Ragne Wahlquist, guitarist and vocalist for HEAVY LOAD, which is widely regarded as the first Swedish heavy metal band and the first Viking metal act, has died at the age of 69.

According to SVT, Ragne and his younger brother Styrbjörn were in the middle of recording HEAVY LOAD's fifth album at the time of Ragne's death. The intention is to complete the album and to carry the band forward.

It is generally believed that HEAVY LOAD was the band that started the Swedish wave of heavy metal in the middle of the 1970s — their first album was released in 1978. They are also considered to be the first Viking metal band in the world.

HEAVY LOAD was established in Stockholm during the grim winter of 1974-1975 by the two brothers Ragne (vocals, guitars and keyboards) and Styrbjörn (vocals and drums). The vision and the passion of the Wahlquist brothers was always the kernel of the band's audacious drive; its drive to venture out on musical journeys and to spread their music to the world. The Viking heritage has been an important source of inspiration ever since their childhood. The brothers' emotional connection to people of a remote past, people with whom they share everlasting human challenges, was destined to find an outlet in their music. As a consequence, the brothers merged 1970s hard rock with Viking settings and sentiments, resulting in the band's distinctive style of music and lyrics: Viking metal — a style which came to inspire later bands in Sweden and elsewhere.

HEAVY LOAD released its first album, "Full Speed At High Level", during an era when the Swedish media and record industry claimed that hard rock was dead and that the band was doomed to fail. The Wahlquist brothers' vision has always been the core of what HEAVY LOAD was all about. So after expanding the band with a second guitarist, they founded their own recording facility, the famous Thunderload Studios, along with their own label, Thunderload Records. On their own label, they released timeless classics such as "Metal Conquest" (1981),"Death Or Glory" (1982) and "Stronger Than Evil" (1983) by HEAVY LOAD.

In 2023, HEAVY LOAD released a 40th-anniversary comeback album, "Riders Of The Ancient Storm". "Stronger Than Evil" was also made available to stream on Spotify for the first time, including six bonus tracks from the 2018 album reissue.

At their Thunderload recording facility, the Wahlquist brothers recorded CANDLEMASS's legendary debut album "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus", along with LPs from HAMMERFALL and Yngwie Malmsteen.

In a 2024 interview with "Dayna's Diner With Dayna Steele", legendary drummer Carmine Appice spoke about how musicians have gotten better at the focus and dexterity required to play rock music. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " Some of the musicians today, the drummers today are like machines. They're unbelievable. They've taken what we laid the foundation of and just taken it to the extremes. I see drummers on Instagram and everything, they're just unbelievable. Nobody knows who they are. They're just amazing players.

"Guys like [MR. BIG's] Billy Sheehan — an amazing bass player — listened to [VANILLA FUDGE's] Tim Bogert," he continued. "It goes down the line. Tim Bogert listened to James Jamerson. And it goes down the line. There's guys that listened to Billy Sheehan that are better than Billy Sheehan."

Asked if there are any new artists that he would pay to see in concert right now, Carmine said: "I like — what was the name of that band? Oh, come on… PAPA ROACH. I went to see them with… I have neighbors up the street here. The kids are [a guitarist] and a drummer, and I helped the drummer kid out. And they were going to see PAPA ROACH and SHINEDOWN. They had they had an extra ticket They said, 'You wanna go?' I said, 'Sure.' They were all raving about SHINEDOWN. For me, I thought PAPA ROACH was awesome. So I actually downloaded some of their songs on iTunes."

Appice is the original drummer of VANILLA FUDGE, with whom he still records and performs today. He has also played with CACTUS and BECK, BOGERT & APPICE, in addition to spending stints in the bands of Ozzy Osbourne and Rod Stewart, co-writing the latter's No. 1 hit "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"Carmine was named the 28th greatest drummer of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

Appice is widely considered to be one of the most accomplished showmen in rock and is the recipient of numerous awards, including dozens of gold- and platinum-selling records. Carmine has broken new ground in every aspect of his career as a performer, as a teacher, and as a writer, and he continues to inspire drummers and listeners throughout the world with his originality and his unwavering dedication to the art of drumming.

Carmine's autobiography, "Stick It!: My Life Of Sex, Drums, And Rock 'N' Roll", was released in May 2016 by Chicago Review Press.

Under the moniker APPICE, Carmine and his brother Vinny released "Sinister", their first joint studio album, in October 2017 through SPV/Steamhammer.

ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell says that he is open to collaborating on music with METALLICA frontman James Hetfield. Answering fan questions in the new issue of Metal Hammer, Cantrell was asked whether he would make an album with Hetfield. He responded: "James and I have talked about it, kind of. We never had a formal conversation but I've jammed with him at Kirk's [Hammett, METALLICA guitarist] place. I've even spent a night or two at his house, and we've ended up with guitars in the kitchen and on the porch. It's something I'd be really curious about, even to just write a song with him. As for whether it'd turn into something more than that, he's got a pretty demanding day job. Ha ha! So I'd understand if it never comes to be."

Back in 2020, Cantrell paid tribute to Hetfield, telling Metal Hammer: "What makes James such a great frontman is his physical presence. Nobody else commands the same kind of respect and attention without it being self-seeking or egocentric. He's all about the music; all about the fun and the celebration and the connection with the fans. And that, to me, is really inspiring. Especially because he's done this for so long, and he's been at the top of his game for so long and he continues to search for a deeper meaning. He took an underground thing and took it worldwide.

"METALLICA is a huge thing for me and for any hard rock or metal band," he added.

"Will he go down in history as a rock icon? He already has — he's the godfather, man."

Nearly two decades years ago, Hetfield joined ALICE IN CHAINS on stage twice to perform the song "Would?": at the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany, and at the Warfield in San Francisco.

Asked by Revolver magazine if he had a close relationship with late ALICE IN CHAINS singer Layne Staley, Hetfield replied, "I wasn't really close with Layne, but I remember going to see ALICE IN CHAINS many times. I remember when we were down in L.A. [in 1991, making 'The Black Album'], I left the studio early to see them play on 'Clash Of The Titans' with SLAYER. I was driving like a madman in this rented van, going on the median and scaring the shit out of my friend — 'We gotta get there!' And we get there, and they'd just got off. I was like, 'Aw, man!' [Laughs] I hung with them a little bit, always just loved their music, and I'd say that Jerry and I share some life experiences, like getting a second chance at life and realizing how cool things can be. So we've got kind of a kinship that way. And seeing them play — I just love hearing those songs. Those songs are awesome and should be heard, you know? They were so unique, so ahead of their time. And out of all the Seattle stuff, that stuff is the most timeless. Unfortunately, Layne just loved the junk too much, man, and that was that. I just read in his lyrics his obsessiveness about it. And he knew where he was goin'! It's like, in the school of driving, look where you want to go — and that's what he was doing, it seems like."

Fan-filmed video of Ace Frehley's December 27, 2024 concert at The Token Lounge in Westland, Michigan can be seen below.

The setlist for the show was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Shock Me (KISS song)
02. Deuce (KISS song)
03. Cherry Medicine
04. Rock Soldiers (FREHLEY’S COMET song)
05. Love Gun (KISS song)
06. Rocket Ride (KISS song)
07. Parasite (KISS song)
08. Detroit Rock City (KISS song)
09. Rip It Out
10. She (KISS song)
11. New York Groove (Russ Ballard cover)
12. Cold Gin (KISS song)
13. Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
14. Shout It Out Loud (KISS song)
15. Rock And Roll All Nite (KISS song)

Last month, Ace confirmed to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station that he has commenced work on "Origins Vol. 3", the sequel to Frehley's 2016 and 2020 collections of cover songs that inspired the former KISS guitarist. "I'm working on 'Origins Vol. 3', 'cause that's the next record I'm putting out next year in 2025," he said. "So, we're starting to gear up for that and figuring out which songs [to include on the LP]. I have a long extensive list and we're slowly whittling it down to which ones we're gonna track."

Frehley went on to say that he is once again working with TRIXTER's Steve Brown, who produced and co-wrote all the material on Ace's latest solo album, "10,000 Volts", which was released in February via MNRK Music Group (formerly eOne Music).

"'Origins Vol. 3' will probably be out before the end of 2025," Ace revealed. "I usually put out a record every year, year and a half, two years now. I have two more albums on my record deal with MNRK Music. And everything's great."

Released in September 2020, "Origins Vol. 2" featured cover versions of THE BEATLES' "I'm Down", DEEP PURPLE's "Space Truckin'", LED ZEPPELIN's "Good Times Bad Times", THE ROLLING STONES' "Jumpin' Jack Flash", THE KINKS' "Lola" and THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's "Manic Depression", among others. A cover of the 1975 KISS tune "She" also appeared as a bonus track. Guests on the set included CHEAP TRICK's Robin Zander, Lita Ford and former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

Released in April 2016, "Origins Vol. 1" debuted at No. 23 on The Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 16,000 equivalent album units. The CD featured KISS frontman Paul Stanley joining Ace on FREE's hit "Fire And Water", Slash trading leads on THIN LIZZY's classic "Emerald", Ford singing and playing lead on THE TROGGS staple "Wild Thing", then-ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 playing guitar alongside Ace on the classic KISS composition "Parasite", and PEARL JAM's Mike McCready playing guitar with Ace on KISS's "Cold Gin".

In a 2016 interview with The Aquarian Weekly, Frehley admitted that doing the first covers album was "the record company's idea. To be honest with you, initially, I wasn't that excited about the project, because I had just come off the high of the success of 'Space Invader', which is all originals except for a cover of 'The Joker'," he said. "It was almost, like, 'Okay, I'm going to go through the motions and get this out of the way and then jump into the studio for my next real studio album.' But I've gotta tell ya, man, once I started the process and started remembering the groups that influenced me, narrowing down which songs I thought were going to be best for the record, and then started the recording process; I really started getting more excited about it."

The official music video for the "10,000 Volts" track — directed by Alex Kouvatsos from Black Wolf Imaging — was released in late November 2023. A clip for "Cherry Medicine", which was directed by Justin H. Reich of Three Thirty-Three Creative and produced by Reich and Steve Seabury, followed in February.

Ace's next all-original album will be the follow-up to "Spaceman", which was released in October 2018 via eOne.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons co-wrote two tracks on "Spaceman", "Without You I'm Nothing" and "Your Wish Is My Command", the latter of which also features Gene's bass playing.

In a recent interview with Rapture Radio, ACCEPT singer Mark Tornillo was asked if there has been any talk of him retiring any time soon. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "Well, the way I really feel about it is as long as I'm capable and there's people that wanna see us, I don't see any reason to stop. I mean, I'm not getting any younger, obviously. I turned 70 [in 2024]. I can't believe that. I meet people and they go, 'You're not 70.' I go, 'Yeah, I really am.'

"As long as I can continue to sing and not have to compromise it, not have to tune down and do whatever people do, run tracks — then I'm not going there, then it's time to step aside," he continued. "But if we can continue to play on the level we play and I can continue to sing, I don't see any reason not to keep going."

Asked if he does anything special to keep his voice in shape, Mark said: "I drink a lot of beer. [Laughs] I mean, really the only precautionary measures I take is I get a decent warm-up, because if you come out of the gate just screaming and growling like that, I'll get two songs and I'll be done. It's a muscle, man. But there are guys who don't. I've talked to Rob Halford [of JUDAS PRIEST]. He doesn't warm up. Ripper [ex-JUDAS PRIEST and current KK'S PRIEST singer Tim Owens] doesn't warm up. They just go out and go for it. Rob says, 'Yeah, I'll put two easy songs in the beginning just so I don't have to kill myself right out of the gate,' which is good, if you can do it. I don't think we have any easy songs — not for me. 'Cause I paint myself into a corner on every frickin' album. And [producer] Andy [Sneap] will go, 'Oh, well, you can sing that part higher, can't you?' 'Yeah, I could.' 'Well, just do it.' 'Okay.' 'We don't have to necessarily use it. Just do it.' Of course, he takes the highest, nastiest things and puts them on the record. And then I've gotta go out and sing it. It's what it is. But I love it, man. So, why not?"

On a recent episode of the "Talk Louder" podcast, hosted by veteran music journalist "Metal Dave" Glessner and lifelong hard rock/metal vocalist Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS),Tornillo was asked if he is able to maintain an exercise routine while he is on tour. "I try to," Mark responded. "We try to book hotel rooms that have gyms, but otherwise I'll be down here on the floor later before I go to the gig, man, stretching and doing core."

Tornillo went on to say that he "just turned 70 in June" and added that he wears his age "like a badge at this point."

As for his vocal warm-up routing prior to performing live, Mark revealed that he sings into a rolled-up towel. He explained: "The way this started for me was way back in early '80s, I used to just scream my ass off, drink two six-packs in the dressing room before we would go on. And we were playing at a club called Soap Factory in New Jersey, and the dressing room was right next to the owner's office. And I'm in there screaming, yelling, 'Argh. Arghh,' just trying to get loosened up. The guy comes in and goes, 'You shut the hell up. I'm on the telephone. I can't even think.' I'm, like, 'Well, I've gotta warm up.' 'Well, stick something in your face. I don't know.' 'Hey, here's an idea.' I rolled up a towel and put it [over my mouth], and I've never not done it since. So I just do my warm-up — I have a proper exercise [routine] — and I just do it in the towel, though.

"When I first joined ACCEPT, I had sang hard on a consistent basis for a long time," he continued. "I was in a few cover bands in the '90s and the 2000s. But we wouldn't play all the time. So I said, 'Well, if I'm gonna do this night after night after night, I'd better go get some help, maybe, just see what I can find out.' I went to a guy who was recommended to me. His name is Mark Baxter in New York. He's worked with Steven Tyler… Well, that says it all right there. That's the only thing you need to know. And he says, 'Look, I can't teach you how to sing. You know how to sing. I can hear it. I listened to your records. I can hear you sing.' I said, 'Yeah, all right. What do you got'? And it's just a series of — it's scales, but it's all different positions of your tongue and your jaw and the vowels. Because vowels mean everything. If you change to go from an 'E' to a 'U' or something like that, it feels like you're in a different throat… And nobody knows why."

ACCEPT will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025-2026. To mark this mammoth milestone, ACCEPT will ring in the band's golden birthday with a very unique anniversary tour at the end of 2025. An anniversary album will be released early 2026.

Over the past five decades, ACCEPT has sold millions of albums and inspired countless musicians. Their energetic live performances and iconic albums such as "Balls To The Wall", "Restless And Wild" and "Metal Heart" have left a lasting mark on the heavy metal genre. Hoffmann's guitar style and musical vision have made the band one of the most respected on the heavy metal scene.

After a hiatus in the band's career, Wolf was introduced to New Jersey singer Tornillo in 2009. The chemistry and fit between them was so remarkable, ACCEPT reformed and almost immediately rose to global success with chart-topping albums. ACCEPT continues to be celebrated for each of their new records with Mark, who is now the longest-reigning frontman of ACCEPT, placing the Hoffmann-Tornillo partnership firmly in the Metal Hall Of Fame.

For decades, ACCEPT has been recognized as a guarantee of high quality and each of their albums has reached the top of the charts, delivering energy, melodies, killer riffs and an impressively powerful stage presence for 50 years.

ACCEPT and KK'S PRIEST recently joined forces for a summer/fall 2024 North American tour. The run began on August 31 in Los Angeles, California, visiting a slew of major cities in the USA and Canada — such as Toronto, Montreal, New York and Nashville — before coming to an end in San Francisco, California on October 7.

Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for Udo Dirkschneider, who was the band's original lead singer. Mark can be heard on ACCEPT's last six studio albums, "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017),2021's "Too Mean To Die" and 2024's "Humanoid".

In a recent interview with Screamer Magazine, former ANTHRAX bassist Dan Lilker spoke about his mid-'80s politically incorrect project STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH (S.O.D.) which also included ANTHRAX's Scott Ian (guitar) and Charlie Benante (drums),and M.O.D.'s Billy Milano (vocals). Regarding the fact that S.O.D. garnered controversy even back in the day for the deliberately offensive lyrics of songs like "Speak English Or Die" and "Fuck The Middle East", Dan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "There were some people that we did wanna piss off a little bit, but if you couldn't tell that we were kind of being just obnoxious and provocative… People weren't looking at the big picture. We also had a song on the record about being hung over and having no milk in the fridge. And you had to step out a little bit. And by the way, 'Fuck The Middle East' is still relevant. And we wrote a song about a guy in a movie with impossibly long fingers who would fucking slice your throat off with. So, sure, calling the record 'Speak English Or Die' — and we're not gonna get into the cancel culture conversation, by the way. I know that [the S.O.D. album] couldn't happen today, and we all know that. But let's just say that we knew what we were doing. I don't regret any of it. I know some people might've thought, 'That's over the line,' but then we weren't really like that. We were just being perhaps a tiny bit reckless, but S.O.D. was about the music. The lyrics were just kind of like — I was gonna say icing on the cake, but it's more like salt. I don't know."

STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH are commonly credited as being among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal into a style sometimes called "crossover thrash." The track "March Of The S.O.D." from the group's debut LP, "Speak English Or Die", was the "Headbangers Ball" intro song for many years.

STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH was formed shortly after Ian finished his guitar tracks on the ANTHRAX album "Spreading The Disease". He would draw pictures of the face of a character known as "Sargent D," and the pictures would be accompanied by slogans such as "I'm not racist; I hate everyone" and "Speak English Or Die." Ian would then wrote lyrics about this character. He decided to form a hardcore band based on Sargent D, so he recruited Benante, Lilker and Milano.

The 30th-anniversary edition of "Speak English Or Die" was made available in November 2015 via Megaforce. The set included the original album as well as the demo recordings from the pre-STROMTROOPERS OF DEATH project CRAB SOCIETY NORTH.

In a 2018 interview with the "Let There Be Talk" podcast, Ian defended the lyrics on "Speak English Or Die", saying: "You've gotta understand, this was a character — I was writing for a character. This isn't how I feel, as Scott Ian. I created a guy named Sargent D, who I was writing a comic book about and I wrote songs based on it. And if you don't get it, go fuck yourself. I will never apologize, because that's where it comes from."

Three years ago, Ian told Metal Hammer magazine about "Speak English Or Die": "If it had never existed in 1985 and we tried to put that out today, no matter how hard we tried to explain the joke or the humor, yes, certain sections of people would cancel it. It would have a much harder time now. We didn't have Internet back then.

"If people don't know, Sargent D is a character that I created, because I wanted to try and make a comic book," Ian further clarified. "I didn't know how to write a comic book, so I wrote songs about this character, who's dead. He's unliving, and therefore he hates anything alive. We explained it a few times in interviews back then, but either people want to hear it or they don't."

Lilker previously spoke about the rise of political correctness in the social media era in a September 2018 interview with Pierre Gutiérrez of Rock Talks. Asked for his opinion of the current state of "censorship," including the cancel culture, which is the idea that someone, usually a celebrity or a public figure, whose ideas or comments are considered offensive should be boycotted, Dan said: "Something like the S.O.D. record, yeah, I mean, sure, you could never do that now. Just trying to be obnoxious and just be a bit of an asshole and be provocative, you can't do that anymore because everyone thinks that you're completely serious and full of hatred.

"When NUCLEAR ASSAULT did a festival in Recife, Brazil, I was talking to a couple of young metalheads in the lobby of the hotel, and they said, 'On your first album [1986's 'Game Over'], you had an extra song on the cassette, and it was called 'Lesbians'. Why? Did you have a problem with lesbians?' And I'm, like, 'We wrote that song in 1985 before you were even fucking born.' The point being that no, of course, we don't [have a problem with lesbians]. But that's when it was okay… It was never okay, but it was a stupid song. And, of course, we didn't mean it. It was just being obnoxious and provocative. And you can't do that [anymore]."

He continued: "I would hope that people understand that just because you have a position in a song that's obviously funny or outlandish that you're not really like that every day.

"I don't care. I'm not ashamed of anything I've done. It's all been in fun when it was obnoxious, and I wouldn't take any of it back. I mean, 'Fuck The Middle East'," he said, referencing a song on the first S.O.D. album, "but it's still true.

"I think some people have made a whole industry out of being offended," Lilker added. "I think a lot of people try to impress their older friends: 'Oh, did you see what they said? Oh, that's horrible.' I think some people are using this stuff. MARDUK and INCANTATION [were] shut down from a show in Oakland because 25 years ago INCANTATION had a guy in the band who later — much, much later — got into some crappy 'white power' shit that all the other guys were, like, 'What the fuck happened to this guy?' But because of this ancient association, now they're on some list, and that, to me, is ridiculous."

Lilker's 2014 book, "Perpetual Conversion", recently saw its reprint, which includes a new foreword by Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES) as well as an all-new, full-color section containing previously unpublished photos, flyers, and ephemera. Author Dave Hofer describes the project as, "a zine-format biography dedicated to Lilker's ongoing, influential career."

Celebrity Access is reporting that newly published accounts reveal that Robert Plant received £7 million in dividends from two of his UK music publishing companies in the financial year ending March 31, 2024. These businesses, Sons Of Einion and Trolcharm, are used by Plant to manage his music career and receive income from album sales.


According to accounts filed on December 17, Plant received £4 million from Sons Of Einion and £3 million from Trolcharm during the period. Based on previous filings, this is the first time either business has paid dividends. While Plant isn’t directly named as the recipient, both companies list the payments made to “the director,” a role he shares with his children, Logan, Jesse Lee (Jordan), and Carmen Jones.


Read the full report at Celebrity Access.




Piece of Magic Entertainment and Sony Pictures Classics have partnered to announce that Becoming Led Zeppelin will be released in European cinemas in February.


Becoming Led Zeppelin explores the origins of this iconic group and their meteoric rise in just one year against all the odds. Powered by awe-inspiring, psychedelic, never-before-seen footage, performances and music, Bernard MacMahon’s experiential cinematic odyssey explores Led Zeppelin’s creative, musical, and personal origin story. The film is told in Led Zeppelin’s own words and is the first officially sanctioned film on the group.


Fans of the iconic band will be able to see the documentary from February 26 in France, Belgium and Luxembourg, and February 27 in The Netherlands. Poland, Czech Republic & Slovakia will also release in February, with exact dates to follow.        


The hybrid docu-concert film also unveils a huge amount of rare and unseen Led Zeppelin performance footage. The result is a visceral musical experience that will transport audiences into the concert halls of Led Zeppelin’s earliest tours, accompanied by intimate, exclusive commentary from the famously private band.


The exciting documentary will also be available in IMAX in certain territories. Director Bernard MacMahon said: “The cinematic power of IMAX paired with the film’s authentic sound creates an immersive and transportive viewing experience letting audiences feel like they are there, in the venues with the band.”    





Becoming Led Zeppelin is a movie that almost didn’t come to fruition – the filmmakers were up against epic challenges, including the fact that hardly any footage from the band's early period existed. MacMahon and McGourty embarked on a global detective search for material to illustrate the band’s story.


“We spent five years flying back and forth across the Atlantic scouring attics and basements in pursuit of rare and unseen film footage, photographs and music recordings,” writer/producer Allison McGourty said. “Then we transferred each piece of media with custom techniques, so that

German rock legends, Scorpions, have released video of their performance of "Peacemaker" from France's Hellfest 2022. The song originally appeared on the band's nineteenth studio album, Rock Believer, released in February 2022. Watch the video below:





More footage from the band's Hellfest 2022 appearance can be viewed below:
















Earlier this week, Scorpions/ex-Motörhead drummer, Mikkey Dee, shared the following message via his official Facebook page:


"Just a quick statement about what has been happening to me these past three weeks:


"First I like to thank everyone for these heartwarming Christmas and New Years greetings, that I have not been able to respond to. I always try to do that every year.


"This holiday season, I have been hospitalized with a very serious blood infection (Sepsis). I was admitted for three weeks but now I am home fighting this bastard bacteria. Thankfully, I have received fantastic care at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital  in Gothenburg, my hometown. So thanks a million to all the Doctors and Nurses that have been giving me the most excellent care. After several operations, I am now back home and the numbers are all going in the right direction. Still lots of recovery and rehab in front of me.


"Now I’m working a 100% to be back on the drum stool for the Residency that starts off in Las Vegas on February 27. We have a tremendous 2025 to look forward to, celebrating 60 years of Scorpions and many exciting giggs around the world.


"So, the Stinger is out and I can’t wait to see you all out there on the road and rock the hell out of you! I wish everybody a fantastic 2025 with good health and lots of Rock n’ Roll!" - Mikkey





Scorpions recently announced "60th Anniversary - Coming Home" a unique concert experience in their hometown, Hannover, Germany, on July 5, 2025. The show will include special guests, including Judas Priest.


Tickets are available via Eventim.





Scorpions are returning to the Las V

In a new interview with Rassilon Records, HAMMERFALL guitarist Oscar Dronjak was asked about rumors from years ago about his band possibly representing Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, an annual singing competition where over 30 countries compete against each other with a variety of different genres and languages. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "This has been going on for 20 years — more than 20 years, actually. It has not been so much the last 10 years, I would say, but in the 2000s, there was a lot of talks about that, a lot of, 'Well, we have this perfect song for you. Come in and do this.' Well, number one was, why the fuck would we wanna do this? Why would we wanna degrade ourselves to do that? Because at that point — this was a high point of our career; we were still going up. But also the Eurovision thing was not very big then, not like it is now. Now it's a big business thing, which is… you can [have] whatever thoughts you want about that.

"I never wanted to do it, but we always had a way out because they never wanted to let us write our own song," he explained. "So we always said, 'If we can write the song ourselves and present a HAMMERFALL show, then we might do it.' And they always said, 'No, we want to have this and this [person writing the music and] lyrics,' whatever. And so, 'Okay, fuck it. We're not gonna do it then.' It was an easy out for us, because they'd never let us do that. Nowadays it's different, of course, but back then it was very strict, very controlled. They wanted to have this lyricist, especially, that always wrote for every artist, they wanted to have them involved in everything, and we were, like, 'Fuck, no. They don't know anything about HAMMERFALL. We're never gonna do that.' And I'm glad we didn't."

Oscar added: "We grew up with [Eurovision], and so it was a big thing when we were kids, and it still means something, but you have to put — at least, this is our thinking 15, 20 years ago, HAMMERFALL heavy metal is something. These people are doing their own thing, and, for me, I don't wanna have metal music in a schlager competition. It should be Eurovision schlager songs. I don't wanna have hip-hop in there either — I don't wanna have anything other than that type of music that fits in this spectrum. But that's just what I think. I don't follow it anymore. And luckily, my son is not interested either, 'cause he's 10 now. He's in an age when everybody in school talks about it. But he knows what I do, too. He knows I don't like it. I don't know if that weighs in with [him], but he he's not really big on that yet, I have to say. You never know. But if everybody's talking about something in school, all the kids wanna be a part of it, I guess. But I'm happy I don't have to watch it anyways, what I'm saying, 'cause his mom loves it. So they can watch it together."

Back in November 2006, HAMMERFALL singer Joacim Cans spoke to Mark Carras of Rock My Monkey about the talk of HAMMERFALL possibly being involved in the Eurovision Song Contest. Joacim said at the time: "Thing is that this is something they wrote in some Swedish newspapers one or two weeks ago. They were claiming that HAMMERFALL or EUROPE would be in the Eurovision Song Contest. They got this joker, what they call the joker position, that we don't need to qualify. We will be more or less in the finals directly. And that we have been having discussions with the national television in Sweden for a couple of years, and this is not true. We have not had any discussions whatsoever in regards to this. So I sent letters to the newspaper denying everything. I said, 'No, this is not true.' We were approached by a label guy who said, 'Hey, you should be in the contest.' And we said no. First of all, we do not want to perform any other person's song. And we don't see this as something that would benefit the band. Probably the other way around. So there were no talks whatsoever to be part of this. No. But, of course, they turn this around, and the next day in the newspaper said, 'HAMMERFALL just said that they're turning down the offer,' blah, blah, blah. We didn't turn down the offer. We never got the offer."

HAMMERFALL's latest album, "Avenge The Fallen", was released in August via Nuclear Blast Records.

In December 2022, HAMMERFALL, which started its career in 1997 on Nuclear Blast with its debut album "Glory To The Brave", announced that it was returning to the long-running German label.

HAMMERFALL's entire Nuclear Blast catalog, from "Glory To The Brave" to the 2014 album "(r)Evolution" was certified with a diamond award for over 1.5 million worldwide sales.

Following on from "Renegade" (2000),"Crimson Thunder" (2002) and "No Sacrifice, No Victory" (2009),HAMMERFALL's fifth studio album, "Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken" from 2005, became the band's fourth album to go gold in Sweden, while "Crimson Thunder" even went platinum, surpassing 60,000 sales in the group's home country.

In April 2023, HAMMERFALL released a special platinum edition of "Crimson Thunder" with tons of bonus material.

Photo credit: Tallee Savage (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

Melodic death metal outfit, Nephylim, releases their first new single and music video, “Inner Paradigm”.


“Inner Paradigm” is a 6-minute song elaborating, metaphorically, the (un)subconscious inner duality of one’s character: “What kind of person do I want to be?”. Based upon life experiences, self-(un)consciousness and person’s character this life-defining choice will be made. The song will appear as the closing track of the brand-new Circuition album, which is set to be released on March 7.


The album is recorded by Jos Driessen at Sandlane Recording Facilities and Yarne Heylen at Project Zero Studio. Mixed by Joost van den Broek at Sandlane Recording Facilities (Ayreon, Blind Guardian, Epica, Powerwolf, Sabaton), and mastered by Darius van Helfteren at Amsterdam Mastering (Epica, Floor Jansen, Blackbriar).




Their brand new track is accompanied by a music video, shot by Vic Bomers (Viccnzz) and edited by Tijn Bosters and Vic Bomers. The artwork was created by Giannis Nakos (Remedy Art Design).


Listen to the singl

Sacramento, California’s progressive metal outfit, Lunar, have released a lyric video for “Spring In My Step” to offer listeners another captivating glimpse into their upcoming concept album, Tempora Mutantur, slated for release at the end of January. The new release continues the band's exploration of seasonal metaphors and personal transformation, promising a musical journey that blends intricate progressive metal with deeply introspective storytelling.


Drummer Alex Bosson comments on the single: “One of my personal favorite songs on the album. This song is more upbeat and about the good times we feel revitalized. When you’ve made it through a rough patch in your life and realize you’ve come out the other side. This song has some really fun moments musically and, I think, is one of the more “proggy” songs on this record.”


One of the more upbeat songs on the album, “Spring In My Step” delivers an awesome main riff and continues with positive melodies throughout. The track embodies the band's approach to songwriting - creating music that is both technically complex and emotionally accessible, inviting listeners to find their own meanings within the layers of sound and lyrical metaphor.




The lyric video, along with the rest of the album, offers an emotional listening experience. Lots of ups and downs musically and lyrically dealing with the passing of time and the effects it has on us physically and mentally. Lunar is recommended for fans of Opeth, Caligula’s Horse, and Haken.





Founded by drummer Alex Bosson (Helion Prime, Planeswalker) and Ryan Erwin who passed away in 2018, Lunar continues in his memory. This fourth full-length, Tempora Mutantur, follows 2023's The Illusionist and features a fresh lineup with the addition of guitarists Carlos Alvarez and Connor McCray (Vis Mystica) along with keyboardist Anthony Stahl plus album guests Wayne Ingram (Wildrun), Joe Gullace (Thank You Scientist) and Sam Vallen (Caligula's Horse).


A collaboration of musical minds, and with anything Lunar does; Tempora Mutantur is an emotional thematic listening experience with ups and downs musically and lyrically dealing with the passing of time and the effects it has on us physically and mentally.


"This album deals with something everyone can relate to and no one can escape: the passing of time. We get older, our perspective changes, and we gain some things, and lose others… sometimes the things and ones we love. And we struggle and fight along the way. This album deals with some of the highs and lows we deal with along this journey we all share. Hopefully, the fans will be able to resonate with it and find some solace and aid in their own experiences of time passing. I believe the songwriting has gotten stronger over the years. I think the songs are a bit more well-structured. But I think the overall sound of the band has remained p

Former DIO and current DIO DISCIPLES guitarist Craig Goldy has weighed in on the way Vivian Campbell was fired from DIO, saying that Vivian was "very disrespectful to Ronnie [James Dio] on many occasions."

Ronnie, Vivian, drummer Vinny Appice and bassist Jimmy Bain collaborated on the first three DIO albums — 1983's "Holy Diver", 1984's "The Last In Line" and 1985's "Sacred Heart" — before Irishman Campbell left to join WHITESNAKE in 1987. Vivian later publicly took issue with Ronnie's need for total control of the band, claiming that finances played a major part in the bad blood that preceded his exit. Specifically, Campbell said that "it had become increasingly clear" to him that Ronnie's wife and manager Wendy "was determined to separate Ronnie from the band. She didn't see DIO as one creative unit. Ronnie knew better, but I suspect that in an effort to win back Wendy's love" after the couple split, "he was willing to bend to her whims. Thus began the beginning of the end for the original DIO band." He also said that Ronnie failed to deliver on his early promise that by the third DIO album "it would be an equity situation" between all the bandmembers.

Goldy discussed Campbell's split with DIO in a recent interview with Shane Bennett of Totem Paul Radio. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Ronnie picked [Vivian, Vinny and Jimmy for his band] for a reason — not just because Jimmy was in RAINBOW with him and Vinny was in [BLACK] SABBATH with him, but there was a reason why they were in RAINBOW and SABBATH. And Viv was ferocious, man. That guy, they created a really good… I remember reading a comment the other day is that people felt like maybe 'Holy Diver' set the bar too high. 'Cause even 'Last In Line' — I love 'Last In Line' and 'Sacred Heart', but by 'Sacred Heart', the songs weren't that great because Ronnie knew that the guys weren't really giving it their all. And unfortunately — I was there; I mean, I was at Ronnie's house all the time. I know when it went down. And at the time there was talk about them being an equal-share band by the third album. But they took it literally, like, 'On the day of the third album, we're going to be a equal-share band.' [Ronnie] said 'around the third album'. And he explained it to me one time. He said, he goes, 'Even though Jimmy and Vinny are kind of stars already because of RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH, they're kind of there already. Once everybody becomes about as famous as I am, that's when we should be at equal share. It should happen around the third album because those guys are so good.' And on every record deal, you have a solo album option. And so if you pick up your solo album option, that tells the guy, the main guy — whoever it is — that you're now his equal, because the record company has picked up your solo album option. That's all they had to do, and they didn't, 'cause they knew they couldn't. And It all came down to this: money."

Referencing the fact that both Vinny and Jimmy had publicly stated that they shared Vivian's opinion on how things were handled in terms of the way the money was split within the DIO band, Craig continued: "There was no united front — it was Viv. I mean, Vinny says they all felt the same way Viv did, but where was the united stand? Where was the united front? Why didn't all those guys go together? Why wasn't it four people confronting Ronnie? Why was it just Viv? Why was it just right on — like [Vivian] set his alarm clock and the alarm went off, and he said, 'Okay, now it's time [to confront Ronnie].' And he was very disrespectful to Ronnie on many occasions. Many times me and Ronnie would be at the bar together when I was still in ROUGH CUTT, and he was perplexed because he didn't know what to do about Viv because Viv was being so disrespectful to him because he had such a sense of entitlement. He didn't earn it… They went from opening act to headliner very quickly, and Viv didn't earn it like Jimmy and Vinny and Ronnie did. And he had a sense of entitlement. He was a good guy; he really was. A lot of fans will tell you that he was a really good guy. And he was — he was a nice guy; he was a gentleman. Most of the time he was a gentleman to me…

"But anyways, that was the problem," Craig added. "Viv had a sense of entitlement and was very disrespectful to Ronnie from time to time. And I saw it once in a while too. And it hurt my heart, a lot of times being at the bar with him, being so perplexed by that. A lot of people think it was Wendy's influence. It wasn't Wendy's influence. I've seen Ronnie go after Wendy like a ravening wolf… That had nothing to do with it. It was respect. And Ronnie was tired of being disrespected."

Craig went on to say that Vivian, Vinny and Jimmy actually "got a raise" during the later years of the original DIO band while "Ronnie took a pay cut during [the] 'Sacred Heart'" touring cycle. "There was so much money being spent [on the road]," Craig explained. "There was, like, seven semi-trucks that would follow, that would go, 'cause they had to bring their lighting crew, they had to bring the P.A., because back in those days, the P.A.s that were in the coliseums weren't big enough to handle the kind of stuff that they were doing and the sound that they were doing, 'cause there was big drums and big bass and explosions and all sorts of stuff. So they had to hire a company to bring in to add to the existing P.A. system that's there and add to the sound desk that's there and add to the stage set and add to the lighting. They were adding all this — they were bringing all this stuff. So when they complain about the lighting director getting more money than they got, it wasn't because of Ronnie; it was because of the company that Ronnie had to hire in order to get that P.A. system to sound the way it did and the lighting the way it did. That company set the salary for the lighting director — not Ronnie. And there was an 18-foot fire-breathing dragon. I'll bet you a million dollars if those guys were all equal-share members, that would have never happened, because the money would have been more important. I guarantee you. Not only that, because I heard each and every one of them say it — they would have rather gotten the money than an 18-foot fire-breathing dragon. But Ronnie did it for the fans and he didn't hike up the ticket prices. But that is still being talked [about] to this day. I highly doubt that Vinny Appice's bank account's gonna be talked about as much as the 18-foot fire-breathing dragon."

Goldy previously discussed Campbell's split with DIO in a 2022 interview with Full In Bloom. He said at the time: "It made perfect sense why they all thought they were gonna get a piece of the pie. And I think Ronnie really meant it, because when you really think about it, what a great way to start. Here are Ronnie and Jimmy from RAINBOW and Ronnie and Vinny from BLACK SABBATH starting a band together with this kid that nobody knows about who's fucking furious on guitar. And that first album just skyrocketed. So it's not that Ronnie started a band with a bunch of nobodies. So it makes sense that he would say, 'Hey, by the third album or so, we'll make this more of an equal-share thing.' Because it costs a lot of money for the buses and the bus drivers and the hotel rooms, the arenas and the lighting and the P.A. system. They were bringing their own lights and their P.A. system, an 18-foot fire-breathing dragon. That's when things took a turn that I don't think very many people understood was how much was actually spent. 'Cause Ronnie and Wendy, I guess, had gone to Universal Studios and saw that Conan The Barbarian performance and it had this fire-breathing dragon in it. And [he went], 'We should do that.' It was his way of giving back to the fans so he didn't hike up ticket prices but there was a lot of money being spent. I think that was the time when the band was expecting to get an equal share, but it was so expensive to do that."

Craig continued: "Apparently, I guess, Viv comes from a wealthy family, so I think he was more… Not that he's a spoiled brat or anything, but I remember Ronnie saying stuff like that. Every time I've ever met Vivian, he was always very nice to me, so I can't back that one way or the other. But I know how Ronnie is, and so to piss Ronnie off to the point where he fires you, you've gotta be pretty insulting. So something must have gone down. It comes off like Vivian says, 'I called him on his promise and he lied to us.' I don't really think it was that; I think it was more of a deferred thing. 'Cause they were on to something that was really getting ready to be big, and I think that they wanted to be able to let the dust settle of this… They're gonna be known now… Because they even got a Top 15 spot in the Top 20-grossing tours right under Madonna at the time. That was a huge deal. They won, like, the best heavy metal stage set and all that kind of stuff. It was making headlines in magazines and television and news that a heavy metal band never did before besides KISS."

In a 2017 interview Canada's The Metal Voice, Vinny spoke about the circumstances that led to Vivian's exit from DIO. "There were some business problems within the band," he said. "We were promised to be sharing in things, and we gave it up for the first album and tour, because, okay, it costs a lot of money to launch the thing and Ronnie is putting in his money and whatever. But then it never happened. We were doing tours in arenas. Back then, one of the tours grossed eight million dollars — that was in those dollars; that's probably eighty million dollars [in today's money]. But we got nothing out of it — [we only got] salaries and stuff — so what was promised never happened. And Vivian really… he called [Ronnie] on it and the management, so that kind of became bad blood with Ronnie. But we all felt the same way — that we're not getting what we were promised and we should be doing better than we're doing. Somebody's making a lot of money here, and it wasn't us. So that's what happened with Viv. And then Ronnie and Viv didn't see eye to eye, and then finally Ronnie said to me, 'I'm gonna fire Viv.' I'm, like, 'What?' I just was in shock. And I kind of mentioned [to Ronnie] that that's not a great idea, 'cause it's the sound of his band. And [Ronnie] decided that he can go on without [Vivian]. So that's what happened."

The resentment between Campbell and Ronnie James Dio remained unresolved even at the end of the singer's life in 2010. Not long before he passed, Dio told an interviewer: " In my opinion, Vivian no longer had the commitment to the band he had in the early days. He was — and remains — an excellent guitarist. I never lost sight of how good he was as a musician, but as a person… Well, he was no longer on the same page as the rest of us. That annoyed me hugely. When you've got four people really stretching and straining to do their very best, and one person who's clearly holding back, it makes for an unhappy camp."

Bain, who played with Ronnie in an early version of RAINBOW and later appeared on seven DIO albums (from "Holy Diver" to 2002's "Killing The Dragon"),told U.K.'s Metal Hammer in 2012 that "Viv did nothing that warranted his removal from [DIO] in what is still considered to be a cowardly way. For me, firing Viv was the biggest mistake of Ronnie's career. The problem could've easily been resolved if there had a been a will to do so from Ronnie and Wendy."

Bain also felt that DIO was in decline by the time the band released "Sacred Heart".

"DIO should have gotten better with each album, but what happened was the opposite," Jimmy told Metal Hammer. "The production was watered down with all the keyboards, [and] the songs were not as good because it became harder to satisfy Ronnie's need to complicate arrangement and structure."

Campbell, Appice and Bain reunited in 2012 alongside singer Andrew Freeman to form LAST IN LINE. The band's initial intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio's early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein.

A few years ago, Vivian slammed DIO DISCIPLES — which was made up of former members of DIO, along with a rotating lineup of singers, including former JUDAS PRIEST frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens — saying that DIO DISCIPLES had "zero credibility" as a Ronnie James Dio tribute project despite the fact that the band was fully supported by Wendy Dio.

In a May 2011 interview with Brazil's Roadie Crew magazine, Wendy stated about the controversy surrounding Ronnie's relationship with Campbell (in 2003, Vivian called Ronnie "an awful businessman and, way more importantly, one of the vilest people in the industry."): "[Vivian] always said that he hated all the albums that he played on with Ronnie, and that was very hurtful to Ronnie. Very hurtful. Would you like someone who said something like that about your albums? He said a lot of things in the press that I don't wanna get into, because it really wasn't Ronnie's feud at all. Ronnie didn't fire him. I fired [Vivian]. He wanted as much money as Ronnie wanted. He thought he was as important as Ronnie was, and that was just wrong. But I don't wanna get into that. It's water under the bridge. It doesn't matter."

A video clip of Ronnie James Dio calling Campbell "a fucking asshole" and saying that "I hope he fucking dies" in reference to his former bandmate was posted on YouTube in October 2007. The two-minute clip was shot on March 30, 2007 while Ronnie was signing autographs for fans after HEAVEN & HELL's show at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. "He's a piece of shit," Dio said. "You ever heard the things he ever said about me? He called me the most despicable human being that ever lived. I went, 'I thought I gave you a chance and made you somebody. And now you're playing with who? DEF fucking who?' There's a fucking rock band for you to fucking have diarrhea with."

Action metal war machine, Hyperstrike, has released the aptly named debut single, "Warning Shot," on all digital platforms.


“Warning Shot” is an electrifying showcase of the band’s collective power. Chop Daddy lays down thunderous slap bass lines, driving the track’s explosive groove, while The Claw shreds through with razor-sharp, incendiary guitar riffs. Goblin commands the rhythm with machine-like precision and relentless intensity on drums, setting the stage for Brain Lord’s fierce, dynamic vocals to unleash the song’s raw energy. Together, the band delivers a high-octane anthem about a man pushed to his limits, crafting a powerful narrative of tension and resolve that hits as hard as their sound.







Hyperstrike is Seattle's action metal war machine. Founded in 2024 by bass-slapping juggernaut Ben "Chop Daddy" Bennett, this band doesn’t play music; they drop sonic bombs. With a shadowy past tearing through thrash titans Warbringer and Bonded by Blood, and reigning as the "Lord of the Low End" in sci-fi shredders Xoth, Bennett knew exactly what ki

Brutal death metal quartet, Relics Of Humanity, are set to release new album, Absolute Dismal Domain, on January 31, 2025 through Willowtip Records.


The band states:


"Absolute Dismal Domain is a nine-act conceptual record. The story told across these nine tracks is about absolute ubiquitous annihilation of light, both spiritually (god) and physically (sun and stars). This is the most brutal stuff about blackness and ungodliness ever created."

4;Fire's On" Single / Video Available">
Spanish true metallers, Sinner Rage, have released a new video, "Fire's On". The track is the second to be revealed from the band's highly anticipated debut album, Powerstrike, set for international release on February 21st via Dying Victims Productions.


Making their public debut with a self-titled demo in early 2024, Sinner Rage thrust themselves into the present with a sound wholly built on the past: pure and total heavy metal during the genre’s ‘80s heyday. Wasting no time defending the faith, the Spaniards return a full year later with their debut album, Powerstrike. 


Truly titled, Powerstrike is an pitch-perfect throwback to the days when heavy metal supremacy were ruled by the likes of Judas Priest, Saxon, Queensrÿche, and Crimson Glory. Moving at a disarmingly relaxed strut, Sinner Rage convey charisma and simple-yet-assured power during every

Porcupine Tree frontman-turned-solo-artist, Steven Wilson, will release his eighth solo album, The Overview, via Fiction Records on March 14 – and it marks his long-awaited return to prog territory. He recently spoke with Prog about the new record. Following is an excerpt from the interview.


The Overview is a 42-minute concept album features just two epic songs; the 23-minute Objects Outlive Us, and the 18-and-a-half minute title track. 


Wilson: “To pre-empt questions about why I’ve gone back to a more progressive style, it’s because that’s what the theme suggested. Objects Outlive Us is more of a human story. Basically these little soap operas and stories about what we’re doing to the planet, set against what’s going on on the other side of the universe. The Overview is more the story of space – about being lost in space, about being on the other side of the universe, about the sheer size of it all.”




Read more here.


Wilson has announced The Overview Tour for May / June 2025. It will kick off in Stockholm, Sweden on May 1st and wrap up on June 13th in Madrid, Spain. He will be out supporting his forthcoming album, The Overview.


Tour dates: 


May 
1 - Stockholm, Sweden -  Cirkus
2 - Olso, Norway -  Konserthaus
4 - Copenhagen, Denmark -  KB-Hallen
6 - Dusseldorf, Germany - Mitsubishi Electric Hall
7 - Brussels, Belgium - Cirque Royal
9 - Birmingham,

In a new interview with Lucas Prates of Mantena, former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal was asked to give one piece of advice for musicians just starting out. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "One piece of advice for musicians just starting out. I can't give just one piece of advice. There's too much."

He continued: "We all start off wanting to be rock stars, being famous, being successful, all of that stuff, just seeing what our idols are doing and we're inspired by it. And we wanna do what they're doing on the level that they're doing it. But you start to realize that success is actually when you can live how you want to live by the terms you want to live by, the boundaries that you set for your life, maintaining those; that ends up being success. Not everybody will enjoy the rock star life and you might hate it and you might kill yourself. So you shouldn't do it, because it's not worth it. At the end of your life, if you were a slave to this stuff and it made you miserable, that was a wasted life. Yeah, it made people happy. But still, what about you? You need to be part of that equation. So, you need to live in a way that works for who you are. And you may realize that being a rock star is not it. And if you become a rock star, you've actually failed, because you're not living true to who you are. That's something to think about."

Thal added: "What else? When it comes to making music, we also think that it's just being that person on stage playing your instrument or singing or whatever it is you aspire to do. But there is so much more to it. And you should look into all of it. There's so much more to making music happen. 95 percent of it is other stuff. Five percent of it is actually making sound. So look into all of that other stuff, whether it's managing or producing or designing concert posters — whatever it is, there's so much more to do. So be diverse and teach whatever you learn. That too. Always be early, be prepared and stay calm. Definitely.

"And a big one: no matter how good it looks from the outside, don't stay in a shitty situation that wears you down and makes you become less of a person," he concluded. "If it makes you an angry person, a stressed person, someone that just doesn't treat the world the way you'd want to treat it if you were a happy person, get the fuck out. It's not worth it. Definitely. And lastly, use a metronome."

Thal's new instrumental album, "Bumblefoot ...Returns!", is set for release on January 24, 2025. "Bumblefoot ...Returns!" will arrive 30 years after Thal's debut solo instrumental album. On the new LP, Bumblefoot revisits his roots with a 14-track masterpiece that spans genres from metal to orchestral to blues.

The album's opening track, "Simon In Space", serves as its first single, delivering an electrifying ride through chaos and intensity. In addition to the single, an animated music video created by Bumblefoot and animator Radek Grabinski is also available, as well as a retro-inspired video game, which is coming soon.

"Bumblefoot ...Returns!" features collaborations with iconic musicians, including Brian May, Steve Vai, Guthrie Govan, Derek Sherinian, Jerry Gaskill and others, showcasing Bumblefoot's innovative guitar techniques, such as his signature fretless guitar and "thimble technique."

About the album, Bumblefoot previously said: "It's been 30 years since releasing the debut 'Adventures Of Bumblefoot' on Shrapnel Records, and I haven't done a fully instrumental album since. Writing during the pandemic, these songs became a soundtrack to my life — from heavy fretless growls to bluesy tributes to legends like Lonnie Johnson. It's a reflection of the moments that shaped me."

He added: "Working on WHOM GODS DESTROY's album inspired growling heavy fretless parts like 'Simon In Space'. Watching a blues documentary inspired 'Moonshine Hootenanny'. Losing loved ones led to writing 'Funeral March'. Songs become a soundtrack to our lives."

The album is available for pre-order now on vinyl, CD, and cassette, with exclusive merch bundles at bumblefoot.com.

Thal joined GUNS N' ROSES in 2006 and appeared on 2008's "Chinese Democracy", an effort which contained music that had been written before he came into the group. The disc took 13 years to make and was only a modest seller, moving just around half a million copies.

Thal never officially announced his departure from the GN'R, but a source confirmed to Detroit music writer Gary Graff back in 2015 that the guitarist had been out since the end of the band's second Las Vegas residency in 2014.

Thal later revealed that he was focusing on his solo career and other projects after spending eight years playing in GUNS.

Thal spent a few years recording and touring with SONS OF APOLLO, which also featured drummer Mike Portnoy, keyboardist Derek Sherinian and bassist Billy Sheehan. SONS OF APOLLO released its second studio album, "MMXX" (pronounced: 20/20),in January 2020 via InsideOut Music/Sony.

Thal is also a member of ART OF ANARCHY, which released its third studio album, "Let There Be Anarchy", in February 2024 via Pavement Music.

Joining founding ART OF ANARCHY members Jon Votta (guitar),Vince Votta (drums) and Thal in the band's new lineup are vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JOURNEY, SONS OF APOLLO) and bassist Tony Dickinson (SOTO, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA).

The fully restored official video for King Kobra's "Hunger", taken from the band's 1985 album Ready To Strike, can be viewed below courtesy of Bunker HeavyRock.





King Kobra released their seventh studio album in 2023, the triumphant We Are Warriors. Founder Carmine Appice and longtime members Johnny Rod and Paul Shortino, as well as recent inductees Quiet Riot’s Carlos Cavazo and Dio’s Rowan Robertson, prove that all those years of road-tested, studio-honed musical experience can make for some of the most powerful and potent hard rock heard anywhere.




We Are Warriors is filled with the kind of face-melting guitar riffs and thunderous drums you’d expect to hear on an album from a much younger band. But these seasoned pros not only rock louder than most, they also rock harder. Just check out the superb second track from Warriors, “Turn Up The Music,” an epic, fist-pumping ode to the glory of ear-splitting volume and a finely crafted metal song. The track might just be the album’s crowning jewel, its thesis statement, which is why the band is releasing a captivating new lyric video for the track as both a celebration of their new album and a commitment to their fans to never keep it down.

NIGHTWISH mastermind Tuomas Holopainen has weighed in on a debate about people using artificial intelligence (A.I.) to create music. Asked by Sysimedia if he thinks this new technology is useful or if it's dangerous, Tuomas said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We will follow closely, and maybe there are some things that we can use for our advantage. It's definitely a double-edged sword, A.I., all these things, and lots of potentials, some dangerous elements, but nobody really knows what's gonna happen. So we have to follow closely and adapt. That's pretty much all I can say about that."

Reflecting on NIGHTWISH's two interactive experiences in May 2021, which drew 150,000 viewers, setting the record for the largest paid virtual concert in Finland's history, Tuomas added: "As fun as the virtual concert experience was, there's no beating live music — there really isn't — in being present and feeling the pressure of the sound in your chest and being there with all the people and seeing the band live; they're right there. I don't think that can ever change."

Asked for his opinion about the "ABBA Voyage" avatar show in London, which has been very lucrative since debuting in May 2022, Tuomas said: "I've heard it's incredible. I haven't seen it, but everybody says it's just a marvel of technology. So, yeah, nothing wrong with that — just entertainment for people."

Pressed about whether he thinks that in the future we are going to see NIGHTWISH avatars, Tuomas laughed and replied: "I like the sound of that. Maybe. Maybe not. I have no idea."

NIGHTWISH's latest album, "Yesterwynde", arrived in September via Nuclear Blast. It marked the band's tenth studio LP, following on from the release of "Human. :II: Nature." in 2020.

In April 2023, NIGHTWISH surprised fans by announcing that the band was not going to be playing any live shows for the foreseeable future and would be not be touring in support of "Yesterwynde".

"The reasons are personal," Tuomas told Metal Hammer magazine. "We're not going to go into it, but it was something that had to be done for this band to continue. There's no bad blood between the members, nothing like that. We just have to take a long breather."

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

In a recent interview with Marty5150, legendary bassist Billy Sheehan reflected on his time as a member of the backing band of original VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth. Asked what the "biggest takeaway" was from working with Roth, Sheehan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I feel I have the equivalent of a PhD in Show Biz 101 because of Dave. I had the good fortune of touring with him in 1980, opening up for VAN HALEN with my band TALAS, and that's where we first saw this machine in action. And it was like a military operation. It was incredible. And so I learned a lot about how you present yourselves and present songs and how you get the show on the road.

"It would be hard for me to list all the positive things I learned from that experience 'cause there are many," Sheehan added. "My successes after the 'Eat 'Em And Smile' situation, a lot of 'em were due to what I knew to watch out for in the music business because I knew Dave. So it was a helpful thing."

"Eat 'Em And Smile" was the first of two Roth albums to feature the duo of Steve Vai and Sheehan on guitar and bass.

Sheehan previously reflected on his time with Roth during a December 2022 appearance on the "Talk Louder" podcast, hosted by veteran music journalist "Metal Dave" Glessner and lifelong hard rock/metal vocalist Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS). He said at the time: "[David] is a phenomenon of nature and he's still my hero and I'm still supremely and forever grateful for the break he gave me. And we had a ride together; we had a wonderful time. He's a jokester and a comedian… I learned so much from him, it's unbelievable. It was like getting a PhD in Show Biz 101; he knew it inside and out. And he is on. If he's not on, he's probably not there. If he's not around, he's probably not on. But if he's around, he's on. He's never not on."

Sheehan went on to say that Roth is "very smart." He added: "I just finished [VAN HALEN producer] Ted Templeman's book, and Ted really praised his lyrics. I don't think VAN HALEN would have been VAN HALEN without those lyrics, 'cause they weren't your typical 'baby, I love you' lyrics… And the stuff he did on [Roth's debut solo album] 'Eat 'Em And Smile' was quite fantastic. I think if we would have kept that 'Eat 'Em And Smile' vibe and style, the band would have really done incredibly well. Unfortunately, he made a left turn and did [1988's] 'Skyscraper'. It takes a lot of courage to make that kind of a turn. I give him credit for the courage. I didn't like the results of it myself personally. Like [David] Bowie, with 'Ziggy Stardust' suddenly came out with the 1984 record, when he broke up his original band and then went off and just went into the dance kind of thing, it took a lot of guts. So I think Dave kind of did that same thing with 'Skyscraper'. Unfortunately, it was not as successful as it

In a new interview with Rapture Radio, SOILWORK vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid was asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to "Övergivenheten" album, which came out in 2022. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we're slowly approaching the songwriting for a new album. [2025] is gonna be mostly about [Strid's other band] THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, but in between we're gonna start writing the new SOILWORK album. So I'm as curious as you are, I was gonna say. But, yeah, that's gonna be some great stuff. I'm really looking forward. And I guess we should be able to release a new album in — I don't know — spring of '26, I'm guessing."

In November, Björn spoke to Germany's Moshpit Passion about SOILWORK's latest single, "Spirit Of No Return", which came out in October. The track marks a significant milestone in SOILWORK's evolution, with longtime touring guitarist Simon Johansson recently officially joining the ranks of the band.

Asked if "Spirit Of No Return" is indicative of the musical direction of SOILWORK's next studio album, Strid said: "Well, hard to say. I mean, we decided to just approach things quite slowly this time around because we've been through a lot, as I'm sure you know. Simon joined the fold now and he's a great guy and a fantastic guitar player. He's been playing with us live for a pretty long time, but he contributed with this new song and it has a little bit of a thrashier side to it and kind of like more SOILWORK rootsy kind of feel, but also still blended with the more current elements that we're known for. So it's really hard to say exactly where we're gonna go, but I would say that the sound is gonna be slightly more metallic, whatever that means, but I also feel that we discovered so many amazing things through when we did [the 2020 EP] 'A Whisp Of The Atlantic', with 'Verkligheten' [2019] and with 'Övergivenheten' [2022], and those elements we wanna take with us. But I think there's also maybe old things that we want to revisit and bring back again. And I think this new one, it has more sort of like a metallic vibe over it, but we keep on evolving, and I never wanna fall into some kind of cliché or trying to rehash things. So I'm as curious as you are where we're gonna go. But I think this song is maybe giving you a little bit of a hint where we're going. But we always try to experiment as well. But it's too early to say if there's gonna be a full album anytime soon. I think we're approaching things slowly. We're getting close to start doing some songwriting. And it might happen on this tour. I have the guitars right here. So who knows what's gonna happen?!"

"Spirit Of No Return" showcases SOILWORK's signature blend of frenzied intensity, soaring melodies, epic arrangements, and a touch of progressive complexity — traits that have cemented their reputation over the last decades. Johansson's contribution to the songwriting channels the band's essence while bringing fresh energy to their unmistakable sound.

The "Spirit Of No Return" music video, which can be seen below, is equally captivating, featuring a stunning sequence where the iconic SOILWORK symbol is reforged, representing the band's resurgence and renewed strength. This visual narrative perfectly complements the song's theme of perseverance and transformation.

Strid previously stated about the song: "'Spirit Of No Return' is a fierce reminder of the past, but also an introduction of the new SOILWORK era, where we've taken the thrashier early days and dressed it in a new heavier suit. Lyrics are dealing with the urge of belonging and fitting in — and how it in the end can be disastrous as you abandon your true self."

In October, SOILWORK embarked on its biggest tour adventure yet, supporting IN FLAMES and ARCH ENEMY on a European arena tour.

SOILWORK's high-class creative consistency, which they have been delivering solidly throughout their career, is the virtue that probably best defines them. Founded at the end of 1995, SOILWORK released their debut album "Steelbath Suicide" in 1998, garnering a great early response. By 2001 SOILWORK had joined Nuclear Blast, and by 2003 they already had five records under their belt.

Continuing their tradition of high-quality musical output, 2022 saw their twelfth studio album "Övergivenheten", which represented the band in their growth and their current phase of life — marked by a time that probably no one on this planet will forget so quickly.

SOILWORK is:

Björn "Speed" Strid - vocals
Simon Johansson - guitars
Sven Karlsson - keyboards
Sylvain Coudret - guitars
Bastian Thusgaard - drums
Rasmus Ehrnborn - bass

In an interview for the cover story of the January 2025 issue of Modern Drummer magazine, SLIPKNOT's Eloy Casagrande was asked for his opinion of his replacement in SEPULTURA, Greyson Nekrutman, who joined the latter band at around the same time in his life as Eloy did in 2011. The Brazilian musician responded: "Yes, and when I see him playing, I can remember myself in the same spot. When I joined SEPULTURA, I was his age. That's quite interesting. He's a very good drummer. I used to watch him playing videos he posted on social media when he was playing more jazz and drum solos. He's a brilliant player and I wish him and the rest of the band all the best. I have a lot of respect for him. I wish I could talk to him more one day. Maybe we could bring all the SEPULTURA drummers together.

"Greyson came to my studio in São Paulo when he joined the band to do some rehearsals, and we had a very good talk," Eloy added. "He had just two or three weeks to learn all the songs, so I gave him some advice like, 'We used to play that song faster. Be careful with this song because we used to play it slower.' I wasn't teaching him how to play the songs because he can play anything he wants to play. He's an incredible drummer."

Asked what it was like getting the call from SLIPKNOT and how he got the gig, Eloy said: "Everything happened at the end of 2023 when I got a call from SLIPKNOT's manager asking me if I was interested in doing an audition for SLIPKNOT. That year, SEPULTURA decided to stop playing, so it was a very natural decision for me to keep playing with someone else instead of just retiring. At the end of [2023] and the beginning of [2024], I wasn't supposed to talk to anyone about that. The audition was a big secret. Nobody could know about it. SEPULTURA didn't even know, it was just something between me and the guys from SLIPKNOT. It was my decision to do the audition. I said, 'Okay, I'm interested in doing an audition because SEPULTURA is going to stop. I have one and a half years left of working with them and I'm going to be done.'

"Through the years, I have played many times with SLIPKNOT," he continued. "We shared stages when I was playing SEPULTURA, and that was the place that I always wanted to be. I grew up listening to their music, so I wanted to have the experience playing live with SLIPKNOT with a mask on my face. In my first show with the band I was thinking, 'Oh, this is really happening. Oh my god. I can't believe it.'

"Going back a little bit, before I was invited to do the audition, I took my drums to a studio in São Paulo and did a proper sound and video recording," Eloy explained. "I played six songs, and I sent it to the guys. I chose three songs and then they asked me to play three specific songs. They were 'Eyeless', 'Purity' and 'Gematria'. My flight was booked to go to the audition, so at the end of January [of 2024], I flew to Palm Springs, California, and spent ten days with them there. The first five days, the whole band was rehearsing like it was a live show. Every day, the guys came with a different setlist, and we just played those songs."

Last month, Modern Drummer magazine's readers voted Casagrande as the No. 1 metal drummer in the publication's 2024 Readers' Poll.

After parting ways with Jay Weinberg in November 2023, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer 10 months ago, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption "Rehearsal."

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

Weinberg has since joined SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and INFECTIOUS GROOVES.

Casagrande abruptly quit SEPULTURA 11 months ago, shortly before he was supposed to begin rehearsals for the band's recently launched 40th-anniversary farewell tour.

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

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA more than 13 years ago as the replacement for Jean Dolabella.

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

SLIPKNOT recently completed the North American portion of the "Here Comes The Pain" tour. The band was celebrating the 25th anniversary of its seminal debut album, "Slipknot", which catapulted the band back in 1999.

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

The January 2025 Issue of Modern Drummer is Here! 🔥🥁

Start your year with an explosive issue packed with drum...

Posted by Modern Drummer Magazine on Friday, January 3, 2025

Three members of JANE'S ADDICTION — bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins and guitarist Dave Navarro — are working together on new music.

On Friday (January 3),Avery took to his Instagram to share a short video of him laying down bass tracks at a studio, and he included the following message: "Writing some more new lines to some of Stephens drumming. Look forward to getting some Mr Navarro on them. 2025! @stephenperkinsdrummer @davenavarro".

Last September, JANE'S ADDICTION announced the cancellation of its remaining tour dates following an onstage altercation between singer Perry Farrell and Navarro. The band said it "made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group," therefore scrapping the rest of the dates of their tour. A short time later, Navarro, along with Perkins and Avery, posted a joint statement to their respective Instagram accounts in which they said the cancelation of the tour is a result of a "continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell."

"Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative. We hope that he will find the help he needs," the statement read.

Navarro, Perkins and Avery expressed "regret" for the cancelation but added that they "can see no solution that would either ensure a safe environment on stage or reliably allow us to deliver a great performance on a nightly basis."

"Our hearts are broken," the statement concluded.

Later that same day, Farrell wrote in a statement posted to his Instagram story that "this weekend has been incredibly difficult and after having the time and space to reflect, it is only right that I apologize to my bandmates, especially Dave Navarro, fans, family and friends for my actions during Friday's show."

His statement added: "Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation."

A few days after the tour cancelation, JANE'S ADDICTION released a new single, "True Love". The track, which was performed live for the first time in 2023 and had been played at a few other shows since, was the second new single from the band's classic lineup of Farrell, Navarro, Perkins and Avery, following "Imminent Redemption", which arrived in July 2024.

"True Love" was written by Farrell, Navarro, Avery and Perkins, with assistance from touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

"Imminent Redemption" was tracked at Sweetzwerland Studios in Hollywood, California.

Prior to "Imminent Redemption"'s arrival, Avery's last time in the studio with JANE'S ADDICTION was for the classic 1990 album "Ritual De Lo Habitual".

"Imminent Redemption" was first performed live when JANE'S ADDICTION's classic lineup played its first show in 14 years on May 23, 2024 at London, United Kingdom's Bush Hall.

Navarro sat out JANE'S ADDICTION's 2022 and 2023 shows due to his battle with long COVID. He was replaced at that year's gigs by Klinghoffer, a former member of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS who also records with Eddie Vedder and performs with PEARL JAM. 2022 saw QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's Troy Van Leeuwen step in for Navarro.

The fall 2022 "Spirit On Fire" tour marked the first JANE'S ADDICTION run of shows in more than a decade to feature returning Avery. Prior to that, Avery last played with the band for a short stint in the 2000s before departing again in 2010.

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Manfred Schütz, founder of SPV and founder and managing director of MIG Music, passed away on January 3, 2025 at the age of 74 after a long and serious illness.

Manfred was a driving force in the music industry. By founding SPV in 1984, he created a platform that enabled independent artists and labels to gain worldwide recognition. SPV grew to become one of the most significant entities in the independent label sector, particularly in the rock, metal and electronic scenes, and for many years was the largest independent music distributor in Europe.

After leaving SPV, Manfred founded MIG Music, where he dedicated himself to preserving musical treasures from oblivion. Thanks to his immense musical knowledge, many remarkable releases have been realized.

MIG Music says: "We often received e-mails from fans expressing their gratitude for the work of MIG Music.

"Manfred was not only a music enthusiast and businessman, but also an open and warm person. His office door was always open and he always had time to listen to his employees.

"We will miss Manfred very much. We are not only losing a boss, but above all a dear friend.

"We fully agree with the words of Ecki Stieg, a friend and companion, in his tribute: 'With Manfred we are losing a label boss of the 'old school' with all his quirks and eccentricities, as well as a true connoisseur and fan.'"

MIG Music will continue under the management of Tanja Michaelis and Volker Pape.

It was January 1984 when SPV metal/hard rock sub-label Steamhammer, named after Schütz's favorite band, released its first own production, an album titled "Common Times Heroes" by local act HARDWARE. Within just a few years, the label, having enlisted groups such as SODOM, DESTRUCTION, ASSASSIN and IRON ANGEL, flourished both on a national and an international level. At the time, Steamhammer also licensed acts such as METAL CHURCH, TROUBLE, LÄÄZ ROCKIT and LEATHERWOLF.

The following decades saw several generations of talented bands and artists, such as Axel Rudi Pell, STEELER and ZED YAGO, develop into globally successful acts under Steamhammer's aegis. In the 1990s, Steamhammer became home to numerous international icons such as MOTÖRHEAD, DIO, JUDAS PRIEST, SAXON, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and MOLLY HATCHET. In the new millennium, additional globally successful releases by WHITESNAKE, ALICE COOPER, HELLOWEEN, KREATOR, GAMMA RAY, KAMELOT and Doro followed.

Photo credit: Martin Huch (courtesy of MIG Music)

Fredrik Lindgren (a.k.a. Freddie Eugene),original guitarist for pioneering Swedish death metal band UNLEASHED, passed away in early January 2025 at the age of 53.

Lindgren played guitar for UNLEASHED from 1989 to 1995. He can be heard on the studio albums "Where No Life Dwells" (1991),"Shadows In The Deep" (1992),"Across The Open Sea" (1993) and "Victory" (1995) as well as the live albums "Live In Vienna '93" and "Eastern Blood - Hail To Poland" (1995).

After leaving UNLEASHED, Lindrgren played guitar in several other Swedish bands, including ATLANTIC TIDE, LOUD PIPES, CELESTIAL PAIN, TERRA FIRMA, BORN OF FIRE and HARMS WAY.

Lindgren's passing was confirmed by his onetime TERRA FIRMA bandmate Lord Chritus (a.k.a. Christian Lindersson),who used to sing in the Swedish band COUNT RAVEN and the pioneering Los Angeles doom metal act SAINT VITUS. Chritus took to his Facebook page on Sunday (January 5) to write: "In loving memory of Freddie Eugene 1971-2025. Numbed by the news of your passing, Fredrik my old friend. Hard to put emotions into words. Just hope you have found your peace as you deserve no less. You will not only be missed by me but many, I know this much. Thank you for being a part of my life and colored it with your friendship and musicianship both embodied in what was TERRA FIRMA. We had some really great times and that will never change. All my love."

In loving memory of Freddie Eugene 1971-2025.

Numbed by the news of your passing, Fredrik my old friend. Hard to put...

Posted by Chritus - music page on Sunday, January 5, 2025

Finnish melancholic progressive metallers AMORPHIS have confirmed that they have entered Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen to begin recording the follow-up to 2022's "Halo" album. A fall 2025 release via Reigning Phoenix Music is expected.

Earlier today, AMORPHIS shared a photo of the band with Hansen in the studio and included the following message: "Greetings from windy Denmark! Here we are, recording AMORPHIS' 15th studio album with Jacob Hansen as a producer. This time, we wanted to break our usual formula a bit and explore new productive nuances. It's inspiring to be here, and the next couple of months will reveal how AMORPHIS will sound in 2025."

Hansen has been offering world-class audio services for the past two decades. In that time, he has produced, engineered, mixed and mastered countless names in the world of heavy music, including such artists as VOLBEAT, ARCH ENEMY, AMARANTHE, KATATONIA, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, PRETTY MAIDS, EPICA, DELAIN and EVERGREY.

In a July 2024 interview with Loud TV, AMORPHIS keyboardist Santeri Kallio spoke about the progress of the songwriting process for the band's fifteenth studio LP. He said: "I think everybody has done some songs in their home studios a little bit, but we haven't still collected those. And I think we start after the 'Halo' tour ends. We do a U. S. tour with DARK TRANQUILLITY in — I think it was September, it starts from ProgPower, the big festival in Atlanta. And after that, we stop [touring]. And I would say pretty much after the tour, we start collecting the material and sending them to the producer. I think that's [the identity of the producer] secret still, unfortunately. And then the producer can a little bit select the songs and give ideas. And then I would say in the end of the year, we probably have most of the instrumentation recorded already. And I think it's planned to come out maybe next year, fall or something like this, because it takes time to build up the promotion and make everything ready. But, to be honest, we don't the release date set, obviously. But I would say in the winter the album is made — it's recorded and mixed and mastered probably at the latest March, maybe already in February. It's still a little bit open for us."

In June 2024, AMORPHIS guitarist Tomi Koivusaari was asked by The Chill Dude On A Couch if he has an idea as to which musical direction the band's new songs will take. Tomi said: "I think everybody has just made some songs, but we haven't shared it yet with the other guys. So I haven't heard what other guys are doing. I just heard what I've been doing. I [don't know what will] end up end up [on] the album. But we will see. We will have a new producer. We've done the three last albums with Jens Bogren, and now we have a new direction in a way."

AMORPHIS's fourteenth studio album, "Halo" came out in February 2022 via Atomic Fire Records.

Produced by Bogren, "Halo" was previously described in a press release as "progressive, melodic, and quintessentially melancholic heavy masterwork."

As had been the case with AMORPHIS albums in the past, "Halo" featured the imaginative and poetic storytelling of renowned lyricist and "Kalevala" expert Pekka Kainulainen.

Three years ago, AMORPHIS guitarist and founding member Esa Holopainen told Westword that the band is "not as radical" as it once was.

"Back in the day, I think we did too much of what we wanted to do," he said. "For us as musicians, we needed to do that, because we never wanted to get stuck in one form. Today we blend all the new nuances and influences pretty nicely into our music. Even though there's a lot of different elements from different genres and the musical world, even from ethnic music, I have to say, we're pretty good to blend all of those elements into our music without sounding too different."

AMORPHIS and DARK TRANQUILLITY joined forces for a North American tour last summer and fall. The trek, which featured support from FIRES IN THE DISTANCE, kicked off on September 3, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia and concluded on October 6, 2024 in New York City.

Amorphis album number 15 is in the making at Hansen studios🇩🇰
@amorphisband @hansen_jacob
Photos by Denis Goria

Posted by Jan Rechberger on Sunday, January 5, 2025

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NEVERMORE's founding bassist Jim Sheppard says that he is "disappointed" that he was never contacted about guitarist Jeff Loomis and drummer Van Williams's decision to resurrect the band, but claims that he wishes the duo " the best".

Loomis and Williams announced the NEVERMORE comeback late last month. Sheppard isn't involved with the reunion, which was initially teased on December 27 via a one-minute video containing various NEVERMORE-related imagery and silhouettes of Loomis and Williams along with the text "Resurrecting The Dream". The teaser ended with the NEVERMORE logo along with the line "A New Chapter Rises" and the year "2025".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In a recent interview with Monterrey Rock, former JUDAS PRIEST and current KK'S PRIEST frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens reflected on his journey to becoming a professional singer. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "My parents had a lot of great music. I remember, as a little kid I would listen to my dad's '50s music that he'd listened to when he was young, like DION AND THE BELMONTS and Elvis [Presley] and things like that. But my dad's music in the '70s, when I was a kid, was THE ROLLING STONES and AEROSMITH and BACHMAN–TURNER OVERDRIVE, Alice Cooper. So I got to listen to a lot of good stuff. I loved singing Elvis as a kid. And then my brother and I got a KISS record in the mid-'70s, 'Rock And Roll Over', and I think that's how it kind of started. But I used to always sing."

He continued: "When I grew up, I was in all the choirs in school and sang in all the choirs and the musicals in school. So, I did all that. Then I remember when I put on a JUDAS PRIEST record, I realized that style of singing was really easy for me — the high notes and the way that the vocals were. Singers like Ronnie Dio and and ANTHRAX, Joey Belladonna, and stuff, that was harder. Singers like METAL CHURCH singer David Wayne and Rob Halford was easy. And I would always sing it. Then I learned how to sing Ronnie Dio's style and I worked on my voice. But I loved singing and performing as a kid. I didn't plan on doing it for a career, though. I worked in a law firm and I had [other] jobs and I always did stuff, so I never really planned on being a musician. I just got lucky. JUDAS PRIEST found a videotape of me, and I got lucky. Then I made a career out of it. But I always loved doing it as a kid, growing up. I always loved music."

KK'S PRIEST is led by another ex-PRIEST member, guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing.

In addition to Downing and Owens, KK'S PRIEST features guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK'S PRIEST's summer/fall 2024 North American tour with ACCEPT began on August 31 in Los Angeles, California, visiting a slew of major cities in the USA and Canada — such as Toronto, Montreal, New York and Nashville — before coming to an end in San Francisco, California on October 7.

KK'S PRIEST's first-ever U.S. headlining tour, which featured support from L.A. GUNS and BURNING WITCHES, kicked off on March 7, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and concluded on March 24, 2024 at Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

KK'S PRIEST's sophomore album, "The Sinner Rides Again", came out in September 2023 via the Austrian label Napalm Records.

KK'S PRIEST made its live debut on July 6, 2023 at Downing's KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

KK'S PRIEST released its debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

During a recent appearance on The Môtley Crôc Show, POISON drummer Rikki Rockett spoke about the original version of the cover for POISON's second album, "Open Up And Say … Ahh!". Released on May 3, 1988, the LP was clouded in controversy when retail outlets like Walmart banned the album for what they considered inappropriate cover art, which featured a model dressed as a demon with a long red tongue. POISON's then-record company eventually offered a censored version of the album cover that hid the offensive tongue, exposing only the she-demon's eyes.

Regarding how the original cover art ended up being censored, Rikki said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "So my buddy Mark Williams, God rest his soul, built that tongue. And it was a prosthetic, obviously. So we had this model. We did this photo session with this one photographer, and the label said it was too mild. We're, like, 'Okay.' It just kind of looked like this rock girl with his long tongue and her hair pumped up and she had very dramatic makeup on, but it wasn't shocking enough. So we went to [famed rock photographer] Neil Zlozower, and [POISON bassist] Bobby Dall and I, we got his girlfriend Bambi and we started doing all those stripes on her and did all this stuff. And she had contacts — we had her get the contacts — and then we just kind of did her up, Bobby and I did. And then we did that tongue and everything like that. And everybody loved it, thought it was fricking great. And Walmart rejected it — Walmart. So Wally [presumably referring to Walmart founder Sam Walton], he was alive at the time, said it represented a demonic figure and he didn't want it. So we sat down with management and the label. And, really, at the end of the day, it was, like, are we in the album cover business or are we in the music business? Really, we should be able to just make a green cover or a white cover with nothing and put our music out, if that's what we need to do. Our goal was to get our music out. What's our percentage of sales at Walmart? Does it matter? Well, it's 38 percent, sometimes 40 percent of your sales. At that time, man, people were just going through Walmart and going, 'I'm getting my records here. I'm getting my records here.' It was cheaper than going to the record store by a certain percentage. So the percentage of people buying records at Walmart was high. And we're, like, 'Are we gonna throw away 35 to 40 percent of our market share, getting our music into the hands of fans, or are we gonna gripe about it and fight with Walmart?' And so it just didn't make sense. So they said, 'We'll just shrink [the photo] down like this.' And then blah, blah, blah. And then it became a collector's edition, the ones that had come out on Enigma, because we were still technically with Enigma through Capitol, I believe. But there was whole full body shots of her too. And she was naked, by the way. It was Bobby's girlfriend. I wasn't allowed to look at her [while I was] helping paint the stripes on her."

"Open Up And Say... Ahh!" ended up being POISON's most successful release, spawning four hit singles: "Nothin' But A Good Time", "Fallen Angel", "Your Mama Don't Dance" (a LOGGINS AND MESSINA cover) and the mega-hit "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart.

"Open Up And Say... Ahh!" was certified platinum in 1988 and five times platinum in 1991 by the RIAA. It also has been certified four times platinum in Canada and gold by the British Phonographic Industry.

Rikki's memoir, "Ghost Notes", will be released on July 15, 2025 via Rare Bird Books. The book was written with writer duo Leif Eriksson and Martin Svensson.

Rikki is the co-founder and drummer for the band POISON, which exploded into the highly competitive Los Angeles music scene in the 1980s, making a name for themselves in the clubs on the Sunset Strip.

POISON has sold over 50 million records worldwide, releasing eight studio albums, four live albums, and four compilations. The band has charted 10 singles on the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, including six Top 10 singles and one Hot 100 number-one smash hit, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn".

Relentless from the ground up and forged in the hellfires of the Pennsylvania and Los Angeles club scenes, POISON smashed its way up as an independent band who bet on itself. Selling over three million copies of an independent album which included the big hits "Talk Dirty To Me", "I Won't Forget You", "Cry Tough", "I Want Action" and the underground smash "Look What The Cat Dragged In", they were soon picked up by Capitol Records and beat the sophomore jinx by releasing the aforementioned No. 1 smash "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". Written out of emotion by singer/songwriter and frontman Bret Michaels, the song blasted into the charts remaining a top the pop, rock and country genres for threee months consecutively. The album "Open Up And Say...Ahh!" sold eight million copies out of the gate and spawned other hit singles "Fallen Angel", "Nothin' But A Good Time" and "Your Mama Don't Dance". Followed up by the multi-platinum album "Flesh & Blood", POISON again lit up the charts with several more smash hit singles, including "Unskinny Bop" and "Something To Believe In".

POISON's reunited original lineup — Rockett, Michaels, bassist Bobby Dall and guitarist C.C. DeVille — completed "The Stadium Tour" with MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS in 2022. The trek was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rockett was declared cancer free more in 2016 after undergoing an experimental treatment. He was diagnosed with oral cancer back in 2015.

In October, Rikki announced the launch of a new band called THE ROCKETT MAFIA. Joining him in the group are Brandon Gibbs (DEVIL CITY ANGELS) on vocals and guitar, Mick Sweda (BULLETBOYS) on guitar and backing vocals, and Bryan Kimes on bass and backing vocals.

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