In a new interview with iHeartRadio Canada's Jesse Modz and JD Lewis, SUM 41's Deryck Whibley spoke about the band's final tour, which will conclude with a show in SUM 41's original hometown of Toronto at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday, January 30, 2025. Asked if it is "starting to feel a bit more real" that SUM 41 will play some of these cities for the final time, now that he and his bandmates are less than a month away from the launch of the Canadian leg of the "Tour Of The Setting Sum", Deryck said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, the weird thing for me is I don't ever really look at particular shows or single dates. For the first time, this is actually hitting me that the Canadian run is gonna be the last run. So I look at it as a whole rather than just certain dates. And everything up until this tour has felt like, 'Well, we've got so many more tours still ahead, so many more legs of the tour to do, so many more shows to [play],' whereas now there's only four more weeks left, and this is the final run. So it's finally hitting me that it's coming to an end."

Asked if "a lot of nostalgia" and looking at the "rearview mirror" comes with preparing to play the final SUM 41 shows, Deryck said: "Well, I think that comes down to the individual, and I'm not necessarily a super-nostalgic person. I do think of the past fondly and I remember it well, but I don't spend much time in memory lane. I mean, yes, everywhere I go, everything I do, every tour that I do, every city that I go to constantly reminds me of some wild story or some bad story or something, or even just something boring, some great restaurant I've been to or whatever it is. I can't go anywhere in the world without having, like, 10 different stories to tell. Like if I'm with my wife, who wasn't there in the early days, I've got so many stories to tell. But I don't really just sit there and think and get too nostalgic about stuff, unless it just kind of hits me in the moment."

Deryck also talked about what it is like for him to tour sober compared to the early years of SUM 41 when he led a crazy lifestyle with booze and all the extracurriculars that were going around. He said: "The funny thing about drinking for me is that it didn't really seem to affect my memory too much. Obviously there are certain parts of the night that get very blurry and hazy, but that's usually the morning, if I'm still up. But I've been sober now almost about 11 years and I toured for about 10 or 12 years drinking. So it's almost been equal amounts. And I would say I had equal amount of fun, but it's just very different. I prefer being sober now. The things that you enjoy, you actually feel more, whereas when you were drinking, yeah, there are a lot of wild stories and there's a lot of crazy nights, but there were so many nights that we were just drinking for no reason, too. There were so many boring nights that you just spent drinking a bottle of Jack or whatever that we all stayed up till six in the morning, just driving on the bus, talking about dumb stuff that is just kind of pointless. But they're just different lifestyles. I don't regret any of those years, but I'm glad I don't do it anymore."

Earlier this month, SUM 41 canceled its co-headlining appearance at Australia's Good Things festival due to Whibley's battle with pneumonia. The band also scrapped the remaining sideshows on its Australian tour.

SUM 41's Australian dates, including Good Things, were set to be the band's final shows Down Under.

SUM 41 was scheduled to perform at Adelaide's AEC Theatre (December 10),at Melbourne's Margaret Court Arena (December 12) and at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion (December 14).

In September 2023, Whibley was discharged from a hospital after being treated for pneumonia.

Back in 2014, Deryck collapsed in his kitchen and was rushed to the hospital, before doctors revealed his liver and kidneys had failed. He was placed in a coma for a week to help his body detox from alcohol and went on to get sober and lead a healthier lifestyle.

Earlier this year, the Grammy-nominated band announced their breakup after 27 years of making music together. They released their final album "Heaven :x: Hell" in March which received rave reviews from the likes of Kerrang!, Dork, NME and more. The band's hit singles off the record "Dopamine" and "Landmines" have made waves in radio airplay over the last several weeks, reaching No. 1 on Mediabase Alternative charts.

Looking back at the band's storied 28-year career, SUM 41 has firmly cemented their place in history with over 15 million records sold worldwide, multiple Billboard-charting releases and No. 1 hits, a Grammy nomination, two Juno Awards (seven nominations),a Kerrang! Award in 2002, multiple Alternative Press Music Awards, sold-out tours and packed venues everywhere, and countless other accolades. The Canadian leg of their farewell tour begins in January. They will play their final show in Toronto, Ontario on January 30, followed by an encore performance live at the Juno Awards broadcast in Vancouver, British Columbia on March 30.

Jeff Lynne’s ELO will perform their final concert on Sunday, July 13, 2025 at BST Hyde Park in London, England. Speaking with MOJO, Jeff Lynne discusses his farewell show, and promises more new music to come.

“It will certainly be an emotional show for me,” Lynne tells MOJO, adding, “it has been great getting to tour the world and to this day at every show I am always surprised and delighted by the crowds and the energy they bring. I will miss it.”

Lynne stresses it’s not the end of the story and that more music will come, though whether that’s new ELO releases or productions for other people he isn’t saying.

“I am happy with what I’ve done, and the crowd reactions to the shows and the music have been amazing,” he says. “This is not a farewell to music. I am excited to return to the studio full-time, which is what I love!”

Read more at MOJO.

“My return to touring began at Hyde Park in 2014”, Jeff Lynne previously stated. “It seems like the perfect place to do our final show. We couldn’t be more excited to share this special night in London with our UK fans. As the song goes, ‘we’re gonna do it One More Time!’”

Jeff Lynne’s ELO 2025 live dates are listed below. Get tickets here.

July
5 - Utilita Arena Birmingham - Birmingham, England
6 - Utilita Arena Birmingham - Birmingham, England
9 - Co-op Live - Manchester, UK
10 - Co-op Live - Manchester, UK
13 - Hyde Park - London, UK

Sight of Emptiness has been slowly working towards the release of Above The Noise, their fifth studio release. The album’s first single, “Mandates of Hate,” dropped back in October. There’s no holding back when it comes to Sight of Emptiness, and these first two singles emphasize that to the highest of degrees. 


As a song, “Soul Ascension”  "dives deeply into the depths of the human soul. It scrapes at the bowels of where darkness, light, and the pursuit of redemption lay. The song itself is a battle between the light and the dark, a fight that is relatable to anyone who has felt lost or is crying out for meaning and purpose."







Discussing the video, Concept Designer and CG Visuals Designer Fibonacho (Ignacio Bolaños) states: “The ‘Soul Ascension’ visualizer represents the overwhelming experiences and turbulent processes that push us to grow and transcend our limitations. It captures a transformative phase in the human journey, where what defines us can sometimes hold us back from reaching our highest potential. This visualizer explores the inherent balance in life: to gain something, you must be willing to let go. The central character is shown undergoing a transformation, shaped by mental processes of surrender, trusting intuition, and navigating challenging environments.


“In today’s world, marked by widespread substance abuse, intergenerational trauma, and the repercussions of wars and mass migrations, this piece reso

In a new interview with Australia's Wall Of Sound, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King was asked which BLACK SABBATH album he would take with him if the planet was being blown up and we were all boarding a big spaceship and he was only allowed to take one SABBATH LP with him. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I would take… It's easy and it's hard 'cause I'm a super [Ronnie James] Dio fan. But I would take [SABBATH's sixth studio album, 1975's] 'Sabotage'. Something about the vibe on that record. It's cool. I mean, they're all cool, but something about that one. Maybe 'Symptom Of The Universe'. I don't know. It's nonstop badassery."

Back in 2017, King picked "Sabotage" as one of his 10 favorite metal albums, telling Rolling Stone magazine: "'Sabotage' is just a very heavy record. There's so much good stuff on there. As I picked these records, I picked the ones I'm compelled to play if I'm working out or driving, and 'Sabotage' was my choice for BLACK SABBATH. It has 'Megalomania', 'Symptom Of The Universe', which has definitely got attitude, 'Hole In The Sky'. And it has the instrumental 'Supertzar'. I love that one. It grips me for some reason."

Earlier this year, Kerry was asked by Metal Hammer Greece's TV show "TV War" if he has ever had a negative experience meeting one of his musical idols. He responded: "Yeah. Only once. And I won't even tell you who, because he doesn't deserve it. But nine times out of ten… The last one that I'll say I got over the hump with, 'cause I was still such a fan, was [BLACK SABBATH's] Tony Iommi. And it was very late in our careers, but it's fucking Tony; he's the godfather of all this shit. I think it was, like, 2006, finally. And I knew him before that, but I couldn't talk to him. It was Tony Iommi; I just couldn't do it."

Kerry continued: "in 2006 I went to the Classic Rock Awards in Britain. And I was presenting Tony with an award, and I was nervous as fucking all hell. I was out of my environment. I've done metal shows, I've done the [Revolver] Golden Gods billions of fucking times, but at the Classic Rock Awards, I was out of my element. Fucking Steven Tyler's [AEROSMITH] out there, AC/DC's out there, DEF LEPPARD's out there — people that I've admired in my history but didn't know any of them. So I'm fucking shaking up there. I hit the mic when I'm talking. And I was just a fucking idiot. [Laughs] So, I get to give Tony his award, take a picture with him. Then I felt like we were bros. I was over the Tony hump, and that was cool."

King added: "I've had a lot of heroes, be it from [JUDAS] PRIEST to SABBATH and whoever the hell, [DEEP PURPLE's] Ritchie Blackmore. But, yeah, Tony was the one. I had to climb that mountain and get over it."

King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", was released in May via Reigning Phoenix Music.

Joining Kerry in his new band are Mark Osegueda (vocals; DEATH ANGEL),Phil Demmel (guitar; MACHINE HEAD, VIO-LENCE),Kyle Sanders (bass; HELLYEAH) and drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER, TESTAMENT, EXODUS).

All material for "From Hell I Rise" was written by the 60-year-old SLAYER guitarist. Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles last year was producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.

Turku-based metal band Awake Again, known for their bold and distinctive style, has released their new single “river.” The track highlights the band’s rockier and more melodic side while retaining their signature head-nodding riffs. With a big, singable chorus and infectious verse rhythms, “river” is sure to become an earworm for all who hear it.


The band submitted river to this year’s Finnish Eurovision selection contest (UMK), though it didn’t secure a spot in the finals. Nevertheless, the song has been warmly received by fans during the band’s fall performances, and its studio release has been widely anticipated.


“After our gigs, we’ve heard countless comments from fans saying they can’t wait for ‘river’ to drop,” says guitarist Maron Lahdenperä.




The track also features a full-fledged guitar solo, a rarity for Awake Again. The solo has earned Lahdenperä plenty of admiration: “As someone who looks up to old-school guitar heroes, the praise for the solo has really meant a lot to me,” Lahdenperä shares.





Beneath its catchy hooks, “river” carries a deeper meaning.


“In ‘river’, the river represents the universe. Through my meditation practice, I’ve explored non-dualistic philosophies, especially Zen Buddhism, which teaches that everything is fundamentally one

This past summer, Italian melodic death-doom force Shores Of Null performed a somber and poetic set at one of Europe's largest metal festivals Hellfest Open Air (Temple Stage) in Clisson, France. They captured the full set and have partnered up with Thunderflix to showcase the performance in its entirety.


Today, they unveil their third clip from the festival for fans to watch for the track "Darkness Won't Take Me" off their latest and fourth record The Loss Of Beauty released on Spikerot Records during March 2023.


Vocalist Davide Straccione adds:

During a recent appearance on The Patrick LabyorSheaux With Patrick Labyorteaux, POISON drummer Rikki Rockett spoke about why Slash wasn't chosen to be the guitarist in POISON when he auditioned for the band prior to joining GUNS N' ROSES in 1985. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't know why it was obvious to us that C.C. [DeVille, longtime POISON guitarist] made more sense than Slash, but we had known him. We liked him a lot. Our old guitar player thought he was the right choice, and he wouldn't have been wrong. But we get two really cool bands out of it, GUNS N' ROSES and POISON. Where would GUNS be [had Slash joined POISON]? Where would POISON [be]? Maybe we would have dissolved, maybe we would have fought, maybe we would had something really different. Who knows? There's just no way to know that."

Asked about the dynamic between the POISON bandmembers when it comes to the creative aspect of being in the band, Rikki said: "As far as songwriting goes — let's just compartmentalize that for a second — we still, to this day, set up like a garage band, and we write the soundtrack for our live show. That's how we look at it. It absolutely is the truth. And so that's how we write, just like a basement band like we always did. But we're not infallible with each other, that's for sure. There's been many times where — and I won't name names of the members because we've all done it — where it's, like, 'I told you that that was a great idea. Look how well that worked,' or, 'I told you that was a bad idea. Look how badly that worked.' I mean, it's all my fault if it worked out and it's your fault if it didn't. And this is human; I mean, we do this with our spouses. But you try to get better about that, you try to say, 'No, wait a minute We all agreed, we all agreed to do this. So whether it was his idea or not, we decided. We didn't get outvoted.' So you try to keep your head on like that."

When interviewer Patrick Labyorteaux noted that each guy in POISON may fall under a different "label" in terms of his role within the band, Rikki clarified: "There isn't any. The labels would change daily — literally. Now some of us, like Bobby's [Dall, POISON bassist] really good at business stuff, I'm pretty good at the marketing end of things and stuff like that. But we all take different roles at different times.

"I'd done one of these band camps recently — not recently; it's been eight months now — and one of the questions was, 'What's your secret to keeping a band together?'" Rikki added. "And I said, look, if I was starting out today, or to give somebody a piece of advice, play in a couple cover bands, learn all those… You have this vast library of stuff to pull from, and go join a sports team. And people are, like, 'What are you talking about?' You need to rely on somebody. You need to know that that's the quarterback, that's the tight end. Whatever it is. You need to respect each other's positions. And the next day you might be the quarterback and he might be the receiver. Whatever it is, you have to learn to play as a team and give somebody the space to do their thing well. That's the secret right there.

"Musicians grow up and it's all about 'me me me me me', because they play by themselves, they're isolated and then they go into a band situation and it's, like, yeah, 'But I wanna do this,'" Rockett explained. "It's, like, 'Okay, great. That's great that you wanna do that. But that's not what he wants to do or he wants to do. And one guy's going, 'I don't care.' And it's, like, 'Oh, Jeez. Okay. How are we getting out of this rut that we're in?' [Laughs]"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Nail are pleased to share the lyric video for the track “Soul Screamer”, taken from their self-titled debut album, released back in September via Frontiers Music Srl.


The Nail is a new musical alliance featuring one of the most gifted vocalists of the new generation, Girish Pradhan (Girish & The Chronicles, The End Machine) together with Efe and Reis Ali Eroglu, two very talented young kids (26 and 17 years old respectively) who – under the guidance of their father, producer Cenk Eroglu (ex-Winger, Crossing Rubicon) - created a new hard rock gem, poised to captivate audiences around the globe.


Cenk Eroglu comments on the new track by saying: “It's the heaviest song of the album. The record was almost done when Reis Ali played me this riff... Then we found ourselves working on it. The meaning of 'Soul Screamer' and the lyrics are kind of deep. It’s the voice of your conscience. Lacking one within, it will find other ways to hunt you down. It's also our nod to Judas Priest & Rob Halford… And Girish sang it like a jet engine!”







Talking about the album, Girish Pradhan states: “This is unlike like any record I have ever done. Different. Many of my listeners have always requested that I do something different for a change, and I feel like this record is exactly what they need. Of course, it’s all thanks to a great and a dedicated team, working tirelessly in the background, helping me bring out a different side of me. Amazing work by the young and super talented - Ali, on guitars! All in all, a great project that I got to be a part of."


"A great chemistry right from the start,” adds Eroglu. “Young Reis Ali's razor-sharp guitar riffs and melodies collided with Efe's blazing lead guitars, then Girish Pradhan took it to the stars with his amazing voice. It's hard to believe it's a debut album; it actually feels like a best-of already.”


Girish Pradhan’s reputation has been growing recently as one of the hottest new rock singers on the scene. Coming from India, he played already several shows in Europe with his band Girish & The Chronicles and appeared as lead singer on the last album from the hard rock supergroup The End Machine featuring George Lynch and Jeff Pilson, both ex-Dokken.


Following the acclaim that Girish received over the last few years, the label’s President Serafino Perugino conceived a new project set to highlight Girish’s vocals and abilities. Turkish composer and producer Cenk Eroglu was brought in to write some songs and work on ideas with Girish, and he was immediately blown away by his talent.


He asked his friend and former bandmate Kip Winger to A&R the project and thus put to work his two kids: Efe (a 26 years old guitar hero - top shredder on the “Monsters Of Rock Cruise Shred Contest” in 2021, praised by musical giants such as Bumblefoot, John 5, Andy Timmons, Nuno Bettencourt and Reb Beach) and Ali (17 years old multi-instrumentalist and co-writer of the album).


The final result is just above and beyond any expectation. The album offers a great balance of heavier material (“Soul Screamer”, the bastard child of Judas Priest’s “Painkiller”, “Underdog” and the title track) and very melodic numbers (“Broken”, “Walk the Line”, “No Time to Burn” and “Fall Back Now”).


The Nail is a real surprise as it contains a real tribute to 80’s heavy metal, showcasing influences from Judas Priest, Sabbath, Dio and even hints at the heaviest Winger sound on the most recent albums.





The Nail tracklisting:


"Hit & Run"
"The Nail"
"No Time To Burn"
"Broken"
"Walk The Line"
"Soul Screamer"
"Blackout (Popeye's Sin)"
"Exorcist"
"Hangman's Noose"
"Underdog"
"Fall Back Now"


"No Time To Burn" lyric video:

According to an exclusive report from Business Insider, the members of Alice In Chains are among a handful of musicians who misused US taxpayer funded COVID relief grants. Other artists named in the report include rapper Lil Wayne, R&B singer Chris Brown, and DJ Marshmello.


The money came from a program called the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. Signed into law by Trump in 2020 and championed by lawmakers including Sen. Chuck Schumer, it was established as a lifeline for struggling independent venues and arts groups during the pandemic. But pop stars used the program as a piggy bank to keep the party going, reporting by Business Insider shows.


As per the report: On March 23, 2022, records show, the Alice in Chains singer and guitarist Jerry Cantrell took in $1.4 million as an "SVOG distribution." The band's drummer, Sean Kinney, received the same amount, and its bassist, Mike Inez, booked half that sum, about $682,000.

Swedish singer songwriter Jonathan Hultén’s superb new single “Falling Mirages” is out now. It follows “Afterlife” as the second single to be released from his upcoming album Eyes Of The Living Night, out January 31 on Kscope.


Speaking on the new single, Hultén shared, “‘Falling Mirages’ addresses the dangers of miscommunication in relationships and the potential consequences of silence. By not speaking up and expressing what weighs on one's heart, unresolved tension builds up and eventually could make a bond so fragile that it could break by the weight of a feather. Yet if it were to fall apart, much like a house, the relation could be rebuilt if its foundation is solid, and might even be constructed to be sturdier than before. But, as with a house built on porous, unstable or sinking ground, a relationship lacking foundational stability will eventually and continually crumble, with each attempt to save it only prolonging the inevitable – a painful yet familiar realization many of us come to experience in life.”


Musically, "Falling Mirages" weaves together elements of acoustic folk, Manu Chao influences, the delicate sounds of a mechanical music box, and a lo-fi, carnival-esque fantasy soundtrack. Both through its music and lyrics, it tells a story of contemplation in the shadow of loss and resignation, yet offers a glimmer of hope on the horizon – depending on the perspective one takes.




Recorded at Stockholm’s Chanting Studios and co-produced with Ola Ersfjord (Lady Blackbird/Tribulation/Monolord), the new album Eyes Of The Living Night is a remarkable showcase of Hultén’s distinctive blend of folk, rock and pop, drawing influence from the likes of Bert Jansch, John Martyn and Nick Drake as well as contemporaries such as Anna Ternheim, Chelsea Wolfe and Hexvessel.


Eyes Of The Living Night delves deep into the human spirit. Merging the raw emotion of his earlier work with a more expansive, otherworldly sound, Jonathan Hultén has created an album that shimmers, taking listeners through the decades of rock, synth-pop, blues and folk on a journey best described as “Ambient Dream-grunge”. Preorder here.


Jonathan has announced a run of shows supporting riotous UK metal band Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats in the USA. These will be his first North American tour as a solo artist.





Tracklisting:


“The Saga And The Storm”
“Afterlife”
“Falling Mirages”
“Riverflame”
“The Dream Was The Cure”
“

IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris spoke to Music Radar about the band's upcoming 50th-anniversary tour, which will take place in 2025 and 2026. The "Run For Your Lives" world trek will see Harris and his bandmates perform classic songs off their first nine studio albums, from their 1980 debut "Iron Maiden" to 1992's "Fear Of The Dark", which marked singer Bruce Dickinson's last album before he exited the group and then later returned in 1999.

"It's amazing that this band's been going for 50 years," the 68-year-old Steve told Music Radar. "When you really think about it, it's insane. How many songs we've done, how many albums, how many tours… it's outrageous. And it's fantastic to see so many young people in the audience now. A couple of shows that we did recently, we had youngsters, real youngsters, like nine or ten years old, and then some others like teens or early twenties. So we're still generating new fans all the time. And I think that's because we put on a good, entertaining show. We're still playing really well. And for all those young people turning up, I think a lot of them — dare I say it — I don't think they've seen anything like it. We're seeing all these young people in the front row, and they must think we're ancient now. Well, we are, I suppose. You know, when I was 17, I thought that 25 was old."

IRON MAIDEN's longtime drummer Nicko McBrain played his last-ever gig with the band earlier in the month in São Paulo, Brazil.

The 72-year-old British musician, whose real name is Michael Henry McBrain, announced his retirement on Saturday, December 7 in a statement on MAIDEN's web site and social media. He also said that night's concert at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil would mark his final show with the iconic heavy metal act.

Despite the fact that he is stepping away from touring, McBrain said that he will remain closely connected to IRON MAIDEN and continue to be involved in "a variety of projects" with the band, while also focusing on personal ventures and his existing businesses.

On December 8, IRON MAIDEN announced Simon Dawson as its new touring drummer. Dawson is a former session drummer and Harris's longtime bandmate in BRITISH LION.

Back in 2019, Harris told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that there has been no talk of MAIDEN retiring anytime soon, despite the fact that all the members are in their late 60s.

"We all feel that if we feel we're not cutting it anymore, then we'll discuss it and that will probably be the end of it," he explained. "But at the moment, we don't feel like that. We feel that we definitely still are pulling our weight, so to speak. We're just doing well. So far so good. I don't wanna tempt fate, but we are doing good."

In 2022, Dickinson told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show about MAIDEN's longevity as well as the group's multigenerational appeal: "We're not planning to retire at all, really. I think we'll probably drop dead onstage. I can think of worse places to drop dead. But no, we're not planning on retiring. We're all still firing away [with] loads of energy and loads of enthusiasm.

"With respect to our fans, we've got generations of fans now," he continued. "Even at [my] spoken-word shows, I can crack jokes about the age of the audience only because half the audience is, like, my age, but the other half of the audience is often way, way younger. So it's brilliant. We've got this whole intergenerational thing going. And, obviously, at the MAIDEN shows, it's even bigger, the emphasis on that. And huge numbers of women. It's fantastic. 'Cause it always used to be cliché, back when I was starting in the early '80s, that heavy metal was just, like, misogynist, male-dominated stuff… But no, it's not true. There's loads and loads of heavy metal fans who are girls."

The São Paulo performance marked the the final show of IRON MAIDEN's "The Future Past" world tour, which began in May 2023.

The "Run For Your Lives" world tour is scheduled to launch in May 2025 in Hungary. Dates announced so far go through July 2025 in Germany.

When the "Run For Your Lives" trek was first announced, Dickinson said the 50th anniversary tour will give "fans a once-in-a-lifetime live experience. This is a tour that's gonna put a smile on your face and a cheer in your throat. If you've seen us before, then get ready to take that experience to a whole new level. If you've never seen us before, then what the hell have you been waiting for? Now's your chance to find out what you've been missing! IRON MAIDEN's definitely gonna get ya!"

The band said it will "cover classics and fan favorites from the first nine albums, from 'Iron Maiden' to 'Fear Of The Dark', many of which we haven't played in years and many we will likely never play again in the future. We have already been hard at work for months putting together an even more spectacular and elaborate new show which will bring the songs to life more than we have ever been able to do before."

Photo by John McMurtrie (courtesy of Live Nation)

Swedish supergroup Ginevra - comprised of vocalist Kristian Fyhr (Seventh Crystal), guitarist Magnus Karlsson (The Ferrymen, Primal Fear), bassist Jimmy Jay (H.E.A.T.), and drummer Magnus Ulfstedt (ex-Eclipse, Nordic Union) – are excited to share their new single and official lyric video “Let Freedom Ring”, out now via Frontiers Music Srl.


Lead singer Kristian Fyhr describes the track as “a song whose main themes are fighting oppression and standing up for what you believing without being afraid.”


Ginevra is a real funnel of talents comprised of vocalist Kristian Fyhr (Seventh Crystal), guitarist Magnus Karlsson (The Ferrymen, Primal Fear), bassist Jimmy Jay (H.E.A.T.), and drummer Magnus Ulfstedt (ex-Eclipse, Nordic Union).  




The group came to be after Kristian Fyhr sent Serafino Perugino, the label’s President, some songs he had written for consideration to be used on future Frontiers' label projects. One particular song, “My Rock N' Roll” jumped out at Perugino and he asked Fyhr if he would be interested in fronting a new band that would craft an entire album in a musical direction illustrated in that song, which was substantially different from Fyhr's main band Seventh Crystal.


The final results brought Ginevra's sound under the same big umbrella of excellent Nordic melodic h

ficially entered the studio to record their highly anticipated fourth studio album. Known for their blistering riffs, thunderous rhythms, and unrelenting energy, Aftermath promises to deliver 11 tracks of pure, uncompromising metal that will push the boundaries of the genre.


Following the success of their third album No Time To Waste that was released in 2023, the band is ready to raise the stakes with their most aggressive and innovative work yet.


The band states, "We are excited to be back in the studio. We can’t wait for everyone to hear t

Swedish rockers Wildness unveil their new single and lyric video “Broken Heart”, taken from their new studio album, Avenger, out on January 24, 2025, via Frontiers Music Srl.


Preorder Avenger here.


Drummer Erik Modin comments on the new single: “‘Broken Heart’ is a catchy and classic melodic rock song about the point of moving forward instead of looking back.”




The band express their enthusiasm for this release, by saying: “The wait is finally over, and we're proud to present our fourth album “Avenger” for you guys! This is an album that summarizes everything that Wildness stands for, and we can't wait for you guys to hear it!”


Wildness was formed in 2014 by drummer and songwriter Erik Modin, guitar players Adam Holmström and Pontus Sköld and lead singer Gabriel Lindmark. The band performed live and released a few demos during the first two years, before signing a record deal and releasing their first two albums on the German label AOR Heaven.


Bass player Marcus Sjösund stepped in as a full member of the band during the recording of their debut album, which was released in late 2017 and immediately became a great international success among fans of melodic hard rock. However, disagreements regarding musical directions led lead singer Gabriel Lindmark to leave Wildness in the fall of 2019.


The band recruited lead singer Erik Forsberg (ex-Blazon Stone) as their new frontman and lead singer in the spring of 2020. Their follow-up to the debut album was named Ultimate Demise (released in late 2020), and became an ever greater success for the band, thanks to Erik Forsberg’s powerful set of pipes and the hit-single “Cold Words”.


Wildness spent the main part of 2021 writing and planning the follow-up to Ultimate Demise, and after the band signed a multi-album deal with Frontiers in October 2021, they finally released their third album, titled Resurrection, which contains eleven melodic masterpieces with one foot in the 80’s and the other one in the present.


Followed by intense writing and recording sessions, Wildness finally return with their new album Avenger, a record that musically defines the band better than ever. With songs like “Wings Of Fire”, “Avenger” and “Stand Your Ground”, the band pays tribute to classic hard rock pioneers like DIO, Accept and Yngwie Malmsteen. Songs like “Crucified”, “Wasted Time”, “Walk Through The Fire” and “Broken Heart” represent the classic melodic arena anthems that have always been the key for Wildness.


The band have performed at a number of different festivals internationally and shared stages with well-known acts such as Dokken, H.E.A.T, Dee Snider, Crashdïet, Dragonforce, Arch Enemy, Warrant, Vixen and others, and also had the honor to open for Pretty Maids, among others.

In a new interview with Kati Rausch of Music Interview Corner, TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick was asked about a t-shirt he wore several years ago which had the text on the front that read "On the back of this shirt is a list of scientific discoveries that were later proven wrong by religion", while the back of the shirt showed an empty list 1.-10. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I know maybe it's a little provocative, but I like the shirt and I believe in what it says. I also have good friends who are religious, and I wouldn't wanna challenge their religion, but I have mixed feelings about it, because I feel like believing in something that is unproven and not…"

Addressing his views on religion, Alex continued: "I think it causes more problems than it solves. I think it's okay to have your beliefs, but there are things you know will happen, or that you can say with certainty it's gonna happen, and then there are things that you can imagine are true. And, yeah, I always liked the story of [English astronomer, mathematician and physicist] Halley, the scientist. [Edmond] Halley calculated the [return of the] comet [in 1758], and he said, 'There's gonna be a comet.' And they all thought he was crazy. And he said, 'Oh, well, here's why.' And he had mathematical calculations. And sure enough, he said, 'Okay, at this time there's gonna be [a comet],' and there was the comet. And he could have said, 'You know what? I am God and I'm gonna make this happen.' And he didn't. He could have started an organization and he could have gotten a lot of money… But he didn't. And I respect that."

Referencing the fact that scientists, at the height of the pandemic, often found their mission to understand and contain COVID-19 blocked by their inability to convince a significant chunk of the public to believe them, Skolnick added: "I know we're in a time where there's a lot of questioning of scientists, and how could they get things so wrong during the pandemic? But at least scientists, for the most part, the good ones, they admit that they're wrong. 'Oh, we got this wrong, and we have to change…' Unfortunately, with religion, they rarely admit to things being wrong.

"A lot of terrible things happen with religion, and a lot of the heavy metal songs have been written about it," Alex concluded. "We're certainly not the first [band to sing about it] — not that we have a lot of songs about that, but that's just something, yeah, in real life, I'm just, yeah, sometimes troubled by the outsized role that religion plays in our society."

Skolnick joined TESTAMENT in 1985 at the age of 16 and stayed with the band for eight years before leaving in 1993 and going on to study at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.

In addition to playing with ALEX SKOLNICK TRIO and TESTAMENT, he has worked as a sideman with such artists as vocalist Ishtar of the French band ALABINA and Jewish folk singer Debbie Friedman. He has also guested on an album from RODRIGO Y GABRIELA.

Six years ago, the ALEX SKOLNICK TRIO — comprised of Skolnick, drummer Matt Zebroski and bassist Nathan Peck — released "Conundrum", its first album since 2011.

TESTAMENT's latest album, "Titans Of Creation", came out in April 2020 via Nuclear Blast. A follow-up effort is tentatively due in 2025.

2024 was a milestone year for Florida power metallers, Seven Kingdoms. Not only did they sign with a new label, Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM), but they also headlined an extensive North American tour and released their new EP, The Square.


Today, the band release a video for their fan-favourite cover of Mr. Mister's "Kyrie". The cover stays true to the original 80s while adding Seven Kingdoms' unique twist. The video features the band enjoying their travels on tour and having fun at every band's favourite location, Buc-ees!


The band comment: "'Kyrie' is a cover song chosen by one of our faithful kickstarter backers. We started doing them a few years ago as an option on our kickstarters for fun and to show the musical flexibility of the band. I (Sabrina) have always enjoyed going out to sing karaoke or covering my favourite songs (I used to post myself singing them before copyright infringement issues took the fun out of it). This was a fun song to sing and I feel the lyric content is very on point for bands that go on tour. Kyrie translates to 'Lord have mercy' which when driving all around the world at all hours of the day and night, amongst responsible and non responsible people, we put our lives on the line every second we are on the road. I often refer to highways as 'The river of idiots' which can be anyone at any given moment."







The Square EP is out now on all streaming services. The EP is also available on both vinyl and CD formats. All physical copies are limited edition and signed by the band. Order The Square here.





Tracklisting:


"The Square"   
"Through These Waves"   
"Wilted Pieces"   
"The Serpent And The Lotus"   
"Kyrie"


"Wilted Pieces" video: