During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Beardo & Weirdo" podcast, hosted by FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH bassist Chris Kael and comedian Craig Gass, SHINEDOWN guitarist Zach Myers was asked if it blows his mind that the music he and his bandmates created " has that same deep, deep emotional connection with people" as the music he grew up listening to. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes. But it also at times doesn't feel real, because it's true. Your music does mean as much to you as Bruce Springsteen meant to me or U2 meant to me or Steve Ray Vaughan or whatever. But when it's you, it's hard to… I get a lot of imposter syndrome, so it's hard to go, 'Oh.' Like when people say, 'Dude, your song saved my life,' the computer just stops working for me. And I go, 'Oh, man.' And I don't want it to make it look like it goes in one ear and out the other, 'cause the truth is people saying those types of things to me are the reason we stop doing meet-and-greets. Because I've got kids, and I would go to a meet-and-greet…"

Zach continued: "We would do [our meet-and-greets] very different. Some people just do a photo line. It's, like, quick — in, out. We've toured with bands — they do 150 people in 30 minutes. It took us 90 minutes to do 40 people. 'Cause me and [SHINEDOWN singer] Brent [Smith] would start at one end, [SHINEDOWN bassist] Eric [Bass] and [SHINEDOWN drummer] Barry [Kerch] at the other, and we would just chat for five minutes with each person. And you'd get these people, and they would go, 'Man, I've got a seven-year-old boy. He died of cancer.' And I'm, like, under my shirt, texting my wife, like, 'Take our kid to the hospital right now.' She's, like, 'What? He's on the trampoline.' I'm, like, 'He might have cancer.' And God bless those people, and I want our songs to help them. I am man enough to admit I don't have the emotional barricade to not walk on stage with that. By the end of it — I think [it was] 2019 when we stopped doing meet-and-greets — I walked out of 11, just walked out. Because I was literally, like, I would start to tear up. And you go to the guy next to you, and he's, like, 'Dude, [I've] seen you guys 25 times, bro. Stoked to be here.' And you're, like, 'Sorry, man. I can't turn this off. I'm gonna think about this kid for a year.' And you feel for the families. But now what it's done for us, I think not doing them, is when you meet people out on the street, it becomes more real. It's not this formulative thing, the construct of a meet-and-greet. It's, like, they get to see the real you."

SHINEDOWN's eighth studio album, "Ei8ht", will arrive on May 29 via Atlantic Records.

SHINEDOWN recently announced a massive "Dance, Kid, Dance Act II" world tour, taking the band to 11 countries across 54 dates, including stops throughout North America and Europe at some of the world's biggest venues.

Joining SHINEDOWN on the massive worldwide tour will be COHEED AND CAMBRIA, BLACK STONE CHERRY, FROM ASHES TO NEW, DJ Rock Feed and THOSE DAMN CROWS on various dates.

The world tour adds to the band's first-ever curated festival event — Shinedown's Lunatic Ball Beach Weekend, taking place October 23-25, 2026 in Miramar Beach, Florida. The three-day destination experience will feature performances from SHINEDOWN (two unique headlining sets),BUSH, HANSON, FLYLEAF (with Lacey Sturm),LIVING COLOUR, FROM ASHES TO NEW, GUARDIANS OF THE JUKEBOX, NEON MOONERS and more.

Over the past year, SHINEDOWN released four major songs, "Dance, Kid, Dance", "Killing Fields", "Three Six Five" and "Searchlight", each reinforcing the band's position as one of the most powerful forces in modern music. "Dance, Kid, Dance" and "Killing Fields" both reached No. 1 at rock radio, while "Three Six Five" became a global crossover hit, topping No. 1 at Alternative radio, landing Top 10 at Hot AC and AC, and breaking into the Top 20 at Top 40. In the process, SHINEDOWN extended their record with the most No. 1 songs on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart history (with 21 No. 1's) and Mediabase's Active Rock chart (with 23 No. 1's),continuing a legacy built on consistency, ambition, and emotional connection.

SHINEDOWN is nominated at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards for "Rock Artist Of The Year", "Duo/Group Of The Year" and "Rock Song Of The Year" for "Dance, Kid, Dance". These nominations follow a landmark showing at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, where the band won both "Rock Artist Of The Year" and "Rock Song Of The Year" for "A Symptom Of Being Human", marking the second consecutive year SHINEDOWN has been recognized among the genre's top honors.

Alternative rock band SLEEPING WITH SIRENS has returned with a poignant and powerful new track, "An Ending In Itself", produced by Will Yip (TURNSTILE, CIRCA SURVIVE, MOVEMENTS).

Driven by unrelenting angst and gigantic melodies, the track marks SLEEPING WITH SIRENS' first single released with Rise Records since "Feel", which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Earlier Rise releases include "With Ears To See And Eyes To Hear" and the gold-certified "Let's Cheers To This", which produced the platinum single "If You Can't Hang".

SLEEPING WITH SIRENS frontman Kellin Quinn commented: "This song is a love letter to anyone in the midst of struggle. I think we live in an age where we're supposed to pretend like we have it ‘all together all of the time' so much so that we're afraid to let anyone in. I think it's important to have open dialogue and to ask for help when we need it. This song is about being brave enough to admit that we're not always okay. No matter what you're going through, there is hope."

After 15 years, seven studio albums, and thousands of shows, SLEEPING WITH SIRENS has outlasted many of its peers while crafting an undeniably unique path through modern alternative rock. They helped to define the early to mid-aughts Warped Tour era and are now experiencing a renewed surge with younger audiences discovering their catalog.

SLEEPING WITH SIRENS — Kellin Quinn (vocals),Nick Martin (guitar),Justin Hills (bass),Matty Best (drums) and newest addition Tony Pizzuti (guitar) — continues to hone its signature sound while boldly exploring new creative frontiers. That future-forward perspective, coupled with a deep connection to their listeners, has established SLEEPING WITH SIRENS as a household name that's more relevant than ever.

Catch SLEEPING WITH SIRENS live this year at Welcome To Rockville, Warped Tour (D.C., Long Beach and Orlando),Inkcarceration, Louder Than Life and Aftershock festivals.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

During an appearance on the March 17 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", ex-QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate was asked if he is still in touch with any of his former bandmates. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, I haven't had any contact, no. I went and saw QUEENSRŸCHE play in Copenhagen last year," apparently referring to early February 2025 when both QUEENSRŸCHE and Tate happened to play Gothenburg, Sweden one day apart. "That was interesting to see, 'cause I'd never seen them live before — without me," Geoff said, forgetting the fact that he watched QUEENSRŸCHE's concert from sidestage when QUEENSRŸCHE and Tate performed — separately — at the Rock Fest Barcelona festival in June 2017 in Barcelona, Spain, where Geoff appeared as the special guest of AVANTASIA. "It was quite interesting. I actually went front row at their show and was hanging out on the barricade. And it was quite an interesting experience."

Geoff continued: "I know there's a lot of weird press about myself and [current QUEENSRŸCHE singer] Todd La Torre, but I have to say mass respect for the guy for stepping into my shoes, for one. And when I went to Copenhagen, I'm standing on the barricade there. And the first thing he did when he came out was straddle the barricade and fistbump me, acknowledging that I was there. And he said, 'Hey, good to see you, man. Stick around. I'm gonna blow you away.' [Laughs] And he did. He was great. He was wonderful being on the stage that night. It was just really a treat seeing him play."

Asked if the QUEENSRŸCHE guys knew that he was coming to see them in Gothenburg or if he just bought a ticket and went up to the front row, Geoff said: "No, we just showed up. We happened to be in the same city. And we had the night off, and so a bunch of us in the band went to see 'em play and check 'em out."

As for whether the fans noticed him and saw him in the crowd, Geoff said: "Oh, yeah. Oh yeah. I spent the entire time getting photos and signing autographs."

Elaborating on the experience of watching his former band perform without him, Tate said: "It's so weird. Yeah. It's so weird. For one, it's my music [laughs], and so [Todd is] singing me. So, yeah, it's strange. And he's a really wonderful singer, he's really good, very technically adept, so he does a really good job of being me. But he's also, over the years, he's kind of, I guess, worked in his own personality. And they have music that they've written together, and they have their own thing as well. But when the band and he play my music, it's just — I don't know. I can't even describe it. It's just like an otherworldly experience [laughs], 'cause he sounds a lot like me. So I'm hearing me, kind of, through him playing my stuff, and it's just —I don't know. It's weird. I can't quite put my finger on how to describe it."

Geoff went on to say that he "didn't talk to any of" the QUEENSRŸCHE guys at the Gothenburg concert. "We had to leave before the end of the show," he explained.

Asked if he paid for his ticket to go see QUEENSRŸCHE, Geoff said: "Of course not. I don't pay for tickets. [Laughs]"

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Guitarist Michael Wilton, drummer Scott Rockenfield and bassist Eddie Jackson responded with a countersuit. The settlement included an agreement that Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson would continue as QUEENSRŸCHE, while Tate would have the sole right to perform "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety live.

Referencing the settlement he reached with his former bandmates, Tate told "Trunk Nation" host Eddie Trunk: "Yeah, I sold them the name QUEENSRŸCHE, which they've benefited from immensely. And it's a good thing. I don't think they could have survived on their own without the name, [in] my personal opinion. [I] could be wrong. But, yeah, and I got the [exclusive right to] 'Operation: Mindcrime', performing in its entirety. I don't think anybody enforces the fact that they can't play a certain number of songs from the album. I think they can only play, like, three songs from the album in a row, something like that. But I mean, Jeez, nobody enforces it. There's not, like, QUEENSRŸCHE police out there [laughs] monitoring who's playing what or anything like that. And gosh, it was so long ago."

Geoff continued: "It's probably one of the most unfortunate things in my life, is how messy that breakup became. And it didn't have to be that at all. It was a business thing. It could have just been handled [amicably]. It could have been that, but it didn't. It got crazy and ugly and weird. And it didn't have to be that. But it did. And now it's water under the bridge, and everybody has moved on from it, which is great, 'cause bands aren't meant to last forever. And we had 30 years of really great music, great albums, amazing tours, amazing experiences, and I'm very proud of what we did together."

In 2021, Tate spoke to Thorn Of Rock about his 2017 chance encounter with his former bandmates in QUEENSRŸCHE. Asked if watching his previous band perform with a new singer was akin to seeing an ex-wife with a new man for the first time, Tate laughed and said: "Yeah, kind of like that. [Laughs] I was actually at the show performing. I played with a band called AVANTASIA. So, AVANTASIA was headlining the Barcelona festival. And I went out early that day to the venue, 'cause I wanted to see QUEENSRŸCHE play. I hadn't seen them perform before without me. I think they were playing at, like, three o'clock in the afternoon, and there was hardly anybody there, but it was really interesting to see them play. And their singer [Todd La Torre], God, he sounds just like me. It was very odd. But I'm glad I [saw them]. I got to say hi to all the guys — except Scott; he wasn't in the band anymore, I guess, at that time. But I got to say hi to Michael and Eddie at least."

Todd recounted his meeting with Geoff during an August 2017 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said: "[Geoff] was guest-performing with AVANTASIA. And I went to the [QUEENSRŸCHE] tour bus and I came back, and I noticed... It's a big backstage with all the drum risers there — you know how it is; they're rolling them in and out — and I saw him talking with Eddie. And so I thought, 'Oh, that's interesting,' because, you know, with everything that went down, you never know how's that dynamic gonna be if we're ever in close proximity together."

According to Todd, the guys in QUEENSRŸCHE "didn't know" that Geoff was going to be at the same event until "somebody had messaged me and said, 'Hey, did you realize that there's a likelihood that you're gonna run into Geoff Tate there?' So that was when I said to the guys, 'Hey, just an F.Y.I.: he is performing with this band, so we're probably gonna be in the same area. Just a heads up. I'm sure it'll be cool, hopefully.' And everyone was, like, 'Okay. Whatever.''

La Torre continued: "And so I saw him chatting with Eddie, and it was cool. And then we were going on, I don't know, maybe an hour, an hour and a half from that incident. And so our show started. He was stage left, so near Michael Wilton's side of the stage, and he stood there, I would imagine, it seemed like probably the whole show. I knew he was standing there watching. So afterward, the show was done and he came over, I exited the stage and he came over and kind of tapped me on the shoulder or something and said, 'Hey,' and put his hand out and said, 'We never really had a chance to meet, really.' And I said, 'Sure.' I shook his hand and he said, 'With everything that kind of went down…', and I said, 'Of course.' And he said, 'This is the first time I'ver heard you sing.' And I didn't know if he meant at all or, obviously, live. And so I said, 'Okay.' He said, he goes, 'Wow! You're amazing!' And I said, 'Well, thank you very much. That's nice to hear.' And I was complimentary of him. I said, 'Listen, for what it's worth, I have defended you. I know that sometimes the media and people can try to stir the pot, and for what it's worth, as far I'm concerned, you've done it all. I was kind of just expressing the sentiment, like, 'You don't have anything to prove in my book. You've already done it all.' And I said, 'I'm doing the best job that I know how.' I told him that the 'Empire' material is actually more difficult for me. I expressed to him that he's always had a very smooth control over those vocal parts, and that's more difficult for me. Now the older stuff is easier for me."

At some point during Todd's conversation with Geoff, "Michael came over and [Tate] shook his hand and said, 'Man, the set was tight. It sounded great,'" La Torre recalled. 'So that was… We joked around and I think at the very end, I had said, 'It would be funny, since everybody is always trying to start shit between us,' I said, 'if we took a selfie together, that would be kind of hilarious, pointing at each other.' And we did, but I never posted the photograph, 'cause I thought, 'I don't need to stir any waters.' But we had a little laugh, and there was no craziness, nothing weird. So, at the end of the day, as an outsider, I thought, 'You know, this is good that we can be in the same area, and there's no craziness or anything.''

Todd said that he he appreciated Geoff's encouraging words, especially considering how awkward it must have been for Tate to witness his former band performing their classic songs with a replacement singer.

"Of course, there are some people that are divided still, the purist type of mentality, and I've heard it all: I suck and I don't sound anything like that, blah blah blah. And so I thought, what better testimony that the band is on the right track, the vocals sound worthy than to hear that from the original singer…" La Tore said. "I don't like to use the word 'endorsement,' but certainly acknowledging that the vocals sound great, the band sounds tight. I just thought, 'Wow, that's kind of an interesting perspective,' if you look at it from what I'm mentioning, where some people say, 'Oh, it doesn't sound right,' or this or that. And you say, 'Well, the original singer seems to think that it sounds excellent,' and what better testimony do you need?"

Asked by Trunk if it "played" on him at all during QUEENSRŸCHE's performance at Rock Fest Barcelona that Tate was standing on the side of the stage watching him sing, La Torre said: "No. No. I mean, at first it's, like, 'Okay, he's standing there watching.' I guess there's a moment of, 'Well, that's really kind of surreal: 'Here's the original singer watching the band perform and I'm singing those songs.' So for a split second [I thought about it], but to be completely honest, I don't care who's on the side of the stage, I just am always gonna just do what I do and not let that affect my psychology of 'How am I gonna perform?' or 'Do I feel intimidated?' I just threw it right out the window and said, 'Okay, there's some people on the side of the stage, like there typically is. Just do your show.' I don't ever get nervous before a show. I mean, if my voice doesn't feel good, then sometimes [I think], 'I hope tonight's gonna be good.'"

Todd continued: "In fact, [Geoff] had asked me [after our performance], he said, 'How do you think the show went?' And I said, 'Do you mean for the band or for me?' And I can't remember — I think he might have said 'both.' And I said, 'As far as the band goes, I think we did well.' I said, 'As far as my performance, I can blow that away,' because I can. I said, 'We've done all these shows — another six in a row, and then four in a row.' I said, 'I've only had one day off, and then another day off. So I'm a little tired, but I got through it.' He was still, again, nice. He said to me, 'I pity what you have to sing.' And I thought, 'I don't know what that means.' Because those records were so amazing and it's not easy material by any means. And I just said to him, 'You know what? Yeah, I can hit the high notes and do this and do that,' I said, 'but you know what you have that I don't have?' I said, 'You created a sound and style of singing — in my opinion — that is iconic. And so you've done it all.' I said, 'You've forgotten more, probably, than most singers would ever really achieve on that kind of a professional level.'"

La Torre added: "So it was a nice, complimentary exchange. We shook each other's hands, we did a little selfie. He was nice to me, I was nice to him. So, should there ever be another time where we're in the same area, it's nice to know that he could walk up to me or I could walk up to him, or whatever, and it's fine. So that was good."

In 2019, La Torre shared three-decade-old photo of him with Tate. La Torre posted the picture on his Facebook, along with the caption: "As a huge fan of QUEENSRŸCHE, I waited in line for an hour + to meet the band at an instore signing. Here is a pic of me and Geoff Tate I have kept private for decades. Little did I know that 20+ years later I would become the singer for QUEENSRŸCHE. Crazy."

A former member of CRIMSON GLORY, La Torre has called QUEENSRŸCHE his "favorite band" since he was "probably 14 or 15 years old." He later said about the opportunity to share the stage with QUEENSRŸCHE: "To be able to play those songs with the actual members was really a dream come true... I mean, I met them [more than] 20 years ago at a signing session they did in Clearwater, Florida. And they signed my 'Warning' album cover; I still have it. In my home studio, I have 'Promised Land' signed and beautifully framed by all the members. So when this actually came to be, I had to pinch myself... This resonates very personally for me because I have a lot of emotional connection to this music, and the fans do, too... It just all feels very comfortable and natural. And I couldn't be more honored. This is a legendary band that's never had another vocalist front those members. And so, out of all the people in the world that could have gotten chosen or would be vying for that position, I feel very lucky and fortunate that they chose me."

Their sons may have eclipsed them in the 21st Century, but for a sleazy moment, Grave Diggler left its stain on hard partying rock n’ roll with decadence, desecrations, and panty raids. The group once stood shoulder to shoulder with their eyeliner-and-excess peers in Poison, Mötley Crüe, and W.A.S.P., before bad business and even worse drugs dampened the fire in their loins. By the early ’90s, like many glam bands, Grave Diggler faded from the spotlight. But history has a strange way of digglering up the past.

“When the directing duo behind Scream (2022) and Scream VI began work on the sequel to Ready or Not, they desperately wanted to include one of Grave Diggler’s forgotten classic anthems. But even after Radio Silence Productions deduced the connection with Spencer Charnas, securing the rights was no mean feat. The ensuing legal battle between fathers and sons resulted in Ice Nine Kills re-recording “Hell or High Slaughter (Grave Diggler: Pt. 2)” for Ready or Not 2 and the long-banned 1987 music video for the song seeing the light of day.

In a new interview with Stefan Nilsson of Roppongi Rocks, MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren spoke about the band's recently released final album and ongoing "farewell" tour, which is expected to last several years. After Nilsson noted that MEGADETH's current lineup — consisting of Verbeuren, guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari and bassist James LoMenzo — is "brilliant" and brought up the possibility of documenting the farewell tour with a live record, Dirk said: "Yeah, it's true. We do get along really well. I do think we have a really good relationship in the band. I think we all understand our roles and how we can best fulfil those roles and support each other and mostly support Dave because, obviously, he has the entire weight of MEGADETH and MEGADETH's history on his shoulders. We're kind of there to help with that and support him. His linebackers, if you will. I think we all do that really well."

Dirk continued: "It's been increasingly fun in the years that I've been in the band. I think I'm having more fun now than ever before playing with the guys. It is obviously a huge honor playing with such amazing musicians. I just really take every day and just look at my job and go, 'Wow, I can't believe I'm doing this.' That's pretty cool."

As for the likelihood of a new live MEGADETH album, the 51-year-old Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based drummer said: "I'm pretty sure we'll probably do a live record. I don't see why we wouldn't. We have plenty of opportunities to record. I think it would be cool. I hope we do. It would be great to have maybe a career retrospective type of live record where we record several shows and make sure there is a big variety of songs on there, because we have way too many songs than we can put in a live set that we wanna play. I think that right now we have somewhere between 40 and 50 songs that we know, that we are always, more or less, ready to play. And that's not even mentioning anything from the new album. We have already played 'Tipping Point' and 'I Don't Care' live. Those and 'Let There Be Shred' would be on the setlist coming up, I would imagine. So, yeah, hopefully, a live record. That would be great."

Verbeuren had been playing with SOILWORK for more than a decade before joining MEGADETH in 2016 as the replacement for Chris Adler (LAMB OF GOD),who called Dirk "probably [one of the] top three drummers in the world."

In interview with the KATT Rock 100.5 FM radio station, Mustaine described Dirk as "one of the most pleasant, easy-to-get-along-with guys I've ever met in my life. I'll walk up to him and he'll smile and lean forward and pat me on the back. He goes [adopts thin accent], 'How's it going, buddy?' I could say, 'Oh, man…'… anything. 'Oh, okay, buddy.' [He] smiles and pats me, 'cause he's just a happy guy. I've never, ever, ever seen him not smile."

MEGADETH's final, self-titled album arrived in late January via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label.

"Megadeth" debuted at the top of the U.S. album chart after earning 73,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending January 29, according to Luminate. The bulk of that sum was driven by pure album sales (purchases of physical and digital copies of the album),totaling 69,000.

MEGADETH also claimed the top spot in Australia (highest previous position No. 2) and Austria (highest previous position No. 8). Other top five spots included No. 2 in Finland (and No. 1 physical),Sweden (plus No. 1 physical; highest previous position No. 9),and Belgium (highest previous position: No. 6); No. 3 in both the U.K. and Germany (highest previous position No. 6); No. 4 in the Netherlands (highest previous position No. 7); and No. 5 in both Italy (highest previous position No. 15) and New Zealand (highest chart position ever).

For its final album, MEGADETH once again worked with Chris Rakestraw, a producer, mixer and engineer who previously worked on MEGADETH's previous two LPs, 2022's "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" and 2016's "Dystopia".

In a new interview with "Bolling!", the Real America's Voice show hosted by Eric Bolling, JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain was asked about NFL's decision to recruit Puerto Rican superstar rapper and singer Bad Bunny, who has openly criticized the Donald Trump administration for its immigration policies, to perform at this year's Super Bowl halftime show. Cain said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it's the NFL just grabbing for Latin America viewers. I think it was kind of — they're looking to expand their brand. So it was brand driven. I gotta tell you, it had nothing to do with the Latino in America or dissing America or dissing Trump or anything else. I think it was strictly greed, the NFL wanting to expand their audience to Latin America. That was my take on it. That's what it looked like to me."

Referencing the fact that Bad Bunny's show celebrated Latino heritage and was performed mostly in Spanish, Jonathan continued: "What was interesting is if they would've done the translations of what he was singing, we'd be appalled… The stuff he was saying in Spanish the NFL wouldn't be proud to translate, so that's why there was no translation because it was very blue. I actually didn't watch it. It was the worst Super Bowl in a long time."

Near the finale of Bad Bunny's February 8 Super Bowl appearance at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, where he performed a medley of songs, he said, "God Bless America, God Bless Puerto Rico, God Bless Mexico" and continued listing Latin countries as he turned the field into a parade with fireworks. Behind him, was a billboard that featured the words, "The only thing more powerful than hate is love."

Bad Bunny made history as the first halftime show performer to sing primarily in Spanish at the most-watched sporting event in the United States.

Some conservatives incorrectly called the rapper and singer a "foreigner", despite the fact that Bad Bunny was born in Puerto Rico, which is a territory of the U.S.

Kid Rock, who headlined conservative organization Turning Point USA's rival "All-American Halftime Show", gave his review of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance during an appearance on Fox News' "The Ingrahm Angle".

"Like most people, I didn't understand any of it," Rock said of Bad Bunny's show. "I saw there's a lot of dancers and a lot of big to-do stuff. And, you know, he said he wanted to have a dance party; it looked like he had one."

He continued: "Not my cup of tea, but I don't fault that kid for doing the Super Bowl, getting in front of a global audience. I fault the NFL for putting him in that position and Turning Point for having to come out and have an alternative for people to watch. You know, it's just — poor kid."

At Turning Point USA's "All-American Halftime Show", Kid Rock performed his 1999 hit "Bawitdaba" and a cover of "'Til You Can't", a song made popular by country musician Cody Johnson.

Cain is a devout born-again Christian whose minister wife Paula White-Cain became the first female clergy member to pray at a presidential inauguration following U.S. president Donald Trump's latest victory and now serves as the first female primary spiritual adviser to a U.S. president.

Jonathan embraced faith-based music with 2016's "What God Wants To Hear" and released a Christmas LP, "Unsung Noel", the following year.

Cain and his band JOURNEY launched an extensive, 60-city "Final Frontier Tour 2026" on February 28 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. During his next two tours with JOURNEY that extend into 2027, Cain will share his heartfelt farewell to JOURNEY fans before moving into full-time ministry alongside his wife.

When not on tour, Cain can be found serving as a worship leader in his home church, City Of Destiny, in Apopka, Florida, where Paula is pastor.

Press photo courtesy of Rick Hoganson of Hoganson Media Relations

In a new interview with American Musical Supply, OPETH guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt spoke about his band's ties to the "progressive rock" genre. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I like to think that we're a progressive band, maybe even belong to that genre. But I make a difference between the genre and actual progressive music. It doesn't have to be widdly guitar solos… I mean, to me, for my taste, progressive music of today has become very technical, as opposed to mixing musical styles, which is kind of what I think it was in the beginning. And going back to BEATLES, I think [they were] a progressive band. If you listen to the 'White Album' or something like that, you can't say the 'White Album' is this genre, because they have avant garde music on there, they have blues, they have singer-songwriter folk rock, almost hard rock. And, yeah, all sorts of things going on there. So, I wouldn't say that I compare us to THE BEATLES, but I think that we are one of those old-school bands that blend styles and we like to think that we don't have any limitations when it comes to composing music that's 'too far off', so to speak. And we don't spend too much time on time signatures and [subdivisions]. I don't even know that what that is, to be honest."

Last December, Mikael was asked by Japan's Prog Project if it is a "challenge" for him "to stay progressive or to keep evolving" when he is writing music for OPETH. Mikael responded: "Yeah, good question. I'm not sure if it's so important for me to feel that we are progressive, because I don't really know what it means anymore. Back in the day, I think that it was easier to define a progressive band because they were mixing styles and stuff like that, but now progressive means fast guitar solos, and it's become a sound and maybe not so progressive. I think progressive music, especially in rock and metal, has become a bit regressive. And it's also, I don't know if I can decide if we are progressive or not. I think it's up to the audience to decide, but for me, it's become less and less important to be labeled progressive because I don't know what it means anymore. But when I write music, it's easy to, I think, make progress for our own music, because I have so many different kind of influences and I'm very passionate about my music and stuff like that. So I try, but at the end of the day, I just wanna write emotional music."

Asked to clarify that he doesn't "think about trying to be progressive" when composing music for OPETH, Mikael said: "No. I don't wanna repeat myself. Many of our fans want us to maybe repeat what we did in the early 2000s, but I'm not really interested in that. I like for us to progress, but not necessarily just so we fit into the progressive rock/metal genre."

Åkerfeldt also addressed the fact that his listening preferences tend toward the retro, acknowledging that OPETH's music incorporates influences from classic death metal and earlier bands like '80s metal and '70s prog. Asked why there aren't many new bands who capture his interest, Mikael said: "I don't know. Maybe because I don't really listen. I don't search for new bands. I don't know what's going on in the music scene. I don't know what's popular or what's happening or original or progressive, to be honest. I'm stuck with my old records. And I still have so much music to listen to. So I have no idea what's happening."

Back in 2017, Åkerfeldt told Rolling Stone magazine about his lack of interest in newer metal bands: "I'm born in 1974, so I grew up with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal and the German scene and the U.S. scene of the '80s and that kind of stuff, so I think today's metal scene is a bit too sterile for my own taste. I'm not excited about a new metal band or a new metal record because I've tried, and most of the time, I just feel it's just too un-metal-sounding — too polished and too streamlined to fit the genre. It's just not interesting enough for me, you know?"

"The Last Will And Testament", OPETH's fourteenth studio album, was released in November 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music/Moderbolaget. The LP was written by Åkerfeldt, with lyrics conferred with Klara Rönnqvist Fors (THE HEARD, ex-CRUCIFIED BARBARA). "The Last Will And Testament" was co-produced by Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman (GHOST, THE HELLACOPTERS),engineered by Boman, Joe Jones (KILLING JOKE, ROBERT PLANT) and OPETH, with Boman, Åkerfeldt and the rest of OPETH mixing at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe Studios in Stockholm. The strings on "The Last Will And Testament" were arranged by Åkerfeldt and returning prog friend Dave Stewart (EGG, KHAN) and conducted by Stewart at Angel Studios in London. Visual artist Travis Smith returned to the fold, crafting his 11th cover, a haunting "photograph" reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's infamous "Overlook Hotel" photograph. Miles Showell (ABBA, QUEEN) also revisited mastering and vinyl lacquer cutting at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Åkerfeldt rolled out the red carpet for storied flautist and JETHRO TULL mainman Ian Anderson. Not only do Anderson's signature notes fly on "§4" and "§7", he narrates on "§1", "§2", "§4", and "§7". Joining Anderson, EUROPE's Joey Tempest lends a backing vocal hand on "§2", while Åkerfeldt's youngest daughter, Mirjam Åkerfeldt, is the disembodied voice in "§1".

Making his recorded debut alongside OPETH's long-established lineup of Mikael Åkerfeldt, guitarist Fredrik Åkesson, bassist Martin Mendez and keyboard maestro Joakim Svalberg on "The Last Will And Testament" is new drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who joined the band in 2022.

BASTARDANE, the band featuring drummer/vocalist Castor Hetfield, the son of METALLICA frontman James Hetfield, has released another new song called "Taciturn & Morose". Like "Mother's Tongue", which was made available last month, the new track was produced by GOJIRA frontman Joseph Duplantier and was recorded by Dan Joeright at Gatos Trail Recording Studio in Yucca Valley, California. It was mixed by Jamie Uertz at Duplantier's Silver Cord Studio and was mastered by Gavin Lurssen at Lurssen Mastering.

BASTARDANE shared the track on its social media on Thursday, writing: "Another single is out now for your listening pleasure. 'Taciturn & Morose'. From, us To, you".

In addition to Castor, BASTARDANE features Luca Badan on bass and vocals, and Ethan Sirotzki on guitar.

BASTARDANE has released two albums so far: "Is This Rage?" (2022) and "Catatonic Symphony" (2024).

The band parted ways with singer Jake Dallas Benn in 2024, with Badan and Hetfield taking over vocal duties.

Castor, who lists bands like CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, OPETH and TOOL as major influences, told Savannah Morning News that he isn't overly concerned about having his father's name brought up in every article about BASTARDANE.

"All of us are our father's sons, mine just happens to be very successful in the industry that we're in," Castor said. "It's not bothersome, but it is a little annoying when people try to compare us, because obviously we're our own people and he's his own person. We're making our own kind of music. Online, when you search our band, my dad's face is all over the Internet and it's a little strange for me. We are our own people and want to cut our own path. We're not trying to ride off of anybody else's success here."

James Hetfield isn't the only member of METALLICA whose offspring has followed in his footsteps. Two of drummer Lars Ulrich's sons play together in TAIPEI HOUSTON, while bassist Robert Trujillo's son Tye plays bass for OTTTO and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.

During an appearance on the latest episode of "The Jasta Show", hosted by HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta, TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider opened up about the "health challenges" that forced him to back out of taking part in the band's 50th-anniversary reunion tour in 2026. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm not dying anytime soon. But I am dealing with issues that if I don't deal with them, I could kill myself. And my dad is 95 years old, and my mom, before she got hit by the car, God bless her, she was as healthy as a horse at 85… I've got longevity, but I can't do the things I do and expect to enjoy that longevity, the things the way I did them."

He continued: "My body's been causing me problems with growing arthritis and degenerative arthritis through my shoulders, my neck, my arms. It's worked down my legs. It's throughout my body. It hurts all the time. And I was taking so many painkillers, and I'm not the drug guy. I'm not the drug guy, but when you're in pain, you're just looking for relief. But it was screwing up my other organs, because you can't take even Advil. You start downing them by the handful, and before you know it, that's what you're doing all day long. You start hurting the liver, the kidneys or other organs in your body. And that started to become an issue for me. It was really when they discovered that I have hypertension and some heart issues that I have to address, and by addressing it means I gotta calm the fuck down."

Elaborating on the physical limitations which caused him to decide to cancel his participation in TWISTED SISTER's reunion shows, Dee said:  "[SLAYER bassist/vocalist] Tom Araya was a thrasher in his heart of hearts to the bitter end, but his neck gave out, as they do, and he could no longer [thrash around like he used to], as you know, in the years with SLAYER. And it hurt him. I read it. He said, 'The fact that I can't throw down' — I'm paraphrasing — 'with the audience. I can't bang and thrash, whip my head around like I used to do,' he said, 'it makes me sad that I can't do that.' … And I'm not trashing Tom — please don't take it as that — I'm applauding him and I'm commiserating with him and that feeling. I just don't know if I could stop myself. … That's the thing — I don't think I can… But the point is I don't know if I could do it. I don't know if I could stop myself. I don't know if I would want to… My kids sat me down and said, 'Please stop' — some were crying — 'because you are gonna kill yourself,' 'cause they know who I am."

After Jasta pointed out that a lot of TWISTED SISTER fans would just be glad to see Dee perform the band's classic songs, even if he is unable to put on the same physical show that he is known for, Snider said: "When I told the band I'm leaving the band and I'm not doing the reunion shows, there was a lot of trying to — I'll put it in the nicest way possible — accommodate me and make it workable. 'We'll have medical technicians. We'll wheel you on and off stage. I'm gonna get the same crew that handled [MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist] Mick Mars [who is suffering with degenerative bone condition ankylosing spondylitis], wheel him out on stage, go do the show.' They were offering me everything. And I wasn't asking for all this stuff. And [my manager] Phil [Carson], said, 'Dee, you cannot do this. I know you. I've stood on stage and watched you for decades. You cannot do this. You'll hurt yourself.' And he called the guys up and said, 'He's out. He cannot do this. So stop offering him everything in the world.' And I love the guys, because it wasn't like a lack of caring or whatever. Now once you get in the head that we're gonna do it, it got to be kind of this thing, like, this victory lap, and we weren't even thinking about it and then all of a sudden it became a thing and it was exciting. But people who truly love me — I'm not saying the guys [in the band] don't love me — told me, 'Please don't do this, because we know you and you can't stop.'"

Earlier this month, it was announced that Sebastian Bach was chosen to front TWISTED SISTER for the band's fall 2026 shows after Snider resigned from the group due to health challenges.

TWISTED SISTER's 2026 shows will feature Bach along with guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda. Russell Pzütto, who has toured with Snider's solo projects, will replace bassist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza on bass. Joe Franco, who briefly played with the group in the mid-1980s, was supposed to sit behind the drum kit, stepping in for A.J. Pero, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 55. However, Franco is not available to play the fall 2026 shows and will be replaced by Joey Cassata, who played drums on Ace Frehley's final original solo album, "10,000 Volts".

At press time TWISTED SISTER has not announced the full list of shows it plans to play with Bach outside of a September 4 stop at the Alaska State Fair.

Three years ago, TWISTED SISTER staged a one-off reunion at the Metal Hall Of Fame in Agoura Hills, California. On hand to be inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame were Snider, French, Mendoza and drummer Mike Portnoy. Ojeda was absent from the event after contracting COVID-19; filling in for him was Keith Robert War. TWISTED SISTER played a highly charged three-song set consisting of the staples "You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll" and "Under The Blade", as well as the anthem "We're Not Gonna To Take It".

TWISTED SISTER's original run ended in the late '80s. After more than a decade, the band publicly reunited in November 2001 to top the bill of New York Steel, a hard-rock benefit concert to raise money for the New York Police And Fire Widows' And Children's Benefit Fund.

In a new interview with Mexico's Excélsior newspaper, LAMB OF GOD vocalist Randy Blythe once again defended his right to express his political opinions, saying that it is important that those with a platform to speak out against injustice. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There are [other] bands that are using their platform. Out of the punk rock world, DROPKICK MURPHYS, for sure, speak up about things. For me, I feel as if I don't really have a choice, when I see these things happening in my own country and around the world and our neighbors in Mexico. I have good friends from Mexico. Like most recently with the chaos with the assassination of the cartel head, of the Jalisco cartel. A friend of mine who works in security was working in Canada. He had to get home, back home to Tijuana, to get his daughter to make sure she was safe. And then he had to go to Colima to get his dad, 'cause he was stuck in the middle of all this stuff. So, for me, when I see problems, whether they be of American making or whatever else, it's not just a news story for me, because I have friends all over the world. I have friends on every single continent except for Antarctica, and that's only because there's no one there but the penguins. So when I see these stories, it's not just a news story to me, 'cause generally I know someone affected. So I have to care. And if I care, then if I truly care and I want for things to be better, given the fact that I do have a platform, and given the fact that punk rock, heavy metal and hardcore and rock and roll is historically a resistance music, then I need to use that platform. It's what I'm built for. It's what this type of music was built for. It's not built to accept the status quo, to stand in line. No — no, thank you."

Earlier this month, Blythe was asked by Sam Law of U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine how he responds to people who say that musicians or "entertainers" should stay out of politics. He said: "To those people, I say 'Go fuck yourself.' I'm an American citizen and a world traveler. More than that, I'm a human being. I'm not some dancing monkey put here for your entertainment. If you have any sort of moral compass at all, it's irresponsible to not exercise your right to speak up. If people are willing to compartmentalize something like a child sex trafficking ring because they think it might better their bank account, they've lost a component of their humanity. They've lost an integral part of what it is to be a righteous human being. At that point, it's time to stop and reassess and reevaluate. You're not going to be able to carry your money into the grave, motherfucker, but you will be able to carry the memories of silently going along with people that enabled child sex predators. How are you going to feel about that on your death bed?"

Blythe went on to say that he is "hopeful" things will get better in the not-too-distant future.

"There is an apocalyptic side to my nature. I will admit that, and plenty of our lyrics reflect it," he said. "I have to watch myself with that. I have to acknowledge that that possibility exists. But I don't need to sink into glorifying it. It's okay to pay attention to what's going on and be worried, but you need to do your best to change it. Everyday citizens in a functional democracy have a right to vote and they need to not become apathetic. I have a lot of problems with our American system. There are things that are archaic such as the electoral college, which should be abolished. But that is the only system we have right now. And if I do not engage in it and do my best to be a force for positive change, then I am abdicating responsibility and handing what little bit of control I have — my agency — over to someone else.

"In general, I see that fatalist, defeatist attitude in people and it bums me out. Like, 'Oh, it doesn't make a difference…' Well, you're right, because if you don't do anything, then that won't make any difference at all," he explained. "So please carry yourself to the voting booth and do what you can. I don't understand politics in the U.K., but I do know that you need to vote. Don't just be an apathetic slug and complain when everything turns to shit."

Back in 2021, Blythe told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show that being confrontational about social and political issues has painted an inaccurate picture of his personality and temperament. "I guess some people would think, 'Oh, this guy is super-duper liberal in all aspects,' and that's not true," he said at the time. "In some ways, I'm quite conservative. I think change is definitely necessary in so many ways in our society, but I do think, in many ways, with this rampant spread of technology, there's a lot of good values that are being abandoned. Some people would look at that and say, 'Oh, that's stodgy conservatism,' but I don't care.

"I don't define myself as liberal or conservative or Democratic or Republican," he continued. "Just because you speak on a certain issue... And that's a problem in our country today, on both the left and the right, is this knee-jerk reaction, that if you disagree with some sort of issue, because things are so polarized right now, then automatically you're painted as A or B, and that's idiotic; that's simply moronic.

"We're all human beings, and I think people are existing in these echo chambers, particularly 'cause they're isolated lately. They're sitting in these digital echo chambers of negativity, and it's just sort of reinforcing their biases; they're looking for things to just reinforce their opinions.

"As far as an inaccurate view of my personality, I have no idea of what people really view my personality as," Randy added. "I mean, my friends tell me I'm a pretty mellow guy. I don't really care what people think of my personality; it's not my concern. It's really none of my business. My business is to act in a manner in accordance with my moral compass, which I would like to think is empathetic and correctly calibrated."

LAMB OF GOD's tenth studio album, "Into Oblivion", was released on March 13 via Epic.

Produced and mixed by longtime studio collaborator Josh Wilbur, "Into Oblivion" was recorded across multiple locations tied closely to the band's identity. Drums were tracked in Richmond, Virginia, with guitars and bass recorded at guitarist Mark Morton's home studio. Blythe recorded his vocals at the legendary Total Access studio in Redondo Beach, California, the birthplace of seminal punk records by BLACK FLAG, HÜSKER DÜ and DESCENDENTS.

Earlier this week, LAMB OF GOD launched a spring North American tour with support from KUBLAI KHAN TX, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY and SANGUISUGABOGG.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

In a new interview with Drummer's Review presenter Ollie Winiberg, MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren spoke about his addition to the band a decade ago. Prior to Dirk joining the group, then-LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler had performed all the drums on MEGADETH's 2016 album "Dystopia", and had toured with MEGADETH when not otherwise busy with his full-time band. Dirk said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'm not gonna lie — it was intense, as you can imagine, mentally. But at the same time, I would also say that the years leading up to that, all the work I put in, obviously as a member of SOILWORK and other bands I was a part of, but also as a studio musician, as sometimes a live session musician, those years prepared me to be in that position at that point. And so I think that's the biggest thing that I took away from it, is that, at the end of the day, the path leads you where it's gonna lead you. And I kind of embraced it at that point, and I was, like, I have to trust myself. And I did. So I think that helped. What also helped a lot was Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] and the guys in the band and the crew were very welcoming to me. They made everything as easy as possible for me and were very forgiving knowing that I had little time to learn the set before the first show. And so then progressively, of course, I had time to get all the details right. So that helped tremendously as well.'

Asked what it has been like playing with an "icon" like Dave Mustaine, Dirk said: "Yeah, it's pretty surreal. I obviously grew up listening to the 'Big Four' [bands of 1980s thrash metal] and to many bands from that sphere of music. And that was everything to me as a teenager. And so to be backing Dave, it's surreal. There's really no words for it. I mean, he is a legend and he is somebody who pretty much invented this style of music. The early things he did, he has such a recognizable style in his riffing and the way he approaches the guitar playing that is just undeniable, how much he was part of making this style of music, giving it birth and then making it what it became over the years. So it's a tremendous honor, and it's also super cool because he is also a total badass, as everybody knows. He likes to think of himself as a skate punk, and he has that spirit. Like the new single on our [latest, self-titled] album, one of the singles, 'I Don't Care', which that's Dave — that's Dave in a nutshell. He's got that attitude, and he doesn't give a damn. And it's great. I love that because I grew up with that. I was also a skater growing up. So, to me, that whole spirit, I understand it and I love it. And I think he's a true rock star — a true rock star."

Last fall, Dirk reflected on his first exposure to MEGADETH's music via the band's 1986 album "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", telling the Vinyl Bang podcast hosted by Nick Martin and Jeff Grindstopher: "I remember going to a little flea market in the town outside of Paris where we lived in a small town, and I just looked at the cover and I looked at these pictures… But these pictures of the four bandmembers [on the album cover], they looked so badass to me on there. And I was, like, 'I don't know this band, but I gotta get this. This looks killer.' And so this was probably, I'm gonna say either '87 or '88. So a few years after the record came out, so I was a few years behind, but at the time it wasn't so like now where, oh, everything is super specific about when it's coming out because it's all online. At the time, it was more, like, whatever you could stumble across, whatever you were lucky to find or get on a tape became a big deal. So it was a bit more spread out in time, I believe, before the Internet."

Dirk continued: "So, anyway, MEGADETH immediately stood out to me from other things I was listening to at the time. The vocals, the lyrics, just the approach was its very own kind of thrash metal, I guess, which I don't even know if at the time I really knew what that style was called. I just knew I loved it. And so that became one of my important albums growing up, which, obviously, given what happened many years later in my life, it's kind of crazy.'

Verbeuren went on to say that it's surreal for him to be in a band that he looked up to when he was still in his early teens.

"A cool story about that is that I saw MEGADETH on the 'Clash Of The Titans' tour [in October 1990 when I was 15 years old]," he recalled. "It was one of the first shows I went to as a young teenager. So this was in Paris at Le Zénith. And I have since now three times played with the band at that very venue. So every time I go there, it blows my mind because I'm, like, 'I can't believe I was here as a teenager seeing the band I'm now a part of.' And all these years later, to be on that stage is just, like [laughs], 'What happened?'"

According to Dirk, joining a band like MEGADETH is "beyond a dream" for him "because I would've never even dared to dream that," he said. "People will say, like, 'Oh, was that your craziest dream?' And I'm, like, 'No,' 'cause I would've never even dared to imagine that that would happen. I was just happy to be making music. I was in SOILWORK for 12 years before I went to MEGADETH, and I was stoked to be in a touring band and in an active, professional band that was making music I liked. So it's beyond — you can't even put words on to that, really. [Laughs] So when I look back at this record, and I remember I having a vision of going to this flea market and flipping through albums and being, like, 'This looks cool.' … There's a few other things I bought that day — I think like a HELLOWEEN album, and I forget what else — but it blows my mind to think that, wow. If you had told me at that time, 'Yeah, one day you'll be in that band,' I think my head would've exploded. So, yeah. Pretty cool. Pretty crazy where life can take you."

Back in September 2022, Dirk told Sick Drummer Magazine that he was "just humbled" to have been involved with the writing and recording of the band's previous album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" He said: "I'm just thankful to be here. That's the best way I can put it. I can't even say that this is a dream come true, 'cause I don't think I ever dreamed anything crazy like [this]. I was just happy to be playing drums and trying to make a living off of doing it, and [that] in itself was a gratifying thing for me. It wasn't always easy, and I don't think any good job is always easy; it was a struggle sometimes. But I never thought, like, 'Oh, I should be in this major band', so when it kind of just happened, I'm still kind of pinching myself to this day. At the same time, I have to say that I worked really hard my whole life. I've always been somebody who I think when I do something I do it one hundred percent. To persevere through the hard times and always try to keep my head up and try to keep learning new things, it's paid off in the long run."

He continued: "There have been times when I wanted to give up, like anybody, when things seem a bit hopeless. There was a few times I told my wife where I thought maybe I should just get a normal job and life would be a bit more simple and I can just stay home and not struggle to try and pay the bills and work my ass off 24/7 — no weekends [off], no time [off] — and just have a normal family life. But in the end, I know where my passion is and so I wouldn't give up. And I have to give a lot of credit to my parents and my wife and my teachers and my friends — everybody who supported me and my family over the years doing this — I owe it to them 'cause they've helped me so tremendously so many times and talked me back into doing what I wanted to do when it seemed a bit hopeless.

"But to answer your question, it's an incredible feeling," Dirk added. "I'm so stoked that people are enjoying the album overall, and I'm just happy to be a part of that. I'm happy to have contributed to it, because I didn't know, going into this, how that part would be. Being on tour with the band was one thing — you play the songs, here's the songs, it's cool. You get to know the guys, you get to know the way the band operates on the road. Now, going into the recording studio, or first rather into the band room and start writing stuff, I had no idea. And Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] said early on to us, 'Bring stuff. Bring ideas. I want your ideas.' And I'm, like, 'Cool.' I wrote some stuff. I play a little bit of guitar, so I made some demos at home, recorded some riffs, recorded some song ideas, brought them on. I didn't anticipate that any of my stuff would go anywhere, because, I mean, c'mon, this is Dave Mustaine we're talking about. Who am I on guitar compared to Dave Mustaine? .. I'm nothing compared to that. Nevertheless, I ended up with some stuff on the album. Like the song 'Life In Hell', which is the second song on the record, is based on a demo I wrote. And then I also have a riff in the third song, 'Night Stalkers', which everybody just enjoyed that riff and was, like, 'We need to use this.' So my mind is just blown 'cause I didn't anticipate that. But again, I'm happy I just went for it. I listened to Dave and tried and went along with his idea and proposed some things. That's the proof that you have to believe in yourself. You have to believe that you can do what you wanna do. And I did wanna contribute. I mean, I was, like, 'It would be cool if I could. Because this is a band I love, and if some of my ideas can inspire the other guys and we can make a song together, hey, that's freakin' cool. If I can do something else than just write the drum parts on the album, that's freakin' cool.' So here we are — it actually happened, and people are loving the thrashy direction of this record in general. And I'm not ashamed to say that I'm definitely a part of kind of pushing that envelope, because that's the MEGADETH I grew up with — 'Peace Sells', 'Killing Is My Business'; the next couple of albums after that, that's the MEGADETH I enjoyed that I saw live back in 1990 on the 'Clash Of The Titans' tour for the 'Rust In Peace' album. So, yeah, it's a wonderful feeling. I'm thankful every day, and I enjoy every single day we're out here [on the road]."

MEGADETH's self-titled album — Dirk's second full-length effort with the group — was released in January. The follow-up to 2022's "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" was made available via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

BLACK VEIL BRIDES will release their seventh studio album, "Vindicate", on May 8 via Spinefarm.

From the opening organ introduction and dramatic soliloquy of "Invocation To The Muse" to the emotive finale of "Eschaton", the band — vocalist Andy Biersack, guitarists Jake Pitts and Jinxx, bassist Lonny Eagleton and drummer Christian Coma — deliver one of the most ambitious chapters of their career. Previously released singles including "Bleeders", "Hallelujah" and "Certainty" have already showcased the band's continued musical evolution while maintaining the theatrical intensity that has defined their sound.

Biersack comments: "This record is rooted in the feelings of revenge and vindication. These are emotions that can either push us forward or hold us back. There's a duality to them. They can fuel growth, drive ambition, and help us rise above what's tried to break us, but they can also become destructive if we let them consume us.

"Each song explores a different side of that struggle. Sometimes it's about getting even with someone else, sometimes it's about confronting ourselves and our past, our pain or the things that were done to us. At its core, though, this album is about resilience. It's for anyone who's ever had their dreams doubted or their fire challenged by people who couldn't see their vision. We're all born with that spark. The world will try to take that away at times, but this record is about holding on to it, fighting back, and turning those struggles into something powerful."

The latest preview from the album arrives with the release of the title track, "Vindicate". Featuring a haunting calliope introduction that erupts into a driving wall of guitars and Biersack's signature scream, the song captures the dramatic scale and power fans have come to expect from BLACK VEIL BRIDES. The track is now available across all digital service providers.

A NSFW music video directed by George Gallardo Kattah (who also helmed the visual for "Certainty") can be seen below.

The track listing for "Vindicate" is:

01. Invocation To The Muse
02. Vindicate
03. Certainty
04. Bleeders
05. Hallelujah
06. Cut
07. Alive
08. Purgatory
09. Revenger
10. Sorrow
11. Grace
12. Ave Maria
13. Woe & Pain
14. Eschaton

In support of the new album, BLACK VEIL BRIDES will embark on its first North American headline tour of 2026. The 24-city run kicks off April 25 in Riverside and concludes May 30 in Worcester. Along the way, the tour will make stops in Seattle (April 28),Houston (May 5),Detroit (May 17),and New York (May 28),among others. Support on the tour will come from FROM ASHES TO NEW, TX2 and AS DECEMBER FALLS.

In a recent interview with James Wilson-Taylor of Rock Sound, Biersack was asked if the heavier sound of "Certainty" is representative of the musical direction of BLACK VEIL BRIDES' new LP. Andy said: "Yeah, I think there's kind of two things. One is obviously we've been around for a while and we've been making music together for a long time. So we've always been a band that we don't like to make the same record twice. And I think we had gotten to a place where none of us were really all that excited about the idea of making a grand sort of sing-along rock opera right now. And then for me, creatively, that really wasn't where my head was at in terms of writing. So everything, at least on a narrative level, was skewing much more, for lack of a better term, darker or serious or whatever. And so I think the music just sort of — it was birthed from the same perspective. We didn't wanna make a record that was, 'Hey, now we're gonna make the heavy record.' What we're trying to build here and what my ideas are in terms of the narrative, along with what Jake [Pitts, guitar] is writing from a musical perspective, was really kind of going hand in hand with each other. And so I think the record is heavy because it has to be for it to make sense with the narrative. And I also think it's a really solid record in the perspective that we weren't trying to go, 'Every song is the screamy song,' 'Every song is the' whatever. When people hear the whole album, I think that the heavy moments are purposeful and there are moments of what you might call more traditional BLACK VEIL BRIDES. But I would say overall the record is much more aggressive than previous albums."

In January, Biersack told Rock Feed about how "Certainty" was conceived: "A lot of times I think this happens, and I don't know why it is. We do the whole record and then we feel like there's a missing song. And this was the quote-unquote missing song. Jake and I did this song. Jake had an idea; he sent it to me. I wrote on it. We tracked it. It was one of those everything-came-together — bam, bam, bam — very quick sort of songs, 'cause we knew exactly what we wanted to do. And I knew lyrically what I wanted to say with it. And so it came together really quickly, and it was the last song for the record. Everything else had already been recorded. And it just felt like a real sort of mission statement for the album — from a lyrical perspective, from the musical perspective."

On the topic of the BLACK VEIL BRIDES members' decision to produce their new album themselves, Andy said: "This record is one that we've made on our own. Obviously, we have a label and we're very supported by that label, and we were very fortunate to be in that position. But when it came down to it, this record was primarily made here in Florida by the band. Jake and I produced it. And it's the kind of record that we wanted to make without any other cooks in the kitchen. And I think it's really representative of where we're at as a band."

Asked what it feels like to be getting such a strong response from the fans to BLACK VEIL BRIDES' new music, Andy said: "Well, it's fantastic. I think we're the kind of band that, for better or for worse, people don't necess[arily]… There's a version of the band that people have in their mind, most of which is primarily based on maybe when they first heard the band or what they think of the band. A lot of people who don't even know what the band sounds like have a version of the band in their mind, so it's been very interesting, having made this record on our own, very much committed sonically to the style that we wanted to pursue, playing these festivals and having people discover the band through these songs that maybe didn't otherwise give it a shot beforehand."

Andy continued: "We've talked about this before. We're kind of the little engine that could in that way. A lot of people dismiss the band outright, don't really know what we sound like, sort of associate an image that they saw in their mind of like 2010, of us looking like MÖTLEY [CRÜE] or whatever, which is fine. That's part of our history, but they don't really necessarily know what it is that we do. And so it's been fun to kind of — I guess in some ways so far these songs seem to have kind of snuck up on people in a way. And it's fun to surprise people this many years into our career with, tonally, what we do because people hear the singles and primarily the singles from records were sometimes outside your control, but they're the big anthem songs. So people's assumption is that the totality of our records, if they've never dug into the catalog, is 12 songs that sound like 'Fallen Angels' on every record or 'In The End' or whatever else. And while I love those songs, that is much less representative of the totality of our catalog as opposed to like things that are much more kind of guitar-oriented and heavy. And certainly moving forward, this record is what you might call a darker or heavier record in that way."

When "Certainty" was first released, Biersack said in a statement: "The concept of 'Certainty' is central to this record and appears throughout the album. The song was inspired by the film 'Conclave', particularly its reflections on religious certainty and how rigid belief systems can become prisons of our own making. When certainty hardens, curiosity, growth, and the willingness to change become impossible. Much of today's political and social discourse exists inside these echo chambers of absolute belief, and that tension drives the narrative of this record."

To coincide with the "Certainty" single's release, BLACK VEIL BRIDES unveiled a music video for the track, directed by George Gallardo Kattah (CHELSEA WOLFE, MÅNESKIN) and filmed while the band was on tour in Colombia. Featuring stunning cinematography and an intensity reminiscent of an A24 motion picture, the video mirrors the song's themes. Further, it exemplifies the bold visual identity BLACK VEIL BRIDES have cultivated throughout their career.

Biersack added: "This was the final song written and recorded for the album. It started from an idea Jake [Pitts, guitar] sent over, and it came together quickly over the course of a few days. It felt essential both narratively and musically, capturing the overall tone of what we're aiming for. The music video, directed by George Gallardo Kattah and his team in Bogotá, Colombia, is one of our favorites we've ever done. His interpretation of fear and pride as biblical twins is stunning, and the visuals are incredible."

Photo credit: Jonathan Weiner