At this past weekend's HorrorHound Weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio, LAMB OF GOD frontman D. Randall "Randy" Blythe spoke to Horror Pop After Midnight about his second book, "Just Beyond The Light: Living With The War Inside My Head", which came out on February 18, 2025 via Hachette Books. It is the follow-up to his 2015 book "Dark Days: A Memoir", which focused on his ordeal in a Czech Republic prison and his subsequent acquittal.

Blythe said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, this is my second book. The first book I wrote was called 'Dark Days', and that was about some legal troubles I had in the Czech Republic. And then the second book is more about my sort of struggle for perspective. And I looked at different people and experiences in my life that have altered my perspective for the better, including a fan I met who who died of leukemia. There's a chapter about my grandmother and then there's a chapter about traveling, surfing and stuff like that. So it's about perspective and it's done really well so far. So it just came out last month in February."

Asked if he has any other projects in the works, Blythe said: "LAMB OF GOD's always writing music, so we're working on that now. And we have a lot of festivals this summer and we're gonna go play BLACK SABBATH's last gig."

As for whether he has ever thought about writing a horror film, Randy said: "Yes, I have. I've thought about writing a horror film. More particularly, I've thought about writing a horror novel lately. And I think that's what I'm going to go for next.

Asked what type of horror he is going to tackle with his novel, Randy said: "Vampire stuff, of course. [Laughs]"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Matthew Kiichi Heafy, mastermind and frontman of the metal band TRIVIUM (which is currently on a North American tour with BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE),unleashed an original 30-minute soundtrack for the crowd-funded slasher comic series "True Believers", co-written by New York Times bestselling Bram Stoker Award winner Stephen Graham Jones ("The Only Good Indians", "My Heart Is A Chainsaw") and Denver Post bestselling writer Joshua Viola ("Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver", "It Came From The Multiplex"),with interior artwork by Ben Matsuya.

The blood-soaked series features official cameos from horror and pop culture icons like Jamie Lee Curtis, R.L. Stine, Devon Sawa, GWAR, Matthew Kiichi Heafy and more. "True Believers" goes beyond the page, offering fans unique merch like latex masks, prop weapons, and soundtrack editions on vinyl, CD, and cassette, creating an immersive horror experience like no other. The score is available for pre-order from FiXT in partnership with Bit Bot Media, the new multi-media company from Klayton and Josh Viola. The full soundtrack will be released on April 24, 2025.

This beast of a score slams together Heafy's skull-crushing guitar riffs and pummeling intensity with spine-chilling, synth-drenched vibes that scream John Carpenter's horror legacy, where "Halloween" meets a mosh pit. This isn't just a soundtrack, it's a sonic bloodbath that proves Heafy's a genre-smashing titan, fusing metal's raw fury with the twisted pulse of graphic storytelling. The soundtrack's centerpiece, "Too Far Gone", highlights Heafy's intense vocals and guitar prowess, paying homage to classic horror cinema

"Dance Of The Dead" is available now on all platforms from FiXT.

Watch the "Dance Of The Dead" visualizer below.

When away from tour life, Heafy has kept busy by working on other projects. , including his Japanese-inspired black metal side project IBARAKI and scoring soundtracks for video games.

Bit Bot is a dynamic entertainment company dedicated to producing and distributing high-quality media, from films and video games to graphic novels and beyond. It was founded by acclaimed musician Klayton (CELLDWELLER, SCANDROID),bestselling author Joshua Viola and music industry veteran James Rhodes.

FiXT is an independent, artist-owned record label serving a roster of diverse and forward-thinking artists from across the globe, founded in 2006 by Klayton (CELLDWELLER) and James Rhodes. FiXT's catalog of music has garnered over four billion online streams, reaching millions of listeners from over 175 countries each month.

In a new interview with Cutter's Rockcast, HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale spoke about the band's songwriting and recording sessions with acclaimed Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb, known for his previous collaborations with the likes of Sammy Hagar, Slash, GRETA VAN FLEET and RIVAL SONS. Asked if the band's follow-up to 2022's "Back From The Dead" album was "done", Lzzy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes. Literally we're getting mixes back as we speak."

Regarding the musical direction of the new HALESTORM material, Lzzy said: "It's really hard to describe this one. We did the record with Dave Cobb, which is a new producer for us. His ADHD mixed very well with our ADHD. But we didn't do it traditionally the way we always do these albums. First day, we walked in and I always have, like, whatever, a ton of half-written songs or full-written songs, or, 'Here's a riff or whatever' — you come in with your bag of tricks. And Dave Cobb says, 'Oh, we're not gonna do any of that.' And I'm, like, 'What do you mean?' He's, like, 'We're not doing demos. I hate demos. What we're gonna do is we're gonna start and we're gonna write, and as we're writing, we're recording at the same time.' So that's what we did. The first day we actually ended up writing our first single that'll be coming out soon. But, yeah, we started, like, 'Okay, who's got a line?' 'Oh, I have this that I thought of yesterday.' 'Cool. That'll work. Let's go.' Set up the drums, set up the guitar, here's the vocals. And so we would be recording while we were writing it, and then we would get done and we would move on to the next day. And so there are songs that don't even have a click track to them or a guide because we forgot."

Lzzy continued: "There's so many different elements of songs that we used to write when we were kids, but, obviously, as adults — a lot of that feeling. It was kind of an emotional rollercoaster. There's also, I think, some of the heaviest songs we've ever written on there, some really beautiful mid-tempos. A lot of personalities that I've always wanted to kind of put on a record, but I never really had the freedom or time to, because usually when we do a HALESTORM record, it's, like, 'Okay, we have to have all the songs picked. We have to have them rehearsed.' We go in and kind of do it like an assembly line. Like, 'Okay, you do the bass, do the drums, do the guitar, do the vocals, and we're good.' So there's no time to really like sit with things before they're, like, 'Okay, we've already decided we're gonna do that.' And so the freedom and kind of the nerve-racking kind of element of the fact that there wasn't really a plan ended up being the special sauce on this album, because we were just chasing everything that got us excited. And if it wasn't a 'hell yeah', it was a 'hell no'. So there's nothing on there on this album that we don't feel complete ownership over. There's nothing on this album that anybody forced us to do. There's nothing on this album that isn't part of our personalities."

Elaborating on why the new HALESTORM album feels like it is a return to the band's roots in a way, Lzzy said: "My bass player said it yesterday. He's, like, 'It's kind of like this long road to the beginning,' 'cause all of the guys at one point in time said this really feels like we're back in our parents' basement again and we're hustling and we're trying to figure out how to write songs on the radio. But we have all this knowledge now. So everything ended up coming together so incredibly well. But it was almost like the reverse, that the music was telling us what to do and not us trying to like shoehorn anything in.

"I'm telling you, man, — it is the most HALESTORM record we've ever done," Lzzy added. "It is the first time in the 20 years we've been on Atlantic Records that we have not felt lorded over in regarding to making records, because usually it's time crunch. Somebody's always there being, like, 'Oh, we can't do that.' 'Oh, you probably shouldn't say that.' 'What about this thing?' And that kind of thing. So it usually becomes like a project, like a group project.

"We didn't do it in Nashville — we did it in Savannah, Georgia, locked in a house in the middle of nowhere, next to a river," Hale revealed. "The guys and I would wake up like around 11:30 a.m., we would start recording and we wouldn't stop until 4:00 a.m. And then we would annoy the hell out of the engineer who was trying to sleep with playing on the proper keyboard and coming up with weird stuff. But we were unsupervised in the best way, and it was all about, who are we now? Who were we then? This is our story. For me, when I listen to this album, it's my personal opus — all the things that I've gone through in my life, both dark and not. There's more questions than answers. It's not just me giving myself a pep talk, like 'I'm the fire', 'I'm back from the dead.' It's like I'm dealing with a lot of my reality and a lot of the reality of the world in my own way. And then it's also our story as a band, and you can really hear it in the music and in the lyrics. So I'm so excited for people to hear it. And it's to the point where it's, like, I don't even really care if anybody likes it because all four of us are, like, 'This is our favorite album we've ever done.'"

Earlier this year, Lzzy and her HALESTORM bandmate Joe Hottinger completed "Halestorm's Lzzy And Joe: The Living Room Sessions" tour featuring the duo performing acoustic, stripped down versions of HALESTORM favorites and the music that inspired the band.

Cobb has shared in nine Grammy wins, including four for "Best Americana Album" and three for "Best Country Album". He's also been named "Producer Of The Year" by the Country Music Awards, the Americana Music Association (twice) and the Music Row Awards, and has been a Grammy nominee in the category.

Last summer HALESTORM and I PREVAIL completed a co-headlining tour. Produced by Live Nation, the trek was also the catalyst and the creative spark for HALESTORM and I PREVAIL's collaborative track "Can U See Me In The Dark?", which was released last June.

"Back From The Dead" has tallied over 100 million streams worldwide. Rolling Stone called the title track "a biting but cathartic howler about overcoming all obstacles," and that song as well as "The Steeple" marked their fifth and sixth number ones at rock radio, respectively. Associated Press said the album "will definitely be in the running for best hard rock/metal album of the year." Their previous album, "Vicious", earned the band their second Grammy nomination, for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for the song "Uncomfortable", the band's fourth #1 at rock radio, and led Loudwire to name HALESTORM "Rock Artist Of The Decade" in 2019.

Fronted by Lzzy with drummer Arejay Hale, Hottinger and bass player Josh Smith, HALESTORM's music has earned multiple platinum and gold certifications from the RIAA, and the band has earned a reputation as a powerful live music force, headlining sold-out shows and topping festival bills around the world, and sharing the stage with icons including HEAVEN & HELL, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett and JUDAS PRIEST. Additionally, Lzzy was named the first female brand ambassador for Gibson and served as host of AXS TV's "A Year In Music".

Swedish occult metallers GHOST have released the official music video for "Lachryma", the second single from their upcoming sixth album, "Skeletá". Check it out below.

Arriving in tandem with a lucid nightmare of a video featuring Papa V Perpetua's first full performance as newly anti-christened frontman, "Lachryma" is quite possibly the most emblematic example to date of GHOST's signature balance of dark lyrical foreboding and irresistible melodic uplift. Following closely on the hooves of first "Skeletá" single "Satanized" — dubbed a "catchy goth-rock epic" by Vice and hailed by Brooklyn Vegan as "the band's trademark occult rock sounding as equally eerie and triumphant as ever" — "Lachryma" supplants the demonic hooks of its predecessor with a purple haze of sonic flourishes that accomplish something even more insidious: a bonafide modern day rock anthem about weeping.

"Skeletá" will arrive on April 25 via Loma Vista Recordings.

GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge told Metal Hammer about "Lachryma": "It opens with more of a riffage. And I guess now comes off as somewhat of a 'typical' GHOST mash-up, where it's heavy on one end and met with a big, bombastic chorus. That's a song about self-deceit."

In a recent interview with Brent Porche of Philadelphia's 93.3 WMMR radio station, Forge stated about "Skeletá": "It is a record that is introspective to a further degree, I guess, than especially the previous record [2022's 'Impera']. Just to be clear, I do believe that most artists usually create a new record based on where they were on the previous one — not as a counter-reaction, but usually there's something that you wish to achieve that you maybe didn't on the previous[ one] or you wanna change something or just fill your… At the end of the day, what you're doing is basically you're filling your repertoire with hopefully songs that you didn't have before. But thematically, I usually have some sort of thematic guideline when I write, first and foremost for myself in order to make sense of what the new record is so it's not too whimsically just about everything at the same time. But where 'Impera' was very much not only extroverted, but exteriorly reflecting on bigger society, social issues, and also, as the title implies, imperial structure and its ultimate demise, it didn't feel very productive to continue down that and make an 'Impera 2', talking about the continual demise of… I was more attracted to the idea of this this record that was more shining a light in inside and making a record about healing aspects of being essentially a human being in whatever structural design, because at the end of the day, most humans are surprisingly alike and display the same abilities to sentiments. And these sentiments are usually quite basic. And that idea was attractive to me — making a record that had a song about hope, had a song about hate, had a song about love, acceptance and all these things."

Last month, Forge told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about "Satanized", which came out in early March: "Yeah, it's a fun video and it's a upbeat, fun track. It's a song about being in love and how that can potentially be mistaken as demonic possession, but in reality this song has nothing to do with demonic possession."

Asked why he picked "Satanized" to be the first single from "Skeletá", Tobias said: "It's funny because as I was making the record, I didn't really put much like regard into trying to write… Of course, as a songwriter, you always try to write as good songs as possible, but there wasn't a whole lot of, like, 'Oh, I'm gonna write a hit song.' So I was more interested in sort of making a bunch of songs that I was gonna put cohesively into an understandable and entertaining album. And wise with experience over the years where I've delivered records to the people that work with me, and I'm, like, 'This is the song. This is the single. This is the hit.' And more than often, it ends up being, like, 'Oh, no. We believe in that song instead.' Okay. So finally I've sort of given up a little bit on that. So I just sort of gave the record and I'm, like, 'You guys choose what you wanna do.' And then I'm sort of holding my thumb a little, crossing my fingers, hoping that that maybe they they'll hear what I hear. And to my big surprise, they came back with 'Satanized'. And I was, like, 'I couldn't be happier. I have a really funny video idea for that one. I never thought that you would go for that one,' simply because it's like…"

He continued: "To me, I am a huge fan of '70s music. That's a very simplified way of saying that, but I'm a big fan of SCORPIONS from the '80s, but also the SCORPIONS from the '70s, which sometimes, I guess, a certain age group might not be aware that that SCORPIONS was a band in the '70s, and they released several records. Those records are a little bit different from the '80s records, when they sort of became a '80s hit rock band. And 'Satanized' definitely had more of a SCORPIONS '77 stomp that I really liked about the track. And somehow, therefore, I guess, I wasn't like putting that as a hit-single fan favorite, or a favorite that way. I thought I was gonna work my magic to make that song a big song, the same way that we did with 'Mary On A Cross' once upon a time, when that was regarded as this 'B' track that was just for fun. And I was, like, 'I think that that song is actually quite good. We're gonna play it every show we're playing.' And it took years before it became what that became."

Circling back to the fact that his record company seemingly had the same vision for "Satanized" as he did in terms of the song's potential, Forge said: "I was overwhelmed and overjoyed with the synchronicity, because I have done that mistake before where I have conceived a record, conceived a track, have an idea for a video for a track, and then the powers that be want another kickoff. And then that leads to a discussion, and then more than often, the reasoning as to why you go with another track might be perfectly understandable, but all of a sudden my idea is just not worth the piece of paper it's written on, because it simply doesn't work if it's not in a… Sometimes the crux of being conceptual, sometimes your ideas are simply too conceptual and too based on presentation and stars aligning. But in this case, we ended up with fluency, which was cool."

"Satanized" was described in a press release as "an avalanche of infectious hooks and harmonies is buoyed by a hypnotic shuffle, as the narrator succumbs to dark forces within and without, helplessly acknowledging their own blasphemy and heresy as it inexorably consumes them." By the time the song's opening lines "There is something inside me and they don't know if there is a cure" have moved from the inner monologue of the possessed to the ears of the hapless listener, it will already be too late: You will have been "Satanized".

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

GHOST's sixth psalm, "Skeletá", is its most unflinchingly introspective work to date. Where previous GHOST albums dealt largely with chronicling and/or observing outward facing subject matter — such as "Impera"'s meditations on the rise and fall of empires and its predecessor "Prequelle"'s evocations of the ravages of era-defining plagues — "Skeletá"'s lyrics render the distinct individual emotional vistas of each of its 10 songs in one-on-one fashion, at times as if in a dialogue with oneself in a mirror. The end result is a singular collection of timeless, universal sentiments, all filtered through a prism of a uniquely personal point of view.

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."

"Skeletá" track listing:

01. Peacefield
02. Lachryma
03. Satanized
04. Guiding Lights
05. De Profundis Borealis
06. Cenotaph
07. Missilia Amori
08. Marks Of The Evil One
09. Umbra
10. Excelsis

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.

Italian technical death metal veterans, Gory Blister, have just released a blistering live tribute video of “Suicide Machine”, the iconic track by Death, originally featured on the groundbreaking Human album (1991).

Captured in a raw and powerful live setting, this performance pays homage to the legendary Chuck Schuldiner, honouring his legacy with crushing precision and signature intensity.

The video showcases the band’s deep respect for the pioneers of death metal while underlining their own technical prowess and aggressive stage presence.

This release follows the success of Reborn From Hatred, Gory Blister’s latest studio album, released in September 2023 via Eclipse Records, which was praised for its ferocity and refined songwriting.

Currently, the band is writing new material and will be heading into the studio after summer 2025 to record their upcoming full-length album.

Watch the live tribute video below:

Italian melodic death metal powerhouse Reality Grey have released a cover of Children Of Bodom’s iconic track “Hate Crew Deathroll”, to commemorate the birthday of the late Alexi Laiho. Children Of Bodom was one of the most influential bands for Reality Grey, especially during their early days, and this cover is nothing short of a tribute.

While they’ve developed their style over the years, they think fans will appreciate their return to a classic ‘old school/mid-2000s sound, which they still love.

They comment on the cover:

“This is our tribute to Alexi Laiho and Children of Bodom. ‘Hate Crew Deathroll’ was a pivotal moment in our lives as musicians, as we had just started out as a band in 2003. We kept the song close to the original, which is something we usually won’t do; we like to add our own spin and mix things around. I think we succeeded in keeping the ‘fuck you’ attitude of the original song.”

Hailing from South Italy and formed in 2004, Reality Grey has established themselves as a formidable force in the Italian metal scene. The five-piece band is known for its distinctive blend of melody and brutality, combining complex yet catchy songwriting with fearsome death growls, clean vocals, razor-sharp guitar riffs, and fusion-oriented solos.

Global rock superstars GREEN DAY — Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool — reup, recharge, and reignite their Grammy Award-nominated fourteenth studio album, "Saviors", with a brand new "(Édition De Luxe)" out May 23 via Reprise Records. To herald its arrival, the band just unveiled a previously unreleased track titled "Smash It Like Belushi". Listen below.

GREEN DAY have expanded "Saviors" with seven new tracks in total, including acoustic versions of "Suzie Chapstick" and "Father To A Son". "Saviors (Édition De Luxe)" once again sees the band firing on all cylinders with its airtight punk rock rhythm, energetic groove, and stadium-ready hook.

Released in January 2024, "Saviors" found GREEN DAY teaming up again with Grammy Award-winning producer Rob Cavallo, who famously helmed "Dookie" and "American Idiot". The record bowed at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, marking the band's ninth career entry in the Top 5 of the respective chart. "Saviors" notably garnered three 2025 Grammy Award nominations, including "Best Rock Album" and "Best Rock Performance" for "The American Dream Is Killing Me" and "Best Rock Song" for "Dilemma".

"Saviors" cemented GREEN DAY as the No. 1 most-played artist at both U.S. Alternative and U.S. Rock radio in 2024. "Saviors" also delivered three No. 1 Alternative hits — their biggest showing since "American Idiot" — and two No. 1 Rock hits. "Dilemma" became a juggernaut, ranking as the No. 3 most-played song at Alternative radio in 2024 and only falling off the charts due to recurrent rules. Meanwhile, their latest single "One Eyed Bastard" is quickly climbing the charts, searching for their fourth No. 1 hit from this record.

Upon release, "Saviors" received massive critical acclaim. The Sunday Times hailed "'Saviors' has fire in its belly and ice in its veins," while Kerrang! proclaimed that "GREEN DAY have lost none of their magic." Billboard declared, "'Saviors' marks a return to the thematic bent of 'American Idiot'," while The New York Times praised, "GREEN DAY flaunts its rock scholarship."

Last year, GREEN DAY dominated stadiums worldwide on their massive sold-out "Saviors" tour. They continued into the new year, having just conquered venues across Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and Malaysia. For the first time ever, the band delivered thrilling back-to-back sets of "Dookie" and "American Idiot" from top to bottom in celebration of the former's 30th birthday and the latter's 20th birthday, as well as performed new cuts from "Saviors". The "Saviors" tour marked GREEN DAY's biggest tour of their illustrious 30-plus-year career.

Next up, GREEN DAY is set to take over the desert not once, but twice with a headlining set at Coachella this Saturday, April 12 and next Saturday, April 19. They're also set to light up the global festival circuit this year with headliner slots at Welcome To Rockville, BottleRock Napa Valley, Oceans Calling festival, as well as U.K.'s Download festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil's The Town, Ejekt festival in Athens, Greece, and more.

"Saviors (Édition De Luxe)" track listing:

01. The American Dream Is Killing Me
02. Look Ma, No Brains!
03. Bobby Sox
04. One Eyed Bastard
05. Dilemma
06. 1981
07. Goodnight Adeline
08. Coma City
09. Corvette Summer
10. Suzie Chapstick
11. Strange Days Are Here To Stay
12. Living In The '20s
13. Father To A Son
14. Saviors
15. Fancy Sauce
16. Smash It Like Belushi
17. Stay Young
18. Fuck Off
19. Ballyhoo
20. Suzie Chapstick (Acoustic)
21. Father To A Son (Acoustic)
22. Underdog*

Photo credit: Alice Baxley

Crown X Recordings, Canada's premier reissue label, has announces the release of "Helix 50 - The Best Of", a career-spanning collection celebrating five decades of one of Canada's most legendary hard rock bands. The compilation features an all-star re-recording of HELIX's multi-platinum hit "Rock You", alongside international chart-toppers from their major label debut "No Rest For The Wicked" (1983),through to "Vagabond Bones" (2009). An all-new track completes the circle. Using cutting-edge audio technology, every track has been expertly remastered for both CD and vinyl at Iguana Recording Studios in Toronto, Ontario for a new sonic experience.

HELIX's newest studio track "Stand Up" will be released on all streaming platforms Friday, May 18, preceded by a Friday, May 2 streaming and video release of the all-star recording of "Rock You", featuring founding vocalist Brian Vollmer and longtime bassist Daryl Gray, along with special guests Phil X (BON JOVI),Brent Fitz (Slash),and Todd Kerns (Slash). The track will be available for streaming in both stereo and Dolby Atmos.

"Helix 50 - The Best Of" is a definitive collection including the classic remastered hits "Heavy Metal Love", "Deep Cuts The Knife", "Wild In The Streets", "Running Wild In The 21st Century", "Good To The Last Drop (Radio Version)" and "Animal Inside". Additionally, unplugged versions of "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want", "The Kids Are All Shakin'" and "Dream On" have been remixed for a fresh, updated sound. Released in both CD and LP format, the CD version includes the bonus tracks "That Day Is Gonna Come", "Sleeping' In The Dog House Again", featuring Kim Mitchell, and "Look Me Straight In The Heart", a duet with Lee Aaron.

Fans will be able to order a Deluxe Signed Bundle exclusively through the band's webstore starting Wednesday, May 21. This edition is limited to 300 units and comes in a special gatefold format that holds both the CD and 180g marble color vinyl. This hand signed bundle also includes a record slip mat, a "Helix 50" guitar pick and a "Helix 50" can koozie.

Standard single CD and LP versions will be available in retail stores this July.

The band will celebrate the release of "Helix 50 - The Best Of" with a special unplugged show on Wednesday, May 21, as part of the McBowl Concert Series, an annual charity event in Mississauga, Ontario. Brian Vollmer and Daryl Gray will be joined by former HELIX guitarist Sean Kelly, who will also host a retrospective discussion on the band's history. Before the performance, Vollmer will launch "Helix 50 - The Best Of" via a livestream event, sharing stories from the band's iconic career.

"Helix 50 - The Best Of" track listing:

01. Rock You (2025)
02. Heavy Metal Love (2025 Remastered)
03. Deep Cuts The Knife (2025 Remastered)
04. Wild In The Streets (2025 Remastered)
05. Running Wild In The 21st Century (2025 Remastered)
06. (Make Me Do) Anything You Want (2025 Unplugged)
07. The Kids Are All Shakin' (2025 Unplugged)
08. Animal Inside (2025 Remastered)
09. Good To The Last Drop (Radio Version)
10. Stand Up (2025 Remastered)
11. Dream On (2025 Unplugged)

CD Bonus Tracks

12. That Day Is Gonna Come
13. Sleepin' in the Dog House Again
14. Look Me Straight In The Heart

HELIX was formed in 1974 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. In 1976, the twin-guitar attack of Brent "The Doctor" Doerner and Paul Hackman joined the band, helping shape the group's signature sound. After releasing two independent albums, HELIX signed with Capitol Records, launching their major-label career with "No Rest For The Wicked" (1983),featuring the breakout hit "Heavy Metal Love". The band gained further international success with "Walkin' The Razor's Edge" (1984),driven by their iconic anthem "Rock You", which received major MTV airplay, along with a controversial X-rated version of the video.

Throughout the 1980s, HELIX continued to release acclaimed albums and tour worldwide, sharing stages with KISS, ALICE COOPER, MOTÖRHEAD and Ian Gillan. Despite the tragic loss of guitarist Paul Hackman in 1992, Brian Vollmer carried the HELIX torch forward, working with various top-tier musicians, including members of BRIGHTON ROCK, KILLER DWARFS, HAREM SCAREM and CRASH KELLY.

HELIX's legacy was further cemented in 2003 when they were humorously featured in an episode of the "Trailer Park Boys" television show sparking renewed interest in their music. In 2005, Vollmer released the book "Gimme An R!", documenting his life on the road and in the studio. In 2010, Vollmer released "Smash Hits…Unplugged", an acoustic reimagining of HELIX classics, some of which are now featured on this latest compilation.

Today, HELIX continues to tour and record, with "Helix 50 - The Best Of" serving as a monument to their enduring legacy.

Former MÖTLEY CRÜE and current THE DEAD DAISIES frontman John Corabi, who released two standalone solo singles in the last four years — 2021's "Cosi Bella (So Beautiful)" and 2022's "Your Own Worst Enemy" — has confirmed plans to put out more solo music in the not-too-distant future. "I just signed another deal to do another solo record," he told The Rockpit in a new interview. "And so [my manager and I] were talking about it and we were reminiscing and recapping. And it's funny — we were kind of going through this list of how many records I've done… I was just sitting there going, 'Fuck.' I was looking at the records I did just with the DAISIES since '15. And it's 'Revolución', 'Make Some Noise', 'Live & Louder', 'Burn It Down'. Then when I left, they did 'Locked And Loaded'. And then now 'Light 'Em Up' and 'Lookin' For Trouble'. Seven records in 10 years. Not too bad. But I was counting all the records I did, and once I put this solo record out, it'll literally be 20 records that I've done since the start of my career. It's weird.

"And again, in hindsight, there's a couple of live records, whatever, and then the ESP [ERIC SINGER PROJECT] thing, which was basically covers," he continued. "The blues record is covers. So it's not like I wrote all these songs, but if you take all those away, it's still 15, 16 original records that I've done. So it's pretty amazing. I. Some kid from Philadelphia — I thought maybe I had a record or two in me and then maybe drop dead of a fentanyl overdose. But here I am, 40 years later, still ticking like the Energizer bunny, so it's all good."

"Cosi Bella (So Beautiful)" was produced and co-written in Corabi's hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, with songwriter-for-hire Marti Frederiksen, who has previously collaborated with AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow, among many others

With Corabi on vocals, MÖTLEY CRÜE released one critically acclaimed full-length CD, which ended up being a commercial failure in the wake of grunge despite a Top 10 placing on the album chart. When Neil returned to the fold in 1997, Corabi was left on his own and formed the band UNION with ex-KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

Corabi in 2016 said that he would avoid talking about MÖTLEY CRÜE in the future because he didn't want his comments about CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx to descend into a feud.

In an interview with Sweden Rock Magazine, Nikki said that writing the "Mötley Crüe" LP with Corabi was a prolonged and difficult experience. He went to call it "a very unfocused record" that was "painful for me, because John Corabi can't write lyrics, and I had to do all that work."

In February 2018, Corabi released a live album of his performance of MÖTLEY CRÜE's entire 1994 self-titled album, recorded on October 27, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee. "Live '94: One Night In Nashville" documents the album in its entirety along with the bonus track "10,000 Miles", which was originally released as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the "Quaternary" EP.

Corabi's autobiography, "Horseshoes And Hand Grenades", came out in June 2022 via Rare Bird Books. It was written with the help of MÖTLEY CRÜE historian/author Paul Miles.

In a new interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the Scars And Guitars podcast, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith spoke about the benefits and drawbacks of social media, saying that far too many people find themselves engulfed in their smartphones, thereby creating a surge of depression and anxiety. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, you've only gotta drive down the street and you've gotta stop your car 'cause people are walking out in front of you 'cause they're on their phones. They're addicted. Hey, I get sucked into it like everybody else. It takes over your life sometimes. You get bombarded with all the things you like. It all comes very easy, just keeps coming up on your feed, all the stuff you love, so you are there, you're looking at it with your neck bent over like that. You are bombarded with news 24-7 about all these terrible things that are happening in the world. I mean, what you supposed to do? It's not natural to have to be so concerned with absolutely everything.

"I think people are moving way beyond their personal spheres trying to change things that they have no power on because they're aware of them and then they feel that they have to do something about it," he continued. "And they've stopped getting on with the basic, put one foot in front of the other, earn your living, pay your tax, and just live your life and be happy. And it's just — I don't think it makes people happy. Anyway, little rant there."

Smith also weighed in on a debate about people using artificial intelligence (A.I.) to create music. Asked if he would personally ever use A.I. to compose songs, Adrian said: "No way. I don't know. I don't even wanna think about it. I mean, A.I. What was it someone was telling me the other day? Somebody, as a birthday present or as a present to his friends, he had a song written by A.I. for each one of them, using their voice. And it's just mind-boggling. It's like the beginning of the end. I mean, social media's bad enough. But this is just another level.

"I can't see it having any effect," he continued. "I mean, even digital recording and Pro Tools now has enabled anyone to make up something that — you can present something that sounds respectable, but it's all done by computers. At least I grew up old school where you had to actually play in the studio; you couldn't tune it up afterwards. So that makes you more of a craftsman. Digital recording we use because it's convenient and it saves time and it saves money.

"A.I., man, I don't know. [Laughs] I don't know," he concluded.

Smith is best known as one of IRON MAIDEN's principal guitarists, having also enjoyed success as a solo artist.

"Black Light/White Noise", the second album from Adrian's SMITH/KOTZEN project, in which he is joined by guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen, was released via BMG on April 4. The 10-track LP was recorded at The House, Los Angeles, California, produced by Richie and Adrian and mixed by Jay Ruston.

Photo credit: John McMurtrie

During an April 1 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", RUSH guitarist  Alex Lifeson was asked if he would follow his bandmate Geddy Lee's example and write a memoir. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think [Geddy is] on his fourth book now. So he's got the bug, and he loves doing it. But he warned me. He said you've gotta be careful because you devote all this time and effort to research and write and really think about what you're doing, especially for [Geddy's book] 'My Effin' Life' — that's his life story — but you're torn apart by publishers with editing and their fears of being sued and all of this stuff. And it just sounded like — I don't know if it's worth it to me to spend my time to do something like that."

He continued: "If I was to write a book, I think I would write a book — like my wife says, 'You should write a book about road stories because you tell those road stories when people are here for dinner and everybody's just crying with laughter. Why don't you just put all of those in a book? It doesn't have to be very long, but just a lot of fun stories about those 40 years on the road.' And I thought, 'Yeah, you know what? That's not a bad idea.' And then I kind of forget. [Laughs]"

RUSH drummer Neil Peart died in January 2020 after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 67 years old.

RUSH waited three days to announce Peart's passing, setting off shockwaves and an outpouring of grief from fans and musicians all over the world.

Since Peart's death, Lifeson and Lee have not recorded any new music or performed live under the RUSH name, although both of them confirmed that several drummers reached out to them in the days after the legendary drummer's passing about the possibility of stepping in for Neil.

Lifeson made his mark on the music industry over 50 years ago, redefining the boundaries of progressive rock guitar. His signature riffing, copious use of effects processing and unorthodox chord structures befitted him the title by his RUSH bandmates as "The Musical Scientist." While the bulk of Lifeson's work in music has been with RUSH, he has contributed to a body of work outside of the band as a guitarist, producer and with the release of his 1996 solo album "Victor". Lifeson ranks third overall in the Guitar World readers' poll of "100 Greatest Guitarists" and is also included in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time."

ENVY OF NONE, the band featuring Lifeson, Andy Curran (CONEY HATCH),Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne, released its second album, "Stygian Wavz", on March 14 via Kscope.

Photo credit: Richard Sibbald (courtesy of Kscope)

In a new interview with Carlota of the X107.5 radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada, PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix was asked how he has changed in the 25 years since the music video for the band's breakthrough song "Last Resort" was first released. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's the young me, man. I'm so a million miles from that person. There are threads and a common bond between where I'm at now and where I was. I always cared about people — I had this compassionate heart — but I was just young and reckless. And I had to have a certain amount of — I don't know — maybe narcissism in a way to be able to do this thing, to be able to go, 'We're the best. Check us out.' To be ballsy enough to walk into a room with [LIMP BIZKIT's] Fred Durst and unplug the speaker and be, like, 'Yo, what's up? P-ROACH in the house. And they're, like, 'Who the hell are these guys?' You know what I mean? Just trying to sell people demos straight to their face. I had to have this certain amount of 'we're the best' kind of vibe going on. 'Cause that's what it took to sell yourself, I think, back in the day. And I think I've got a certain amount of that when we step on the stage. It maybe comes off a little cocky, but there's a time and a place, right? The stage is where I let it shine. I think I probably tried to let it shine in some places that I didn't need to let it shine."

Jacoby also reflected on getting what he previously called a "verbal assassination" from Sharon Osbourne after he started a riot onstage at Ozzfest in 2001. "I needed it," he said. "I was kind of, like, I had the world in the palm of my hands and I was just acting like a numbskull, starting riots everywhere I went. And she's, like, 'Hey, listen, you idiot. If you wanna have a respected name in this business, you've gotta stop being a toolbag.' She used some more colorful words, I think, in the moment, but I needed to be rattled at that point because it's, like I could have totally gotten in a lot of trouble — a lot worse trouble than I had gotten in at the time. And I learned my lessons, and they were valuable lessons."

A few years ago, Shaddix told Metal Hammer that Sharon "cursed me out" after the Ozzfest incident. "Rightfully she was pissed as fuck because the fans destroyed the venue," he said. "It was a fucking disaster. SLIPKNOT and Ozzy still had to play and the place was in a shambles. I tried to leave in the trunk of a car, but they found out and I had to turn myself into the cops. Then I had to go sit with Sharon in the office and she just cursed me and I was just, like, 'I am so sorry. I will never do this again.' I think if I'd just dealt with the cops and paid the money off, I'd have been, like, 'Fuck it, whatever.' I would have carried on just numbskulling. But I had this verbal assassination from Mrs. Osbourne. Don't fuck with Sharon."

This past February, Shaddix celebrated the thirteenth anniversary of his quitting drinking.

Over the past decade, Shaddix has spoken openly about how he found himself taking to the rock and roll lifestyle a little too easily, which almost cost him his family.

In a 2019 interview with Kerrang! magazine, Shaddix revealed that the struggle with alcohol had been in his family for generations, continually destroying lives and relationships.

Last month, PAPA ROACH released a brand-new version of its latest single, "Even If It Kills Me", via the band's own label, New Noize Records/ADA. The group 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.

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, 2022's "Ego Trip", on their own label New Noize Records.

Photo credit: Bryson Roatch

In a new interview with Australia's Iain McCallum, former FEAR FACTORY frontman Burton C. Bell was asked if his relationship with the band's founding guitarist Dino Cazares is "completely broken" at this point. Burton responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Uh, Dino and I have parted ways… I've had a few years to reflect and meditate and be introspective about it. I had to do a lot of healing, and I've moved forward and I feel good about it."

Bell, who issued two solo singles in 2024 — "Anti-Droid" and "Technical Exorcism" — and a cover of RAMMSTEIN's "Du Hast" in 2023, was also asked if any of his FEAR FACTORY experiences will serve as an inspiration for some of his lyrics going forward. He responded: "Um, no. I've done what I needed to do. I've gotten it out. I've purged that, and that's what that 'Technical Exorcism' is all about. I got that out of me. And so I am moving forward. And [my next solo single] 'Savages' is a socially aware lyrical song. And if it's gonna be personal, it's gonna be about something else."

Bell's discography includes multiple live and recorded collaborations with BLACK SABBATH icon Geezer Butler and JOURNEY's Deen Castronovo (as G/Z/R); industrial maverick Al Jourgensen and MINISTRY; and guest vocal appearances with PITCHSHIFTER, CONFLICT, SOIL, STATIC-X, SOULFLY and DELAIN, among others. He's the vocalist of ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS and CITY OF FIRE and, of course, the co-creator of FEAR FACTORY and the only musician to appear on every FEAR FACTORY release from 1992 through 2024.

FEAR FACTORY created a sound that revolutionized extreme metal, defined in no small part by Bell's innovative scream/sing dichotomy and the influences he brought from post-punk and industrial. Songs like "Replica", "Linchpin", "Edgecrusher", "Fear Campaign", "Archetype", "Cyber Waste" and "Zero Signal" are modern metal anthems. "Demanufacture" (1995) and the RIAA gold-certified "Obsolete" (1998) are genre-redefining works heralded by fans and critics as essential albums. Orwell, Bradbury, "Blade Runner", and sophisticated sci-fi and fantasy works fed Bell's lyrics and concepts.

The band toured the world with METALLICA, SLIPKNOT, KORN, MEGADETH and OZZY OSBOURNE, taking bands like SYSTEM OF A DOWN and STATIC-X out as support acts in their early stages. After years of behind-the-scenes band member turmoil and legal issues, Bell left FEAR FACTORY in the fall of 2020.

The 56-year-old Bell had been largely inactive on the musical front since officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY in September 2020. At the time he said that he could not "align" himself with someone whom he did not trust or respect, an apparent reference to Cazares.

In March 2023, Bell was asked by Joshua Toomey of the "Talk Toomey" podcast how it felt to see FEAR FACTORY going out on tour with someone else singing the parts he originally wrote and recorded with the band. He responded: "It doesn't affect me at all. To be honest, I haven't been this happy in a long time. More power to them, but I'm just moving forward in my own life, my own career, and I'm just trying to make a name for myself."

Asked if he has checked out any of the videos on YouTube of FEAR FACTORY performing with his replacement, the Italian-born singer Milo Silvestro, Bell said: "No, I don't. I don't care to."

Burton went on to say that he doesn't mind being asked about FEAR FACTORY despite the fact that he is no longer in the band. "FEAR FACTORY, it's what I'm known for," he explained. "And the 30 years I had with FEAR FACTORY were some of the proudest moments of my career. And everything I've ever done in FEAR FACTORY I'm very proud of. Even some of the questionable things I've done in FEAR FACTORY I'm still proud of. It was a great legacy."

During an April 2022 appearance on an episode of "The Ex-Man" podcast hosted by Doc Coyle (BAD WOLVES),Bell touched upon FEAR FACTORY's latest album, "Aggression Continuum", which was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, features Bell and fellow original FF member Dino Cazares (guitar) alongside drummer Mike Heller.

"I was just happy that record finally came out," Burton said. "We finished that record in 2017. By the time it came out, I'd forgotten all about it. 'Oh, yeah, I remember that song. Oh yeah.'

"There's some good songs on that record. The song 'Collapse' is a good song. The title track 'Monolith' is a good song," he added, referencing the LP's original working title, before it was changed by Cazares.

When Coyle noted that the mix on "Aggression Continuum" is "great," Bell hesitated for a couple of seconds before reluctantly agreeing. "I guess," he said. "When I finished the record [in 2017], the record was done and agreed upon and then further work was done without my say."

Elsewhere in the chat, Burton admitted that "it was difficult" for him to leave FEAR FACTORY. "Stepping away from FEAR FACTORY was not an easy decision by [any] means," he said. "But what I experienced for the 10 years before that, the lawsuits, the acrimony, that was the one that killed me. And I just had to step away to realize, you know, they can take all this stuff from me — they can take the money, they can take the royalties, they can take the trademark away from me — and I realized that didn't define me. They can take that, but I'm still Burton C. Bell, motherfucker, and whatever I have they can't take. So I'm just kind of moving forward and doing new things."

According to Bell, hardship is par for the course for most musicians, who often find themselves victims of bad contracts, unscrupulous management and, all too often, what appears to be a penchant for self-destruction.

"I knew a long time ago I wanted to be an artist — way before I was in FEAR FACTORY," he said. "When I was in high school, I was, like, 'I wanna be an artist.' To be an artist, you've gotta suffer. You've gotta understand that people wanna take from you the entire time — what you create they wanna make money off of and take it away from you and just give you a pittance. But being bitter is not my style — never has been.

"Whatever negativity has happened in the past with FEAR FACTORY doesn't even hold up to the amount of positivity that has happened," he continued. "If you think about the negative, it can weigh you down so much, but it's not really that much in comparison to what the band achieved, what we created, what we provided to the music world, and for that I'm proud and very happy.

"No one likes to talk to a bitter person at all," Burton added. "Me for one. It's, like, 'Man, just get over it and just move on.' 'Cause holding on to the past doesn't serve me anything, it doesn't serve anybody else anything. Move on and show 'em what you can do from that point forward."

Bell's exit from FEAR FACTORY came more than two weeks after Cazares launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist him with the production costs associated with the release of FEAR FACTORY's latest LP.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.

"With FEAR FACTORY, it's just constantly been, like, 'What?!' You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I've done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I'll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward."

In October 2020, Dino issued a statement in which he said that the door for Burton to come back to FEAR FACTORY wouldn't "stay open forever." The guitarist also revealed that Burton "lost his legal rights" to the FEAR FACTORY name "after a long court battle" with drummer Raymond Herrera and bassist Christian Olde Wolbers. "I had the opportunity to do something right, and I felt that obtaining the name in full was the right thing to do for the both of us, so after nearly four years we can continue as FEAR FACTORY, to make more records and to tour," he said. "That is why it is sad to hear that he decided to quit and, in my opinion, for whatever issues he has it seems like it could've been worked out."

Three years ago, Cazares discussed Bell's departure from FEAR FACTORY during an appearance on "The Garza Podcast", hosted by SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Chris Garza. Pressed about what happened to cause Burton to leave, Dino said: "Good question. I don't know. I think he just lost interest in… I can only assume, because we went through some really heavy lawsuits for four years, and it financially crippled us — personally as well — and I just believe that he lost interest. I think that possibly all the stuff that we went through in FEAR FACTORY was just, like… He's one of those guys, 'Fuck it. I'm out. I quit. Fuck it.' He doesn't come across as a fighter — as somebody who's gonna be, like, 'Fuck it. We went through it. Let's go through it and let's just continue.' I mean, I left the door open for him for a while to come back into the band, but he pretty much said fuck me, Raymond and Christian — everybody. Fuck everybody.

"I'm not gonna push it," Dino added. "I'm not gonna push him or nothing like that. Fans ask me all the time: 'Hey, call him up. Just call him up.' Well, if you saw the stuff he said when he left, he's not exactly a phone call away… He left pretty bitter, and that's pretty much where… It looks like he's having a good time being free. So I'm not gonna force anybody to come back or [any] stuff like that.

"Some people want change in their life, but sometimes fans just can't accept that. Fans are, like, 'He was the singer for 30 years. Come back.' That was his decision. No one pushed him out; no one forced him to leave — none of that stuff. That was his decision."

Legendary German guitarist Michael Schenker kicked off his spring 2025 European tour Wednesday night (April 9) at De Boerderij in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands.

Schenker is touring in support of his recently released "My Years With UFO" album celebrating the 50th anniversary of Michael's years with UFO.

Joining Michael on the trek on vocals is former SKID ROW frontman Erik Grönwall, who is the featured singer on the "Mother Mary" song on "My Years With UFO", which also includes a guest appearance by GUNS N' ROSES' Slash on guitar.

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

01. Natural Thing (UFO song)
02. Only You Can Rock Me (UFO song)
03. Hot 'N' Ready (UFO song)
04. Doctor Doctor (UFO song)
05. Out In The Street (UFO song)
06. Mother Mary (UFO song)
07. I'm A Loser (UFO cover)
08. This Kid's (UFO song)
09. Let It Roll (UFO song)
10. Lights Out (UFO song)
11. Instrumental
12. Love To Love (UFO song)
13. Can You Roll Her (UFO song)
14. Shoot Shoot (UFO song)
15. Rock Bottom (UFO song)

Encore:

16. Reasons Love (UFO song)
17. Too Hot To Handle (UFO song)

Erik touched upon his touring plans with Schenker in a September 20, 2024 YouTube livestream. He said: "Yeah, I'm heading out with Michael Schenker next year, a European tour. I did that song with him on the 'My Years With UFO' release. And it's gonna be a lot of fun. And I've been looking forward to get back on that stage once again."

In March 2024, Grönwall — who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021 — announced his departure from SKID ROW. He said at the time that he decided that the travel and rigors of the road were not conducive to his overall health and recovery, and he wanted to focus on a lifestyle that is more amenable for his well-being, healing and family.

In a recent interview with Noise11's Paul Cashmere, Schenker revealed that he was already working on a new MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP album called "Don't Sell Your Soul" which will feature Grönwall "singing most of the songs," along with vocal contributions from Robin McAuley and Michael Voss.

Produced by Schenker and Voss, "My Years With UFO" marked the 50th anniversary of Schenker's era with UFO, spanning from 1972 to 1978. The "German Wunderkind" was asked to join UFO at just 17 years old. Touring the globe as a teenager, Schenker became a driving force behind some of UFO's most loved tracks, such as "Doctor Doctor", "Rock Bottom" and "Only You Can Rock Me".

Although Michael Schenker's era with UFO spanned only six years, his influence as a young songwriter and exceptional guitarist had already left a lasting mark on rock. During these meteoric years, the UFO albums "Phenomenon", "Force It", "No Heavy Petting", "Lights Out", "Obsession" and the seminal live album "Strangers In The Night" were recorded, each contributing significantly to the genre. "Strangers In The Night" particularly stands out as one of the most influential live rock albums of all time and is still regarded as a cornerstone in any rock enthusiast's collection.

In this celebratory album, Michael Schenker presents 11 of UFO's greatest hits from this magical era with an impressive lineup of guest stars. Joining Schenker on this journey are Derek Sherinian on keyboards, Brian Tichy on drums, and Barry Sparks on bass.

The stellar roster of guest artists includes Axl Rose (GUNS N' ROSES),Slash (GUNS N' ROSES),Kai Hansen (HELLOWEEN),Roger Glover (DEEP PURPLE),Joey Tempest (EUROPE),Biff Byford (SAXON),Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JOURNEY),John Norum (EUROPE),Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER),Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE),Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW),Carmine Appice (VANILLA FUDGE, CACTUS),Adrian Vandenberg (WHITESNAKE),Michael Voss, Stephen Pearcy (RATT) and Erik Grönwall (SKID ROW).

In a new interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, founding SEPULTURA guitarist/vocalist Max Cavalera was asked how he feels about seeing the group that he started and that played such a role in his early musical life come to its conclusion. The 55-year-old Max, who has spent the last few years playing SEPULTURA-centric shows with his brother, former SEPULTURA drummer Igor "Iggor" Cavalera, responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "To me, I feel — and I'm not saying that just for myself — I think a lot of fans feel that me and Igor kind of carry the spirit of SEPULTURA with us on everything that we do. And I don't know — they still call it SEPULTURA, but everybody knows that it's not the same and it's never gonna be the same. And I don't have nothing to do with what they're doing, with the disbanding of the band. Me and Igor, we have our own path, we are on our own thing, we are revisiting those old material on our own time. And the way we did them was the way we always did — it was from our heart. For us, it's really special to preserve that. I think it's kind of like that young heart, the teenage heart that lives inside of you. I kind of like keep that really sacred. And no matter what happens in in the business or the politics of music, I try not to let that affect my young mind and soul that I carry with me all the time. So I feel like that when talk about SEPULTURA. It was a special band of a special time and we celebrate that — I get a chance to celebrate that with Igor, regardless of what the other guys are doing."

Last November, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser was asked for his opinion on Max and Igor's decision to revisit their earliest SEPULTURA releases, "Morbid Visions" and "Bestial Devastation", and re-record them and put them out, along with a re-recorded version of Andreas's first album with SEPULTURA, "Schizophrenia". Andreas told the IMPACT Metal Channel: "I don't think anything. I mean, it's a weird choice that they had. I think artistic value is zero. Maybe they're going for some money or something, but there's no reason to do something like that. I much rather prefer THE TROOPS OF DOOM, the new band from Jairo [former SEPULTURA guitarist Jairo 'Tormentor' Guedz], which are doing a really amazing tribute to that era, very honest, doing new stuff, writing new music… But if they're having a good time, so let it be. I don't care, man. I just think it's totally unnecessary. It's really very disrespectful from themselves, for their own selves in the past."

Andreas added: "It's weird to see a guy [Max] who always says, 'Oh, I did this,' 'I did all that,' 'I'm so creative,' and 'I did everything by myself,' and doing this shit, like re-recording riffs that we did 30, 40 years ago. It doesn't click, the rhetoric with the example. But whatever. I just don't think that — the artistic value is zero."

Earlier last year, Max told V13 about the decision to re-record "Morbid Visions", "Bestial Devastation" and "Schizophrenia": "I think [Igor and I] were [doing special tours celebrating] the other [SEPULTURA] records, like we did 'Roots', and then we did 'Beneath The Remains' and the reaction was so explosive and the fans were reacting so good, with the way we were playing that stuff live that, I mentioned to Igor that it would be cool to have this sound on this old records that sound like shit, especially if we can get them to sound the way we sound now because we sound great right now with the way we are playing.

"A lot of people are… there's a big taboo about re-recording," Max continued. "There are a lot of people who are [freaked out] about touching old stuff. I had to kind of block all that and think, 'Fuck it. Let's do it, man, but let's do it the way we wanna do it, the way we wanna hear it as fans.' I think that's the difference in the approach that we took. So 'Morbid Visions', 'Bestial Devastation', it's still very dirty and aggressive, maybe even more aggressive than the original. We play a little bit faster and it's more angrier. I don't know how, but it's angrier than the original. I think that's key for these records. We don't want it a digital, brand new modern sound. We just want it to sound live, like a good live-sounding [recording] and we did that. I think that's why it sounded so cool. Of course, when we did those, we knew what we were going to do with 'Schizophrenia', because it's another record that we feel it's never really lived up to the potential. The songs are great, but they were never really recorded the right way. So now we're very happy. We did the three, we got the trilogy and we got to tour for it."

SEPULTURA fell apart in 1996 with the exit of Max after the rest of the Brazilian four-piece split with the vocalist/guitarist's wife Gloria as their manager. Igor stuck around with the group for another ten years before leaving SEPULTURA and re-teaming with Max in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY.

For the new versions of "Morbid Visions", "Bestial Devastation" and "Schizophrenia", the Cavalera brothers enlisted Travis Stone (PIG DESTROYER) on lead guitars. The full lineup would consist of more Cavalera alumni, as Igor Amadeus Cavalera (GO AHEAD AND DIE, HEALING MAGIC) once more brought his talents on bass to the fold.

CAVALERA's version of "Schizophrenia" was recorded from April 15, 2023 to June 5, 2023 at Focusrite Room in Mesa Arizona. Mixing and mastering was handled by Arthur Rizk (SOULFLY, GO AHEAD AND DIE, TURNSTILE). The original "Schizophrenia" cover artwork was restored in hand-painted watercolors by Eliran Kantor.

Although SEPULTURA has maintained a diehard fanbase in all parts of the world throughout the band's nearly four-decade history, Max-era albums "Roots" and "Chaos A.D." were by far SEPULTURA's most commercially successful, having both been certified gold in the U.S. for sales in excess of five hundred thousand copies.

In December 2023, SEPULTURA announced that it would celebrate its 40th anniversary this year by embarking on a "farewell tour" which will cover the entire globe.

SEPULTURA's current lineup comprises Kisser, vocalist Derrick Green, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and drummer Greyson Nekrutman, who officially replaced SEPULTURA's longtime drummer Eloy Casagrande in February 2024.

Following two festival performances — Bangers Open Air in São Paulo, Brazil and Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio respectively — heavy metal icons ARMORED SAINT will enter the studio next month to begin recording their long-awaited ninth studio album, tentatively slated for a spring 2026 release through Metal Blade Records.

In September, the band will join W.A.S.P. for a trio of U.K. shows before returning to the States to support legendary guitarist Michael Schenker on his "My Years With UFO" U.S. tour. ARMORED SAINT will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its second album, "Delirious Nomad", with a five-song micro set of songs from the record throughout the tour.

To further commemorate the cornerstone record, the band is making available a special "Delirious Nomad" wrapped guitar from Dean Guitars. Each guitar is signed by the band. Presales will be announced in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, check out additional "Delirious Nomad" merch items at this location.

ARMORED SAINT vocalist John Bush comments: "What up, Saints? We want to give you all a heads up with what's happening with us this year. First, we've been writing songs for the upcoming new record, and we are just about done! We are going into 606 Studios next month to record drums for five songs. The plan still stands for an early spring 2026 release.

"We have two rad festivals dates in May: Bangers Open Air and Sonic Temple festival. Then we'll be joining our friends, W.A.S.P., for three shows in Britain in September which includes Newcastle where we've never played and London at the Eventim Apollo — formerly the legendary Hammersmith Odeon. We are psyched!

"Then we'll do nine more shows in the U.S. in October with one of the best rock guitar players to ever walk the earth: Michael Schenker. We will be doing something special on these particular dates. In conjunction with the 40th anniversary of 'Delirious Nomad', we will be playing micro sets from that record. We'll play other classic SAINT tunes as well, of course!

"Finally, we will do three headlining shows at the end of this tour in El Paso, Texas, where we haven't played since 1984, Las Vegas, Nevada, and at the infamous Glass House for the first time ever in Pomona, California. Lots on the plate. Thanks for all the love as always."

Last November, ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera spoke to Metal Kaoz about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to the band's eighth full-length album, "Punching The Sky", which came out in October 2020 via Metal Blade Records. He said: "Well, we're about midway through writing new music. We have about seven songs or something like that. So we're getting close to being finished. And with any luck, we're trying to get in the studio sometime in the spring to start recording. So, I don't really know what that means as far as a release date, but that's what that's what our goal is at this point. So, we've been working hard making demos at home. In fact, I'm working on a song as we speak, so I had to hit pause and do these interviews, and then I'll go back to it when I'm done. But, yeah, it's going really cool, really well. I love the stuff that's coming out."

Regarding a musical and lyrical direction of the new ARMORED SAINT material, Joey said: "Every record we've made has been a little bit different than the one prior to it, and this one will be the same case where it will be a little different than 'Punching'. But our number one thing is just writing really great songs. We're not so concerned about trying to outdo the last record or do as good as it is or do the same thing. I always think that it's cool to just see where you are at that moment. And these songs that we've written, just like the last three or four records we've made, they all represent a particular time and place for us. So this these batch of songs, they're a reflection of where we are at a time and place right now. We're in post-COVID, we're coming back out of it, back into the world, and different things are influencing me personally than they were in 2014 when I was writing for [2015's] 'Win Hands Down'. So all those things are at play again. I'm trying to take a few chances as well on this, which we always try to do a little bit. So, yeah, it's going really well."

When the interviewer noted that ARMORED SAINT seems to have a "more relaxed" schedule this time around in terms of when the band plans to enter the studio, Joey clarified: "It's more relaxed, but we're trying to unrelax that, because it's been a long time since 'Punching' came out — it's been four years already; we're going on five years now, and by the time this record is out and done, it could be closer to six — so it's too long, I think, between records. So we're trying to speed things up a bit. 'Let's just work. Let's get down to the work, do the work and let's make this record.' We're not trying to rush it. Rush it — I mean, it's been four years. What's taking us so long? But there's reasons for that, and we don't need to get into [that], but, yeah, the time is now for us to just start getting a record done. So we do have a soft schedule of getting in the spring. It's not hard — we don't have an actual booking yet — but we do, at this point, have a soft [schedule in mind]. But I imagine by the time January 1st comes around, we're gonna wanna book a date. So pretty soon we're gonna have a more strict schedule."

Joey also confirmed that ARMORED SAINT will spend much of next year focusing on making the band's next album and less time on the road. "As far as touring is [concerned], yeah, we're kind of taking a break from touring in 2025, so that we can concentrate on making this record happen, get done, actually get done," he said. "So we are not seeking anything. The only things that we have agreed to do, and they are two shows that we booked a month or two ago, is we're playing at the Bangers fest down in Brazil on May the 2nd, I think, 2nd or 3rd, and then we're playing the following weekend at another festival here in America. It's in Columbus, Ohio, and it's called Sonic Temple. It's a very big festival. So we're doing these two festivals, but other than those two shows, we're not taking any more touring dates and we're just trying to get the record done."

Last June, ARMORED SAINT released a rendition of "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)". The classic track was originally written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and was first released by PEOPLE in 1970. Additional covers include THE FOUR TOPS (1974),SANTANA (1978) and THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (1989).

"One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)" was produced by Vera, mixed by Jay Ruston and mastered by Maor Applebaum.

ARMORED SAINT released the "Symbol Of Salvation Live" CD/DVD in 2021 via Metal Blade Records. The release came in celebration of the seminal album's 30th anniversary. "Symbol Of Salvation Live" was a combination live album and video of the band playing the album in its entirety at New York City's famed Gramercy Theatre during its 2018 tour.

In July 2023, ARMORED SAINT was inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

In May 2023, ARMORED SAINT's long-awaited documentary, Armored Saint: Band Of Brothers", had its world premiere in the band's hometown at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Photo by Stephanie Cabral