STONE TEMPLE PILOTS guitarist Dean DeLeo has teamed up with English singer/guitarist Pete Shoulder (WINTERVILLE, SLOPER, SILVERTHORNE) in a new project called ONE MORE SATELLITE.

A teaser of the first ONE MORE SATELLITE single, "Paper Over The Cracks", is available below.

DeLeo and Shoulder had previously collaborated on songwriting, including for the album "Lessons Learned" by Dean's younger brother — and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS bassist — Robert DeLeo. They've also worked together in the studio on projects, including a collaboration with STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and TRIP THE WITCH. Shoulder has also collaborated with Robert DeLeo on the aforementioned "Lessons Learned" LP and co-wrote songs for it, including "Love Is Not Made Of Gold".

In addition to his work with STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, Dean DeLeo is known for his role in the short-lived bands TALK SHOW and ARMY OF ANYONE, the latter of which featured Robert DeLeo, FILTER frontman Richard Patrick and session drummer Ray Luzier.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS features three original members — the DeLeo brothers and drummer Eric Kretz.

In 2017, singer Jeff Gutt, a now-48-year-old Michigan native who spent time in the early-2000s nu-metal act DRY CELL, among other bands, and was a contestant on "The X Factor", joined STONE TEMPLE PILOTS after beating out roughly 15,000 hopefuls during an extended search that began more than a year earlier.

Original STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland, who reunited with the group in 2010 after an eight-year hiatus but was dismissed in 2013, died in December 2015 of a drug overdose.

Chester Bennington, who joined STP in early 2013, departed nearly three years later to spend more time with his main band LINKIN PARK. Bennington committed suicide in July 2017.
Paper Over The Cracks by One More Satellite… all songs written by Dean DeLeo and Pete Shoulder. More to follow… very soon. ♥️@stpband@peter_shoulder@BrianTichy
@ryanwlliamsmixer
illustration by erikaseyes on Instagram pic.twitter.com/mKeTDCVpgy

— One More Satellite (@1moresatellite) April 12, 2025

In a new interview with Talkin' Bout Rock, former TESLA and current BAD MARRIAGE guitarist Tommy Skeoch confirmed that he has been in discussions with TESLA bassist Brian Wheat and former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes about launching a new project together. "Yeah, [Brian and I] talked about it," Tommy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We're all doing our own thing, and I don't know when we can ever get together, all of us. Although, when [Brian] asked me about that, I did think it would be cool — I would like to play with that guy [Chris Holmes]. I think me and him would have a cranky guitar thing going on, probably. He's kind of cranky like me. But it's just if we can all get our schedules together, like if we're not doing nothing. But we're all busy. It's hard."

Asked if he has "kind of mended the fences a little bit with the guys in TESLA" since his last exit from the band, Tommy said: "Uh, yeah, for the most part. I mean, whatever. I don't even deal with that stuff until I do interviews, and then it comes up. But, yeah, I'm cool with it."

Circling back to the prospect of playing with Wheat and Holmes, Skeoch said: "It was talked about, you bet. If he calls me up tomorrow and says, 'Hey, let's go,' and I've got a week open, I'll go up there and jam with Chris. That would be fun as hell, man."

This past February, Wheat told Ernest Skinner of Canada's Border City Rock Talk:  "Me and Chris are gonna do a band or a project, whatever you wanna call it, together. And Tommy has agreed to do it as well. So the three of us have talked about putting together a project, band, whatever you wanna call it this day and age, but me and Chris have already started to work on some songs. And I know me and Tommy know how to write songs together 'cause we did a lot in TESLA. So the next step would be to get me and Tommy and Chris together, whether it's on a Zoom, working together like that or whatever, and write some material, and then find a singer that would be the right singer for that project.

"But, yeah, me and Chris are pretty good buddies," Brian continued. "We see each other when I'm at my house in Italy. He's there all the time. He lives in France. And I'm in Florida now for the winter. Tommy's in Florida. So we've all talked about it. So it's just when we get around to doing it. And it's just carving out a time where Chris isn't busy doing MEAN MAN, I'm not doing TESLA or VIOLET BREED, and Tommy's not doing BAD MARRIAGE.

"I'm looking forward to it, because I like Chris and I wanna work with Tommy again," Wheat added.

In February 2022, Skeoch, who left TESLA in 2006 to receive treatment for substance-abuse issues, reconnected with Wheat for the first time in more than a decade and a half aboard that year's Monsters Of Rock cruise. The charter cruise featured performances by Skeoch's then-band RESIST & BITE while Wheat was onboard showing his art.

In an interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Skeoch was asked if he exited TESLA of his own accord or if he was asked to leave. Tommy said: "I was fired. I was getting fucked up and I was definitely in the wrong about a lot of stuff, and they put up with it for a long time. But at the same time, none of us were angels, and we put up with a lot of stuff from the other guys for a long time too, and they're still there. So I felt like a little scapegoated by the thing. And the other thing is they didn't want people — I guess for the benefit of my family, so it wouldn't look bad — they said, 'Tommy's just gonna spend time [with his family].' That's why nobody knows, and that's why you're asking this question. Everyone's confused on even what happened. Basically, I was fired. I was getting fucked up, and I kept fucking up, and I kept telling 'em I wouldn't, and I just couldn't stop."

Skeoch added that he accepts responsibility for the circumstances that led to his departure from TESLA. "I do, of course," he said. "But I also believe we put up with a lot of shit for a long time from almost every other guy in the band, and they're still there. So I don't know what's up with that; that's a little weird to me."

Skeoch was a founding member of TESLA and played on the Sacramento five-piece defining albums, including 1986 debut "Mechanical Resonance" and 1990's "Five Man Acoustical Jam".

Tommy, who was fired due to substance abuse issues in 1994, rejoined when TESLA reformed more than two and a half decades ago following a brief hiatus.

VAN HALEN's classic song "Jump" has surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.

VAN HALEN drummer Alex Van Halen took to his Instagram to write: "Thanks to all the fans for listening!"

Billions Club is a playlist first launched in 2020 which includes all of the songs on Spotify that have surpassed one billion streams on the platform. After the achievement, Spotify gifts artists the Billions Club plaque.

"Jump" joins other tracks — including METALLICA's "Nothing Else Matters", "Enter Sandman" and "Master Of Puppets", AEROSMITH's "Dream On", SURVIVOR's "Eye Of The Tiger", ABBA's "Dancing Queen", PAPA ROACH's "Last Resort", GUNS N' ROSES' "Paradise City", EVANESCENCE's "Bring Me To Life" and Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" — to reach the achievement. The milestone has reportedly been achieved by nearly a thousand songs so far.

The lead track from VAN HALEN's "1984" album, "Jump" is the band's biggest hit, having reached the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for five weeks. The track was ranked No. 15 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs Of The 1980s." The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum also listed it as one of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll" and its music video was nominated for three MTV VMAs at the time, along with winning "Best Stage Performance."

With Wolfgang Van Halen, son of legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, on bass, VAN HALEN embarked on lengthy tours in 2007, 2012 and 2015. The band's final run of shows took place in the summer and fall of 2015. The North American trek included 41 concerts beginning on July 5, 2015 and ending on October 4, 2015.

Eddie passed away in October 2020 at the age of 65. He had been battling throat cancer and died surrounded by friends and family at a Santa Monica, California hospital.

VAN HALEN had been inactive since it completed its U.S. tour more than nine years ago.

In early 2019, rumors were rampant that the classic-era lineup of VAN HALEN would reunite for the first time since 1984. It has since been revealed that a health setback involving Eddie was responsible for the tour not materializing.

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In a new interview with Chile's Radio Futuro, FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson and guitarist/vocalist Luis Maldonado spoke about the band's upcoming Latin American tour which will see the legendary rockers reunited with their original singer Lou Gramm. Jeff said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're very excited to have Lou with us. The fact that he's decided to appear as a special guest with us is just an incredible thing. He's been very, very supportive."

"Something happened at [FOREIGNER's] Rock [And Roll] Hall [Of Fame induction last fall] where something happened and we all kind of came together," Pilson explained. "There was almost like a meeting of the minds and we all kind of realized FOREIGNER is bigger than all of us. It's a power bigger than all of us. It's the music that we've all tapped into, we're all a small part of it, but we're all part of this greater whole. And the fact that he's coming down as a special guest to sing four songs with us is pretty amazing. And the other thing is, he loves [Luis], and he's been so supportive and so endorsing of [Luis] singing the rest of the set. It's just been wonderful. We wanna pinch ourselves. We just feel so fortunate that we have this opportunity."

 Pilson also talked about the FOREIGNER stage musical "Juke Box Hero", saying: "We know that it had a nice successful run in Canada a couple years ago, and they're revamping it. And one of the reasons we're [touring] Canada later in the year is that we do wanna promote the musical. And we'll be having Geordie Brown who was the singer in the musical a few years ago in Canada. He's gonna be guesting with us on a few songs up in Canada. And the reason we're doing that is to promote the musical. I believe it's coming out somewhere in the States next year. I think it's September. But, again, that's one of the many things that we're working on. And, yeah, that's part of the big plan."

 Pilson went on to discuss the upcoming reissue of FOREIGNER's fourth album, "4", which was originally released in 1981 via Atlantic. The LP featured such hit singles as "Urgent", "Waiting for A Girl Like You" and "Juke Box Hero" and sold over six million copies in the U.S. alone. He said: "To FOREIGNER fans, they kind of consider it the pinnacle. It was just an incredible masterpiece of a record. I mean, it's a record where every song is great and most FOREIGNER fans relate to everything on there. So it's a very important record for FOREIGNER fans. But wait till you hear this record coming out. It's pretty amazing. Atmos remixes of FOREIGNER '4', which are stellar. Actually, Luis and I got to hear the Atmos remixes with Lou Gramm a few weeks ago, which was pretty amazing. It was really fun getting to listen to that, with Lou, hearing it for the first time. It was amazing. He was just floored by what was happening. So the Atmos remixes alone are worth the price of admission. There's stereo remixes, there's a live show from 1982. And check this out — this is pretty cool. We found an unfinished song in all the files. The song had one verse in it, and Lou had sung one verse and he sang the chorus. And it was great, but it was only one verse. He was mumbling the second verse. So we called Lou. We said, 'What do you think about finishing and singing the song?' So he said, 'Absolutely.' He wrote and finished two verses and sang them. He added cowbell. And we have now a new, old FOREIGNER song that will be on the FOREIGNER '4' release coming out in September. The song is called 'Fool If You Love Him', and it came out great."

Gramm talked about "Fool If You Love Him" during a recent interview with Billboard, saying: "For every FOREIGNER album, we always recorded three or four songs more than we needed, and we usually chose 10 songs and rest were either done or almost done but were excellent. They fall by the wayside on times like this. There doesn't seem to ever be a lack of material."

Last year, FOREIGNER released "Turning Back The Time", an archived 1996 track featuring Gramm on vocals, as part of a new compilation of the same name.

Gramm most recently joined FOREIGNER's current lineup on stage at the end of the band's March 15 concert at the BayCare Sound in Clearwater, Florida to perform two of the legendary rock group's classic songs, "I Want To Know What Love Is" and "Hot Blooded".

Gramm previously said he planned to retire at the end of 2024, but later revealed that he was in talks to make appearances at "select" tour dates with FOREIGNER's current lineup in 2025. Bassist Rick Wills and drummer Dennis Elliott are also expected to appear at some shows, including FOREIGNER's upcoming Las Vegas residency.

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

The 74-year-old Gramm left FOREIGNER for good in 2002 and has battled health issues in recent years, including the removal of a non-cancerous tumor. He told the Democrat & Chronicle in 2018 that he was planning to retire, but still reunited with FOREIGNER for several shows that year.

FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Kelly Hansen in 2005. Guitarist Mick Jones, the only remaining original member of FOREIGNER, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012. In February 2024, Jones revealed on social media that he was battling Parkinson's disease, which explained his absence from FOREIGNER's live shows since 2022.

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In a new interview with Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life, VIO-LENCE frontman Sean Killian spoke about the band's upcoming "Oppressing The Masses" European tour. Regarding the other musicians who will join him on the trek, Sean said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I lost [bassist] Christian [Olde Wolbers] 30 days before the tour, or maybe 35. It's not something that makes me bitter or anything; it's just that he's got another opportunity that's a substantial opportunity, to be with CYPRESS HILL. And he's got POWERFLO coming. I think their record's coming out or is already out. He'll be touring with Sen Dog on that. And that's a real good connection for him. So it just got to be too much on his plate, and so he bowed out. Still, we're buddies. I totally respect what he had to do. And then I had a young guitar player, and then he bailed for reasons that I would not wanna discuss because it wasn't an adult thing to do. And that's what happens when you get young musicians sometimes — they make young mistakes. So I've been busy trying to gather up a lineup. And so on this tour we've got Nick Souza on drums, which people know his dad, [former EXODUS singer] Steve Souza, Zetro. And then I've got Jeff Salgado playing bass, and his band is PSYCHOSOMATIC. But he was available. And I brought back Ira Black [on guitar]. I've always enjoyed Ira. I think he's a great guy. He's someone that you like to have around; he's very supportive, [with a] very positive attitude. And then we were gonna take Max Georgiev [on second guitar], but some scheduling conflicts came up. So we're bringing Claudeous Creamer with us, from POSSESSED. So that's been keeping me pretty busy."

Killan went on to say that there are plans for VIO-LENCE to work on new material after the "Oppressing The Masses" European tour. "We've been putting music together, and we'll start writing some music," he said. "I wanna get a full-length album out… We should be able to accomplish it. I've talked to a couple of other musicians, too, that wanna contribute — some big names. It'll be fun to mix it up."

Referencing VIO-LENCE's comeback EP, 2022's "Let The World Burn", Sean said: "With 'Let The World Burn', we went at that with a straight thrash metal attitude. And coming up, it's me and some new people, people I haven't written with, and I just kind of wanna make it that, but a little more."

On the "Oppressing The Masses" European tour, VIO-LENCE will perform the entire "Oppressing The Masses" album, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this summer. The set will also include songs from the band's back catalog.

Olde Wolbers announced his departure from VIO-LENCE in February. He explained in a social media statement at the time that he wanted "to pursue my own new solo band and producing career."

VIO-LENCE released three studio albums between 1988 and 1993. The group reformed soon after founding VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel acrimoniously left MACHINE HEAD more than six years ago.

Formed in 1985, VIO-LENCE helped define and refine what came to be known as the Bay Area sound, dropping three seminal albums before splitting in 1993. Leaving behind a heady legacy, they reformed briefly a couple of times in the intervening years before becoming a full-time going concern once more in 2019. After playing a string of successful shows, the quintet started to think about new music and delivered "Let The World Burn", showcasing their first new material in 29 years.

Filling out the band's ranks on "Let The World Burn" alongside Killian and Demmel were drummer Perry Strickland, Olde Wolbers and former OVERKILL guitarist Bobby Gustafson.

Killian is the only VIO-LENCE member from the "Let The World Burn" recording lineup who is still touring with the band.

"Let The World Burn" was recorded with Juan Urteaga at Trident Studios (TESTAMENT, MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS),with mixing handled by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, MESHUGGAH) and Grammy Award-winning engineer Ted Jensen (ALICE IN CHAINS, DEFTONES, PANTERA).

Demmel left MACHINE HEAD at the end of the band's fall 2018 North American tour. He was in MACHINE HEAD for nearly 16 years, during which time he played on five of the group's studio albums: "Through The Ashes Of Empires" (2003),"The Blackening" (2007),"Unto The Locust" (2011),"Bloodstone & Diamonds" (2014) and "Catharsis" (2018).

Demmel's final concert with VIO-LENCE took place on February 11, 2024 at Carioca Club in São Paulo, Brazil. The gig also marked the last show of VIO-LENCE's Latin American tour with EXHORDER.

VIO-LENCE played the São Paulo concert as a four-piece after an alleged altercation between Black and Olde Wolbers resulted in Ira being sent home from the tour a few days early.

Although MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn was part of VIO-LENCE's classic incarnation and played on the band's debut album, "Eternal Nightmare", he wasn't approached about taking part in the band's reunion.

Swedish metallers SABATON will release a new single, "Templars", on April 25.

Earlier today (Saturday, April 12),the band took to social medial to write: "Friends and family, we are beyond excited to finally reveal that our new single 'Templars' will be out on April 25.

"'Templars' chronicles the dramatic rise and fall of the Knights Templar, an order of warrior-monks founded in the early 12th century to protect Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land. Bound by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, they grew into a wealthy and influential force across Europe, until the early 14th century, when King Philip IV of France accused them of heresy and corruption, leading to their sudden and brutal downfall.

"Pre-save the song now to be the first to hear it when it drops! We'd also like to know, have you heard their story before?"

Last October, SABATON frontman Joakim Brodén told Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2022's "The War To End All Wars" album: "Yeah, we're working on new material always, it feels like. I mean, if we're done [with] an album, I feel like, 'Screw that. I don't wanna write music for a while now.' But there I am three months later writing new music. Maybe I'll sit with one of the guitarists on tour one day, and we'll be bored on a day off because there wasn't that much to do that day. It was Sunday. Everything's closed. So let's grab our gear and crank out a song because it's better than doing nothing."

He continued: "We already have some material. So it's not like we are, after this, gonna take a break and then start writing. We're in the works already."

Elaborating on how he feels after an album is completed, Joakim said: "For me, when an album is ready, I — sorry to say — fucking hate it, because first process… And I'm not the only songwriter in the band, but I'm the one who writes most of the music. And I'm involved with lyrics or in most of the songs and almost all of the songs in a musical way. So I spend months in the studio writing, alone or with somebody, then getting all the pre-productions ready, which is me again cleaning up takes and what are we gonna do putting it all together, delivering it to everybody in the band so they can practice. Then we go into the studio. And then I'm the constant in the studio, keeping track of everything, making sure everything is [as it should be], with the producer. So I'm there for the whole recording. Then I take a little break, and then the audio engineer starts mixing. And then I come in again for the mixing. And then, at that point, I'm already tired of the songs. And then all you do from that point on is try to find problems and errors. What went wrong? What's wrong here? Do we need to do a retake on something? Should we fix something? Oh, is that too loud? Do we need to EQ? So at that point I've programmed myself to only hear the problems with the album. So by the time like the master is done, I fucking hate it. I'm so tired of that music. So it'll take me a year or two before I can even, in some objective way, listen to it again."

"The War to End All Wars" was the last SABATON album to feature guitarist Tommy Johansson. He has since been replaced by a returning Thobbe Englund.

Thobbe originally joined SABATON in April 2012 and amicably parted ways with the band in July 2016 to focus on his personal life and expand his creativity. He rejoined SABATON in February 2024.

Englund recorded two studio albums with SABATON, namely "Heroes" (2014) and "The Last Stand" (2016),and assisted with the songwriting of some very popular songs including "Shiroyama" and "Fields Of Verdun", among others.

In November 2025, SABATON will embark on a 20-city European run dubbed "The Legendary Tour". The band teased the trek as "a huge celebration of SABATON's music, storytelling and the incredible bond they share with their fans", featuring "The Legendary Orchestra and other surprises," resulting in "something unprecedented."

Last fall, SABATON served as main support to JUDAS PRIEST on the legendary heavy metal band's North American tour.

In the more than two decades since their launch, SABATON has achieved quadruple-platinum sales, headlined major festivals, sold-out arena concerts across the globe, and earned a legion of loyal fans by being self-managed and carving out a reputation as one of the most innovative bands in rock. SABATON combines standout stage design and production with epic concept albums, linking real-life historical war events with classic kick-ass metal. To date, the band has released ten studio albums, amassed six gold, two platinum, and one four-times-platinum awards, seen eight of its albums score Top 10 international chart status, and six claim the Top 5. They have amassed over three billion streams across all streaming platforms and over 1.5 billion views on YouTube.

When SABATON hit the 20-year mark, they headlined both stages at Wacken 2019 — the biggest metal festival in the world — simultaneously. Meanwhile, in 2023 as part of a charity initiative, SABATON donated their full-length animated movie to museums around the world in order to increase awareness and visitor numbers, and successfully encouraged people to support the preservation of history in these establishments. During SABATON's 25th-anniversary year, the band released the "Tour To End All Tours" concert film, and through independent distribution, it was screened in more than 1,200 cinemas spanning 28 territories.

Photo credit: Ryan Garrison

NEW SINGLE “TEMPLARS” OUT APRIL 25!
Pre-save here: 👉 https://sabaton.lnk.to/templars
Friends and family, we are beyond...

Posted by Sabaton on Saturday, April 12, 2025

California crossover thrash/hardcore punk legends SUICIDAL TENDENCIES will release a new single, "Adrenaline Addict", on April 18. A teaser for the track is available below.

As previously reported, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES will support METALLICA on the 2025 North American leg of the latter band's ongoing "M72" world tour. The trek will launch on April 19 in Syracuse, New York.

The 2025 lineup of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES includes founding member, vocalist Mike Muir alongside guitarists Ben Weinman (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) and Dean Pleasants, bassist Tye Trujillo (son of Robert Trujillo),as well as the band's latest addition, drummer Jay Weinberg.

During a press conference at last year's Hellfest in Clisson, France, Muir was asked if there are any plans for him and his SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bandmates to work on new music. He said: "When we did the last record [of all-new material], it was 'World Gone Mad' in 2016, I kind of said, it sounds bad, but I don't enjoy making records, because it's like full-on mental fuck to me and, then it's the time and the family and everything. It's difficult. But now having [guitarist] Ben in the band, Jay in the band…. One of the first things Jay did after we did a couple shows, he's just, like, going, 'Dude, I wanna fucking make a record.' And the way he and Ben, they said it, they go, like… Ben was, like, 'When I was 12 years old and I heard SUICIDAL, it spoke to me. And other music, I heard a lot of music.' He goes, 'I wanna do a record like that.' And that's exactly what Jay said. Obviously, having Tye, Robert's son in there, Robert's, like, 'Dude, you guys need to make a record. do that thing.' And so I think that we're definitely leaning towards doing it."

He continued: "We realized that a lot of people, with music, you look around and you see what's popular, what's trendy, and we go back to what was popular and trendy when we did our first record, and we didn't do any of that and all the reviews were terrible. And so we'll do a record that people probably will not like, and I will be very happy and stuff. But I think that years from now that people will sit there, and there'll be a lot of people that are not so much into trends or genres that'll go, like, 'That's a fucking really bad-ass record.' And so that's what I want to do. As I say, I like to like people, but I don't care if people like me. [Laughs] It makes my life easier."

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' latest album, "Still Cyco Punk After All These Years", was released in 2018 via Suicidal Records. A reworking of Muir's 1996 solo outing "Lost My Brain! (Once Again)", "Still Cyco Punk" featured founding SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo.

In 2023, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES celebrated the 40th anniversary of their debut album on a number of shows in the fall, including in New York City; Silver Spring, Maryland; Worcester, Massachusetts; and Berkeley, California. SUICIDAL TENDENCIES also celebrated the 40th anniversary of the LP on a tour of Australia.

The reunited expanded classic lineup of German power metallers HELLOWEEN will release its new album, "Giants & Monsters", on August 29 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM)

The band states: "We locked ourselves in a studio, summoned some giants, wrestled a few monsters, and somehow came out with a brand-new album: 'Giants & Monsters'. (It also smells like victory and possibly dragon breath.)

"The album is DONE.

"And because we're terrible at keeping secrets (and even worse at waiting)… Ready to enter the realm of riffs, roars, and ridiculous solos? Tracklist incoming. Brace yourselves. Or don't. We're not your parents."

"Giants & Monsters" track listing:

01. Giants On The Run
02. Savior Of The World
03. A Little Is A Little Too Much
04. We Can Be Gods
05. Into The Sun
06. This Is Tokyo
07. Universe (Gravity For Hearts)
08. Hand Of God
09. Under The Moonlight
10. Majestic

HELLOWEEN entered the studio in the summer of 2024 to begin work on the follow-up to 2021's acclaimed self-titled effort.

On Wednesday (April 9),HELLOWEEN guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen shared a video message on his Instagram in which he said: " Hello, ladies and gentlemen. HELLOWEEN, the album is mixed. It's done. It's done. And I am very happy with the result… I think we got a great album together… So wait for it." Hansen also played snippets of a few songs that will appear on the effort. Check them out in his post below.

Last December, HELLOWEEN singer Andi Deris told Spain's MariskalRockTV about the musical direction of the new HELLOWEEN material: "I love two or three songs from Kai. [They're] super crazy, and I love 'em to death. Weiki [guitarist Michael Weikath] has a great song as well. My songs are certainly always good. [Laughs] [That's a] joke, joke, joke. But I think we have lots of great songs, definitely. Super-nice hooks, lots of positive sing-alongs. So, yeah, I think this is something that we probably may need in the times to come. [Laughs] Very positive, I have to say. So I would say 80 percent of the album is super positive. Sometimes very fast and heavy, but positive. Good, good mood. And we have a ballad. Finally, we have a ballad."

Earlier in December, Deris was asked by The Metal Command how the material for HELLOWEEN's next album compares to that on "Helloween". He said: "I'd say it's much more easy listening, because there's less constructed stuff on it. It's more flowing with the wind, so to say. It's very, very positive, so I would rather say it's more happy, happy HELLOWEEN than the other album. I think it's a bit more… yeah, the flow is, for my taste, not as edgy as the last album, which was cool — I like edgy stuff — but we should have more or less some counterpart to edgy, more exhausting things. The last album, for me, was great to listen through — it was edgy, it was heavy, it was complicated here and there — but after listening to it, then I needed a pause. It was exhausting. After [listening to 'Helloween'], I needed some break, put it that way. I loved it, and I still love it, but it's demanding. I think the next album will be much more easy listening, I think much more enjoyable to sing along [to]; there are lots of parts in there. So I would rather describe it as a more happy, happy HELLOWEEN album. That would be the best description."

Andi continued: "It's hard to describe, because there are lots of speedy and heavy things on it. But when I listen through it, I feel good. I mean, that's a good sign. Not that I felt bad when I listened to the last album — that's not what I mean. It's fun. I listen to it, and it's fun. Definitely."

Regarding what he and his HELLOWEEN bandmates learned from the making of "Helloween" that they improved upon this time around, Andi said: "Yeah, I think the main keyword would be confidence. The last album, we had to get to know each other in that new setup, lineup, how to work with [each other], how to work here and blah, blah, blah, and this time we just realized, okay, actually everybody has such great ideas; just don't control each other. We don't need to actually stick in a studio for pre-production for two months because everybody did it for himself. Let's just listen to it and say, 'Wow, cool.' So this time we've been some lazy backs, actually, and just said, you know, pre-production we just do ourselves back at home, everybody in his own studio, and we just take the technique we are given. Internet is great, and you can have live sessions online, and that made life so much easier because everybody is just relieved that you [are] still at home. You still work hard, but you're at home. And as we all know, when you're at home, work doesn't hurt that much as being back in the studio again somewhere in the world, but not with your family. And nowadays you can actually have your family life, you have your eight, nine hours per day in the studio, you yourself decide when you make a break or when you go and have a meal with your lady or go down to the beach, in my case. That makes life so much easier and much more enjoyable than sitting in a fricking studio again and again and again, each and every day for two months, just for a pre-production, which you could easily do at home together. So this time, I have to say there's confidence that we earned for each other that helped a lot to make things even more easygoing. And I think that's exactly what you listen, when you go through the songs and you listen to them — you feel that easiness: 'Wow. Wow. Okay, cool.' I love it. So that's the way to go."

He then clarified: "I don't wanna say that I want to be back at home when I'm on tour. So I hate the idea of laser shows or something like that. As long as I can walk, I want to be on stage. But production-wise, I have to say I love the technique we have nowadays."

Regarding how HELLOWEEN has managed to pull off the seemingly impossible by keeping all seven members of the band happy — returning singer Michael Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen along with Deris, guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Daniel Löble — Andi said: "I think the only thing you need to accept [is] that you are different people. I think that's the main problem we had back in the days because everybody actually expected the other to be and react and have the same opinion [as] yourself. And when you are realizing, okay, we are all different people, so you have to accept that everybody probably has a different point of view, at least a millimeter to the left or millimeter to right. And you have to sit down and actually find a compromise. If you accept that everybody is different, that's not a bad thing. You just have to accept that you yourself may fail here and there, and maybe the other one is right. And when you're getting older, you have decades of comparisons, and you realize, 'Okay, here I fucked up, there I fucked up, here I wasn't right, here I wasn't right.' You need that experience, and when you have that, you are a little bit more humble, because you know you did things wrong or you know you haven't been right back in the days here and there and blah, blah, blah. So, if you take that at a base, everything works out fine. And you just sit down with that knowledge and try to find a solution, which is good enough for all here in the room. And, yeah, that went down super the last few years, I mean, no problem at all. Even if somebody was pissed off, completely pissed off for whatever reason, again, that somebody did not react like he did back in the days, like with aggression or something like that, but in normal words and said, 'Hey, I have a little problem here. You said this and that and blah, blah, blah. And how did you mean that?' And then here comes the explanation and you go, like, 'Oh, okay, all good. Thanks.'"

Upon its release in June 2021, "Helloween" landed in the Top 10 in more than 10 countries, including Germany, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria. The cover artwork for the LP was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, the last HELLOWEEN LP was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg (where everything started in 1984). The same recording console used for such HELLOWEEN albums as "Master Of The Rings", "Time Of The Oath" and "Better Than Raw" was utilized to record the band's new material. The effort was mixed at the Valhalla Studios of Ronald Prent (IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, RAMMSTEIN).

"Helloween" saw the legendary German power metallers going "back to the roots," with the band recording fully analog and Löble playing the drum kit previously used by HELLOWEEN's original drummer, the late Ingo Schwichtenberg, on the legendary "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" recordings.

HELLOWEEN released a new live album, "Live At Budokan", on December 13, 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). The colossal effort immortalized HELLOWEEN's September 16, 2023 performance at Tokyo's legendary Nippon Budokan.

"Live At Budokan" was made available in a plethora of formats: 2CD-digipak and 3LP vinyl in trifold with the first print run of both coming as "deluxe edition" including embossed cover artwork, as well as Blu-ray, DVD and digital. Each version is meticulously crafted to suit the metal community's diverse tastes, ensuring every fan can relive the raw, unfiltered energy of HELLOWEEN in their preferred medium.

This release celebrated the grand finale of HELLOWEEN's epic world tour from 2022 to 2023. Spanning over 30 countries on three continents, the tour was nothing short of a triumph, drawing massive crowds and showcasing the band's undying appeal, the sold-out concert in Tokyo is the crowning glory of the cycle.

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4K fan-filmed video of SATYRICON's entire April 9 performance at Alcatraz in Milan, Italy during "The Unholy Trinity 2025" tour with BEHEMOTH and ROTTING CHRIST can be seen below.

Featured songs:

01. Now Diabolical
02. Our World It Rumbles Tonight 5:37
03. Black Crow On A Tombstone 10:43
04. To Your Brethren In The Dark 14:29
05. Nemesis Divina 21:01
06. Die By My Hand 27:14
07. The Pentagram Burns 34:17
08. Mother North 40:29
09. K.I.N.G. 47:37

Last August, SATYRICON drummer Kjetil-Vidar "Frost" Haraldstad told Jerry Kurunen of Rauta about what fans can expect from the band's upcoming studio album: "I think that whatever this new album is gonna be, because we don't know for sure yet, but it's gonna be a more conventional album in a way, but there's gonna be a lot about it that is not conventional. We are looking into some different ideas, but I cannot reveal too much about them. That wouldn't make sense at this point. But somehow, the journey that Satyr [SATYRICON frontman Sigurd Wongraven] was on when he worked on the [Edvard] Munch project will also have a pretty grave effect on what is happening with this new material. And I think that it will somehow reflect on how we think musically. But you might also say that we are a bit more back in a more conventional landscape, if that term makes sense in SATYRICON's world. And I think that the album will be very, very varied. But you can always expect the unexpected in this band, and that continues to be true now and definitely not less — perhaps even a little bit more after that Munch period."

Regarding when SATYRICON will release the new album and whether there will be any touring in support of it, Frost said: "We have made most of the material for the album, and we have been rehearsing it and going a little bit back and forth with that material now, doing some demos and stuff for a while. So we will take that to an end, record it, find out exactly what to make out of the release, because that's gonna be a thing that people will find out when it's done. And I expect that we will somehow tour with the album — perhaps not a conventional club tour. Could be something else. Could be something more like doing special shows with some elements that add something visually or musically or both. And we know that the band will at least be active as a live band also in the future. And we have some tours planned. If you had asked me one year ago, I would have said that this is probably not gonna happen again ever, but people that do follow us on the Internet probably know that we are gonna be touring in the spring again. And there is probably gonna be more of that as well. So what I can say now is that the new album and touring following that is gonna fill a lot of the next two or three years. I'm pretty sure."

In 2022, SATYRICON released a 56-minute composition titled "Satyricon & Munch" in a unique collaboration with the world-famous Munch museum in Oslo, Norway. The music, created by Satyr, was written in the shape of a so-called musical work and transcended any genre barriers.

SATYRICON's latest regular collection of original material, "Deep Calleth Upon Deep", was released in September 2017 via Napalm Records. The disc was recorded in Oslo, Norway and Vancouver, Canada, during early 2017 and mixed together with revered studio guru Mike Fraser (who previously worked on SATYRICON's 2006 album, "Now, Diabolical").

SATYRICON's first two albums, 1993's "Dark Medieval Times" and 1994's "The Shadowthrone", were released as remixed and remastered reissues with altered cover artworks, in May 2021 via Napalm Records.

In July 2022, Frost told Heavy New York about how he and his SATYRICON bandmates have progressed musical since the group's inception three decades ago: "The way I see it, SATYRICON is always going through a constant evolution. We have always emphasized the importance and the meaning of creativity and innovation and boldness and daring to try something new because we see black metal as a genre that was born through creativity. It was born through bands that dared to go where other bands hadn't been going before them. They took things further in many, many ways, made their music harder and rawer than anything that was really done before that, and they brought some darkness into this that you didn't really have before. There were some attempts perhaps, but before the very first black metal bands, you didn't really have it in that sense. And also many of these bands showed a great pioneering spirit and there was a lot of avant-garde work going on. And these elements were very, very important, and through SATYRICON we have always tried to cultivate these elements and really make it a part of our musical DNA to cultivate that creativity. And then that is your starting point. I think that the band will go through lots of changes, and sometimes the evolution will happen in a very, very significant way from album to album, other times perhaps at a slightly slower pace, but it will always be there."

He continued: "I think that a band like SATYRICON has always been really bound to seek new musical territory and to constantly renew ourselves, and it's also a natural part of our way of operating too, to seek new ways of working and to see whether we should try to bring in something that we have never had before and that we don't really even master, and see if it is a resource that we actually manage to bring into the band and make the whole thing grow."

During a recent appearance on producer Rick Rubin's "Tetragrammaton" podcast, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons once again reflected on the band's final performance, which took place on December 2, 2023 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We took a look at this idea of we were born in New York City, 10 East 23rd Street, 10 blocks down — 10 — from 33rd Street, Madison Square Garden. So we decided, 'Let's finish off Christmas' or Kissmass, '50 years after the birth of the band 10 blocks down. Let's do it at New York and only do one show and film it and all that stuff, and invite our friends. It'll be like a celebration.' And then the film crew and everybody in [our management] convinced us to do two shows. We could have been there for a week or 10 days… So we did December 1, December 2 in New York. But by the way, like all things KISS, the Empire State Building lit up with our faces on it. There were 800 New York City cabs wrapped around with KISS imagery. If you went into the subway and you got a subway ticket, you had our faces on the subways. You went to get a pizza, the outside of the pizza boxes, [there] were our faces in your face. There were KISS pop-up shops. Basically, if you started a new religion and called it Kisstianity, that's what was going on. It was like a total takeover… We just couldn't believe it. There were people walking around the streets of New York during the daytime, because fans flew in from around the world — Japanese fans and all that stuff — during the daytime in full makeup. We'd be going to the Empire State Building, 'cause we went up to the top where King Kong fell off and all that stuff, 'cause in 76 we were on top taking photos when there were no guardrails hanging off the sides. It's one of those photos that became a thing. And on the way there we were seeing KISS people on the streets dressing early to go to the show."

Asked if he felt any differently on stage, knowing it was the last KISS concert, Gene said: "Very emotional. Pride, but also a little sad because… People who have been married, I'm guessing, a few times, but remember when it was real love and that magic of the thing, if it doesn't last, there's a sadness there. Sometimes it's drugs and alcohol, sometimes they just go apart. But when it was great, it's sad because not everybody survives life. And I'm still sad about Ace [Frehley, original KISS guitarist] and Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer], who even today can't enjoy the fruits of their labor. They were equally as important as Paul [Stanley, KISS guitarist/vocalist] and myself in the formation of the band and those first few years — there's no question about it. It was a four-wheel-drive vehicle. And then the air started coming out of two of the wheels to the point where — as a matter of fact, when it was time for Peter to go, Ace voted, 'No, he's gotta go. He can't play the drums anymore.' And then Ace, using his words, walked out of KISS. Even though we said, 'You can stay in KISS. Have a solo career. We don't want a penny of it. Have your cake and eat it too.' And he said to my face, 'No, I can't stay in the band. He said it in print, 'If I do another tour, I'm gonna kill myself.' That's verbatim. And I didn't understand what that meant. I didn't wanna get into it. And then he said, 'You watch. I'm gonna sell 10 million records.' I can't respond to that. I don't know what that meant. Logically — stay in the band, have your cake and eat it too."

Simmons also talked about the upcoming KISS avatar show, based on the technology originally developed for ABBA's "Voyage" show in London. The KISS avatars were created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and were financed and produced by the Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment, which is behind "ABBA Voyage".

"The very end of both of those [final KISS] shows — we had made a deal with a company called Pophouse who bought ABBA rights and put on this avatar ABBA show in London, which has got millions of people going," Gene said. "And whatever technology you saw there is now primitive. They are investing untold amounts. I don't wanna say anything more than — you know what virtual reality is when you put those glasses on, and you would swear your life that the ground just opened up and you have a chasm and you're falling and free fall, and you have this sense that what you're seeing is real. And by the way, all around you, no matter where you look — up, down — your sense of reality. Now imagine that without glasses. And I've seen it… So in a lot of ways entertainment itself and life itself is changing dramatically with A.I. and technology and all this stuff. There will still be room for live bands playing live with the blues and all that — there's no substitute for that — but in other areas, the sky's the limit. No limit."

The last KISS show streamed live on pay-per-view.

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

In early 2024 year, KISS sold its entire music catalog, likeness and brand name to Pophouse Entertainment. A biopic, an avatar show, and a KISS-themed experience are already in the works, with Simmons and Stanley playing key roles in the development of all these projects, working closely with Pophouse.

In a new interview with Igor Miranda of Brazil's Rolling Stone magazine, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner spoke about the status of his ELEGANT WEAPONS project, also featuring singer Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW, MSG),including a possible sophomore album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We are almost finished recording the second record. We were recording vocals a couple of weeks ago. So it's nearly finished. We don't know when it's gonna be released because, obviously, we've got commitments with PRIEST and other bands. But it's great. Obviously, it's me, Ronnie Romero, and it's like an evolution, the second time around, because the band is solidified. It's Christopher Williams [ACCEPT] on drums, Davey Rimmer [URIAH HEEP] on bass and Ronnie and myself. So it feels like an evolution of the band. So we're excited to get it finished and get it out to you guys. But it's almost done. So, watch this space."

Last October, Faulkner told Clint Switzer of On The Road To Rock about ELEGANT WEAPONS:  "Ronnie's fantastic. Again, he's one of those guys, he's not only a singer, he's a frontman. He fronts the band. There's a lot of people I know, they've got great voices, but it takes a frontman or frontwoman, front person to do that job. So Ronnie's definitely got that.

"We did some dates [in 2023] in Europe, which was fantastic," he continued. "We did some dates with PANTERA, which was nuts. You can imagine opening up for them."

Richie went on to say that he never intended ELEGANT WEAPONS to just be a one-album project. "That's what it was about, really. It wasn't about the one record recorded during COVID; it was about a band that goes on," he explained. "We've all got our different things, obviously — PRIEST, ACCEPT, Ronnie's got his stuff — but we wanted it to be a proper band with multiple records doing live dates, which we've done. But it's just, obviously, when PRIEST are out, ACCEPT are out, URIAH HEEP are out at the moment as well, when we find a window in between for that, then we'll look at releasing the second record. So, that's an exciting thing to think about, too."

In 2023, Richie told Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global that he plans on focusing on ELEGANT WEAPONS full-time once PRIEST has officially called it a day.

"PRIEST music is gonna be around a lot longer than we are," he said. "It's legendary music. They're genre-defining musicians and it's a genre-defining band. It will be around for a long time. But none of us gets out of this alive. That's just the reality of it. So if one day that call comes in and that's the last tour or the last album, whatever it is… I mean, I joined the band on what was the farewell tour. Luckily it wasn't, and we're still here 12 years later. [It's] fantastic. But at the time, I think I would have been silly not to consider what I was gonna do after the band, because of the circumstances of the tour. It was a farewell tour — it was [supposed to be] the last tour — so what am I gonna do after? So it's always been in the back of my mind. And this is a band that seems natural to me to continue with if that call ever came in."

ELEGANT WEAPONS made its first two festival appearances in June 2023 at Hellfest in Clisson, France and at Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium.

ELEGANT WEAPONS' debut album, "Horns For A Halo", was released in May 2023 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was recorded with bassist Rex Brown (PANTERA, DOWN) and drummer Scott Travis (JUDAS PRIEST) and was helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, EXODUS and MEGADETH, among many others.

ELEGANT WEAPONS played additional shows in Europe through July 2023. The trek included additional performances with PANTERA, festival appearances and headlining shows.

AEROSMITH bassist Tom Hamilton's new band CLOSE ENEMIES has just released its third single, "Sweet Baby Jesus", via TLG|ROCK, distributed through Virgin Music Group.

Joining the 73-year-old Hamilton in the new group his bass tech Trace Foster, who plays guitar in CLOSE ENEMIES alongside Peter Stroud, who has been playing with Sheryl Crow for 25 years. CLOSE ENEMIES' drummer is Tony Brock, who had a band called THE BABYS and then played with Rod Stewart for 12 years. Fronting CLOSE ENEMIES is Chasen Hampton, a performer from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with a strong background in the country music scene. CLOSE ENEMIES is also working with "a great lyricist" named Gary Stier.

Upcoming CLOSE ENEMIES shows:

June 12 - Ludlow Garage - Cincinnati, OH
June 13 -Hobart Art Theatre - Hobart, IN
June 14 - The Token Lounge - Westland, MI
August 28 - Iroquois Ampitheater - Louisville, KY (w/ Tom Keifer & L.A. GUNS)
August 29 - The Arcada Theatre - St. Charles, IL (w/ WINGER)
August 30 - The Sonnentag - Eau Claire, WI (w/ Tom Keifer & L.A. GUNS)
October 2 - Riviera Theatre - North Tonawanda, NY (w/ Tom Keifer)
October 4 - Daryl's House Club - Pawling, NY
October 10 - Six String Grill & Stage - Foxborough, MA
November 7 - The Guild Theatre - Menlo Park, CA
November 8 - Goldfield Trading Post - Roseville, CA
November 14 - The Coach House - San Juan Capistrano, CA
November 15 - Whisky A Go Go - Hollywood, CA

In February, CLOSE ENEMIES released its second single, "Inside Out". A month earlier, CLOSE ENEMIES released its debut single, "Sound Of A Train", garnering overwhelming praise from both fans and the press.

Foster and Stroud recently spoke to the "Is Breakfast Included?" podcast about how the band came together two years ago. Peter said in part: "I'm sure each of us have our own perspective. It was sort of in layers. Trace and I had already been working on another band project, trying to get something off the ground, and then just out of the blue — I think it was at the when an AEROSMITH tour had to go on a hiatus — apparently Tom and Trace had been speaking where Tom said, 'Man, I got all these songs I would love to try to do something with,' and the light bulb goes off in Trace's head, and he goes, 'I know just the guy to come up, and maybe we can get together and help you with that.' So he asked if I'd be interested in going up there and just jamming around, and I said, 'Yeah, well, I think I know just the drummer who would be into it.' And that was Tony Brock, who's a longtime buddy of mine. And we had always been trying to figure out some way to play together. And I figured that Tony and Tom might find some common ground and a good comfort zone playing-wise. So that was sort of the initial get-together."

Trace added: "I had this other band, and I thought we're riding around in a van, doing shows and not making any money. And I'm, like, if I'm gonna do this, I need to up my game, because at our age to be driving around in a van, not to make any money… So I called Peter. Why not? Why not start there? I just thought we could add him to the band I was already in. And then we did it. And it started to work really well. And then, of course, like every other band that you've been in in your life, somebody does something wrong and they're out of the band. Me and Peter were, like, 'This isn't worth it. Let's just wait.' And then, like he said, we started putting this other project together, 'cause we did all kinds of writing and we got the guy from Atlanta, Gary Stier, that was in my original band in Atlanta. I started writing with him, and then I brought Peter in. Peter knows Gary, of course. So the band that I was in in Atlanta all knew Peter, but I didn't so that's the weird thing. And then it just kind of went from there. Everybody's schedule didn't always jibe, and we just tried to make it work, and then we were in Las Vegas with AEROSMITH and I literally went, 'Man, we really gotta do something.' And then I just looked at Tom, and it was one of those moments where you go, 'This is the guy. He's asking for some help,' and this and that. I just walked up and I said, 'Hey…' I didn't ask him. I basically told Tom, I said, 'Hey, we're gonna come to Boston and work on your songs.' And he was, like, 'Well, let me think about that.' And then like an hour later, he was, like, 'I think that's a really good idea.' So that's how it started. And once Tom and Tony played together, it was pretty much a given."

Peter continued: "That was a great five days. I loved it, too, where Trace suggested to Tom, 'Hey, why don't we come up for a couple days, two or three days?', and he goes, 'How about five?' First he was, like, 'Well, let me think about it.' He was like, 'How about five? You guys wanna move up here?' I was, like, 'Man, there you go. I said, 'That's a reflection of somebody who knows hard work right there.'"

CLOSE ENEMIES made its live debut on October 11, 2024 at Eastside Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee.

In a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Tom said about CLOSE ENEMIES' debut gig: "I was a little bit nervous, you know. But that feeling, it energizes you. It doesn't hold you back. It makes you want to dive in deeper and deeper."

Speaking to AARP, Tom described Hampton as "a gifted singer who really made the songs come to life."

"When I joined, these guys had worked up a bunch of great songs, and I was able to contribute something I had," the bassist continued. "Hopefully, when the time comes, we'll work up some others I've had in my pocket for a while. All of these guys are great musicians, and it's an honor and a challenge to be part of it all. I'm looking forward to seeing how people like it. I think they'll be pleasantly amazed."

The members of AEROSMITH made the announcement that they were retiring from touring on August 2, 2024 — nearly one year after singer Steven Tyler fractured his larynx during a September 2023 show.

The "Peace Out" tour came to a halt after what turned out to be a final gig in Elmont, New York on September 9, 2023. That show came just three dates into the trek, which was supposed to last through February 2024. Tyler said in a statement at the time that the injury caused bleeding but that he hoped he and his AEROSMITH bandmates would be back on the road after postponing a few shows.

The rescheduled "Peace Out" tour was due to begin September 20, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with special guests THE BLACK CROWES.

Photo credit: Rick Diamond (courtesy of O'Donnell Media Group)

DROWNING POOL has released a new single, "Madness", via SBG Records. The track marks DROWNING POOL's first new music of 2025 and is the follow-up to "Revolution (The Final Amen)", which came out in September.

"Revolution (The Final Amen)" was the first piece of music DROWNING POOL guitarist C.J. Pierce, drummer Mike Luce and bassist Stevie Benton completed with singer Ryan McCombs in 13 years.

DROWNING POOL comments on "Madness": "We are inspired by the multiple possibilities for millions of conflicting disputes across many schools of thought and ideals across this world. Embrace the chaos, as it pulls you deeper — where sanity slips and the madness begins!"

The release of "Madness" comes on the heels of DROWNING POOL's triumphant European tour with GODSMACK. The tour, which included stops in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Germany, the U.K. and more, reaffirmed the band's reputation as one of rock's most electrifying live acts.

DROWNING POOL will play Inkcarceration festival 2025 on Friday, July 18 and Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk, Belgium in August. In addition, DROWNING POOL has announced a U.K. and Ireland tour with SPINESHANK and special guests (HED) P.E. in November.

Last December, Pierce spoke to Australia's Heavy about the fan response to "Revolution (The Final Amen)". He said:  "Dude, just right out the gate, man, by the end of the song, they're singing along. The first time we played it live was before it even came out, we played in El Paso and someone filmed the video the week before the song came out, and I mean, dude… It was just awesome to see the instant connection because we haven't played something new like that live in years, and especially the first new song with Ryan McCombs. And just to see the crowd just go nuts, just as crazy as they do for 'Bodies' on it, man. It's been well received, and I love playing it live, man."

Asked if Ryan got right back into the swing of things after rejoining DROWNING POOL in early 2023, C.J. said: "We hadn't seen each other in a while, and he showed up. We picked him up from the airport and we sat here and then we went… I have a gazebo set up outside, and we instantly just started writing music together. We've always had a great writing relationship and friendship all along, man. So it was great to jump back into that instantly. And the first day we went to the rehearsal room, the songs we haven't played since Ryan was in the band… Mike just starts playing freaking songs, he started playing 'Let The Sin Begin'. So I'm taking my guitar out of the case — I didn't even tune it yet — and he's already playing it. And Ryan starts singing it. So me and Stevie, we threw our bass and guitar on and we just started playing the song. It just was there, man. So it was awesome to have that experience in that moment, like that real connection you have with other musicians. It was fricking awesome, man."

Regarding why DROWNING POOL chose "Revolution (The Final Amen)" as the song with which to reintroduce McCombs to the band's fans, Pierce said: "Well, we had several songs that are on the plate that we're working on together. This one just kind of gravitated towards being done first. I think all of us might have had a moment where [we thought] the eyes are gonna be on this, but at the end of the day, dude, it's us writing music together and it's not about the machine or about the industry. It's about us writing songs and art together as a band. And when it's ready to be out, that's when it's ready to go. All four of us sat down at a table with lyrics. We were all in a room together working on it. Musically, it's completely DROWNING POOL as us four, and that's the one that we finished first that we wanna get out to the world."

As for DROWNING POOL's plans to release more new music in the coming months, Pierce said: "Yeah, we're working on a full-length record.

"The original plan was to have a couple of reunion shows with Ryan, 'cause he still sings with SOIL… and then all of a sudden we just started writing songs together," C.J. explained. "And then we were getting [phone calls saying], 'Hey, come play some shows, play some shows.' So we've been pretty much just playing shows the last year and a half, having a great time doing it, writing music in between from all the inspiration from all the amazing shows, from all the awesome rock fans."

On the topic of what DROWNING POOL fans can expect from the band's upcoming material, C.J. said: "The next [song] coming up is even more jamming than ['Revolution (The Final Amen)']. I can't let any cats out of the bag. We have a very super-deep song that's coming out. I have a new tune that just came naturally that has a 'Tear Away' kind of vibe to it, that kind of chugging along feel that just came naturally again. And then we have some songs I got that [have] a lower tuning on it that's very Ryan McCombs's lower wheelhouse. I have some songs that are influenced by PANTERA. Who isn't? We have a lot of stuff on the plate, man."

McCombs played his first shows back with DROWNING POOL in March 2023 at Club L.A. in Destin, Florida and at the inaugural Throwdown At The Campground festival in Fruitland Park, Florida.

The longtime SOIL frontman, who has lived in Swindon, England since 2018, originally joined DROWNING POOL in 2005 and appeared on two of the band's studio albums, "Full Circle" (2007) and "Drowning Pool" (2010),as well as a live album, 2009's "Loudest Common Denominator". He rejoined SOIL after exiting DROWNING POOL in 2011.

McCombs is continuing to front SOIL and will carry on recording and performing with both bands.

In a recent interview with Australia's Jaimunji, McCombs was asked if there is more new music on the way, following the release of "Revolution (The Final Amen)". He responded: "We released 'Revolution (The Final Amen)', we released that because it was the first song that came together in the studio. And when I say came together, I mean, finished.

"The demand for the band has been so great, thankfully, that we've been so busy fulfilling live appearances and then tours and everything that we've gotten so little time to actually record. At one point, on the last U.S. run we did, we actually flew our producer out and he spent, like, four or five days on the road with us, just so we could try to make some forward progress with some of these songs that we've got, because we've had so little time outside of touring to actually… The little time that we've gotten, I wanna go home and sleep in my own bed for a day or two. So we've had such little time to actually get any recording done that we've got so much material."

Referencing the fact that "Revolution (The Final Amen)" marks the first song he and Pierce, Luce and Benton have worked on in 13 years, Ryan said: "Alaina, C.J.'s wife, actually said to me shortly after us getting back together, she was, like, 'Thank you so much.' She goes, 'You guys getting back together, it's just, like,' she goes, 'I got my husband back.' She goes, 'As you know, C.J., so much of his existence is music,' and she goes, 'I don't know the last time I saw him pick up his guitar.' And this is a guy that always had a guitar in his hand doodling back in the day. And she goes, 'Since you guys have gotten back together, he's just walking around the house with his guitar on again. He's up at three o'clock in the morning, writing music.' She goes, 'It's like I've got my husband back again.' And that's the way we've all been. We've all just been on fire. And the material is a great reflection of that."

Outlining DROWNING POOL's plans to complete some of its new material, McCombs said: "The plan is right now, we're gonna release another single or two between now and through [our tour of] Australia [in February 2025] and before the GODSMACK dates that we have with P.O.D. in Europe and in London [in late March and early April 2025]. But then, so, yeah, the plan is to release a couple of more singles in between now and then, and then we'll have an album or an EP — depending on how much recording time we get — we'll have an album or an EP ready for release in 2025."

In November, McCombs was asked by Loud & Unfiltered if the "Revolution (The Final Amen)" title is a reference to it being DROWNING POOL's "last hurrah". Ryan responded: "I wish I would have had the foresight to see what that would have read, how people would have read into that, because you're not the first [to ask that] and I'm sure you won't be the last. No, it's far from the band's final amen, 'cause we've got so much material right now. As soon as we got back in… I flew into Dallas two or three days before our first show [back] together, and we went straight from the airport to the rehearsal room. And it was, like, there was a little bit more white hair in the room, but other than that … we didn't miss a beat, man. It was just instantaneous. C.J. and I and Stevie and Mike, we just started writing music, and it just start flowing. It was like opening up the floodgates. So we've got so much material. The problem we have right now is we don't have the time. We keep trying to schedule studio time and then something else show-wise comes up. So our producer, actually, flew out and was on the road with us for a few days on this tour that we're on now so that we can get some stuff down and have the pre-production out of the way so that as soon as the tour's over, I can run to [Las] Vegas and throw some vocals down before we have a show in Mexico City. So in between there, I'll run to Vegas real quick and throw vocals. We're just trying to utilize time, but we just don't [have] enough."

He continued: "But no, to your question, it's definitely not the band's final amen. I mean, we've got too much stuff in the works. We've got too many awesome opportunities that are being presented to us for next year. And we've got a lot of plans band-wise for the next couple of years. So we're definitely not going anywhere. And thankfully, we're not going anywhere because the number one reason we ain't is because people allow us to be around. We'll stay around as long as people are allowing us to. And then thankfully people are giving us the time of day and allowing us to do what we love to do. So we're definitely not going anywhere."

In a separate interview with iHeart Radio personality Debbie Sexxton, Pierce stated about "Revolution (The Final Amen)": "Yeah, it was great working on the song together. It's the first one with all of us back with Ryan, and we spent a lot of time on it. We started on it, actually, beginning of last year. And just between touring and stuff like that, we weren't able to get it down yet. But the whole process, all of us working together, I mean, we literally sat down at a table and we all had different ideas and every one of us kind of approached the song in a different way. And then we came together as a band. It was just amazing. That sounds like a DROWNING POOL song. That's what we want it to sound like. It sounds like us with Ryan."

Regarding the lyrical themes covered in "Revolution (The Final Amen)", Pierce said: "We spent a lot of time trying different things out to make sure all the bases were covered and we came across with the message lyric-wise too. We had a couple of different rewrites and redrafts just to make sure the flow is right to get the point across. It's more of a general thing about what's going on now. We definitely need a big change — not specific to any country or government or religion as much as just as a whole. It's more [about] planet earth."

In August, Pierce told the "Thunder Underground" podcast about the musical direction of "Revolution (The Final Amen)": "I'm so excited, man. It just came out naturally. We never tried to write like a 'Bodies Part Two' or a 'Tear Away Part Two'. We just write what we feel at the time, and the excitement that we had and the energy we have with Ryan being back in the band, the song definitely has that vibe to it. It's in drop C [tuning], and I got a new wah pedal in the studio when I was doing the song. So I'm wah-pedaling all over just like on [DROWNING POOL's] 'Sinner' record. So it has that old-school vibe to it. The people that have heard it so far, that's what they relate it to. It's got that same type of energy. It's its own song and entity. But yeah, it's intense, man. It's a banger."

In July, McCombs was asked by 94 Rocks KFML's "The Dark" rock music program if the sound of the new DROWNING POOL material harkens back to what Ryan did with the band in the past, McCombs said: "It's C.J. It's Stevie. It's Mike. It's myself. We did a couple of really — not to toot our own horn — I think we did a couple really good albums back in the day. And we pick up right where we left off.

"I think the coolest thing about DROWNING POOL is it's really easy with DROWNING POOL to separate things with the singers, as far as eras go, but there's always been the DROWNING POOL sound," Ryan continued. "There's always been a certain aspect of just the tones and everything. So it's still just like it always has been — DROWNING POOL."

In June, Pierce told Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio that he and his DROWNING POOL bandmates are once again working with producer Shawn McGhee. "He has his own studio," C.J. explained. "We did the last record with him as well. We did [2022's] 'Strike A Nerve' [with him]. And he's just a great guy to work with. He's on the same page as us and a great friend and a great musician and a killer producer and mixer. So, we love working with Shawn. He really knows how to capture what we're trying to do, man. That's the kind of producer you want. We put him in a driver's seat and somebody you can trust to have that outside ear to take what we have already and elevate it."

DROWNING POOL's debut album, "Sinner", was certified platinum within six weeks of its release in 2001, while the CD's first single, "Bodies", was one of the most frequently aired videos on MTV by a new band. DROWNING POOL reached out to an ever-greater audience with dynamic performances at Wrestlemania XVIII and Ozzfest during the summers of 2001 and 2002. Unfortunately, their streak of success was not to last. Shortly after rousing the crowd at Ozzfest in Indianapolis, Indiana, on August 3, 2002, vocalist Dave "Stage" Williams was found dead of natural causes on the tour bus.

Photo courtesy of O'Donnell Media Group

In a new interview with Andrés Durán of El Expreso Del Rock, SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine commented on last year's passing of the band's longtime drummer James Kottak. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a very sad story. James was such a wonderful human being, a great artist, great drummer for more than 20 years with us. He was a great guy, but he went through hard times as well in his private life, and he was fighting this demon alcohol for many years. And in the end he lost the fight. And it's very sad that the world of music lost him, because he was an amazing artist and he [had] so much passion and love for rock music. And I think that our fans, SCORPIONS fans and fans around the world will never forget him."

Kottak's daughter Tobi told TMZ her father passed away on January 9, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was born and lived until 1987, although further details about the exact circumstances weren't available.

In addition to SCORPIONS and KINGDOM COME, Kottak had toured with such bands as WARRANT and even DIO for a short run. James was also involved in various other projects, including the 1990s band KRUNK in which he sang lead vocals and played guitar.

During an appearance on an April 2024 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker stated about Kottak's death: "James was a fantastic person. We called him the brother from another mother. And it was great to play with him and it was fantastic. But when he was starting to struggle, it was hard. We had to send him to [the island of Antigua to Eric Clapton's Crossroads drug and alcohol treatment center]. And we tried everything we could, but the moment you turned your back around, he was already gone. And in the end, we were only playing to click, and we said we can't do that. And then [MOTÖRHEAD leader] Lemmy [Kilmister] died and then Matthias [Jabs, SCORPIONS guitarist] had the idea to call Mikkey [Dee, MOTÖRHEAD drummer] and we started rehearsing with him. And Mikkey was great on drums. He was also as a person very nice. We said, 'Okay, we have to make a decision.' And then we said, 'It's very hard. We can cry, but we have to stick to the future.' And we tried everything. And now we make it with Mikkey. And Mikkey is a fantastic person as well in a different way. He's playing more straight-forward. James was a little bit more, playing around a little bit, which was very nice as well. He was also a good singer for backing vocals. But it was time to make a change."

Added Jabs: "We lost a very good friend."

Kottak spoke about his alcohol issues in an April 2023 interview with Tulsa Music Stream. He said in part: "I've had a few bouts with booze over the years. But what people don't know is all the years that I was sober. 2008 to 2011. And here a year, and there a year. And when our kids [with his ex-wife Athena Lee, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee's sister and acclaimed drummer in her own right], were in the oven. I spent a lot of time not drinking. And then I had my moments when I did drink. And that doesn't mean I'm falling down drunk, walking around with a bottle around the house."

James, who said in a separate interview that he had been sober since October 2022, added that he hadn't been able to completely give up drinking. "Well, I'm not gonna say I haven't drank anything," he said. "When I go out [and] I see some guys playing, I'm standing there and everybody wants to buy me a drink. And I go, 'No, no,' and finally I take it and I have a couple of glasses of white wine. And then I'm pissed at myself. And so there you go."

He added: "I wish I could say, 'Oh, yeah, I've been sober for six years.' It hasn't worked like that for me. I've been in and out and in and out and in and out — and mostly 'in', meaning not drinking. But I've had my moments. And it's an ongoing process. It's progress, not perfection, as we say."

In a June 2022 interview with "This That & The Other With Troy Patrick Farrell", Kottak denied that his battle with alcoholism was the primary reason he was fired from the SCORPIONS in 2016. He has since been replaced by former MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee.

"I hate to say it, but Blabbermouth's kind of been the worst James basher," Kottak said. "They always say — any article about SCORPIONS, they say, 'Yeah, ever since James Kottak was released for alcohol abuse.' So I e-mailed them one day and said, 'Man, stop saying that.' We parted ways. It wasn't just from alcohol, dude. We went through five years of negotiations, 'cause the manager and tour manager both died within six months of each other. Then the band decided to self-manage, which is cool. But I'll tell you what, man — that's when it was a super-bumpy road and we were just not on the same page anymore. And that happens with bands."

Seven years ago, Matthias said that he and his bandmates "had to make" the decision to fire Kottak, explaining that they gave the drummer "all the chances" to get better. During an appearance on "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon", the guitarist said: "James was a real good friend — and he still is — but we couldn't continue with him. We gave him all the chances, and 10 more. And it was something that developed over the years — the drinking habit. It came in waves — sometimes it was good for four weeks, and then [there] was drama, and if you know him, you know what that's like. Then if it affects the show, you have to go, 'Hmmm…' Because our drum riser goes up 21 feet, or 24 feet sometimes, if the venue allows it, and the production manager, or stage manager, goes, 'I can't have him go up there. It's too risky.' If you can't really walk down the stairs straight, you can't have that. So that affects your intro of the show, and that's not good — it's not professional."

He continued: "We were helping him — we were sending him to Antigua, and we paid for it, and we did everything we could, because we are extremely loyal. It's always hard if you work with somebody for almost 20 years to say, 'Okay, you've gotta go.' We'd rather do the opposite and try to keep him and help him. But we reached the point — or he reached the point — where it was just not worth it. After three months or four months even — they gave him an extra month in Antigua, the rehab — he'd come home, we'd start again, and you can't even talk to him. So we had to make that decision. We had Mikkey on the road, so [James] didn't notice. So I rehearsed with [Mikkey] and Paweł [Mąciwoda, bass] in the afternoon, just a backup; that was the original plan. But then there was no way we could continue with James, so we started with Mikkey."

Five years ago, Kottak, who joined the SCORPIONS in 1996, told the SCORPIONS official fan club Crazyscorps about the circumstances that led to his departure from the legendary German hard rock band: "I always liked a drink here and there. And then I always also take a pain medication called Aleve. It's what all the baseball players take, all the footballers, and it works like a charm. You take those of those and you don't feel anything. But on top of that, I'm a rock drummer in a rock band, and you've got the green light to drink.

"From 2008 to 2011, I didn't drink," he explained. "I just woke up one day and said, 'I just don't wanna drink anymore.' I didn't go to rehab; I didn't do any of that stuff. I just didn't wanna drink anymore.

"If you have any knowledge of A.A. [Alcoholics Anonymous] or any type of program or rehab, it only lasts so long and then you have what we call in recovery a relapse. I would go through these phases of a year or maybe two years of no drinking, and then you gradually…

"SCORPIONS, we play our show, we go back to the hotel, [and] 45 minutes later, we're all downstairs having dinner," he continued. "And everything's just the right price — free. All these flights back and forth from Europe, from L.A. — I was just flying constantly. Which I'm not complaining about, but it's always business or first class, and once again, all the booze is at the right price. I'm going, 'I've got the next two days off. I might as well have a drink.' And that's what triggered me to start drinking again sometimes. It's a typical alcoholic way of thinking: 'Well, I may as well have a drink. Why not?' And that's typical alcoholic disease thinking. 'Cause it is a disease."

Photo credit: Oliver Rath / B|W|R PR (2015 press photo)

Video of QUEENSRŸCHE performing some of the band's classic songs with various campers at Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp's "Whole Lotta Rock Camp Volume II", which took place March 20-23, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, can be seen below.

Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp's immersive camp invites participants to dive deep into the world of rock music, providing hands-on opportunities to jam with iconic musicians, refine campers' craft, and take participants' performance to new heights. From personalized instruction to unforgettable jam sessions, campers have the opportunity to collaborate with rock legends in a high-energy, creative environment.

Throughout the camp, participants form bands with fellow campers, led by experienced rockstar counselors, and rehearse with the musical icons they have admired for years. Campers then take the stage to showcase their skills in a live performance, stepping into the spotlight as they embrace the true spirit of rock 'n' roll.

The rock star counselors for Whole Lotta Rock Camp Volume II included:

* Derek St. Holmes (TED NUGENT)
* Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO)
* Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (GUNS N' ROSES)
* Peter Klett (CANDLEBOX)
* Stet Howland (W.A.S.P.)
* Britt Lightning (VIXEN)

Now celebrating its 28th anniversary, Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp has become part of American popular culture — from a Mick Jagger cameo in "The Simpsons" to "Rock Camp - The Movie", a No. 1 documentary on iTunes with a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes chronicling once-in-a-lifetime experiences, Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp has built a tradition of extracting ordinary people from their daily lives and giving them the opportunity of a lifetime: to live out their dreams of performing with their musical heroes.

Past Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp mentors have included Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Joe Perry and Roger Daltrey, who said of his participation: "It's an amazing experience and it makes you remember where you came from."

For more information, visit rockcamp.com.

📌 Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp is returning to Florida for 'Whole Lotta Rock Camp Vol. II' - taking place March 20-23 in...

Posted by Queensrÿche on Thursday, January 9, 2025

In May 2025, ALICE IN CHAINS will appear at a few festivals, including the MMRBQ in Camden, New Jersey (May 10),Sonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio (May 11) and Welcome To Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida (May 16). They have also lined up several headlining shows, in Uncasville, Connecticut (May 8),Nashville, Tennessee (May 13) and Dothan, Alabama (May 15). ALICE IN CHAINS is also on the bill for the final BLACK SABBATH/Ozzy Osbourne show on July 5 in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

In a new interview with "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, ALICE IN CHAINS singer William DuVall was asked where things stand with him and his bandmates at the moment. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we're excited for these dates we have coming up in May. We're excited to get out there and see everyone. We are in regular contact and communication, and so we'll just have to see what comes after May. I really wouldn't wanna say anything more than that. But we're excited about these shows in May. We're really looking forward to it."

ALICE IN CHAINS has only played one concert since 2023 — an appearance at last year's Sick New World festival in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the last four years, ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell has released two solo albums, 2021's "Brighten" and 2024's "I Want Blood", and has toured extensively in support of both efforts, performing material spanning his solo career and ALICE IN CHAINS.

ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, "Rainier Fog", in August 2018.

Prior to joining ALICE IN CHAINS, DuVall was a member of punk rock bands AWARENESS VOID OF CHAOS, NEON CHRIST, BL'AST! and FINAL OFFERING. DuVall's long musical history also includes COMES WITH THE FALL and Cantrell's solo work.

Cantrell befriended the members of COMES WITH THE FALL in the early 2000s, playing shows with the band on the West Coast, then enlisting the musicians to tour with him as both opening act and backing group in support of his album "Degradation Trip".

DuVall appears on the last three ALICE IN CHAINS albums: 2009's "Black Gives Way To Blue", 2013's "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" and the aforementioned "Rainier Fog".

In a recent interview with Claro Música México, PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix spoke about the band's latest single, "Even If It Kills Me". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, man. I'm so excited about this song. When we went back into the studio after touring on [PAPA ROACH's latest album, 2022's] 'Ego Trip', this was the first piece of music that the band had written. And Tobin [Esperance, PAPA ROACH bassist] sent me the song, and right off rip, from the moment I played it, I was, like, 'Oh.' 'Cause sometimes when you hear a demo, it's, like, 'Okay, cool. Let me get into it.' This one was, like, right when I started playing it, I was like, 'Oh, this is special. There's something in here.' And then when the music, when the band comes in and just drops on the heavy riff, I was just, like — I turned it all the way up in the truck, just rocked it out. And so I knew the music was very special, so I wanted to do something that matched that energy. And I find myself, a couple weeks later, I'm in the studio cutting a vocal on this thing, and it took a couple evolutions to land exactly where we are in the finished product. And I really enjoy that creative process of taking something that's inspiring and then trying to match it with my energy and my lyric and really take the song to another level. And, yeah, when we finished this one, I was, like. 'All right. I'm excited to see what we do for a music video for this thing, 'cause I think like there's something special in the sound of this one that would be cool to visually, what could this be?'"

Asked who composed "Even If It Kills Me", Jacoby said: "Myself, Jerry [Horton, PAPA ROACH guitarist], Tobin, Anthony [Esperance, PAPA ROACH touring guitarist] and Drew [Fulk], the producer himself. Five dudes in a room just making rowdy noise, man. It was a good time."

Jacoby went on to say that "Even If It Kills Me" is "the first piece of music that we're releasing to eventually be on our next album. The album will be out in 2026," he revealed. "I just was in the studio before I came down here, and recorded two more songs. We're gonna be releasing music throughout the year. And the stuff that we have coming that we haven't released yet is just — it's so good. I'm so happy."

According to Shaddix, the next PAPA ROACH LP will contain "probably 11 [songs] — 10 or 11. Usually that's around where we sit, is around 10 or 11 songs in an album," he explained. "I like an album to feel like you get in the car and you play that thing and it's, like, by the time you get where you're going, it's, like, 'We're done.' I don't like to make records that are so long. I like an album that feels like it's just quick and to the point. You know what I mean? We're not that type of band that makes these 20-song albums or double LPs and shit like that. I'm, like, 'Eh.'"

On the topic of PAPA ROACH's plans for the coming months, Jacoby said: "So we're gonna be ripping out there on a tour. We're doing a U.S. tour right after I leave. We go down Guadalajara, go rip down there, and then we'll go back up to the states and start a tour. We're taking out RISE AGAINST and UNDEROATH in America. And then I'm going back in the studio this summer to finish up the album and then go back on tour, finish up a tour in America, and then next year we'll be coming — Europe, Latin America, Australia, maybe Japan, but Southeast Asia; I'm hoping for Southeast Asia. But, yeah, it's a world tour, man. I mean, I'm always on a world tour, dude. I never stop."

Last week, PAPA ROACH released a brand-new version of "Even If It Kills Me" via their own label, New Noize Records/ADA. The band and Joshua Landry again produced "Even If It Kills Me (Reimagined)". The original single reached No. 1 at U.S. Rock Radio, marking PAPA ROACH's 13th appearance at the top of the charts.

"Even If It Kills Me (Reimagined)" is a fresh take on its heavier counterpart, showcasing the hit song in a new light, with a melodic arrangement and signature vocals delivered by Shaddix.

In a recent interview with the I-Rock 93.5 radio station, Shaddix spoke about the lyrical inspiration for "Even If It Kills Me", which was released in late January via the group's own label New Noize Records/ADA. He said: "This one was started about two years ago, the music part of it, and I heard it first from the first musical just vibe with the strings. I was, like, 'It sounds cinematic. This sounds like it's about to be a journey we're taking the fans on.' So I hit the boys up instantly. I'm, like, 'Dude, I can't wait to get in the studio on this one.' Then life happens, and some stuff goes down. My older son went through this really traumatic heartbreak breakup. Just his whole world was leveled, and I watched my son just crumble. And that was a tough one. But to also have to go, 'Hey, man, there's some hard truths about life, and sometimes people aren't what they show themselves as, and there's two sides to people sometimes. And you got one, and then eventually discovered that other dark side of them and you were hurt.' And that was really hard for me to watch my son just fall to pieces. And that song was born from that moment of going, 'I wanna be able to help you, but I also know that you kind of gotta walk through the fire.' And knowing that, 'I'm not gonna leave you. I'm here for you, but I'm also gonna stand in that fire with you.' And I wanted to shoulder the pain. I wish I could, but sometimes we have to go through those moments in life that build character. Who are you? Can you get back up? Well, my son got back up."

PAPA ROACH recently completed the European leg of the "Rise Of The Roach" tour. The trek saw PAPA ROACH bring its biggest-ever production and journey deep through their vast music catalogue, including a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the band's iconic breakthrough album "Infest". Special guests for the global tour were WAGE WAR in Europe and will include RISE AGAINST and UNDEROATH in the U.S.

PAPA ROACH are two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock music. PAPA ROACH are not unfamiliar with calling attention to mental health and have been doing so since the seminal release of their first hit single "Last Resort". Since then, the band has gone on to create 10 studio albums, their most recent, the aforementioned "Ego Trip", on their own label New Noize Records.

Photo credit: Bryson Roatch

In a new interview with Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda, EUROPE vocalist Joey Tempest spoke about the band's plans for the follow-up to 2017's "Walk The Earth" album. Asked if he and his bandmates are working on new material, Joey said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, absolutely. It's been a long while. We've never had this long of a break before — ever. We always move from tour into the studio, tour into the studio. I mean, [2012's] 'Bag Of Bones', [2015's] 'War Of Kings' and [2017's] 'Walk The Earth', it was a period in our lives, a very energetic period. But we've been touring ever since, though, ever since 'Walk The Earth'. But we haven't been in the studio. I mean, it started a bit with the, the period of COVID, that made us sort of start over again. In a way, it was good for writing because I could start from scratch. There was more time all of a sudden. There was not, like, 'Let's record an album because we've gotta get back on the road.' We had time all of a sudden. So this is what makes the new album interesting. In a way, it feels like a debut album because it has had life. We had to live with ideas for years. And that's how debut albums are with bands, 'cause bands are out touring and they have written the songs and they live with them, they play them. And it feels a bit like that. It feels fresh, this new EUROPE album."

He continued: "We're halfway through. We're sending demos to each other. We're getting there. We've got some great ideas already.

"We're planning on going in the studio in the autumn, which means there'll be music out next year. And the whole band is very excited about that. The songs are coming, and it feels fresh, with some influences from our past as well. But, as you know, we always experiment as well. So it's kind of the usual adventure, EUROPE adventure. But there's some good stuff there."

Tempest also spoke about EUROPE's upcoming documentary that the band has been busy filming with producer/director Craig Hooper (DEEP PURPLE, SAXON) for Coolhead Productions. The film will tell the story of the band, from formation until present day, telling of their rise to success in the mid-1980s, through hard times and heartache, to coming back in the millennium, and the current successes the band has achieved.

Joey said: "We've had this team with us for four or five years traveling with us to document the newEUROPE. But during COVID, we'd started thinking, 'Hang on a second. Maybe it's time to do the documentary.' People have asked us to do this many years now. But we decided, 'Okay, let's do it.' And then we found a box with old VHS tapes. Our first manager, he walked around with this huge VHS camera when we were just kids. We were still teenagers, and we were wondering, 'What are you doing with that thing? Stop filming,' kind of thing. But he kept filming, and there's [footage] from hotel rooms, there's [footage] from backstage from the middle of '80s and up to '92. And there's stuff from all over the world. And there's stuff that has never [been] seen before, and it was exciting for us as well. So, basically, it's new footage from the band today touring, and there's old VHS footage that has never been seen, and the whole story of us coming from the suburbs of Stockholm, going out in the world and then, in the early '90s, grunge hitting the scene, and it's a bit of a dip and then it's us building everything up again to where we are today. So it's quite a good story as well. And the director's done a great job. So we can't wait. It's gonna be exciting to put this out."

Last month, Joey told El Expreso Del Rock that the musical direction of the upcoming EUROPE LP won't be similar to that of "Walk The Earth" and "War Of Kings". He said: "No, it'll move on. It'll be a new adventure. But I realize, hearing some of the demos we make now, that it's really strong, [with] great melodies. Some of it's really heavy as well. But there's also some connection to the past.

"I'm writing with everyone," he revealed. "I'm writing with John [Norum, guitar], I'm writing with John [Levén, bass] and Mic [Michaeli, keyboards]. And there's beautiful melodies there as well. I'm really excited. There's some great songs coming on. And it's been a while, so we've had time to live with the music, almost like a debut album, almost like the first album, because we have years to live with the songs. We know some of them are really strong because they have staying power; they've stayed for years now. So yeah, this could be an interesting album.

"Yeah, we just like to go on our own adventure, but always carry your past with you," he explained. "That's the thing."

Regarding the upcoming EUROPE documentary, Joey said: "We're so happy to be together after 40 years. Last year was so emotional, that tour. It was incredible to look around the stage at my teenage friends, and we were still there playing and there was great connection with the audience. And so we carry that spirit on to this year. So we're gonna start touring now. South America is the first touring for this year. And we're gonna carry that spirit through the emotional thing that we're still together with. And in this case, we're meeting new fans as well. But it's a great feeling to be here. It's a great job, and to be with the same same guys, yeah. We're gonna do South America. Then we do festivals all over Europe, and then we'll go into the studio. And hopefully this year as well, yeah, it will come out, the official documentary of EUROPE, and it's a great journey. And we have found footage, old footage from hotel rooms, Japan and around the world, San Francisco, when we mixed 'The Final Countdown', there's some footage [that had] never [been] seen [before]. And there's a lot of new footage from us traveling around the world, in South America and other places, mixed in with the story of these young punks from Stockholm making it in the world and then grunge coming along and then building it up again, and it's a great story. So we're really excited to release this documentary as well. So there's a lot of things going on in the EUROPE camp."

Asked if the documentary will be released this year, Joey said: "Yeah, I'd say it will be. We're almost done. We're doing the final editing now. Everything's been approved by the band. Every bandmember has seen it now. And the final editing, we're gonna put some narration on. We're very close. I just hope we get it out maybe before the summer, if not after the summer. Yeah, we're looking forward to that."

In September 2023, EUROPE released a new song titled "Hold Your Head Up". The track, which was described by the band as "a punchy uptempo rocker with reminiscent elements of early EUROPE," was recorded in August 2023 at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm with producer Klas Åhlund (GHOST, ROBYN) and was mixed by Stefan Glaumann (RAMMSTEIN, DEF LEPPARD),who also mixed EUROPE's "Secret Society" album.

In an interview with Metal Global, Tempest was asked why he and his EUROPE bandmates decided to record and release just one song at this time. Tempest said: "We wanted to get this ready before the [fall 2023 European] tour and the [upcoming EUROPE] documentary. So we focused on this song so we could have something out together with the tour and the documentary. That's why we released one song now. But we have a handful of songs — great ideas."

Regarding the experience of working with Åhlund this time around, Joey said: "It was a great experience. We all liked it. The whole band would like to do more stuff with him. We don't know whether he's gonna be the producer of the [upcoming EUROPE] album yet, but... No, we don't know yet. I mean, it would be an interesting idea, actually. But we haven't decided yet. But we were very happy finding him and working with him. He's very professional, and he's also listened to EUROPE when he was younger and so he knows how we think. And the procedure with him was amazing. It went really smooth, and he's a very talented, very talented man. He's a guitar player as well."

Joey also talked about the musical direction of "Hold Your Head Up", which Botas noted is a combination of the classic EUROPE sound and the band's more recent, bluesier approach. The singer said: "I think it's a good mixture in the song. We never really set out to do that. It was an idea I had, and I sent it to the guys and everybody was, like, 'Yeah, that's great. Let's do that.' So, it's a natural progression, but I think you're right. I think it's a little bit of some melodies, especially in the verses, in the end of the verses there, there's melodies that remind you of some of the earlier stuff. But maybe the chorus and the riff a little bit, it's also quite fresh and more modern, I suppose. So yeah, it's got a bit of everything, but it still sounds like EUROPE, which is really cool."

"Hold Your Head Up" was made available to stream and download on September 29, 2023 across all reputable digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple, iTunes, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, Pandora and YouTube Music.

In the fall of 2023, EUROPE completed the "Time Capsule" European tour which included 21 concerts across Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden, France, The Netherlands, and the U.K., including two nights at the famous London Palladium. These anniversary shows consisted of a career retrospective "evening with" performance featuring all the hits together with deep cuts and fan favorites from all of their 11 studio albums.

"Walk The Earth" was released in October 2017 via Hell & Back Recordings (Silver Lining Music). It was recorded at famed Abbey Road Studios in London with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (RIVAL SONS, Shooter Jennings, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton).

In a new interview with Mexico's OsvAlex Comunicación, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill spoke about the band's upcoming spring 2025 Latin American tour, including the May 4 concert in Mexico City with OPETH. Asked what fans can expect from the setlist for the upcoming shows, Hill said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, there'll be three or four songs from the new record [2024's 'Invincible Shield'], which is really unfortunate, but it's all we have time for, because you've only got a certain amount of time you can play and, obviously, for every new song you've gotta drop potentially somebody's favorite. So it gets difficult, with the more material that you have. But we try and do our best to keep it fans 'favorites — obviously, we like to keep the singalong songs. But the other back catalog songs, we try and keep them familiar, so everyone knows the songs. And then the three or four new ones. And we do our best to get a good blend of those three things. And I think we've done well.

"We've been playing pretty much this set for a year now, 'cause we started about this time last year, actually — a little bit earlier, in February — so it's well played in," Hill explained. "And, obviously, the production goes along with the songs as well, which will be typical PRIEST things — lots of sound, lots of lights, things that move around, the motorcycle, what have you, the big screens at the back. It'll be a typical PRIEST mega show. [Laughs] And, yeah, that's what we're bringing to Mexico. And we're looking forward to doing that."

Regarding the possibility of PRIEST recording a live album in Mexico, Hill said: "Maybe. We'll see. I mean, it's just easy to do these days. And we take recording equipment with us all the time, and I think most of the nights are recorded. So you never know — if you do a live album, at least part of it might be from Mexico. [Laughs] So, we'll see where it leads. But we've been doing that now for quite a few years. It is just good for posterity. We don't keep it all, obviously — you can't keep it all. But, yeah, we record most shows."

"Invincible Shield" entered the U.K. chart at No. 2, just behind Ariana Grande's "Eternal Sunshine".

Prior to "Invincible Shield"'s arrival, PRIEST's highest U.K. chart achievement was with 1980's "British Steel", which reached No. 4.

PRIEST's 2018 album "Firepower" entered the chart at No. 5.

"Invincible Shield" was JUDAS PRIEST's fifth Top 10 album, after the aforementioned "British Steel" and "Firepower", as well as 2014's "Redeemer Of Souls" (No. 6) and the 1979 live album "Unleashed In The East" (No. 10).

"Invincible Shield" landed at No. 1 in Germany, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as No. 5 in France, No. 8 in Italy and No. 16 in Australia.

JUDAS PRIEST will celebrate the 35th anniversary of its classic album "Painkiller" extensively live with the "Shield Of Pain" tour. This "rare" and "unique set" will include "beloved classics" and "will be defending the metal faith in a truly memorable experience throughout Europe" this summer, according to a social media post from PRIEST.

In a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine, GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge spoke about his recently leaked solo album called "Passiflora", which was recorded in 2008 and went officially unreleased and largely unheard. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I remember that when I wrote the songs and I had recorded them, I was a little bit irritated that I had not written them in a key that was ideal for my singing. It's amateur mistakes. There are some songs on [GHOST's debut album, 2010's] 'Opus [Eponymous]' that are like that. I should have written them in another key. I should have detuned them to more fully… And it's not too late; I can do that."

Forge continued: "I think 'Passiflora' was definitely a — it's a super-ambitious record. I was so filled with emotions and creativity. I had a real vision for that record. I had a real vision for that band. It literally really didn't go anywhere. So when that happens… If you write a love letter and that just disappears into the void, you would just try to distance yourself from it as soon as possible and, and that's what I felt."

Forge also talked about GHOST's upcoming album, "Skeletá", which will arrive on April 25 via Loma Vista Recordings. Asked if there were new things that he tried vocally on "Skeletá" that he hadn't attempted in the past, Forge said: "Well, I don't know. Probably. Not off the top of my head. There was moments when… There was a lot of bits and pieces of sort of kind of naked vocals in there that aren't as dubbed as I usually do them. I like stacking up vocals, just because I like that sort of… I mentioned RAMONES [earlier in the interview]… I'm actually a huge RAMONES fan. I'm very influenced by RAMONES. But I'm just saying that that they are an example of a band that people think are just pure punk. But they aren't just pure punk. It's pop melodies, pop songs, and Joey [Ramone] always like stacked up his vocals. How you get that sound of Joey Ramone is by stacking the vocals. That's why I started doing that already in [Forge's early 2000s pop rock band] SUBVISION because I wanted to have that sort of magically chorusy RAMONES-sounding sonics, basically. And when you do that a lot, it does make vocals sound really big. It makes it sound really — especially when you layer it up with harmonies and stuff, that's how you get that sort of AOR big, fleshed out wide a cappella sound, basically. And what you can do then as a little trick, if you just wanna make it sound a little different, it's, like, don't dub, and then all of a sudden you get a little bit more of a naked feeling, which I don't like because I don't like my voice much. I only like it when it's dubbed. I don't like it when it's not dubbed."

After Forge made a handful of CD-R copies of "Passiflora" to hand out to record companies, the effort failed to be picked up by any label and the project was scrapped. Those CD-R copies eventually made their way into the hands of collectors, with copies in recent years selling for up to $5,000 due to their rarity.

Prior to the entire "Passiflora" LP being leaked in February, only two songs from it — "House Of Affection" and "In Enigma Schiffer" — made it on to YouTube, while a physical CD sold for $5,434 on Discogs in March 2024.

The first single from, "Skeletá", a song called "Satanized", was made available in early March.

The "Satanized" music video introduces the new character who will be fronting GHOST for its 2025 touring cycle: Papa V Perpetua.

GHOST has also launched an interactive element dubbed The Satanizer, a first-of-its-kind music video experience for fans who wish to be "Satanized." Developed in partnership with Jason Zada (Elf Yourself),The Satanizer will morph its users into characters featured in the song's melodramatic video. With a quick upload of your photo, The Satanizer will send out a personalized music video clip featuring the participant, who can in turn share via social media that they too have been "Satanized."

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of 2018's "Prequelle". In March 2020, at final show of GHOST's "Prequelle" tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the character who fronted the act for its "Impera" (2022) album phase.

As previously reported, GHOST will embark on a world tour in 2025. The European leg of the trek will kick off on April 15 in Manchester, United Kingdom and conclude on May 24 in Oslo, Norway. The North American leg of GHOST's 2025 tour will launch on July 9 in Baltimore, Maryland and wrap up on August 16 in Houston, Texas.

The physical home video of GHOST's worldwide Top 10 box office smash feature film debut "Rite Here Rite Now" was made available on December 6, 2024.

Last Monday, March 31, German metal queen Doro Pesch received a lifetime achievement award in her former hometown of Düsseldorf. The award was presented to the singer in a grand, ceremonial setting by Klaus Meine, frontman of the legendary rock band SCORPIONS.

"I am overjoyed and deeply moved," Doro said. "It is a tremendous honor to receive this lifetime achievement award from my hometown of Düsseldorf."

With heartfelt emotion, she added: "A very special thanks also goes to Klaus Meine of SCORPIONS for his touching tribute and his wonderful friendship. This evening will always hold a very special place in my heart."

The award honors Pesch's groundbreaking career, which began in the 1980s with her band WARLOCK. As one of the first women to break into the male-dominated heavy metal scene, she established herself as a lasting force in the international music industry. With over ten million albums sold and more than 3,500 concerts across 60 countries, the Düsseldorf native is among the most successful female rock musicians of all time.

In a 2023 interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music, Pesch was asked if she is married or she has a "partner". She responded: "What you see is what you get. Usually I'm always on tour or in the studio. That's definitely my world. And I never thought of settling down or getting married or having kids. Maybe another lifetime, but it's not much to it. I have a friend — yeah, he's kind of a boyfriend — and have many friends. I never felt the urge to get married and [have] kids."

She continued: "I made up my mind when I was 24. I was one day waking up. I was living in New York City, which I love so much, New York. And then I woke up and I thought, 'Okay, today I will choose my priorities.' And then I thought, what do I really want? And then it was clear. I wanna do music and I wanna make people happy, empower people. And I wanna do it for the fans as long as I live. And that is my life. I don't have many hobbies as well. It's only studio, working on songs, going on tour, rehearsing, doing stuff for the fans. And yeah, that's about it."

Pesch added: "I wouldn't wanna have another life. When I was younger, I was a graphic artist, which that was actually cool because I could always work together with the graphic artists or with the painters. So that always helped, when we did the visuals for us."

Back in 2007, Doro told FourteenG.net webzine that starting a family wasn't something she was ever interested in. "Actually, I made a conscious decision a couple of years ago, maybe it was like five, six years ago, and I really thought what I wanted to do in the future and then I thought I definitely wanted to dedicate my life to music. And then in our band everybody was starting to think about maybe getting married and stuff… and then I thought, 'Maybe that's not for me.' Maybe in another lifetime. Right now I'm totally happy."

She continued: "I don't miss it at all; I love kids and you know when I was growing up I always thought I would love to have 10 kids. But now in the past couple of years I know it's probably impossible with the lifestyle and the tour bus and doing what we do. I made a decision and that's good; it definitely makes me happy even [though] it never worked out that I settled down or get married… Sometimes it came close to somebody, where I thought, 'Ah, it could work,' and one year later I was on tour and that was the end of the relationship. I'm not unhappy about having a family, it's just it's different. I feel like the fans are my family. It's a little bit different, but yeah… I feel so close to them that I don't miss anything at all. It's cool."

Doro's latest album, "Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud", was released in October 2023 via Nuclear Blast.

Photo credit: Jan Jaedike



Pictures from this week's ceremony where I received a lifetime achievement award in my former hometown Düsseldorf. Thanks soooo much again to #KlausMeine of #Scorpions for the wonderful speech, to #StefanHerkenhoff for joining me on stage (and on the red carpet) and to everyone who set up and joined this wonderful event.
🤘💪❤️🙏
#Love, #Doro Pesch

📷: DDJ2024
Scorpions
Rheinische Post
#doropesch
#conqueress
#warlock
#allformetal
#allweare

Posted by Doro Pesch Official German on Friday, April 4, 2025

There's been speculation behind closed doors for some time, and at long last it's official: American hard rock veterans HARDLINE, helmed by vocalist Johnny Gioeli (also frontman of the AXEL RUDI PELL band),have signed with Steamhammer/SPV. The five-piece act is currently working on new material for its upcoming studio album, scheduled to be released in spring 2026, to be followed by two headlining tours of Europe, including a number of shows at major summer festivals.

"The time is right, not just for a new album, but also for a complete restart," explains Johnny Gioeli, "not least with the support of an ambitious record company that's always been one hundred percent behind its bands.

"I've known SPV for over 25 years and appreciate how committed they are to their work. They always give their all for their artists. I'm looking forward to working with them and can't wait to start recording our new album in spring 2025."

Gioeli promises his fans an album that couldn't be more typical of HARDLINE, commenting: "We've always had our own, unmistakable sound, that characteristic HARDLINE style, and that's definitely not about to change. There will be no half-hearted experiments with me and my bandmates Alessandro Del Vecchio (keyboards),Luca Princiotta (guitars),Anna Portalupi (bass) and Marco Di Salvia (drums). Everyone will get what they've come to expect from this band and have been familiar with since our '92 debut classic 'Double Eclipse'. We'll get back to our children!"

Steamhammer label manager Olly Hahn is also delighted with this successful coup and looks forward to a promising collaboration.

"Obviously, there's no need to explicitly go into Johnny Gioeli's great qualities as a singer with Axel Rudi Pell, and he's just as fantastic with his own band," Hahn says.

"HARDLINE stands for consistent excellence in the melodic rock genre, and I'm happy that this band is now part of the Steamhammer family!"

HARDLINE 2025 tour dates:

May 03 - SK - Bratislava - Randal Club
May 04 - AT - Vienna - Szene
May 27 - IT - Bologna - Alchemica Music Club
May 28 - IT - Milano - legend Club
June 06 - SE - Sölvesborg - Sweden Rock Festival
June 08 - ES - Villena Alicante - Leyendas Del Rock
September 20 - CH - Tennwil - Rocknacht Festival
November 14 - UK - Nottingham - Saltbox
November 18 - UK - Southampton - The Brook
November 20 - UK - London - The Underworld
November 21 - UK - Crumlin - Patriot
November 25 - UK - Manchester - Bread Shred
November 27 - UK - Wolverhampton - KK's Steel Mill
November 29 - UK - Troon - Winterstorm Festival
November 30 - UK - Newcastle - Digital

In a new interview with The Music Universe, POISON drummer Rikki Rockett spoke about the band's plans to return to the road in 2026 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of POISON's debut album, 1986's "Look What The Cat Dragged In". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "You know what? We're in talks right now about that. This week has been the week that we're starting to plan that possibility. I think we should do it.

"I could tour nine months outta the year every year," Rikki continued. "Touring I love. As long as I can see my family, I'm good. Especially the way POISON tours, it's great. It's a great experience. You get to know people out there, all these territories. You get to know the people that do security at the buildings, you get to know the people that supply the food and all this stuff, and then fans that you see every year. It's like this family reunion. And I used to hear older bands talk about that. I'm, like, 'What are you talking about?' Now I know. I get it. Even some of the hotels, you go, like, 'Hey, you were at the front desk the last year I was here.' 'Yeah, welcome back.' And so, yeah, it's pretty cool.

"When somebody said, one time they said, 'You go down the same steps you went up,' it's so true. You run into so many of the same people."

Last December, POISON frontman Bret Michaels told Ethan Dometrius about the band's 2026 touring plans: "So here's the deal. I go through '25. We're doing a bunch of these big festivals [with my solo band] … So I'm doing a bunch of those. And then 2026, C.C. [DeVille, POISON guitarist] and Bobby [Dall, POISON bassist] and Rikki, I'm here because of them, because of us having each other's back in the beginning, through the middle, through right now. And it'll be four years since we've toured, since 'The Stadium Tour', together, and we're just hoping to make this absolutely 40 awesome dates, and just putting every, as we do, putting every ounce of energy on that stage and just bringing an absolute party."

Regarding POISON's mindset when performing live, Bret said: "POISON just goes out there. And I say this, that stadium tour, I was so grateful to be on it. And I just hit that thrust and I couldn't stop… I told 'em, I said, 'I can't stop smiling right now. It's ridiculous.' And we just went out there, and we play real live music. We don't mess around. We just give it, thrills and frills and good times."

Speaking specifically about DeVille's skills as a guitar player, Bret said: "I kid you not, and I get it, POISON's had some good parties, some good times, some highs, lows — that's what you go through as a human being and as a musician — but C.C. and Bobby and Rikki, and I like to put myself in there, we grew up just playing real live music, and C.C. can play; that guy can play… And C.C. up there, his tribute [on 'The Stadium Tour'] to Eddie [Van Halen], who was a friend and he loved, I thought it was not only engaging but it was really sincere. He wasn't doing it just to throw it away; he really meant it."

Last October, Rockett was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he and his POISON bandmates will embark on a headline tour in 2026 or if they will package with another band, possibly as part of another stadium tour. The 63-year-old Rikki, whose real name is Richard Allan Ream, said: "It's not figured out. We have agreed to do a minimum of 40 dates and maybe more. So whatever it works out to be, but it's for sure gonna be that many, at least. And I don't know. I mean, if there's somebody that we can package with that makes sense, great. If there isn't, then we'll headline. Whatever makes sense. I don't know who's going out yet that year, in '26, but if it makes sense to package with somebody, we'll do it. If it doesn't, we'll do it ourselves. It's like Bret said, if you can't do it right, do it anyway. But we'll be doing it right. [Laughs]"

In September 2024, Bret told Arizona Republic about POISON's plan to tour in 2026: "Yeah, that would be incredible. We've just got to work out all the moving parts. But all original members. There's so much planning goes behind that. When I'm out as Bret Michaels, it's simpler because I'm making all the end decisions. When you're in a band like POISON, it's a committee. You go in there, and you figure it out together. You make sure everyone's good. And hopefully, we can make that work in '26."

Asked if things were "good" between him and his POISON bandmates during the 2022 "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and Joan Jett, Bret said: "Absolutely. I want to be very clear. Other than an occasional throw down fistfight — I'm not making this up — we're like best friends. But there's no gray area. All of a sudden, we'll get in a fistfight. But the next day, we'll go out and play. We'll work it out like a band of brothers. 'The Stadium Tour' was amazing. We were having fun. We didn't get too many soundchecks. We just dealt with what we were given and were grateful to be there. DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY, they were amazing. They played great. But we just came out, and we knew we had one hour at 6 o'clock to go out there and give it everything we had. And it was one of the only stadium tours that from Live Nation's lips to everyone's ears, it was 98 to 100% filled when POISON went on."

Earlier in September, Michaels released a statement via social media in which he said that he was planning to "perform limited shows" in 2025 to focus primarily on his health, "starting with my diabetes which needs a tune-up, not to mention a little R&R." He added that 2026 "would be the perfect" time for a POISON 40th-anniversary tour, "with 40 awesome limited dates to go out, play real live hit songs, and rock the world."

Bret's explanation came two days after Rockett revealed on social media that Michaels was no longer interested in touring with POISON in 2025.

On September 10, 2024, the POISON drummer took to his official Facebook page to write: "I keep getting asked multiple times a day, 'Why isn't POISON touring in 2025 now?' Super simple answer, Bret doesn't want to." The following day, Rikki clarified: "People, I never said that Bret is cancelling the 2025 tour. It didn't get booked. I said the reason POISON isn't touring in 2025 is because Bret doesn't want to. Doesn't matter what the reason for him is as far as what I said. I'm simply telling you why so that CC, Bobby or myself doesn't get blamed. It isn't dirt. It isn't a fight. Just the facts, ma'am. Surmise what you want from it. You will anyway!"
A year ago, Bret spoke about POISON's plans to regroup for more shows following the band's 2022 participation in "The Stadium Tour" alongside MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD and Joan Jett. During a February 25, 2024 question-and-answer session aboard the Rock Legends Cruise XI, he said about his motivation for going back out on the road with POISON after spending most of his time touring with his solo band: "We've known each other since we've been in junior high school… I wouldn't be here without Bobby or Rikki or C.C. And then, as you go along, we've been together a long time — still great friends. If anyone saw 'The Stadium Tour', that was a party. And when you're out there with that DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY and Joan, you're talking A-plus awesomeness. And we just came out and brought it.

"For me, what it is, we do about a couple of years solo, and then we'll go out and do 35 or 40 dates with POISON," he explained. "And we set it up, we schedule it."

POISON's long-delayed North American trek with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally planned for 2020 and later moved to 2021 and then to 2022.

In 2018, POISON completed the "Nothin' But A Good Time" tour with CHEAP TRICK and POP EVIL.

POISON's last album of new material was 2002's "Hollyweird". An album of covers, "Poison'd", followed in 2007.

Back in 2018, Dall said that POISON "should" be making a new studio album but claimed that he didn't know if it would happen. "I'm not going to bullshit you and say there's any [new music] in the process [of being made]," he told All That Shreds. "Would I like there to be? Yes. But, it's a matter of everyone having the time. Everybody in the band has other commitments. Some members have younger children than others. So between those two issues, it's difficult, and, you know, [there are] health issues as we get older. Should we be making a new record? Yes, definitely. But will it happen? I don't know."

In a 2017 interview, Rikki acknowledged that part of the reason the band hasn't been motivated to work on new music has been the fact that fans rarely show interest in hearing fresh material performed live when classic rock groups go on tour. "We could write the second coming of 'Talk Dirty To Me', and I don't know if people wanna hear it or not, and that's a frustrating thing; it really is," he said. "AEROSMITH was able to do it, but not everybody is. I mean, even THE ROLLING STONES have had problems with that in the last few years. So… I don't know. But I do think it's important to stay viable. For the 'über fans,' it's always a really, really good thing. And that's what you do it for — you do it for you, you do it for the real fans, the real true fans."

More recently, Rockett admitted that he and other members of POISON harbored some resentment toward Michaels, whose frequent tours as a solo artist caused the band to take a five-year break from the road.

"I think we need to get away from each other and do other things, but at the same time, I think he spent a little too much time away," Rockett said. "There's definitely some resentment, but not resentment like I want him to fail. I want him to do good. I just want POISON to be important too, and I would like [him] to put a little more energy into POISON."

In a new interview with American Musical Supply, Zakk Wylde spoke about the possibility of more music from BLACK LABEL SOCIETY after the release of two singles, "The Gallows" in September 2024 and "Lord Humungus" this past February. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "We did the 'Lord Humungus' video and then we did 'The Gallows'. And I'm actually enjoying this process of doing the album this way where instead of usually you do the album, it's all done, then you make two videos or whatever and then you put them out and then it's kind of run its course — or maybe three videos. Now I think we're just gonna keep pumping out videos and doing singles and things like that until we're ready to tour in 2026 or whatever. Because everything's right now is dedicated to the PANTERA celebration. So we're doing that. And then in the spots that are in between there, we're having a blast with the ZAKK SABBATH stuff. And then, sometime in 2026, then it's time for the BLACK LABEL [to hit the road again], so we'll throw that one in high gear."

Asked about how much easier it is for him to record music now that he has a home studio at his disposal, Zakk said: "It's great… Most the time when we would do a record, it's just like there's an implosion of ideas. You write 'em, and then you're done. And then when you get some other ideas and it's time to write another [song], then you come up with this other thing… It's an implosion of ideas, and then you're done… Even with 'The Gallows' and 'Lord Humungus', it was just kinda like I was jamming on 'em in my weight room on my amp. And then I was like, 'Oh, this is a cool riff. I like this thing.' And then just put a melody to it, and then the guys came out and recorded it. And then we just recorded it just then, so it wasn't like it's been sitting around for a while."

When it eventually arrives, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's twelfth studio LP will be the follow-up to "Doom Crew Inc.", which came out in November 2021 via MNRK Heavy.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY headlined Zakk's inaugural music festival, Berzerkus, on September 14, 2024 at Poconos Park in Bushkill, Pennsylvania. Berzerkus was co-headlined by outlaw country music's Cody Jinks.

Wylde formed BLACK LABEL SOCIETY in 1998 and has kept the band busy in between touring and recording with Ozzy Osbourne, whose backing group he first joined more than three and a half decades ago.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's "Order Of The Black" (2010) and "Catacombs Of The Black Vatican" (2014) both broke into the top five on the hard rock album charts.

Since first joining Ozzy, Zakk has played on all of the BLACK SABBATH singer's solo albums except for 2020's "Ordinary Man", including such classic efforts as "No More Tears" (1991),"Ozzmosis" (1995) and "Black Rain" (2007).

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is:

Zakk Wylde - vocals, guitar, piano
John "JD" DeServio - bass
Jeff Fabb - drums
Dario Lorina - guitar