then even, Alissa said: "I don't know if people have, like, a purpose in life. I think it's nice to think that we do. I don't really know if we actually do. I think someone's purpose in life can just be whatever they attach themselves to — you know, whatever drives them forward. It doesn't have to be some big grandiose thing. But with that definition, then yes, I would say that it's my purpose. Yeah."

Issue 55 of Rock Candy magazine has an in-depth look at AC/DC's breakthrough album, 1979's "Highway To Hell", including an exclusive interview with Tony Platt, the mix engineer on this album and the goliath "Back In Black", released in 1980. A witness to rock and roll history, Tony was there when a great band started the climb to legend status, including vocalist Bon Scott who was creating his legacy work with "Highway To Hell" because he was to die in tragic circumstances in early 1980, the band going on with vocalist Brian Johnson to scale the dizzying heights of mega stardom.

Talking about the loss of Bon, Tony told Rock Candy editor Howard Johnson: "It's always difficult to know how something like that is going to hit you, but there's one phrase that for me summed up what Bon's death meant. I had a conversation with [AC/DC's founding guitarist] Malcolm [Young] not long after Bon has passed, reminiscing about all the silly things he used to get up to. There were loads of stories of how Bon would often disappear at the end of a gig and go off on his own to get into a bit of trouble. He'd just disappear and then reappear at the next gig 200 miles away or whatever. Nobody ever knew how he'd got there, or what he'd been up to. And Malcolm told me that everybody had got used to the fact that Bon would always turn up. And he said to me, 'Now I've got to get used to the fact that he isn't going to turn up.'"

Tony worked with producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange on "Highway To Hell" and "Back In Black" and explained that he had guidance from Mutt as to how the mix should sound.

"The overdubs that the guys had to do right at the start of the mixing process helped me quite a lot because we were all sitting around and chatting and listening to stuff as it was being done," he said. "I got a feel for what they were after. Mutt insisted that he wanted it to sound like everybody was in the same room. For me Mutt's major talent is having a clear vision for a project. The work that he'd put in on the songs in terms of arrangement was all about cohesion — and getting a big, fat low end. The bass is pretty much one note all the way through on 'Highway To Hell', so you really needed to have that round bass [sound] that just stuck there... I'd worked on a lot of rock stuff at Basing Street [studio], but I worked on a lot of reggae stuff as well, so I already knew the best way of evening out bass guitars so that they sounded really present the whole time."

Platt also said that the two AC/DC albums he worked on have divided many fans.

"There are definitely two factions amongst the world's AC/DC fans," laughed Platt. "there's the 'Highway To Hell' cohort and the 'Back In Black' faction. I've been in the middle of the debate about which is the better of those two records, and let me tell you it can get pretty heated."

Also in the detail-rich issue 55 of Rock Candy is a moving but uplifting interview with the laser-focused Zakk Wylde about life after the loss of his friend and mentor Ozzy Osbourne, MR. BIG vocalist Eric Martin on what the rocket ride success of their 1991 "Lean Into It" album was like, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell talks about his much-loved RIVERDOGS side project, and long-serving APRIL WINE guitarist Brian Greenway talks about how this fine wine is developing with age and still going strong. All this and much more, including Steve Perry and Ross Valory looking like 1970s rock gods in the "Frozen In Time" feature, a revisit to LYNYRD SKYNYRD's 1975 "Nuthin' Fancy" album, and interviews with TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French, FAITH NO MORE keyboard player Roddy Bottum and VICIOUS RUMORS guitarist Geoff Thorpe.

Rock Candy is a 100-page, full-color bi-monthly rock magazine, created in the U.K. It covers the sights, sounds and smells from the greatest era in hard rock, the '70s, '80s and early '90s. It is the brainchild of respected U.K. rock journalists Derek Oliver, Howard Johnson and Malcolm Dome — all frontline writers for the legendary Kerrang! magazine in the golden era.

For more information, visit www.rockcandymag.com.

In a new interview with Scott Davidson of Chicago's Rebel Radio, singer Marc Lopes once again opened up about his departure from METAL CHURCH after recording just one album with the veteran metal band, 2023's "Congregation Of Annihilation".

Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Mike Howe, who tragically passed away in July of 2021. The band's lineup on "Congregation Of Annihilation" was rounded out by founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and drummer Stet Howland.

Last November, it was announced that METAL CHURCH was returning with a "revitalized" lineup consisting of Vanderhoof alongside Van Zandt, bass icon David Ellefson (MEGADETH),powerhouse drummer Ken Mary (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, FIFTH ANGEL, ALICE COOPER, HOUSE OF LORDS, TKO, CHASTAIN) and new vocalist Brian Allen (VICIOUS RUMORS). The announcement came nearly two years after METAL CHURCH canceled its 2024 tour dates due to "an ongoing back issue" suffered by Vanderhoof.

Reflecting on how he found out he was no longer a member of METAL CHURCH, Lopes told Rebel Radio (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, we basically found out on the Internet, pretty much… When they announced that they had a new lineup and a new tune [was released], that was [when we first found out]."

Asked if he thought METAL CHURCH was broken up at that point, Marc said: "It's interesting. It depends on who you ask. My interpretation of it was there were definitely some issues going on business-wise that needed to be discussed. Certain people reacted in a certain way. At the time, it was just kind of, like, 'All right, let this thing simmer down and then have a conversation.' That was my take on it. And then when Kurdt canceled the tour, we went along with it, the reasonings that were said to the public, we went along with it in hopes of having conversations down the road — because [we] needed to. Anytime there's some kind of misunderstanding of something, you should have a conversation — whether things are gonna work or not, there needs to be some kind of finality to it. At the time, [Kurdt] was, like, I'm gonna put METAL CHURCH on [pause]… I'm just gonna stop doing this for right now,' or whatever the case may be. And believe me, when I was in the band, I heard threatening to fold the band about six times. Anytime there was a disagreement, it was, like, 'Let me take my ball and run.' It got a little annoying, so no one ever took it serious, because it never was. So when that was said, it was, like, 'All right, well, whatever. You guys can do whatever you need to do, and we'll talk.' But those talks never happened. And I constantly was always trying to reach out to find out — that was just from me. I mean, the other two guys, I don't speak to them, but I was just, like, 'What are we doing here? What's going on?' And no one would ever answer. And I was just, like, 'Well, that's kind of messed up. Why are we not having any kind of conversation?' So one year goes by and still nothing. And I'm, like, 'Wow, that's really weird.' I mean, I don't understand. At least go, 'Hey, you know what?! We're not doing this no more. We're gonna go in a different direction' or whatever. But not even that. So, I kept going on, and that was it. We just never had any kind of conversation. And about the two-year mark, when the album was at the two-year anniversary. I finally got a message back and it was, like, 'Yeah, you know…' I'm not gonna say what was said, but it was kind of, like, 'Good luck with everything,' or whatever. And I was, like, 'What?' There was no explanation for what was said. I was kind of, like, 'Well, what do you mean?' And I got no answer. [Laughs] So I was, like, 'Okay, this is kind of weird.' So I'm trying to get what's going on, and I was not getting any return calls, which — I'll be 100% honest — was super disrespectful, and that don't fly with me, man."

Lopes continued: "You know what?! If you don't wanna do it, that's cool. Whatever, man. You wanna be that way and take your ball and run into your little corner, that's cool, dude. But at least be man enough to say it. Let's have a man-to-man conversation. That's all I wanted. And I never got it. And I have every right to be annoyed by that. And that's what annoys me. And to have that all come out on the Internet, and then them B.S.ing in these interviews, it's just not cool, man. But it is what it is. It is what it is."

Marc went on to say that he doesn't "regret anything" about the time he spent as the frontman of METAL CHURCH. "It was awesome," he said. "We did a lot of cool stuff. We did more in seven months on the road than that band had done in years. And we were doing things different. Business was good. A lot of people didn't see the same way of things, and that's kind of where it fell apart.

"I think one of the things that really was most disrespectful was you have someone like Steve who was in the band for 22 years," Lopes added. "And he never got a phone call [letting him know he was no longer in the band]. That is not cool… Definitely some serious lack of communication, for sure. So that kind of thing, I just don't really think a lot about a person that does stuff like that. It's just not an honorable thing to do. And that's not how I function as a human. And I feel everyone deserves respect, whether you agree or not. So that's where any kind of animosity comes from, is that."

Last month, Kurdt told Pete Pardo and Lynne Versaci of Sea Of Tranquility about the dissolution of the METAL CHURCH lineup that recorded "Congregation Of Annihilation": "Well, about two years ago, maybe a little over two years ago now, we did a Australia run. And the shows were fine, but we got back. Things got ugly, and the whole thing was just turned into a mess. And then [there was] a whole bunch of stuff flying around. Stet didn't like the way business was going, so he left. And the other guys didn't like it either. I didn't like the way things were going at all. It just wasn't any fun anymore. And a band at our level, if you're not having any fun — that's part of the pay. And if you're not having any fun anymore… Nobody makes a lot of money anymore, so you gotta be able to afford to do what you're doing and enjoy it… So I shut the band down, I was, like, 'This isn't worth it anymore.' The record company lost interest in us; [they] didn't wanna work with us anymore. Both European and American labels, they were just, like, 'They're done.' And I'm, like, 'Okay, there's no reason to go on.' So I shut the band down. And I made a point of saying, 'Look, I'm not gonna say anything derogatory about anybody in the press or anything like that, and I hope you would do the same.' But apparently some people decided not to do that. So, that's on them, not me."

Asked if he was happy with "Congregation Of Annihilation", which came out in May 2023 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe),Kurdt said: "Yeah. Oh, yeah. It's a fine album. It's good. Yeah, it had some great moments, and it was fine. It was just a bunch of business stuff and a bunch of things like that just wasn't working for anybody, myself included. And so it was, like, 'Eh.' And then when labels and people like that aren't really [into it, I was], like, 'Okay, I don't think I wanna do this anymore either. There's no point.' So I shut the band down, and I thought it was done — again… And I keep trying to kill it. It's like the band that won't die… So, again, I had no intention of doing it anymore. I was done. I was, like, 'All right. We did that. We're not getting along. Okay, I'm done.' And then not having interest [from] the label, there was just no point. So I shut it down. I was still working with Rat Pak with PRESTO BALLET and HALL AFLAME and a couple of other things. So I still had my deals with them on my other projects. And so I was working with them. And then just out of the blue one day, Joe [O'Brien] at Rat Pak sent me a couple of files from this guy doing METAL CHURCH songs… Well, he did 'Start The Fire' and 'Date With Poverty', I believe. And Joe just said, 'Hey, listen to these.' And I did. And it was, like, 'Is this like an unreleased track of [late METAL CHURCH singer] David Wayne?' kind of thing. When I heard 'Start The Fire', I was, like, 'Wow, who is this?' Anyway, so that turned out to be Brian Allen, who, I didn't know at the time, was a guy I knew from Portland. I didn't know him, but we knew him from Portland when he was in a JUDAS PRIEST tribute band, and we did some shows with him back over the last 10, 15 years. So I was, like, 'Wow. I had no idea.' And he did such a great job with it, I was, like, 'Well, if we ever decide to put the band back together, there's our singer,' 'cause he can do the David Wayne and Mike Howe [late METAL CHURCH singer] stuff. And so he said, 'Great. Okay. Isn't that nice?' And it was completely unsolicited. It was Todd La Torre who told Brian to send [Joe the files]. And I'm, like, 'Okay, cool. That was quite impressive, to say the least. So a little time goes by and then Rat Pak's working with ELLEFSON-SOTO. So he put out their record, and so he's in contact with Dave Ellefson and working with him. And as that comes up, Dave offered his services: 'Oh, well, if METAL CHURCH ever wants to get back together. I'd love to be involved. I'd love to play bass.' … And it was, like, 'Wait, what? Wait, Dave Ellefson would wanna… Really? Okay.' Well, then it was starting to get interesting. And soon after that, or right about the same time, Jeff Plate said, 'Well, yeah, if you ever wanna do that, yeah, I'd love to get re-involved again. Sure. That'd be great.' I'm, like, 'Okay. Again, here I am saying this is the final tour. We're not doing anything, the farewell tour or whatever.' … So long story endless, suddenly there's Brian Allen, the singer, which would be the most important part of that. Then Dave bringing a certain credibility to it. And then Jeff coming back. I was, like, 'Okay.' So I kind of started putting some songs together, songs started happening. But then the SAVATAGE thing took off, which I couldn't be happier for [Jeff] and all of those guys… So [Jeff] couldn't continue [with METAL CHURCH]. Lo and behold, Ken Mary, an old friend of ours from Seattle, who is a transplant down here as well, reaches out to me for some other complete other reason, and I'm, like, 'Are you still in FLOTSAM?' He goes, 'Yeah, yeah. But we don't work on all that much.' 'Hey, well, [I'm] kind of thinking about maybe seeing if I… I kind of started putting METAL CHURCH back together, but Jeff is really busy with the SAVATAGE reunion.' And he's, like, 'Yeah. Oh, I'd love to do that.' I'm, like, 'Okay.' So it was kind of a no-brainer at that point. So there you have it."

Kurdt went on to say that the first two songs that were released from METAL CHURCH's upcoming "Dead To Rights" album, "Brainwash Game" and "F.A.F.O.", were "getting a great response, and people seem to like" it. "But it's a really good bunch of guys [we have in the band now]," he explained. "And again, I had no intention of doing it. And so we made a record. We're really happy with the record. And so I guess we're back at it. It was kind of unplanned. It was resurrected by itself. So, yeah, I'm really happy. I'm still a little bit surprised of how it came together 'cause it wasn't on my radar. So that's basically, a very Reader's Digest, condensed version of how it happened. But that's basically it. And I know a lot of people, they want a lot of the dirt and stuff like that, and a couple of the other guys like to talk smack about what happened. Whatever. That's fine. I'm gonna keep to my promise, and if you guys wanna [talk smack], that's on you guys. That's fine. 'Cause I can't stand those Internet fights when this guy, formerly of this band, and this guy [says], 'He did this' and 'he did that'. I'm not doing that. No, I'm not doing that. If they have an issue, that's fine. They have their opinion, I have mine. But I'm not airing my stuff in public."

"Dead To Rights" will be released on April 10 via Rat Pak Records. The LP was produced by Vanderhoof and mixed and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z.

METAL CHURCH plans to hit the road extensively this year on the "Dead To Rights" tour.

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

This past January, Lopes described METAL CHURCH as "a shit show" and blasted Vanderhoof over the way the band's recent lineup changes were handled. He went on to say that Kurdt had "no integrity" and accused the guitarist of displaying "cowardice" by "not confronting any of the issues, whether good or bad." He added that he had "to find out everything on the Internet" about what was actually going on with METAL CHURCH. "That was the ultimate 'fuck you'. And that does not bide well with me personally, which will be addressed in another time," he added.

Stet, an in-demand metal drummer who has also pounded the skins for W.A.S.P., BLACKFOOT and Lita Ford, briefly addressed his eight-year stint with METAL CHURCH in a social media post. He wrote in part: "After seeing recent [METAL CHURCH] interviews, Marc's statement, and Kurdt's response. There's clearly MANY things that need to be said. But in short, Marc was 100% accurate. Tho[ugh] he barely shared the tip of the iceberg of the bullshit, and he was much more kind than I'm going to be. There's truths that need to be told and facts that need to be shared. I'll be as kind as I can, but I'll be dissecting and explaining a shitshow."

Stet later opened up about his departure from METAL CHURCH in more detail, writing in a social media post in part: "[Kurdt is a] great riff writer, good hearted guy, total business disaster… And honestly, as amazing as the music was, business wise the whole thing was kind of a clown show behind the scenes. Not an ounce of good sense in play when I joined. I had to literally rebuild the entire business model. And now, with nobody to handle things, I can't wait to watch all this unfold. On the upside, there's lots of amazing talent in the new lineup. New stuff sounds great to me. Ken and Brian did a fantastic job, always loved Ken's work.

"I've always been a fan of the music, I wholeheartedly support these guys perpetuating the brand. And as disgusted as I am with the way things were handled business-wise.

"I've said this before. METAL CHURCH is about the music, not the faces. The faces will continue to change, that I assure you.

"I'm sad to say that the honor and integrity of the band was buried with Mike Howe. What remains today, now matter how wonderful it looks from the outside, is a rudderless mess."

In a new interview with The Raw Vibe, legendary rock bassist Billy Sheehan spoke about how the music industry has undergone a dramatic transformation with the advent of digital technology and social media platforms. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's no record companies anymore, really. It used to be you had a couple of good songs, you'd get in touch with a record company, and if your luck was in order, [they'd say], 'Hey, well, we'll do a demo deal. We'll pay for you to go in and demo some songs in a pro studio. And they would, and they'd spend 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, $50,000 on a demo. And then somebody liked it, and then they would do a record deal and you'd get a bunch of money to make a record. And then they'd support you to go on tour and you'd open up for a big band and then do a headline thing, and then pretty soon you've got a platinum record. And that was pretty much how it worked. There's no record companies around anymore. [And] not many studios. And it costs a lot to go in a studio. But on the other side, you've got the Internet, and you're a couple of clicks away from the entire population of the world. You can reach everybody, everywhere. From this phone that I'm holding right now, I can send music to people in Indonesia, in Japan, every state of the United States. And also you've got production stuff on a phone or an iPad. You can do a whole record. It sounds great, and it's real. And play and record drums and record guitar, bass, vocals."

Billy continued: "My software in my little home studio here, if it was all real and in a real studio, it'd be worth millions of dollars. Pultec EQs — can you find one for less than $75,000 anywhere? No. But I got software versions all day. You got the best. It's a digital version of it. Everyone's using it. It works great… But you can do a whole record, no problem, right in your bedroom. So you don't need $50,000 that you will owe back to them, to the record company for the rest of their life. And you've got DistroKid and Spotify and you can get your music out anywhere and start promoting it yourself. So as much as some of the opportunities have gone away, I think they've actually improved now, because everybody's got access. If you've got a laptop or a phone, you can record music. And you can be in touch."

Sheehan added: "People contact me from all over the world: 'Hey, will you play bass on a track?' And I say, 'Sure. Yeah.' So they send me the track. I learn it. Nominal fee — I don't charge a lot of money — and I hire my engineer to come in and we lay down a totally pro bass track for them. Send it off to them. They're happy. And they end up doing 10 more tracks with me. I do a lot of recording here [at home]. During the pandemic, we did over 600 tracks for people around the world. And we just did 20 in the last two weeks. So it just keeps going. And it's cool. A great experience for us. We're playing to all kinds of music — from country to death metal and some uncategorizable. It's just a riot and a great experience. But yeah, so there's great opportunities now. You just have to get out there and get it."

Sheehan has played with David Lee Roth, MR. BIG, THE WINERY DOGS, TALAS and SONS OF APOLLO. He's also won Guitar Player magazine's "Best Bass Player" poll several times and is in-demand at clinics and as a session player.

Sheehan has played bass on dozens of records and toured all over the world for many decades, with a unique and original style of playing that has been widely celebrated and documented. Starting in his former hometown of Buffalo, New York with the now legendary hard rock trio TALAS, he went on to join former VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth in 1985, along with guitarist Steve Vai and drummer Gregg Bissonette. In 1987, Billy left to start his own band, MR. BIG, and in 1996, he founded NIACIN, a fusion/blues trio that featured drummer Dennis Chambers. More recently, Billy joined DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy and guitarist Richie Kotzen to form THE WINERY DOGS.

Sheehan has changed the way bass guitar is played. He recorded two platinum-selling albums with Roth before setting out on his own. Forming MR. BIG in 1989, the band achieved a Billboard No. 1 single in the U.S. and 14 other countries with "To Be With You" from MR. BIG's second Atlantic Records album release "Lean Into It". While developing his trademark style of playing, he performed over 4,000 live gigs on every continent except Africa and Antarctica.

On January 27, 1999, Billy's handprints and signature were preserved in cement on the Hollywood RockWalk at Guitar Center, an honor reserved for those artists who have made a significant contribution to rock and roll.

In a new interview with Brazil's 89 FM A Rádio Rock, DIRTY HONEY singer Marc LaBelle spoke about the band's plans to record new music as a follow-up to 2023's " Can't Find The Brakes" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're working on some new music right now and going into the studio here shortly."

Regarding what fans can expect from the new DIRTY HONEY material, Marc said: "We've been working hard on songwriting, working on demos and stuff. There's just a lot of things happening in the world and just personal experiences that we've all had recently — very good and very bad, without revealing too much — that we're pulling from to write lyrics with. And I think we're just trying to evolve a little more as songwriters and as musicians and as a band to create something that maybe our fans will not expect but ultimately will enjoy."

In February 2025, DIRTY HONEY issued "Mayhem And Revelry Live", the Los Angeles-based 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 DIRTY HONEY's 2023-24 "Can't Find The Brakes" world tour.

DIRTY HONEY made music biz history in 2019 when the band's debut single, "When I'm Gone", went all the way to No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock and Hard Rock charts, making DIRTY HONEY the first — and still only — totally independent, unsigned artist to achieve that. The band sold out its first two U.S. headline tours, Rolling Stone named them an "Artist You Need To Know," their self-titled, debut album was released in April 2021, and with no major label affiliation or support, entered the Current Hard Rock Album chart at No. 2. The band received rave reviews and standing ovations when they opened for THE BLACK CROWES on that band's nine-week summer 2021 "Shake Your Money Maker" U.S. amphitheater tour, and averaged $15,000 a night in t-shirt/merch sales.

DIRTY HONEY first toured Europe in summer 2022, playing support dates with RIVAL SONS, KISS and GUNS N' ROSES, plus a handful of first-time headline shows, all sold out, many of which had to be moved to larger venues due to ticket demand. In January 2023, they returned for their very first full headline tour there — 30 shows in 13 countries, all dates sold out. June/July 2023 saw them playing support shows with GUNS N' ROSES and KISS, plus major festival appearances and headline dates — 21 shows in 12 countries — with all headline dates sold out.

In April 2025, DIRTY HONEY performed the song "When I'm Gone" on an episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The track, which was originally released in 2019, is featured in "A Minecraft Movie". It plays during the first two and a half minutes of the film while Jason Momoa's character Garrett "The Garbage Man" Garrison is introduced.

Photo credit: Linda Eklov

In a new interview with Metal Horror Madman, EXHORDER frontman Kyle Thomas discussed the band's recent announcement that drummer Sasha Horn was leaving the group in order to "focus on his personal life". Temporarily replacing him on the road will be Corey Pierce of GOD FORBID fame. A permanent replacement for Horn has not yet been announced.

"It's been coming for some time, but it finally came to a head, I think after this last tour," Thomas stated about Horn's departure. "I feel like Sasha's kind of just been in a state of flux for maybe even a couple years now, trying to figure out who he is and what he's doing. I don't wanna get too, too into the personal side of it for him, because that's his story to tell, not mine. But what an amazing drummer he is. I swear, the only person maybe that I've seen hit [the drums] harder than him was Reed Mullin [late CORROSION OF CONFORMITY drummer], and Reed Mullin was a lot bigger than Sasha. So it's amazing, his ability and talent. But I just feel like the guy isn't himself and doesn't… I think he's come to the point where he's ready to find himself and focus on his family. He's got a daughter, he's got parents that are not getting any younger. So I think he's just been doing this for so long, I think he just feels like maybe there's something else. I think he wants to maybe even go to school. Here's a guy who's turning 50 this year, and I guess just saying, 'Maybe I just need a relaunch of myself, just a kind of reset.' And I'm a huge fan of that. I did that when I was in ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY. I came home broke from a five-week tour where I had strep throat almost the entire tour. And my kids were little. They were missing me. I couldn't pay my bills. And I just took a look and I said, 'I can't do this. I cannot tour like this anymore. I have to raise my children.' And so I put all of that on pause for 10 years until my children were adults. And by that point, they don't need you around, much less want you around all the time. I had their blessing, though. They were, like, 'Dad, you got an opportunity. Go get your brass ring.' And I love that. So family comes first always. I'm 100% in support of that aspect of Sasha making his decision."

Kyle added: "This wasn't a bad parting. We've had bad partings in this band, trust me. And this is not one of them."

Regarding Pierce's addition to EXHORDER's touring lineup, Thomas said: "We talked with a handful of people and watched videos of them, and everybody that we talked with and evaluated would've done an amazing job, I think. But — I don't know —I think the thing that really sealed it for me with Corey, aside from the fact that he's got a pedigree; he's the only drummer that GOD FORBID ever had. I asked him, I said, 'Are you the only drummer that GOD FORBID's ever had?' He said, 'Trust me, I've tried to hand that job off, and no one wants it and no one would let me.' [Laughs] But he comes from the same background as our original drummer, Chris Nail. They're both marching-band guys, drum corps, accomplished jazz-style players that read sheet music. Corey told me he was teaching drum corps at 14 years old. So, the fact that he is 100% from the same background that our original guy was — 'cause Sasha was not; that was not the type of drummer Sasha was. Sasha was more of a basher, punk-style drummer. [He was] very skilled, could do the things that were required in this band, but he did not play in the kind of traditional style that our original drummer played. So, it was an adaptation, but it worked. And it just adds a different flavor, I think. But I feel like with Corey, it's going to be probably a little bit more true to what the original drum parts were, perhaps. I don't know. We have rehearsals starting next week, so we shall see. It's kind of a mystery to everybody right now. But I spoke with Corey on the phone, and we text and stuff. I like him so far. And he just sounds like a super pro, organized, dedicated dude. I know Doc Coyle from GOD FORBID, and as far as I see it, if Doc plays in the band with this guy for this many years, then he's gotta be good people. Because I really respect the shit out of Doc. But Corey's been great, man. He's funny. He's a smart guy, and he's basically been telling me he's playing drums, like, three hours a day right now getting the set prepared. That's dedication. 'Cause I'm not playing the guitar three hours a day, I can tell you that. [Laughs]"

When EXHORDER announced Sasha's exit, the band said in a statement Horn had "decided to step away for the time being from the daily rock lifestyle to focus on his personal life."

EXHORDER continued: "This decision does not impact our touring plans in any way, as we have been fortunate enough to secure the help of GOD FORBID legend Corey Pierce. Corey will join us on 'The Tour Of Unsound Minds' this coming month, so we are in good hands!

"We are excited to jam with Corey, and to bring our live show back to the eastern states for the first time in 2026."

EXHORDER added: "As we have finally completed a two-year touring cycle of 'Defectum Omnium', our canvas is clear and we are excited about following up with our fifth album's writing process. The search for a permanent drummer is underway.

"All of our best to Sasha in his journey, and we thank him for the time, contributions, and sacrifices he made alongside us for all of these years. Best of luck and nothing but love from us moving forward."

Sasha commented: "After eight and a half years, two albums, and countless touring cycles, it is time for me to permanently step away from my position at EXHORDER. All things have come to that split in the path. Best wishes to the guys moving forward. As for myself, I am in search of more time with family, continuing education, and a focus on my own personal creative endeavors.

"So much love to all of my fans. You mean the world to me. I shall see you again when I'm back out in it.

"This is not a farewell, this is a time-out."

EXHORDER's fourth full-length album, "Defectum Omnium", came out in March 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Featuring 12 tracks and ominous cover artwork by Travis Smith (KATATONIA, OPETH),"Defectum Omnium" followed EXHORDER's critically revered 2019 release "Mourn The Southern Skies".

"Defectum Omnium" was recorded in part at Fat Track Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio with engineer Rob Nadler. The LP marked EXHORDER's first with former CANNIBAL CORPSE guitarist Pat O'Brien, who made his live debut with the latter group at the 2022 Maryland Deathfest.

The Maryland Deathfest gig took place three months after guitarist Marzi Montazeri left EXHORDER, explaining at the time in a statement that he "decided to no longer be a part of it."

Shortly after the Houston-based Montazeri announced his departure from EXHORDER, the remaining members of the band — Thomas, bassist Jason VieBrooks and Horn — said that they and Marzi had been "moving in different directions" and assured fans that they would "continue to thrive"

Thomas is now the sole remaining founding member of EXHORDER, which released its debut album, "Slaughter In The Vatican", way back in 1990. In February 2020, EXHORDER parted ways with its original guitarist Vinnie LaBella, who wrote much of the material on "Mourn The Southern Skies". The remaining members of the group later issued a statement saying that they would fulfill their "touring and recording obligations for 2020 and beyond."

EXHORDER released two albums in the early 1990s through the Roadrunner label — the aforementioned "Slaughter In The Vatican" and 1992's "The Law" — before breaking up, with Kyle going on to form FLOODGATE and also briefly appearing live as the vocalist for TROUBLE, which he later joined on a full-time basis (and is still a member of).

EXHORDER is cited by many as the originator of the riff-heavy power-groove approach popularized by PANTERA.

Photo credit: Erik Hernandez / EHP Photography (courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records and Earsplit PR)

In a new interview with The Music Zoo owner Tommy Colletti, legendary DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch recalled seeing VAN HALEN perform in Southern California clubs in the mid-1970s. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I saw UFO play with VAN HALEN at the Golden West Ballroom in Norwalk, California, near where we lived. We played there a lot. It was somewhat dramatic, because I don't know if UFO knew what they were in for. And I loveUFO — we all love UFO — but they got their ass kicked. I mean, they came up, and I don't think they were ready for that."

George went on to say that Eddie revolutionized rock in the late 1970s by introducing virtuosic, high-energy technical guitar playing — like two-handed tapping — to the Sunset Strip scene.

"There was a paradigm shift in the music universe," Lynch explained. "Well, to see it up close and personal as it was happening, in [Eddie's pre-VAN HALEN band] MAMMOTH and also early VAN HALEN, it was mind bending to see that in person. It was just insane. I mean, I'd just go to my studio or go home and just get on my guitar for eight hours and go, 'I gotta step up. This is insane.'"

Reflecting on some of the earliest Eddie Van Halen live performances he witnessed, George said: "I'd seen him when he was playing with a Les Paul through a Bandmaster or Bassman. And then the Music Man and all that period. And he was still amazing. He didn't have the tapping. He didn't have the bar. And it's still insane. And different. It wasn't Van Halen like you think of him now. It was a different thing, 'cause he had more of the [Eric] Clapton influence. It was a little more meat and potatoes, but it was still — I think, in a way, even cooler because we're so used to Eddie and what he does. But not very many people have heard that. And that, to me, is even more interesting, from a guitar player's perspective."

Lynch went on to credit Terry Kilgore, Eddie Van Halen's friend and inspiration in the 1970s, with influencing Eddie during VAN HALEN's early days.

"[Terry] was in REDDI KILLOWAT," George recalled. "It was a three-piece band that was… They didn't have [a great frontman like] David Lee Roth, they didn't have the image, they didn't have the looks, they didn't have the songs, but Terry was, I thought, maybe even better than Eddie. I think Eddie kind of took a lot of the stuff — well, not a lot, but some of the things Terry was doing, obviously, because they were friends."

During an appearance on an August 2021 episode of the "Appetite For Destortion" podcast, George was asked about the impact Eddie Van Halen's death had on him. He responded: "That hit me personally very hard, and every guitar player I know, pretty much, kind of felt the same way. As we get older, obviously, we're seeing people go away and pass. And that's just normal, of course. And we're seeing a lot of that. And so that's pretty profound. But, I mean, fucking David Bowie and George Michael and all these people — Prince — these giants… Tom Petty. It's, like, 'What?' All at once it seemed like. But Eddie was on another level, because, obviously, we're a little closer as far as what we do, and we kind of came up in the same place at the same time and had some connections and all that, so that's why it was more profound, I think. And I learned a lot from him, and I based a lot of my style on him. Even though we were compatriots in a way, he was way beyond me, so I lifted a lot of stuff from him and got inspired by him, as we all did. He's a Southern California guy, and we were like kind of neighbors and played the same clubs and played on the same stages together and hung out. [DOKKEN] did [the 1988] 'Monsters Of Rock' [tour with VAN HALEN, SCORPIONS, METALLICA and KINGDOM COME]… So, yeah, that was a pretty tough one. It hits close to home, too, I think, for us when our friends start disappearing, because it's a lonelier place after that."

Asked if he had any Eddie Van Halen stories to share that might "display the fun side of his personality," George said: "He was just incredibly shy. He was just a super introvert. I mean, all the guy did was just sit in his room and play guitar his whole life, and drink his beers and smoke his cigarettes, and developed what he developed. He changed the guitar world. I think he was just sort of burdened with this whole fame thing and being a human being in a complicated world. It isn't always so nice. He was a super-sensitive guy, which allowed him to be this incredible musician, as you have to have that sort of sympathy and empathy. A lot of people thought he wasn't that nice of a person, but it was just 'cause he was really quiet. He was a little bit scared, but he spoke so beautifully through his instrument.

"But we had moments," he continued. "We used to hang out. 'Monsters Of Rock', we'd go almost every night. When Valerie [Bertinelli, Eddie's then-wife] wasn't out, we'd jam. We'd just sit in our hotel room and just play guitar all night. It was pretty awesome. And actually, I had some issues with my gear out there on the 'Monsters' tour, and [VAN HALEN] were the headliner, obviously. And he was so sweet, 'cause he was, like, 'Hey, man, take anything you want of mine.' So I did half that tour with his gear. That's pretty insane, 'cause headliners usually don't do stuff like that. They're just, like, 'That's your problem. Figure it out,' which is fair. But he was very sweet: 'Just take anything you want — heads, cabinets.' I used his rig for, like, half that tour. It was pretty sweet.

"He gave my son a guitar lesson," George added. "My kid was going to GIT, and he wanted to be a guitar player like his dad. And I took him to meet Eddie at a show, and Eddie's, like, 'You know what? You're a guitar player? Let me show you…' So they went back in the warmup room and he gave my son a little lesson. That was pretty cool. Who does that?"

Lynch previously talked about Eddie's influence in a 2009 interview with Guitar Player magazine. Asked if he was jealous of VAN HALEN's success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, George said: "We were jealous and we were all trying to play catch up. We thought, 'Oh boy, we better get on board. This guy's going to change the world.' I remember my reaction when I first heard Eddie. I had been hearing about this guy with the weird European name. He's got a torpedo onstage, the bass player wears clogs, they have bombs onstage, and the guy's unbelievable. I saw him and it blew my mind. They were still doing covers at the time — RAINBOW, MONTROSE — and their original stuff was as good or better than their cover stuff, which was pretty exceptional. After their show, I went back to our band room and played my guitar until the sun came up. I thought, 'Man, how can I get that tone?'"

Asked if he tried to copy Eddie, George said: "What I really did was sort of bounce off his stuff rather than emulate it. I've done that with a lot of players. Instead of copying them, I react to them. I'll think, 'Well, Di Meola does this thing. I can do some alternate picking, so I won't copy it but I'll embed that a little bit into my toolbox and do it my own way.' I've tried to do that with any player who has influenced me: Clapton, Hendrix, Schenker, Eddie, Holdsworth. I couldn't play any of their stuff note for note to save my life, but I can capture the gist of what they're doing by being exposed to it. I can get the essence."

Eddie died in October 2020 at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer.

Image credit: Tom deBlonk

Finnish rock band THE 69 EYES will release a new EP, "I Survive", on June 5, 2026 via BLKIIBLK.

To celebrate the announcement, THE 69 EYES has shared a cover of the timeless THIN LIZZY hit "Cold Sweat".

After touring Europe earlier this year with D-A-D on the "Cowpunks & Glampires" tour and continuing with shows in Finland, the new single is a fresh-sounding and hard-rocking take on the song, originally released in 1983.

THE 69 EYES' version is produced by Erno Laitinen and mixed by Barry Pointer (OZZY OSBOURNE, MÖTLEY CRÜE). The video for the song was filmed in January during the band's recent European tour. It features a cameo by Portuguese goth legend Fernando Ribeiro from MOONSPELL.

"A friend of mine sent me our demo of 'Cold Sweat' from over ten years ago and asked why we never released it. After hearing the demo, Gabi Hakanen, head of Vallila Music House, said, 'This is exactly THE 69 EYES at their best. Rock for the radio!'", said THE 69 EYES frontman Jyrki 69. "Every respectable rock band also covers THIN LIZZY at some point, so now that is done as well."

THE 69 EYES will continue touring in Finland until early April, after which they will return to the rest of Europe.

Once you've survived the 1980s rock scene, you become unstoppable — and THE 69 EYES are living proof. Formed in Helsinki in 1989 and still going strong with the same line-up some four decades later, the Helsinki Vampires have earned their legendary status.

In a world with fewer and fewer true believers in leather jackets, midnight sunglasses and low-slung guitars, THE 69 EYES keep the Johnny Thunders flame burning like an endless sleazy club night back in the days.

Their biggest hit, "Lost Boys", from 2005, was made into an iconic music video by MTV's "Jackass" star and skater Bam Margera and the song still remains on annual Halloween rock playlists.

One foot on glam, another one on goth, THE 69 EYES have released thirteen albums, reaching gold and platinum and a mainstream status in their native Finland, where they are signed to Gabi Hakanen's Vallila Music House. Their previous studio album, "Death Of Darkness", was released in 2023, and they have been touring without any notable breaks all over the world the last twenty years.

"I Survive" EP track listing:

01. I Survive (ft. Steve Stevens)
02. Cold Sweat
03. In The Misery
04. Devil's Rose (ft. Ed Mundell)

THE 69 EYES is:

Jyrki 69 - vocals
Bazie - guitar, backing vocals
Timo-Timo - guitar
Archzie - bass, backing vocals
Jussi 69 - drums

Photo credit: Marek Sabogal

In a new interview with Spain's Made In Metal, former CANNIBAL CORPSE and current SIX FEET UNDER guitarist Jack Owen was asked if there is one album from his catalog that he is not happy with that he would like to possibly re-record. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Hmm. Yeah. Maybe the CANNIBAL CORPSE album 'Butchered At Birth' that came out in 1991. The production could be a lot better and the writing process was a little more stress filled, I think. We were trying to make up for sounding simple on the first album, so we overwrote a little bit. So, yeah, I think that's the only one that's hard for me to listen to, to this day… Of the first four [CANNIBAL CORPSE] albums, it's the one that's probably number four out of those four — for me, anyway."

Owen also talked about his creative chemistry with his former CANNIBAL CORPSE and current SIX FEET UNDER bandmate, vocalist Chris Barnes. He said: "Oh, [it's] very simple. I write a song, I demo it, I record it and send it to him. And it's usually, 'Yes, let's go with that.' Or, 'Eh, maybe not,' and I just move on to the next song. I've known him so long, we're just kind of family and we're brothers, really. So, we can always talk to each other about anything, musically or really anything about life… I can just e-mail him songs as I finish them. So [during the songwriting process for SIX FEET UNDER's upcoming album 'Next To Die'] we ended up with a lot of extra songs that weren't very good on my part. So maybe we will retool those and they'll end up on the next album."

When Owen announced his departure from CANNIBAL CORPSE in May 2004, he said in a statement: "After 15 years with CANNIBAL CORPSE, I've decided to leave the group. My heart just wasn't in it anymore, and it was reflected in my appearance on stage. Times change, and I just don't enjoy the music as much as I used to, and the only thing keeping me in the band was steady work, and the pay. These things makes it unfair to myself, my band members, and especially the fans."

One of the founding members of CANNIBAL CORPSE, Owen joined DEICIDE in 2004 and played on four of the latter band's studio albums: "The Stench Of Redemption" (2006),"Till Death Do Us Part" (2008),"To Hell With God" (2011) and "In The Minds Of Evil" (2013).

In 2017, Owen joined SIX FEET UNDER, the death metal band fronted by Barnes.

Owen grew up in Akron, New York, where he developed a passion for heavy metal music. He picked up the guitar in his teenage years, inspired by bands like SLAYER and METALLICA.

"Next To Die" will be released on April 24 via Metal Blade Records. The album, produced by Owen and Barnes and mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis of MRL Studios in Nashville, follows 2024's "Killing For Revenge". It's the third record that Barnes and Owen have created together since reuniting in 2017.

"Next To Die" is a new creative high for SIX FEET UNDER, marking the band's fifteenth album since 1995's "Haunted".SIX FEET UNDER did highly successful U.S. tours in 2025, the band's first U.S. tour since 2013, as well as a festival appearance in Mexico City in March '25.

To bring the songs to brutal life, Barnes recorded his vocals at the legendary Criteria Recording Studios in Miami. Owen tracked his rhythm guitar parts with Jason Suecof at AudioHammer Studios in Sanford, Florida. Suecof also has a guest guitar lead at the end of the song "Approach Your Grave". The rest of the musicians tracked their "Next To Die" parts at their home studios, for a remote collaboration that created a dozen cohesive tracks. Sandy Rezalmi's cover art perfectly brings to life the journey that the LP's lyrics and music take listeners on.

SIX FEET UNDER was initially formed as a side project for Barnes during his final years with the band that he co-founded, CANNIBAL CORPSE. It became the frontman's sole focus in 1995, coinciding with the release of their debut, "Haunted". The current tour-honed lineup of SIX FEET UNDER features Barnes and Owen alongside lead guitarist Ray Suhy, bassist Jeff Hughell and drummer Marco Pitruzzella.

SIX FEET UNDER will return to stages this summer on a North American headlining tour. Set to begin on July 8 in Detroit and run through August 11 in Chicago, the tour features support from KATAKLYSM and WORMHOLE.

The North American journey will follow SIX FEET UNDER's previously announced European headlining tour this June with support from EMBRYONIC AUTOPSY.

LEX LEGION, the new band featuring four-fifths of KING DIAMOND's classic late '80s lineup, has released the official music video for its debut single, "Sleep Eternally". The clip was directed by Patric Ullaeus of the rEvolver Film Company and can be seen below.

Featuring Mikkey Dee, Andy La Rocque, Pete Blakk, and Hal Patino — alongside vocalist Nils K. Rue (PAGAN'S MIND) — LEX LEGION brings together decades of experience spanning MOTÖRHEAD, SCORPIONS and, of course, KING DIAMOND.

Formed by Dee and Blakk and completed by longtime collaborators and friends, LEX LEGION is built on both legacy and longevity. What began as a long-discussed idea between close-knit musicians has evolved into a serious project, fueled by over 40 years of shared history and a renewed creative focus free from the constraints of their earlier careers.

LEX LEGION's self-titled debut arrives in June 2026 via MNRK Music Group, channeling a deliberate throwback to the band's roots while sounding fresh and immediate. Built on lean arrangements, strong melodies, and virtuoso performances, the album reflects the band's commitment to writing music on their own terms.

The first single "Sleep Eternally", sets the tone instantly, while follow-up "Gypsy Tears" continues the momentum with a mix of atmosphere and drive. With a sound shaped by classic influences but sharpened by decades of experience, LEX LEGION aim to fill a gap in modern metal — and signal that their long-awaited arrival has been worth the wait.

LEX LEGION is a brand-new band comprised of old friends with incredible heavy metal pedigree. Comprising four-fifths of the classic late 1980s KING DIAMOND lineup infused with the jaw-dropping vocals of Nils K. Rue, LEX LEGION's eponymous debut album is a single-minded, future-facing alchemy of world-class hard rock/metal music distinguished by tasteful, lean arrangements, virtuoso musicianship, and unabated melody and harmony.

In 2026, LEX LEGION's members find themselves more musically accomplished than ever, whilst also being more comfortable with themselves and each other than ever before. As well as vocalist Rue, LEX LEGION is comprised of former KING DIAMOND guitarist Pete Blakk and bassist Hal Patino, guitarist/producer Andy La Rocque, a KING DIAMOND constant since 1985 who also played on DEATH's seminal "Individual Thought Patterns", and drummer extraordinaire Mikkey Dee, who was in MOTÖRHEAD for over two decades and has been in the SCORPIONS for 10 years. All remained close and have long discussed reuniting, with everyone knowing Rue from prior projects and his five acclaimed albums with PAGAN'S MIND. Add to this the weight of hope and expectation from KING DIAMOND fans, and it's clear that LEX LEGION's time is now.

This is music for fans of heyday IRON MAIDEN, QUEENSRŸCHE, ACCEPT and, yes, KING DIAMOND (the four LEX LEGION instrumentalists appeared together on KING DIAMOND's "Them" and "Conspiracy" albums),but with a freshness and sense of excitement that only debut albums capture. Within the first few seconds of album opener and first single "Sleep Eternally", LEX LEGION unequivocally confirm that fact.

"There's elements of everything on the album," said La Rocque. "The right tempo and the right kind of vocals, both starting out like a fist in your face!" Rue's soaring pipes and ominous harmonies are framed by Dee's unmistakable powerhouse drumming, a clutch of imaginative leads from both guitarists, and shifts of pace and tempo that will satiate KING DIAMOND fans. Second track and follow-up single "Gypsy Tears" seals the deal; eerie and rapturous, otherworldly and propulsive, evocative and a straight-up headbanger which leaves the listener in no doubt as the thunderous treasures within.

The pride LEX LEGION have in the record is fierce and unequivocal.

"This is totally unique. No one is writing this kind of music and there's a big hole for us to fill," states La Rocque. "The album is a journey and every song is like the beat of a movie. I want listeners to travel back."

"The song style is different (to KING DIAMOND) but still from the same era," mulled La Rocque from his studio in Varberg, Sweden. "The riffs are different and the arrangements are a little less progressive and a little more straightforward."

"LEX LEGION is totally written the way we thought in the '80s," says Dee. "We wrote what we wanted, and if you liked it, that was a great bonus. If you didn't like it, that was fine with us, too!"

"Lex Legion" will be released by MNRK Music Group in June 2026, with touring beginning the following year.

As Dee says, grinning, "Enjoy it or fuck off!"

"Lex Legion" track listing:

01. Sleep Eternally (3:56)
02. Gypsy Tears (3:57)
03. When The Stars Align (3:52)
04. (I Am) The Resurrected (4:27)
05. Lost Inside (3:33)
06. Darkness (4:28)
07. Saviours (4:03)
08. Life Eternal (3:25)
09. Far Away (2:58)

Photo by Patric Ullaeus

In a new interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist and founding member Woody Weatherman was asked if there are plans for the band to slow down after the 2026 tour, especially considering the fact that C.O.C. has been in existence for nearly 45 years. Woody responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, absolutely not. I mean, as long as we make it past 2026, but I feel like we will; we're all in pretty good shape. But there's already stuff in the works for '27. You know how this business is — they plan way, way ahead. So there's already things getting lined up for 2027. So as long as we're still here, we'll still be touring."

Asked if he has thought about working on any other music side projects, similar to what CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan is doing with DOWN, Woody said: "Yeah, a lot of [other musicians have other projects], man. I mean, shit, I'm looking at the CROWBAR dudes. Those guys got… [CROWBAR frontman Kirk Windstein's], he's got several [projects]; he is in DOWN too. But for me, nah. I got too much other stuff. C.O.C. is enough work for me. It's always kept me busy. And I enjoy a little downtime every once in a while, like I'm having right now today sitting in my shop. So one band at a time for me, mostly. [Laughs]"

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's mammoth new double album, "Good God / Baad Man", is set for release on April 3 via Nuclear Blast.

Produced by Grammy Award winner Warren Riker (FUGEES, DOWN, CATHEDRAL) and featuring cover art by famed New Orleans artist Scott Guion, "Good God / Baad Man" was recorded at Blak Shak Studios in Riffissippi, USA, Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana, and BEE GEES legend Barry Gibb's home studio in Miami, Florida.

To promote "Good God / Baad Man", CORROSION OF CONFORMITY will return to stages this spring on a North American headlining tour with support provided by WHORES and CROBOT.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's latest two additions are bassist Bobby "Rock" Landgraf and drummer Nick Shabatura.

Regarding how Bobby ended up joining the group, Woody told Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic: "[We were] buddies. [He's] just a great friend. We know he's a fantastic musician. His main instrument's a guitar, but he's pretty prolific on that four-string too. And, of course, he had worked with Keenan in DOWN before. Kirk couldn't make some [DOWN] tours, and Bobby stepped in as the second guitarist in DOWN. And we had played shows with Bobby's other band, HONKY, [his] long-running band. So we knew him. And we know we get along. And that plays a big part in it too. You don't wanna get somebody in there that you don't get along with. That wouldn't work… [We also want] somebody that's familiar with road travel, 'cause that's a big part of what we do. We're kind road dogs. We're getting ready to do that again coming up. We're gonna be out for quite a while. So it's important."

Woody went on to say that Shabatura "is gonna be the touring drummer" for CORROSION OF CONFORMITY. "[He's] a fellow out of Chicago who was recommended by Charlie Benante [ANTHRAX and PANTERA drummer]." Referencing drummer Stanton Moore, who played on CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's 2005 album "In The Arms Of God" and laid down the drum tracks for C.O.C.'s upcoming double album, "Good God / Baad Man", Woody continued: "We played Stanton some of [Nick's] stuff he was doing, and Stanton was, like, 'That's your guy for the road. He's awesome.' And Nick came down a week or two ago and we did some rehearsing and it was awesome. So we're set. We never would've heard of Nick if not for Charlie bringing it up. So hats off to Charlie for sending him our way."

Shabatura has previously played with DESECRATE THE HOUR and the Chicago-based NIRVANA tribute band SMELLS LIKE NIRVANA.

Earlier in the month, Moore gave Shabatura's addition to CORROSION OF CONFORMITY his blessing, writing on social media: "I approve this message! I went by rehearsals in Riffississippi the other day to meet and hang with Nick. He is an amazing drummer and a super cool guy. He showed up having completely done his homework and already sounds great playing with the band.

"The plan was always for me to make this record with the guys and then to find somebody to do the touring. Well, we found the guy and he is Nick Shabatura! Thanks Charlie Benante for the recommendation".

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's first four albums left a permanent mark on headbangers, longhairs, and street punks everywhere: Underground classics "Eye For An Eye" (1984) and "Animosity" (1985) followed by slightly more overground bangers "Blind" (1991) and "Deliverance" (1994). By the time CORROSION OF CONFORMITY carved off "No Cross No Crown" nearly a quarter century later, they were legends in their own time, revered by two generations of punk, metal, and rock fans.

Photo by Danin Drahos

In a new interview with SPIN Presents Lipps Service With Scott Lipps, RIVAL SONS singer Jay Buchanan, who released his debut solo album, "Weapons Of Beauty", in February, was asked if the band's next studio LP will be "heavier" after he took a turn to pursue a quieter direction with his solo material. Jay responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's a fair question, because I've thought that same thing. I don't have to just live within the — whatever one ballad we're gonna have on this next record or whatever. I have a renewed sense of duty in so many ways. I don't have anything to prove. I wanna have fun with my friends. And it's crossed my mind many times — I just wanna make a fucking black T-shirt record. That's it. Something really, really rough, really unrefined and as close to the bone as possible. [Something like THE BLACK CROWES' second album, 1992's] '[The] Southern [Harmony And Musical] Companion', like these ones where it's, like, it's so raw, it's almost like toothache raw. Like, 'Oh.' I think I would like to do something like that. But at the same time, Scott [Holiday, RIVAL SONS guitarist] and I — it's a collaboration, So once we put things together, it's gonna be that way."

During a January 14 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Buchanan was asked if the writing process for the new RIVAL SONS album will be the same as he and his bandmates have done it in the past. Jay said: "Actually, well, no. Our first — I don't know — five, six records or so, we would write on the floor and just write on the fly. And that's definitely panic inducing because I've got a lot of work to do when it comes to that stuff. But ever since — goodness — [2019's] 'Feral Roots' and then [2023's] 'Darkfighter' and 'Lightbringer', we take our time. We write in advance, and also we'll write in the studio, certainly. But we're going in with some material, and we'll definitely write on the floor."

As for the possibility of RIVAL SONS' new album arriving in 2026, Jay said: "Well, I'm not exactly sure, because we were supposed to be in the studio right now. We were supposed to be recording right now, but, unfortunately, my wife was given a breast cancer diagnosis back in December, and so for me, I'm home. I'm gonna take care of my wife and get her through this. And so everything, of course, will work out with medicine and treatment and all of that stuff, but I wanna be right here. This is where I belong right now. And then as soon as she gets through this, then we'll get in the studio. So hopefully, hopefully we can get this record out this year. But it's kind of a little bit up in the air in terms of the exact timeline. We're piecing it together, as my wife [and I], we're just starting this journey with all of this. And so we're learning the ropes in real time right now. So we'll see how things go."

Back in December 2024, Jay was asked by The Logan Show whether it is safe to say that the next RIVAL SONS record would once again be produced by Dave Cobb, Jay said: "More than likely. I mean, we've been together a really, really long time, but we've gotta talk with Dave. I think that something like that, even though we've worked together so much, everybody has to come together and feel really good. Things have to align properly. We always talk about it and see where everybody's heads are at.

"I love working with Dave," he added. "Gosh, we've recorded nine records with that man. That's a lot of time together… He's just so damn good at what he does. We love Dave, and I do. He's a good friend and an extremely talented person."

Asked if Cobb is "essentially almost like a silent member of RIVAL SONS now", having done so many albums with the band, Jay said: "Well, you could say that from a recording standpoint. When we've gone in to make records, we do 'em with Cobb, but I think that the band… We've covered so much ground, we've covered so much ground artistically and literally all over the world touring so much over the years, I think that when it comes to a certain degree of record making, he's like a fifth member that way, but it's only within that vacuum of when we're making the records. Because who the band is outside of when we're go in to make records is so much more. Our live show and the actual ethos and who the band is at its core, I think, is just so much more than what we do in the studio, because the writing takes place outside of the studio or outside of Cobb's purview, or so much of it. Dave Cobb, he'll lend a hand on inspiration and writing here and there, but I think that when we're writing, it is very much like that. But I think that the more the band has grown, I think that it's less and less so, and it's less and less so that way, because we, and I think that Cobb would agree, that him watching us grow the way that we have, like our creative approach and everything. It's wonderful to work together knowing each other so well. Cobb knows me just about as well as anybody else does. And having a shorthand of communication definitely helps out when you're in the studio. A lot of the time you'll just be thinking the same thing, and I think that that just comes from making so many records together that you can be on the same page. And then at other times be on a completely separate page because you're so close. It's like family."

In June 2021, RIVAL SONS delivered two live performances from Catalina Island, California which were originally streamed via Veeps to fans at home across the world, many of whom were still in lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those performances were later made available to watch on YouTube and to stream on audio platforms.

RIVAL SONS play rock 'n' roll in its purest form without apology or pretense. They simply plug in, turn up, and rip on a path of their own. Along the way, they've architected a critically acclaimed catalogue, including "Pressure & Time" (2011),"Head Down" (2012),"Great Western Valkyrie" (2014),"Hollow Bones" (2016) and "Feral Roots" (2019). The latter represented a creative and critical high watermark, scoring a pair of Grammy Award nominations in the categories of "Best Rock Album" and "Best Rock Performance" for the single "Too Bad". Elevating the band to another level, "Do Your Worst" vaulted to No. 1 at Rock Radio as their biggest hit to date. Speaking to their impact, Rolling Stone attested, "RIVAL SONS have done their part to introduce new fans to rock." Beyond sharing stages with everyone from BLACK SABBATH, THE ROLLING STONES and AC/DC to GUNS N' ROSES and Lenny Kravitz, they've ignited television shows such as "The Late Late Show With James Corden". During 2021, they launched their own label Sacred Tongue Recordings distributed by Thirty Tigers and celebrated the anniversary of their debut album with live streamed performances from Catalina Island Casino. In 2023, they continued to subvert expectations with two full-length LPs — the aforementioned "Darkfighter" and "Lightbringer". Though the genesis of these albums is intertwined, they also speak to the band's perpetual progression forward.

RIVAL SONS once played over 250 shows in a year, and they are regulars on the festival circuit both through Europe and North America.

Photo credit: Patrik Skoglöw

In a new interview with Waste Some Time With Jason Green, WINGER frontman Kip Winger addressed the fact that he and his bandmates have booked several shows for 2026 despite having previously announced that they were retiring from touring after the completion of the group's final gig of 2025, which took place on August 31 at the Rainbow Bar & Grill Backyard Bash 2025 in West Hollywood, California. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's been coming for a long time. I told the [rest of the] band five years ago that I'm gonna stop performing. And so it's been kind of this slow kind of exit off the runway. We did a show in L.A., at Rainbow [Bar & Grill], at the Backyard Bash. And that was pretty much our last show that we had, in the shows that we had booked. Although we've got four shows this year, in '26, that were already booked. So when I said, 'Listen, I'm gonna stop touring,' and then we put some shows up, everybody was, like, 'Oh, you didn't retire.'"

Kip continued: "'Retirement' is not in my vocabulary. I wanna spend more time writing classical music, and I'm don't wanna be on the road all the time. It's very stressful to sing that [WINGER] stuff now, and I'm just not feeling it. And I'm really interested in learning how to become a better composer and writing more music. Let's put it this way: if I hadn't done all the work I've done on the road, I would have twice the amount of albums. So I'm very interested in spending the rest of my days just writing music."

Winger added: "We're playing Brazil at the end of this month, and then we have two in August and then one in September and maybe one in 2027. I'm not sure. But that's it. I'm not doing it anymore. Well, unless one of my favorite rock stars calls me up to play bass on something."

After show host Jason Green noted that Kip had previously said that he would never do a "bus tour" again, Winger said: "No, no, no. There's no way I'll get on a bus again. That's like a scary movie. I just can't do that. The last tour we do with Tom Keifer on a bus, that was really rough. I mean, yeah, the answer's no. But we [the members of WINGER] get along great. We've always been the best of friends. I just talked to Reb [Beach, WINGER guitarist] 10 minutes ago. So maybe WINGER will do annual coffee get-togethers or something like that, 'cause I really miss those guys. And, yeah, they're great musicians and I've been very blessed to be with those guys my whole career. So, God bless 'em."

Kip went on to say that he will never completely rule out playing the occasional one-off show with WINGER. "If a spectacular gig came along and the timing was right, I'm not opposed to doing that," he explained. "I just wanna spend more time writing, basically. The traveling's too brutal. And we've played those songs so much that I feel very blessed to have been a part of it all, but it's just not really where I'm at anymore. Like I say, we have a few shows left that are on the books, and I'm not actively asking my agent to book shows."

This past February, WINGER drummer Rod Morgenstein spoke to Chris Akin Presents about the band's decision to retire from touring after the Rainbow Bar & Grill gig. He said: "Well, let me start by saying last year turned out to be a very rough year emotionally for me because I didn't realize how much my life and my vision of who I am is tied up in my band. And I think a lot of musicians understand that, but a lot don't really until it hits them in the face.

"So we've been talking about the end of the band for years," he continued. "Hindsight is 20/20. When the band formed, Kip and Reb and Paul [Taylor, keyboards], they were in their twenties, I was in my thirties. For a singer to sing in the stratosphere, it was no problem. Well, when nearly 40 years later, all you're doing is detuning your guitars and basses a half step, which is not very much, singing in those registers becomes an issue for every singer. I couldn't even name three, I think , who in their sixties can still do it. Mickey Thomas from STARSHIP is the main one. Glenn Hughes [is another one]… But we're not gonna get to five, I don't think. So we knew it was coming. And the last gig that we did, and at the concert, instead of saying, 'This is the last show. You'll never see WINGER again.' We said, 'Never say never. Circumstances change.' And sure enough, we have four shows on the books this year — a festival in Brazil, a festival in Cancun."

Rod added: "But on August 31st [of 2025] we played the Rainbow Bar & Grill, the infamous birthplace of American heavy metal. And I don't know how many years ago — in the last few years, they started, twice a year, setting up a stage and lights in the back parking lot of the Rainbow. And next door is the Roxy. That's the nightclub that broke the DIXIE DREGS in California way back in the '70s. And so that's where we played our last concert where we thought, 'This is wonderful.' And there were a total of seven or eight bands that played… But it was such a fun day, like 10 hours of music. But, yeah, when I mentioned a couple of minutes ago that last year was an extremely rough year for me, it was, like, holy cow, September, this past September, was the 50-year anniversary for me of having gotten out of college at the University Of Miami in Florida, where I met what became the DIXIE DREGS. And so, wow, being a professional musician 50 years, I've done a lot of introspective work in trying to come to terms with everything."

Morgenstein previously talked about WINGER's decision to retire from touring last December in an interview with Anthony Bryant of The Hair Metal Guru. He said at the time: "I think it's been years in the making. Part of it is Kip's concern over his voice.

"When you're a crooner, you can sing forever, but when the vocal demands are in this high register — we've seen it all too many times with singers who were in their forties, fifties and sixties; it's just not possible for them to do it anymore," Rod explained. "If you saw Robert Plant try to sing [LED ZEPPELIN's] 'Rock And Roll' [now], he would [sing it in a lower register]. It's not possible [for him to sing it the way it was originally recorded]. And so, from show to show over these past few years, Kip always worried, like, 'Uh-oh, is this the show where the voice is not gonna give me all that I need?' There's that, and then just, like, wow, I mean, it's been a 37-year run. Pretty not bad. Some of us have other things in us that we'd like to do. [Kip] would like to spend more of his time in his classical world."

Rod added: "But when we did that last show [at the Rainbow], we kind of left the stage instead of saying, 'This is it. You've been the best. We are done a hundred percent' over, over, over. It's, like, 'Hey, look, let's never say never.' So, being a little cutesy to leave the door open if maybe there might be the occasional event now and then."

In March 2025, Beach told Adam Roach of the Become A Guitarist Today podcast about WINGER's announcement that it was embarking on "farewell" tours of Australia and Japan in 2025: "It's too bad that Kip wants to end it, from my end, just because I'm loving it and I could do it another 10 years. But it's really hard on his voice. When he says he has a bad night, you'd never know it. I've seen singers have a bad night, and his bad night sounds like a record. One note might be flat, or he might have trouble with three notes in 'Miles Away', and then afterwards he's, like, 'Uh, this is so embarrassing.' And it's, like, 'No, those are three notes. Come on, man.' These people go to see these singers from the '80s who just can't sing a note anymore. And Kip's really, really amazing. But it's just such an effort for him to keep up that vocal excellence."

Reb continued: "It's that, and it's also that touring is hard, but it's mostly that he hears a different drummer. He's always wanted to do the classical thing. That's what's in his heart. He's been rocking for 35 years here with this band, and he's finally broken into the classical world. He was nominated for a Grammy a few years ago. And the Nashville Symphony Orchestra is performing his piece that he wrote for them. And that's what really excites him. He doesn't need the money. I could use the money. He doesn't need the money. So it's his time to quit it now. And it's too bad, because you would think we could get another singer. But no — you can't have another singer in WINGER. That wouldn't make any sense."

In a separate interview with The Rockpit, Beach was asked if WINGER might continue making music even after the band stops touring. Reb responded: "No. Kip is classical. That's where he's at. He's over the rock thing. He gets so much more enjoyment from writing classical music. And he overbooks himself with the classical music. He has to write. You can just hear him saying, 'I have the 12 symphonies I have to write in the next three years, and I'm not even halfway done with the first one.' So, yeah, there's no way. There won't be another WINGER record, I don't think, unless I come to Kip and go, 'Kip, I've written 70 precent of the new WINGER record.' If I'm desperate for another WINGER record and I just write great riffs and I already have a verse and a chorus and a solo section for 10 songs, he may do it. It's never worked that way, though. Most of the time if I come in with a completed idea like that, he just feels like it has to have its inception when he and I are sitting in a room for it to have the magic. As soon as I play a riff that I come up with on the spot, that's exciting to him. If he's listening to something that I put a drum machine to and have any kind of production to, he's not inspired by that. I don't think he's ever used a riff that I brought in, whereas [my] BLACK SWAN [project] uses every riff that I bring in, which are usually the riffs that I brought to Kip that he turned down."

Earlier in March 2025, Kip was asked by Steve Mascord of White Line Fever TV what he would miss about playing with WINGER. Kip said: "Listen, I've been well-known my whole life. But I was never, like, 'Hey, I'm a rock star' or anything like that. It's very matter of fact to just talk to people. What I'll miss is playing with these guys that I really love so much, but I'm very excited to move on to this other world that I'm really inspired because I'm hearing so much of the music.

"At some point I'm gonna play a final show with the band," Kip explained. "I don't know when it is. But that's not to say I might not do a cruise or something. I don't really know. I'm not going, 'Hey, this is the last show we're ever gonna do' because… Well, hey, KISS did it for 10 years, so… [Laughs]"

Kip also talked about how his daily routine would change once WINGER had stopped touring. He said: "Well, the biggest thing is the traveling. If you do 40 gigs in a year, and sometimes we do more than that, you have twice that many days on each end traveling. So, you spend half of the year of your life sitting in an airport, and it really… Listen, we're not a huge band — we don't fly around in our own Learjet — so it tends to take a toll on you. And then, all of a sudden, all my personal goals just end up drifting away in an airport somewhere in Chicago. So my life will be different in that way."

Kip continued: "Listen, interruption is the death of creativity. So my focus is to get myself into a place where I can be 100 percent creative and keep it rolling because it's really difficult to have it all broken up so much. And I've written every kind of rock song possible. I've made my final statement on the last WINGER record. And a lot of people think that's, like, if not our best record, it's close to being our best, along with 'Pull'. And I kind of brought back the original guys and put the original logo on and gave it a nice full circle. So, there's nothing else that Reb and I could do with WINGER that wouldn't just be, like, 'Okay, let's write another one of those' or 'another one of those.' And now I'm in this whole other mentality where the sky's the limit and I've got 30 more years of expressing myself in a world of things that haven't been done by me."

WINGER issued its seventh studio effort overall in 2023, the appropriately titled "Seven". Kip is also a respected and successful symphonic composer, having issued recordings under the name C.F. Kip Winger, while Reb had been a member of WHITESNAKE since 2002, and drummer Rod Morgenstein had served as a professor at Berklee College Of Music (in addition to playing in a variety of other more jazz-fusion-based projects).

WINGER formed in the late 1980s and soared to immediate success with its 1988 self-titled release. The album spawned the hit singles "Seventeen" and "Headed For A Heartbreak" and achieved platinum sales status. "Winger" also stayed on the Billboard 200 chart for over 60 weeks where it peaked at #21. Their next album, "In The Heart Of The Young", also achieved platinum status behind the singles "Can't Get Enuff" and "Miles Away". The change in musical climate of the mid-'90s, compounded with unprovoked ridicule on MTV's popular "Beavis And Butt-Head" show, led the band to go on hiatus in 1994. In 2001, WINGER reunited and has not looked back since. Kip also earned a 2016 Grammy nomination for the classical album "C.F. Kip Winger: Conversations With Nijinsky", recorded with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra.