In a new interview with GRIMM Gent, vocalist Johannes Eckerström of Swedish metallers AVATAR was asked how his relationship with touring has changed compared to 10 or 15 years ago. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it has changed a lot. 15 years ago was much wilder than now. I mean, people still party, but I think the big thing, in the last few years, has been this idea of wanting to have a life. Because in the beginning, the partying and staying up late and playing the show and the excitement of that itself was [the main point of] life and still is a great part of life. But then with more committed relationship overall in the band compared to a decade and a half ago means that … you cannot just press pause on home, when on the road. So things blend into each other more. And also just the thing of when waking up on a day off, not being hung over all day or just whatever that is also, like, 'Where are we? Okay, Google. Google. That's cool. Let's go and see that.' Or even on show days. I think I've been to Philadelphia six times in in the same neighborhood, and after a while, 'Let's look at the map. And then that liberty bell, with the cracked bell that they have in the house, where the signed Declaration Of Independence, it's there — right over there. So let's go and check it out.' So just enriching yourself in ways around that is not just the music and the performing and the nightlife. That still plays a part, and especially the music [is] a huge part, but then it's everything else, and the friends you made through the years, maintaining those relationships. So, in those ways I think it's a richer and — it's a boring word in this context, I guess — but a more mature approach to it all… And sometimes you're specifically close to cool nature, and hike some mountains, and to seize those opportunities."

Asked if he and his AVATAR bandmates still get moments onstage where something goes slightly wrong, which in turn then actually makes the show better, Johannes said: "Yeah. I think there's the elements of chaos. If it doesn't show up by itself, there's something about… 'Cause we make a plan of things we wanna do on stage, and then the show develops on stage and what was a spontaneous good idea on the third show has become part of the script 10 shows in and everything. And at some point there, when you start to have what feels like a perfect show based on that you did everything you intended on doing, but show after that you have to fuck with each other a bit. Then the gremlin comes out and tries to sabotage it a bit in one way or another. So either it's from the outside that it happens or you start adding that element yourself. But you don't maybe have to try so much anyway. Things happen. It's a living, breathing, crazy thing, and it's a rock and roll show."

He continued: "Anytime that I talk about making mistakes on stage or whatever, it always brings me back to seeing DANKO JONES for the very first time live, where he — by now it's standard in his show that — [he goes], like, 'Oh, I fucked up. Well, I guess it's rock and roll, guys.' 'Cause when you're in the audience, you almost like it when it happens, when it's something that you feel probably you're being brought a bit closer to the artist or realize, 'Oh, shit, this is real.' It's a balance act for us being so theatrical, because a lot of things has to be as planned. But I always make sure to have little pockets that belong to me and just what I say and or what I do in certain parts of the songs and that where I know I can do something if I want to, to keep that element alive in the show."

AVATAR released its tenth studio album, "Don't Go In The Forest", last October via Black Waltz Records. The follow-up to 2023's "Dance Devil Dance" was once again produced by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER and URIAH HEEP, among many others.

Ruston first worked with AVATAR when he mixed "Hail The Apocalypse", a role he reprised on "Feathers & Flesh" before taking the wheel as producer on "Avatar Country" and "Hunter Gatherer".

"Dance Devil Dance" featured a guest appearance by Lzzy Hale of HALESTORM on the song "Violence No Matter What". The record also included the single "The Dirt I'm Buried In", which hit No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.

Johannes formed AVATAR in 2001. The band's lineup has remained virtually the same ever since, save for guitarist Tim Öhrström, who entered the fray just over a decade later. AVATAR also includes guitarist Jonas Jarlsby, bassist Henrik Sandelin and drummer John Alfredsson.

Eckerström told Metal Symphony about how AVATAR has managed to keep its lineup intact for a decade and a half: "For us, the most important thing is friendship. That's not just a nice thing to say — it's very practical. Our job is to write and perform our own music; we don't use outside songwriters or fake it in the studio. We want to write, play, and perform what's truly ours — and do it in a way that keeps us friends. Sometimes that means making decisions that might not be the best for business in the short term but are better for the band and our relationships in the long run. That's always the priority. The longer we stay together, the more opportunities we have to grow — both personally and artistically. That's the secret: we genuinely want to stay together."

Regarding how much each AVATAR member contributed to the composition of "Don't Go In The Forest", Johannes told Metal Symphony: "It's hard to measure. Our producer, Jay Ruston, often says AVATAR is the most democratic band he's ever worked with. Traditionally, the main songwriters are Tim, Jonas and myself. But the process is so collaborative that all five of us get deeply involved in finishing the songs. Take the title track, for example: it began as a song Tim wrote, but we couldn't make the full version work. Years later, Jonas brought back one of the riffs, added new bass and drums, and built something around it. Then I came in to clean it up, rearrange parts, add keyboards and a pulsing bass line — and everyone added something. Each song is different. Sometimes one of us writes most of it; sometimes it's a complete group effort. But the key is that by the end, everyone feels ownership — it becomes our song."

In Fagersta, Sweden's coal-black yet fiercely resilient musical history, there are bands that never truly disappeared — they were merely biding their time. One of them is KAZJUROL.

Forged in the rust and concrete of the mid-1980s — amid cigarette cartons, smoke-filled rehearsal rooms, bootleg liquor, and unrelenting volume — KAZJUROL is a band that has stubbornly refused to die for four decades.

Now it is time to sum up the misery.

Out now via GMR Music, "Forty Years Of Misery" is more than a title — it is a reckoning, a triumph, and a defiant gesture all at once. Since their formation in the mid-'80s, KAZJUROL has moved alongside, beneath, and straight through the Swedish thrash and crossover underground. Always present. Rarely aligned with trends. Precisely as intended.

With Thomas "Bäs" Bergström, Pontus "Kongen" Ekwall, Lars "Bodde" Eliasson and Tommie "T-Ban" Pettersson steering the ship, the band has accumulated more hard lessons than easy victories — more setbacks than applause — yet also an unwavering, uncompromising resolve. Demo after demo. The occasional split single. One full-length album. Burned bridges, lost years, aborted attempts, and unlikely resurrections.

KAZJUROL has done almost everything the wrong way — and somehow, exactly right.

While others dissolved, retreated, or settled into comfortable nostalgia, KAZJUROL chose evolution. Heavier. Angrier. Sharper. More relevant than ever.

The 2019 comeback "Multi Dead World" and the 2023 release "Rage 87" proved it beyond doubt. They sounded untouched by time — as if the decades had only hardened their edge. It became clear: KAZJUROL were not merely returning. They were reclaiming ground.

"Forty Years Of Misery" stands as a tribute to everything that collapsed -- and everything that endured regardless. It distills decades of frustration into mosh-driven grooves, razor-wire thrash riffs, relentless headbanging, sonic abrasion, and pure Fagersta defiance. This is the sound of a band that never waited for permission — and finally took what was theirs.

Press photo courtesy of GMR Music

British thrashers TORANAGA UK have released the official music video for their new single "Crash And Burn". You can check it out below.

TORANAGA UK vocalist Mark Duffy comments: "The track is about narcissists. I read an article about narcissists and realized I've come across a few and now recognize their traits and what they do. They rarely, if ever, accept blame and will point the finger at someone else. In their minds they are always right in their opinions and actions. There are a lot of traits they have but the best thing to do is to avoid them and sever all contact."

Back in the late 1980s TORANAGA were one of the prime movers on the U.K. thrash metal scene, leading the pack alongside the likes of SABBAT, ONSLAUGHT and XENTRIX. Two acclaimed albums — "Bastard Ballads", released on Peaceville Records, and "God's Gift", released on Chrysalis Records — and live shows with an array of legendary bands, including MANOWAR, VENOM and SAXON, should have seen TORANAGA rising to dizzying heights. However, fate and misfortune intervened and the band slipped into a lengthy hiatus. There was a brief rebirth under the name THE BASTARD SON OF TORANAGA, with the punishing "Righteous Retribution" album emerging in 2013, but this incarnation soon dissolved. It was 2024 before a new TORANAGA lineup was unveiled, under the name TORANAGA UK, led, as ever, by indefatigable vocalist Mark Duffy. A superb EP, "A New Order", was released in 2025 and TORANAGA UK are not about to retreat quietly back into the darkness. Since their return, the band has toured with ONSLAUGHT, XENTRIX and RIOT CITY and performed at prestigious festivals like Headbangers Open Air, Helicon and HRH Spring Break — and underlining the fact that they are here to stay, TORANAGA UK are starting 2026 with a bang, unleashing explosive new single, "Crash And Burn".

Built upon crisp, incisive riffing that cuts like a blade, with Mark Duffy's distinctive vocals leading the charge — the power, range, accuracy and character of his voice undiminished — "Crash And Burn" is another finely crafted song that shows just how much TORANAGA UK have to offer. Measured, controlled, performed with masterful poise, "Crash And Burn" builds to a fierce conclusion. There's a depth of melody, the kind of songcraft that only comes with experience, some stunning lead guitar work and an incendiary chorus. Steeped in the roots and traditions of the band, but also driving forwards with a force and intensity that never looks back, "Crash And Burn" is a great addition to the proud TORANAGA legacy and a torch lighting the way to exciting times to come.

Produced and mixed by composer Steve Kilpatrick, known for his work on feature films and BBC dramas as well as the TORANAGA UK EP "A New Order", "Crash And Burn" sounds bright and vibrant while packing a heavyweight punch and some vicious teeth. For fans of cultured thrash and hard-hitting metal TORANAGA UK are the band you've been looking for — and there's no better place to start than with "Crash And Burn", with its high-impact artwork specially designed by band drummer Toby Wallace.

Expect to see TORANAGA UK on festival stages throughout 2026.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons and his solo band, GENE SIMMONS BAND, are among the artists who performed during this year's Rock Legends Cruise XIII, which sailed February 22-27, 2026 on Royal Caribbean's Liberty Of The Seas.

Fan-filmed video of GENE SIMMONS BAND's February 26 concert on the ship's pool deck stage can be seen below (courtesy of Philly Upstart on YouTube).

As previously reported, GENE SIMMONS BAND performed two KISS songs written by Ace Frehley for the first time ever during GENE SIMMONS BAND's concert on February 20 at L'Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

The band — consisting of Gene on bass and vocals, Jason Walker on guitar and vocals, Brian Tichy on drums and vocals and Brent Woods on guitar — played "Strange Ways" and "Rocket Ride" as part of the 14-song set, which marked GENE SIMMONS BAND's first show of 2026.

During an August 2024 appearance on the Steve-O's Wild Ride! podcast, Simmons stated about his performances with his solo band: "[We're] just having a lot of fun."

He continued: "By the way, I designed a business model that is just semi-genius. I show up with my guitar pick. That's it. There's no manager, no roadies, no trucks, no equipment. Everything is provided by the promoter. The flights, the hotels, all the amplifiers, the drums, everything is rented locally. That's the promoter's cost, and whatever six-figure or more amount there is, I pocket. And I literally make more money per gig being Gene Simmons and the GENE SIMMONS BAND than I did in KISS — not counting the ancillaries and all that — because you don't have a 60-man crew, three double deckers, private jet that's on call seven days a week and 20 to 24 tractor trailers."

Simmons was born Chaim Witz in August 1949, at Rambam Hospital in Haifa to Jewish immigrants from Hungary. He was the son of Holocaust survivor Flora Klein and a father, Feri Witz, who soon abandoned his family, leaving them penniless prior to emigrating to America in search of a better life.Simmons is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, and media mogul. He has achieved success that reaches far beyond his music career, extending into television shows, films, publishing, merchandising, worldwide restaurants, consumer products, and more.

Gene was inspired to become a rock star when he first saw a televised performance by THE BEATLES. He formed several bands and then met fellow KISS co-founder Paul Stanley in 1970 and they formed the group WICKED LESTER. In the winter of 1972, with a desire to create the "ultimate" rock band, not just "another" rock band, Simmons and Stanley formed KISS with original band members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. Inspired by his love of comic books and horror films, Simmons conceived the concept of his face paint. The addition of elaborate costumes, frenetic stage performances and ostentatious concert effects, catapulted KISS to international stardom and a coveted position as one of the most recognized rock and roll bands in the world.

Since their inception, KISS has developed millions of fans around the world, also known as the KISS Army. With over 100 million CDs and DVDs sold worldwide, KISS sold out stadiums and arenas around the world for five decades, breaking box-office records set by Elvis Presley and THE BEATLES.

KISS was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2014 and in 1999 received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Merchandising giant Simmons's keen business acumen has expanded the KISS brand beyond the stage. With more than 5,000 licensed/merchandised items, KISS has generated more money from merchandising and trademark deals than any other band in music history.

Recently, Gene launched Gene Simmons MoneyBag soda — a new line of sodas made with all natural flavors, colors, and pure cane sugar, and packaged in painted bottles.

Simmons is renowned and sought after worldwide as a notable and opinionated media commentator on a diverse range of topics from politics to business.

In a new interview with Guitar World, acclaimed guitarist Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, NIGHT RANGER) was asked what piece of advice he would give to his younger self if he could travel back in time. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We were poor, quite frankly. We had no money. We grew up in a blue-collar area, the suburbs of Chicago, where none of this was supposed to happen for me, like literally none. So, for me to get to the point where, through hard work and, I guess, a bit of luck, you find yourself able to do some great things… And then, in a way, I'm playing with house money, but in a way, I wanna see how far it can all go. So I just keep pushing and hope for the best. But that being said, I know my limitations as a guitar player and I know my fortes, I suppose. I just try to work at music every day and see where it all takes me."

Joel continued: "I've never really had any grand plan beyond being a professional guitar player. As funny as that sounds, for the guy that ended up on stage with WHITESNAKE throwing shapes with the long hair and everything like that, the most important thing for me was to make a living with my guitar. That's what I set out to do as a kid. And I committed to poverty for that. I went, like, 'Okay, I'm probably gonna be poor the rest of my life.' But you have to have that ability, I think, to get into music. If you're getting into music to make money, man, you have a hole in your head, man, 'cause you could like get any other job and work much, much easier hours and have a nice, clear path to do so, where music is like the Wild West, I think. It's, like, anything can happen at any point in time. So just that it's possible through hard work. And I think that should definitely ring true for any younger players out there now. Especially with the Internet, the world has shrunk. You can get your music out to anybody, and home recording has gotten to the point where you can make a professional record right there where you are. So I don't care where you are — if you're located in a more rural area, if you still have the ambition to reach out to name players and try to expand your name, and obviously things being in the digital domain like they are, you never know where that can take you."

Joel will release the fourth album of his solo project JOEL HOEKSTRA'S 13, "From The Fade", on February 27 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Once again, guitarist and composer Hoekstra is joined by an elite cast of rock veterans: powerhouse drummer Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO),legendary bassist Tony Franklin (THE FIRM, BLUE MURDER),virtuoso keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, SONS OF APOLLO) and rising vocal sensation Girish Pradhan (GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES, THE NAIL).

New York-based Hoekstra is also well known for his fill-in work with FOREIGNER, ACCEPT, his annual sets on the Monsters Of Rock cruise, recording projects like REVOLUTION SAINTS, ICONIC, viral collaboration videos with the likes of Dino Jelusick, Arnel Pineda, Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan and his acoustic shows with Brandon Gibbs.

Exhibiting a knack for music education, he has also been a frequent columnist for Guitar World magazine, taught at Musician's Institute, Rockstars Of Tomorrow, Guitar Workshop Plus, and has often been a counselor at Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp.

Over the years, Joel has released three instrumental solo albums and three critically acclaimed albums with JOEL HOEKSTRA's 13. Most recently, he was the guest guitarist on "Dancing With The Stars" ("hair metal" episode) and played with Cher at her Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction and the "SNL 50" homecoming concert.

Photo credit: Mike Polito

HELD., the trio featuring Douglas Robinson and Sal Mignano of THE SLEEPING alongside COHEED AND CAMBRIA's Josh Eppard, have released "Constant Tension", the second preview from the band's forthcoming debut album, "Grey", due on May 15 via MNRK Heavy.

The five-minute track arrives on the heels of the band's debut single, "New You Anthem" (featuring Frank Iero),which Revolver praised for its "lightning-strike guitar… and thunderous drums," Alternative Press dubbed as "rousing," and idobi called a "dazzling post-hardcore tune."

Where HELD.'s introduction leaned into catharsis through connection, "Constant Tension" presents a more unsettled dynamic. Directed by Adam Thomson, the accompanying video builds on the story arc introduced with "New You Anthem", providing a sci-fi-esque visual companion to the themes behind "Grey".

"'Constant Tension' stems from an everlasting battle within myself to embrace who I am via internal reflection," Robinson explains. "It's all of my strengths fighting against all of my weaknesses. There is a 'constant tension,' a violent push and pull within my mind every single day. I let myself down so much, to the point where I often feel like I have to somewhat abandon myself and step outside to try and see the bigger picture, but the hurt inside of me pulls me back into my own thoughts. I go completely blank to try and focus, which oddly enough resorts to more tension, and more clouded thoughts. It feels like an endless cycle. The lyrics to 'Constant Tension' mirror all of this."

HELD. has also announced an intimate "Grey" listening party this Thursday, March 5, at Selva in Brooklyn. HELD. will be on hand from 7 to 10 p.m., and no RSVP is required.

On "Grey", HELD. channel decades of collective experience into a debut that reflects both creative evolution and personal reckoning. "The album as a whole truly feels like it's everything I have ever wanted to write in my time growing as a musician," Robinson says. "This record has, in many ways, healed me…. or, it's at least trying to."

Produced and mixed by Jon Markson (DRUG CHURCH, DRAIN, THE STORY SO FAR),"Grey" was recorded at the Animal Farm in Flemington, New Jersey.

"Grey" track listing:

01. Defending The Earth
02. New You Anthem (ft. Frank Iero)
03. Constant Tension
04. Knifepoint (ft. High Vis)
05. Waves Of Fire
06. Grey
07. I And I Against You All
08. Through The Cracks
09. Broken Spacesuit (Decay And Sand)
10. Emptiness: A Side Effect

HELD. is Douglas Robinson (vocals/guitar),Sal Mignano (bass) and Josh Eppard (drums)

Photo credit: Nick Karp

In a new interview with Maurizio Lyon Leone of Italy's LyonRock, former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider was asked about his current relationship with ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann. Udo responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't have a relationship with Wolf Hoffmann anymore. No. He's a great guitar player. He's doing quite well now with ACCEPT, but he's the only member [left] of [the classic lineup of] ACCEPT [laughs], and the rest is, like, yeah. What can I say? It's different, you know? And, yeah, I don't wanna make any bad comments. He's doing his stuff, I do my stuff, but as a relationship — no, there is no relationship anymore."

Eleven years ago — in 2015 — Udo announced that he would embark on a special tour during which he would perform ACCEPT songs one last time under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner before closing that chapter for good. Since then, the former ACCEPT frontman has continued to play ACCEPT material at select shows, including at the September 18, 2020 U.D.O. concert in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, which was released on DVD and Blu-ray.

When he first announced the original DIRKSCHNEIDER tour in 2015, Udo said that had "to make a clear break for myself — close the book and this is it. And I have the problem that people come to me and ask me to play more ACCEPT songs," he explained. "Other people ask me why I play ACCEPT songs at all, because there are [more than] fifteen U.D.O. records. I want to avoid such things and avoid the repeating questions concerning ACCEPT. I just can't stand that anymore. There is nothing more to be said. U.D.O. exists longer than ACCEPT. We have more records than ACCEPT."

While acknowledging that some ACCEPT fans want to hear the band's classic songs performed by the group's original singer, Dirkschneider explained that "you always have these comparisons [between how these songs are played by ACCEPT and U.D.O.]. I don't want this anymore either. [The current lineup of ACCEPT] also play 'Metal Heart', they play 'Balls To The Wall' and 'Princess Of The Dawn'. And then some people tell me, 'Oh, [current ACCEPT singer Mark Tornillo] is doing it better than you.' And I go, 'That's fine. Enjoy yourself.' But I don't want this anymore. And to avoid all of this in the future, I said, 'We are doing this one more time.'"

Dirkschneider said that his vow to never play ACCEPT material again came with one caveat. "If the band ACCEPT dissolves one day in the near future and I am still around with U.D.O., then there is a chance that I put ACCEPT songs back in the setlist," he said. "But currently there is ACCEPT, so go see them [if you want to see those songs performed live]. They are playing these songs."

Udo previously said the original plan was for DIRKSCHNEIDER to only "a few shows," and "then [the tour] got bigger and bigger [due to demand]." But, he added, "I don't want to complain about that."

DIRKSCHNEIDER's current lineup consists of former ACCEPT members Udo (vocals) and Peter Baltes (bass),along with drummer Sven Dirkschneider (Udo's son) and the guitar duo of Alen Brentini and Fabian "Dee" Dammers.

In an April 2024 interview with The Logan Show, Wolf was asked if he would ever be open to reuniting with Udo for one final gig. He responded: "I think nobody's ever asked me, and he certainly hasn't. So I don't think it's even an issue. I think he made some statements that he wouldn't ever consider it. So, at this point, of course, it's not an issue, man."

Asked by host Logan Crosland if that means Wolf and Udo "aren't in touch at all", Hoffmann replied: "No. You can say that again. We're not hanging. We're not spending family Christmases together. That's safe to say."

In 2022, Wolf was asked by Zisis Petkanas of Greece's Rock Overdose about Udo's comment that the band's current lineup is "not ACCEPT" anymore because Wolf is the only remaining original member left. The guitarist responded: "Yeah, yeah. Of course. I know. What else is new? Of course he's gonna say that. What else is he gonna talk about? See, that's the thing — if you constantly talk about something that happened 30 years ago, what does that tell you about your own career? That's all I have to say about that. I always think the proof is in the pudding — make some great music and the rest will sort itself out. And that's all we're trying to do. We're not trying to compete with anybody. We don't have to prove ourselves. We are ACCEPT and we make great albums. That's all I know."

In April 2022, Udo said in an interview with Australia's "Scars And Guitars" podcast that he had had no contact with Wolf in recent years. "And I don't wanna have any contact with him," he added. "I'm really good friends now again with Peter Baltes… I still have a good relationship with [ex-ACCEPT drummer] Stefan Kaufmann. Over the years, he was the guitar player in U.D.O. [and] he was producing U.D.O. and stuff like that. And the only guy I don't wanna talk to — let's say it this way — is Wolf. There's a lot of reasons why. I wish him all the best. [He's] a great guitar player anyway, but for me to work with him again — never."

During the same chat, Udo was asked if he has ever had an opportunity to meet current ACCEPT singer Mark Tornillo. Dirkschneider said: "There was a festival, Masters Of Rock, happening in the Czech Republic, and I was a guest singer of LORDI — I did a song together with LORDI. And LORDI was headlining and ACCEPT was the special guest of this festival, not the headliner. And at the hotel, we [Mark and I] were waiting both for a driver, and he never said to me hello or something like that. Okay, I mean, what can I do? Why not say hello? I'm also really good friends with David Reece who did [ACCEPT's] 'Eat The Heat' album. We are really, really good friends; we talk sometimes on the phone and blah blah blah. I don't know… What I heard from Peter is that it was not allowed that he talk to me. Don't ask me. Forget it…"

Udo added: "He's a good singer, he's doing a good job now with ACCEPT, and I wish him good luck. And maybe one day [we will meet and speak to each other]. You never know."

In December 2021, Udo told Simfonia Metàl·lica that losing the rights to the ACCEPT name was the biggest mistake he made in his professional career. "This is the only thing I'm really not happy with," he said. "I was creating the name ACCEPT. And then, when we came — let's say in '80, '81, we had to sign a lot of documents. And sometimes you're not really looking on this. And then, in the end, when they fired me [from] my own band, I found a paper [saying] all the rights [to the ACCEPT name] go to Wolf Hoffmann. And that's really a big point, a bad point for me. The name is normally on me and not on Wolf Hoffmann."

He continued: "This was a big mistake — not really to look what you're signing. But anyway, this is history — [it happened] a long time ago. And I think in the end now, in a way I don't care. But sometimes [I think] I did a big mistake. But anyway, it happened."

In 2021, Udo ruled out the possibility of a reunion with ACCEPT, telling TNT Radio Rock: "I don't wanna say anything bad. Wolf is a great guitar player. He's a great guy — I know that. But one thing, and that's why never ever can happen again a reunion or stuff like that, is he was stealing my name. A long time ago, in '81, when we had to sign some papers. I was really young, and, 'Yeah, okay,' I signed my contracts. There was some paper in between [all the others], and he [got] the rights [to the ACCEPT name]. But it was not Wolf [who orchestrated it]; I think it was now his [then-]wife. She was the manager of ACCEPT, and she was clever to put the [ACCEPT] name on Wolf Hoffmann. And this is the thing that makes me still angry — he was really stealing the name. I mean, I was making ACCEPT in '68.

"In the end, as a person, [he's] definitely a great guitar player, a great guy," Udo added. "It's history. I think I'm quite successful with U.D.O. If I want, I can do anytime a tour under [the name] DIRKSCHNEIDER and play ACCEPT songs. If I really say, 'Okay, I wanna do this again,' no problems at all. But the rest, in a way, is history."

In January 2021, Hoffmann was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he was surprised to see Baltes working with Dirkschneider on new music. He responded: "Yeah, I probably shouldn't say much about that. Again, I can only speculate what that was all about. At the end of the day, we do our thing, and everybody has to know for themselves what they wanna do. Yeah, let me not say as much about that as I can, please."

Back in 2015, Hoffmann dismissed Dirkschneider's comment that the band's then-lineup — which included Baltes and Tornillo — performed live "without any emotion." "It's just hilarious at this point," Wolf said. "It's just a big joke in our lives. And we just go on about our lives, and we do our thing, and we just… We let these things go by and laugh about it. He's actually sort of our press agent, in a way. He keeps us [in the news]."

BUTCHER BABIES return with their powerful new single "Lost In Your Touch", produced by Howard Benson. Blending emotional vulnerability with crushing intensity, the track — which marks the second release from BUTCHER BABIES' forthcoming album via Judge & Jury Records — serves as a key chapter in an LP that functions as a deeply personal love letter to vocalist Heidi Shepherd's past reflecting on the experiences, relationships, heartbreaks, and hard-earned lessons that have shaped her over the last 25 years. It's a record rooted in self-reflection and growth, honoring where she's been while embracing the strength and clarity of who she has become today.

Heidi shares: "10 years ago, I watched the love of my life fall in love with someone else. I watched him fill my shoes with another girl's touch. She slowly took my place in the late-night phone calls and early morning coffee. He replaced 'us' with her name on his lips. I bent between this new reality and the past that my body and heart so desperately wanted back.

"As I watched this unfold, I couldn't help but wonder if they shared the same, deep emotional bond we once shared, and if 'she gets lost in his touch like I do,'" she adds. "This song brings me back to those heartbreaking moments alone; reflecting, growing, and finding myself again. I don't take a love like that for granted now. It's special, and deserves to be put on a pedestal.

"Recording this song with Howard was really special. From the get-go, he understood the emotion and story behind the lyrics. We both knew this song was going to be special, and treated it with the emotional sensitivity needed to not just hear the song, but to feel it."

Judge & Jury Records is a powerhouse record label and production company founded by multi-platinum producer Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, SEETHER, SKILLET, OF MICE & MEN) and Neil Sanderson of THREE DAYS GRACE.

The instrumentation for BUTCHER BABIES' new LP was meticulously crafted by Benson and Sanderson at West Valley Recording Studios, Benson's studio in Woodland Hills, California.

Howard says about "Lost In Your Touch": "I gravitated to this song immediately because of the vulnerability of the lyrics. To me, as a producer, if I can get lyrics like this that I know the vocalist will deliver — like Heidi delivers the emotions in this song — that's so critical to the track connecting."

Last November, Heidi wrote on social media about BUTCHER BABIES' upcoming album: "These songs are incredibly personal and hands down some of my favorite of my whole career. We're going to take a deep dive into the last 25 years of my life. This album is an autobiography, touching on early-life moments that I've never spoken about publicly.

"As always, [BUTCHER BABIES guitarist] Henry Flury and I have locked ourselves away in our studio for months. It's our confessional, our church, our therapy.

"I cant wait to let these songbirds fly, and finally introduce you to this part me".

In November 2024, BUTCHER BABIES released a new single, "Sincerity", a song rooted in wishful thinking. The lyrics dive into trusting someone to be delicate with your feelings, but rather having used those emotions to feed their own ego and benefit.

"Sincerity" marked BUTCHER BABIES's first release since the departure of co-founding co-vocalist Carla Harvey.

BUTCHER BABIES is Heidi Shepherd on vocals, Henry Flury on guitar, Ricky Bonazza on bass and Devin Nickles on drums.

BUTCHER BABIES played their first concert since the official departure of Harvey on July 27, 2024 at the Stonehenge festival in Steenwijk, The Netherlands.

The band announced Harvey's exit in a social media post on July 20, 2024. BUTCHER BABIES wrote: "As you may have already guessed, it is confirmed that Carla Harvey and BUTCHER BABIES have officially parted ways.

"Carla has been an integral part of our journey, bringing her unique talent, passion, and energy to the band. We are grateful for the incredible memories we've made together and the impact she has had on our music and our fans. We will miss her greatly and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

"We deeply appreciate your support over the past 15 years," BUTCHER BABIES added. "We feel incredibly fortunate to keep making and playing music as our career, and we are excited for this new era of BUTCHER BABIES!"

In the fall of 2023, BUTCHER BABIES completed a European tour without Carla, who sat out the trek in order to undergo emergency surgery on her left eye.

BUTCHER BABIES released a double album "Eye For An Eye..." and "…'Til The World's Blind", in July 2023. The double album celebrated the tenth anniversary of BUTCHER BABIES' critically acclaimed debut, "Goliath", released on July 9, 2013 via Century Media Records.

BUTCHER BABIES' previous album, 2017's "Lilith" was produced by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SEPULTURA, SUICIDE SILENCE).

Photo credit: Jesse Shepherd (courtesy of The Syndicate)

SHINEDOWN has once again made history as the band's single "Searchlight" has topped two rock radio charts: No. 1 on Mediabase's Active Rock chart (marking the band's 24th No. 1 song on the chart) and No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart (marking the band's 22th No. 1 song on the chart). With this achievement, SHINEDOWN further extends its all-time records for the most No. 1 songs on both charts — two incredible milestones that continue to solidify their unmatched dominance at radio.

"Searchlight" has been one of the most meaningful songs of the band's career. The track made its historic live debut at the Grand Ole Opry during the band's first-ever appearance on the iconic stage. Introducing the song that night, SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith told the audience, "Sometimes when you listen close enough to the universe and you're willing to receive something from it, a song can come out of thin air. We didn't find this one, it found us." The performance became one of the most talked-about moments of the evening, with the audience giving the band a standing ovation and resonating deeply with fans and critics alike.

Written by Brent, SHINEDOWN bassist/producer Eric Bass and Dave Bassett, and produced by Bass at Big Animal Studio, "Searchlight" showcases SHINEDOWN at their most expansive. Blending elements of rock, Americana, rhythm and blues, bluegrass, and outlaw country, the song retains the anthemic power and emotional urgency that have defined the band's career.

Following the news of the chart-topping achievement, Brent shared a heartfelt message on socials thanking everyone for championing the song and helping it reach No. 1. In the video, he said: "I don't look emotional because I'm sad. I'm emotional because I'm really grateful, humbled and honored because I was just told that 'Searchlight' is the number one song on rock radio.

"I'm sure there were a lot of people that were, like, 'It doesn't belong on rock radio,' but the audience said otherwise and the program director said otherwise.

"Thank you to rock radio in general: thank you. To the program directors, to the cities, to the fans, to SHINEDOWN Nation, to everybody at Atlantic Records, to everybody at In De Goot Entertainment, to the promotion teams, to broadcast radio, to terrestrial radio — thank you. You've given us a career. We don't take it for granted.

"I know I'm emotional. I tried to do this video a few times without being emotional. It's hard. Thank you so much. Seriously. I can't be a tough guy. Not today. This is about the most rock and roll thing I could do. So, thank you so much on behalf of myself and Eric and Barry and Zach. Thank you so much. I promise you, we will never phone it in, ever. Thank you for the continued support. Long live rock radio. My full respect. Thank you all."

The success of "Searchlight" continues a landmark run for SHINEDOWN. Over the past year, the band has delivered multiple No. 1 rock radio hits including "Dance, Kid, Dance" and "Killing Fields", while "Three Six Five" achieved crossover success across Alternative, Hot AC, AC, and Top 40 formats. Meanwhile their latest song "Safe And Sound" has hit No. 32 on Active Rock radio and is climbing.

SHINEDOWN is currently gearing up for the release of its highly anticipated eighth studio album, "Ei8ht", arriving May 29 via Atlantic Records. SHINEDOWN will also embark on the massive "Dance Kid Dance Act II" world tour, spanning North America and Europe.

Photo credit: Ryan Camp

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Acclaimed rock vocalist Robin Beck has announced her new studio album, "Living Proof", set for release on May 15, 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl.

About the new album, Robin comments: "This album is a mosaic of sound — each track a distinct piece, a portrait of my life."

Robin celebrates the album's announcement with the release of its title track, which she co-wrote with James Christian and Tommy Denander.

Regarding the title track, she says: "'Living Proof' is my story — a song about a life lived, every stumble, every triumph. I'm still standing, still creating, and this road is one I'll never abandon."

With "Living Proof", Beck delivers one of the most confident, vibrant, and emotionally charged albums of her career — a powerful statement from an artist whose voice and presence continues to define melodic rock at the highest level. Bold, contemporary, and unmistakably timeless, "Living Proof" stands as exactly what its title suggests: proof that true class, passion, and authenticity never fade.

Anchored by the track "Never Gonna Let You Go", the album blends soaring melodies, modern production, and classic AOR sensibility, capturing Robin at her most expressive and commanding. Songs like "Love And Money" and "Trouble Or Nothing" showcase a perfect balance between polished hooks and emotional intensity, while tracks such as "What A Night" and "Karma" bring a vibrant, radio-ready edge without losing depth or substance.

Throughout the album, Beck's unmistakable voice — powerful yet nuanced, soulful yet razor-sharp — remains the focal point, supported by a carefully curated team of world-class musicians and songwriters. "Living Proof" features contributions from James Christian (HOUSE OF LORDS),Tommy Denander (RADIOACTIVE),Peppy Castro (BALANCE),Steve Bondy, Emil Theilhelm and Johan Kullberg, who collectively deliver a rich, cohesive musical landscape that moves effortlessly between melodic rock, modern AOR and subtle pop-rock influences.

Robin's 11th studio album, "Living Proof" was produced by James Christian and co-produced by Peppy Castro. The legendary Chris Lord-Alge mixed "Living Proof" and also mixed and co-produced "What A Night". Dennis Ward also played a key role, mixing the bulk of the album, making this record a true gem and a tour de force.

From the infectious energy of "Na Na" to the darker tones of "Voodoo" and "Don't Tempt Me", the standout "Never Gonna Let You Go" and the reflective closer "Let It Rain", "Living Proof" is a journey through strength, vulnerability, and resilience.

"Living Proof" is more than a new album — it is a celebration of artistic longevity, creative renewal, and fearless self-expression. Beck sounds inspired, empowered, and utterly compelling, reaffirming her status as one of the most distinctive and enduring voices in melodic rock.

"Living Proof" track listing:

01. Living Proof
02. Love And Money
03. Trouble Or Nothing
04. What A Night
05. Karma
06. Never Gonna Let You Go
07. Na Na
08. Voodoo
09. Don't Tempt Me
10. Let It Rain

Robin Beck live:

May 01 - Milan, Italy @ Frontiers Rock Fest
July 24 - Vienna, Austria @ Forever Young - Das 80er Festival

Album artwork by Nello Del'Omo

Photo credit: William Murray

Sharon Osbourne, the British TV personality, music manager and the widow of rock icon Ozzy Osbourne, has confirmed that there are plans to put on another edition of the Ozzfest traveling festival in 2027. " Yes, absolutely. Yeah, we're gonna do it," she said during a February 6 appearance at MIDEM 2026 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France. "Well, the last one we did was 2018. It was just a month before Ozzy got sick, and that was at the Forum in L.A. And there was no plans to stop it. We were still gonna do it, but Ozzy couldn't. And Ozzy and I would talk about it, and he'd say, 'Do you think Ozzfest would work without me?' And I'm, like, 'Yeah, it's a brand. It will work without you.' And he said, 'We should do it.'"

This past January, Sharon told Billboard magazine that she had been "talking to Live Nation" about bringing Ozzfest back. "It was something Ozzy was very passionate about: giving young talent a stage in front of a lot of people," she explained. "We really started metal festivals in this country. It was [replicated but] never done with the spirit of what ours was, because ours was a place for new talent. It was like summer camp for kids."

Sharon told Billboard that she had a new vision for the next iteration of Ozzfest. "I'd like to mix up the genres," she said.

Ozzfest started 30 years ago and was the first national music festival of its kind dedicated to hard rock music.

The event has not been a traveling festival in the U.S. since 2007's "free" edition. The show morphed into a one-off event in Dallas in 2008, took 2009 off and played just six cities in 2010.

Over 17,000 concert-goers were in attendance for 2017's all-day Ozzfest, which was headlined by Ozzy, while Rob Zombie closed out the next day's Knotfest bill.

2017 was the second year Ozzy's Ozzfest had merged with SLIPKNOT's Knotfest for a two-day heavy metal juggernaut.

A special one-night-only New Year's Eve Ozzfest took place on December 31, 2018 at The Forum in Los Angeles, California and was attended by 12,465 hard rock and heavy metal fans, according to Pollstar. Ticket sales from the Live Nation-produced concert totaled $1.2 million, with tickets priced from a low of $59.50 to $179.50.

Joining headliner Ozzy Osbourne at the event were Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, KORN's Jonathan Davis (playing a solo set) and BODY COUNT. ZAKK SABBATH, the BLACK SABBATH tribute band fronted by Osbourne's guitarist Zakk Wylde, headlined a second stage outside.

Sharon previously floated the possibility of reviving Ozzfest during a January 2024 episode of "The Osbournes" podcast. When Sharon and Ozzy's daughter Kelly noted that "it always comes down to" whether the bands and managers going to be "realistic" in terms of what they want to get paid for playing the festival, Sharon concurred, and added: "It's great. That's what we wanted — everybody to do spin-offs and do their own festivals, and it's great. It's great for fans; it's brilliant. But why is it when it comes to us that everybody thinks that we are trillionaires, and so that every manager who wants their band on our festival wants one of the fucking trillions they think we've got to put on the festival?"

After Ozzy asked during the podcast about the possibility of focusing more on lesser-known acts that won't be as demanding, Sharon said: "You can do it for a baby stage, but you still need the headliners. It's always great to have the baby stage, I mean, that's what it's all about — breaking new bands. That's why we did it."

She added: "It's very hard for acts who are not known to suddenly go and be in front of 50,000 people on a main stage at a festival and understand what they're meant to do. It's very intimidating. You could have maybe five thousand people at that baby stage, and then to go from five to fifty to sixty thousand people, and it's really, really hard for baby bands. They've pay their dues anyway. That's what it's all about."

When Sharon and Ozzy's son Jack pointed out that many of the recently launched rock festivals in the United States are "basically just Ozzfest," Sharon said: "Well, it's the same bands just going around and around and around. But that's what's so good, because we started something, people have taken it, and it's still great for the genre. It's really good."

In October 2023, Sharon talked about why Ozzfest eventually stopped during an earlier episode of "The Osbournes" podcast. At the time, she said: "Yeah, it was a very weird beast because all the bands were our mates, but the managers were greedy and for some reason they thought that we were making billions on it and we weren't. We made a profit. But it was not like — we couldn't retire on it. And managers and agents wanted more and more and more, and it just wasn't cost effective anymore. We stopped, because it just wasn't cost effective."

She continued: "Years and years ago, one of the bands — it was the second Ozzfest we did, or the third — wouldn't go on stage until I agreed to give them 10,000 more dollars. And they were holding everything up, and I said, 'Of course, of course I'll give it you.'" Pressed by Jack to name the act in question, Sharon said "Glenn Danzig", to which Jack replied: "Why are you gonna protect that twat?"

Sharon went on to say that she "didn't give them the money" that they were demanding. "They went on and played, and I went, 'Fuck you. You signed a contract, your agent agreed it, and you're just gouging,'" she recalled.

MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist John 5 has revealed that he's a big fan of playing deep cuts while in rehearsal with the band, even going as far as namechecking tracks from the much maligned "Generation Swine". The shredder also doubled down on why he doesn't deviate from original guitar player Mick Mars's parts while performing with the band. He made his comments while chatting to Eonmusic about his May 2026 European solo tour.

Speaking about how important it is for him to play the MÖTLEY CRÜE songs exactly as they were recorded, John 5 said: "Yeah, it's our childhood, you know? Those solos are embedded in our brains, and I wanted to play them just like how they were written, just how Mick wrote those solos. I wanted to play them because they're perfect. You can't change them. It just is not right if you change them, because they're burned in my brain and your brain like that, so I just wanted to play them just like how they were written. It's just like if you see a piece of sheet music, and you're doing a session and you're reading, you're playing, and you're, like, 'That doesn't really work', and change this like that. No, you don't do that — you play how it was written. And yeah, those solos are perfect. So I love it, and it puts a smile on my face every time I walk on that stage."

On the possibility of new material from MÖTLEY CRÜE, John 5 said: "I don't know what's going to happen after the tour. I don't know what's planned. I have no idea, but I just love being a part of it. So they just let me know what's going to happen. But right now, there's nothing planned, unfortunately."

When asked by Eonmusic if he'd like to play songs from the 1994 John Corabi-fronted album, or 1997's "Generation Swine", he replied: "Every time at rehearsal, I'll play 'Red Hot', I'll play 'Ten Seconds Of Love', 'Bastard', 'Take Me To The Top', 'Louder Than Hell', 'Glitter', 'Generation Swine', anything. I'll play all these songs all the time, and it's so fun. I love it. I love it. Love it, love it, love it."

He also insinuated that MÖTLEY CRÜE's setlist might change for the band's upcoming tour, though was tight lipped on whether any of the above songs might make it into the set.

"We're going to hit the road this summer, and I don't want to reveal what the setlist is, but it's exciting, so I'm super excited," he said.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's upcoming "The Return Of Carnival Of Sins" tour will celebrate the 20th anniversary of CRÜE's groundbreaking 2005-2006 "Carnival Of Sins" tour and the 45th anniversary of the band. The 33-city Live Nation-produced trek will kick off on July 17, 2026 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania at the Pavilion at Star Lake and will feature support acts EXTREME and TESLA.

In a recent interview with Jon Smith of the 103.5 The Arrow radio station, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx stated a possible setlist for "The Return Of Carnival Of Sins": "Obviously, we know the fans wanna hear the hits. And I hate it when a band goes out and doesn't play their hits. I remember [David] Bowie doing that, and he was one of my favorite artists. I was, like, I don't wanna go hear a bunch of C and D tracks off of records that I love. I wanna hear those songs, like 'Rebel Rebel', and at that point he was, like, 'I'm so tired of playing the same songs.' We're not tired of playing those hits, but we are excited about getting into a setlist and diving into some songs that we maybe never played or haven't played in a long time and shaking it up. And those type of things, if you're playing a song like 'On With The Show' from the first album, that's gonna dictate a lot of what production looks like. So, for us it's this moving creative ball of energy. It's super exciting."

In a separate interview with WMMS, Sixx indicated that setlist changes for "The Return Of Carnival Of Sins" were possible.

"A big part of the conversation is like, you know, obviously the fans want to hear the hits," he said. "But also, what can we bring in there [that fans haven't heard as much]? Like, there's so many cool songs."

"At some point here, we're going to get an opportunity to ask the fans, actually, what they [are interested in hearing]," he added. "We can kind of pick and choose through that and salt and pepper our set with some, you know, [deeper] songs. We just did the Vegas residency, and we've been playing 'On With The Show' and it's such a fun song. Some of these songs are really fun that not everybody knows. You know, 'Live Wire' was a breakout off our first record. There's a lot of people [who] didn't get into MÖTLEY CRÜE until 'Girls, Girls, Girls' or 'Dr. Feelgood'. They might have heard a couple tracks [from the earlier years]. So when you play something like 'On With The Show' and 'Starry Eyes', [it makes an impression].

"We haven't figured out the setlist, because the setlist will also dictate some things that we do with the show," he explained. "[But] we're really excited. This is the fun part for us. There's two parts, the creation of something that we're really excited to do, and then [we can't wait] to get it out there and play it for the fans."

MÖTLEY CRÜE said that $1 from every ticket sold for "The Return Of Carnival Of Sins" will be donated to ASAP! (After School Arts Program) through the Mötley Crüe Giveback Initiative to fund hands-on arts programs for young people.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's Las Vegas residency launched on September 12, 2025 and at Dolby Live at Park MGM and ran through October 3, 2025. The shows had initially been set for spring 2025 but were rescheduled after frontman Vince Neil revealed he had suffered a stroke around Christmas 2024.

In September 2025, Vince revealed that he had actually had a series of strokes before he suffered the "big one" in his sleep 2024 Christmas night, rendering him unable to get out of bed when he woke up the next day.

When MÖTLEY CRÜE originally postponed the Las Vegas residency, the band said it was because Neil needed a "medical procedure," but offered no further details.

In a new interview with Matt Mills of the Heavy Stories podcast, guitarist/vocalist Mille Petrozza of German thrash metal veterans KREATOR reflected on almost joining the Swiss metal band CELTIC FROST around 1986. Asked what his reaction was to being asked to be part of CELTIC FROST at that point in time, Mille said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was blown away, because I really respected them and I thought they were one of the best bands in the world. And I still do think that they were definitely one of the innovators."

Mille continued: "I knew that I had my own band, but I still wanted to go and see how they work, because they're great people, and we're still friends to this day. And I just wanted to see it. I have to be honest, from a nowadays point of view, I wanted to jam with [then-CELTIC FROST drummer] Reed St. Mark — and, of course, with Martin [Ain, then-CELTIC FROST bassist] and Tom [Gabriel Fischer, a.k.a. Tom Gabriel Warrior, CELTIC FROST guitarist/vocalist], but Reed St. Mark, for me, was the best drummer in the world. And I kind of sensed — not that I knew already that I will not join, but I definitely wanted to try out and see and feel how I feel about it. And I decided to not become Tom Warrior's sidekick, but have my own band."

Recalling his rehearsal sessions with CELTIC FROST, Mille said: "I went there for a week. I wish there was still recordings from that session, because I thought they were just amazing, amazingly professional. And Reed St. Mark was a killer drummer. They were playing in a bunker, an old World War II bunker in Zurich. And they were amazing people — very, very smart, very avant-garde. And I was this little 18- or 19-year-old metal kid. But then when I went back and I came back [home to Germany], I knew that I'm not gonna do it. I knew that I'm gonna do my own thing."

According to Mille, the fact that CELTIC FROST was based in a different country was a factor in his decision to pass on the offer.

"Switzerland, it's a cool place to be, but I was too young for that," Petrozza explained. "I was too young for moving to Switzerland. I don't even know. I mean, back in the day, yeah, they probably wanted me to move to Switzerland. And that was also like a thing — I was still a teenager, man. I was, like, 'What? It's too much.' And then I had my own band. If I wouldn't have had my own band, I would definitely have joined them."

KREATOR's sixteenth studio album, "Krushers Of The World", was released in January via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren. Bogren previously helmed KREATOR's "Phantom Antichrist" (2012) and "Gods Of Violence" (2017) LPs. The "Krushers Of The World" cover artwork was created by Polish genius Zbigniew Bielak (GHOST).

KREATOR will promote "Krushers Of The World" with a monumental European tour across 20 countries, joining forces with fellow metal powerhouses CARCASS, EXODUS and NAILS. The trek will kick off on March 20, 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal, at MEO Arena and wrap up on April 25, 2026 in Copenhagen, Denmark, at Poolen. Highlights include shows in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Stockholm, and more.

KREATOR will also embark on a U.S. tour this spring. The band, which last conquered American audiences and venues in 2024, will make stops at key festivals, including Welcome To Rockville, Sonic Temple and Maryland Deathfest. The tour kicks off on May 7 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and runs through May 23 in Huntington, New York.

The official KREATOR documentary, "Hate & Hope", was shown in July 2025 at the 42nd Munich International Film Festival and received a theatrical premiere in September 2025. The 110-minute film was directed by Cordula Kablitz-Post.

Mille's official German-language autobiography, which he wrote with journalist, author and presenter Torsten Groß, "Your Heaven, My Hell - Mein Leben, Heavy Metal Und Wie Das Alles Passieren Konnte", was published in August 2025 via Ullstein Verlag.

Photo credit: Robert Eikelpoth

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Due to unbelievable demand, six shows are being added to METALLICA's "Life Burns Faster" residency at Sphere in Las Vegas. More details will be announced shortly.

METALLICA fan club ticket presale for these six shows will begin on Wednesday, March 4 at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT.

If you already have a Legacy or Fifth Member code, you can use it to access this new presale. If you already have a Legacy or Fifth Member code, you can use it to access this new presale. Single-Night Tickets, 2-Night No Repeat Weekend Tickets, Enhanced Experience Tickets, and Travel Packages will be available.

Following months of relentless rumors and fever pitch speculation, it was announced on February 25 that METALLICA would debut its "Life Burns Faster" residency at Sphere in Las Vegas. The initial eight-show run will take place on October 1 and 3, 15 and 17, 22 and 24, and 29 and 31, 2026 — and will continue the "No Repeat Weekend" tradition that began with the 2023 kick-off of the band's "M72" world tour, with no songs repeated on each Thursday and Saturday throughout the course of the run.

METALLICA's standing at the vanguard of new and unique live experiences has seen the band play to millions of fans across all seven continents in every shape and size of venue imaginable. Their current "M72" world tour has played to more than four million fans from Europe and North America to the Pacific Rim and Middle East since its spring 2023 kick-off, its performances and production universally hailed as among the best of METALLICA's 40-plus years of traversing the globe.

The band's Sphere residency will see live staples and surprises spanning the METALLICA catalog enhanced by the venue's immersive technologies that will allow fans to experience the sound and fury of the band's live performance in new experiential dimensions. Whether you've seen METALLICA from the upper reaches of a stadium or arena, at an intimate club or theater gig or from the famed Snake Pit surrounded by the 360-degree "M72" stage, Sphere's technology, including the world's highest resolution LED display that wraps up, over and around the audience; Sphere Immersive Sound, which delivers audio with unmatched clarity and precision to every guest; and multi-sensory 4D technology, will present a wholly unique and entirely new METALLICA experience for all who attend — including James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo.

METALLICA co-founder/drummer Lars Ulrich commented: "About 12 seconds into the opening night of Sphere with U2 back in '23, I thought, 'We have to do this. It's completely uncharted territory!' This residency gives us another chance to reinvent how we interact with our fans in a live setting. We are beyond excited to share this with the world in six months' time, and way fuckin' psyched to go next level!"

METALLICA "Life Burns Faster" at Sphere is produced by Live Nation and presented by inKind. inKind rewards diners with special offers and credit back when they use the app to pay at thousands of top-rated restaurants nationwide. inKind also provides innovative financing to participating restaurants in a way that enables new levels of sustainability and success. METALLICA fans can learn more at inKind.com.

Last August, Ulrich was asked by "The Howard Stern Show" if there was any truth to the rumor that the band was in talks for a Sphere residency in Las Vegas. Lars said: "I'm not going to confirm anything, because there's nothing to confirm. But I'm not going to deny it, because we're all such fans of this venue. All of our managers and our production people have been there and looked at it. It's something that we're considering, [but] nothing is etched in stone or green-lit. It's something that we're looking at at some point when the 2026 tour is done."

Ulrich continued: "I was there seeing U2 the first night, when they took that stage, I wanted to see it for myself before I saw it on YouTube or read about it. I was there, like everybody else that was there that night, I was completely blown away, and felt that was the beginning of another chapter in live performances.

"I'm not going to bullshit you, I would fucking love to do it, let there be no question about it," Lars added. "It's not signed, sealed and delivered, but speaking to me and asking my opinion, I would fucking love to do it."

A day later, METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo also addressed the rumor that the band is in talks for a Sphere residency. Asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" how he feels about the potential for doing a residency at the Sphere and whether he has been to the venue already to check it out, Robert said: "I haven't actually been there and checked it out yet. I like that. It's a mystery to me. Because everybody I know has, and they're just, like, 'Oh my God. This is incredible.' And I love all that. I love the visual experience. We have talked about it, we've met, had meetings about it. And I'm already thinking, like, 'Imagine this, imagine that,' 'cause METALLICA's music is so visual. I mean, imagine a song like 'Orion' and what you can do with that. The possibilities are endless. So, for me, it's like a dream come true.

"We'll see what happens," he continued. "I know we're talking about it, and hopefully this is gonna happen. And the fact that Lars talked about it on '[The] Howard Stern [Show]' yesterday is a great thing. It means that it's in the works.

"We've been going through so much lately," Robert explained. "There's been so much going on that sometimes you'll have a meeting about that, and then all of a sudden something else happens, and then you're in that mode, in this mode and whatnot. But it's definitely something that we wanna do and we're excited about, and we'll just have to wait and see how and when and if we can do this… No heavy rock band has [played at the Sphere yet], and there's a lot of history with our music and I think there's potential for a lot of visual stimulation on this. And I can't wait to be a part of it. So let's see what happens."

In April 2025, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett was asked by The Hollywood Reporter if he and his bandmates would entertain the possibility of performing at the Las Vegas Sphere, the 17,600-capacity venue which has transformed live entertainment since opening in September 2023. He responded: "Oh, heck, yeah! That's a great example of how venues are changing. That's using modern technology to the fullest, to really up the levels of production and entertainment, connected to A.I. and making it a crazy experience."

A massive, spherical venue known for its immersive entertainment experiences, including concerts and films, featuring a state-of-the-art 16K resolution wraparound screen and a powerful sound system, the Las Vegas Sphere is nestled near the Venetian Resort and Wynn Las Vegas just off the Las Vegas Strip.

The Sphere has already hosted residencies from a number of legendary rockers, including U2, PHISH, DEAD & COMPANY and THE EAGLES.

U2 opened the building with 160,000-square-foot LED screens and 4D features, playing to more 700,000 fans across 40 sold-out dates from September 2023 through March 2024. The shows commemorated one of U2's most successful albums, the chart-topping 1991 release "Achtung Baby", played in its entirety, along with select tracks from other U2 LPs.

The first sports event to take place was the NHL Draft with the UFC following in September 2024.

Sphere's next-generation technologies include the world's highest-resolution LED display that wraps up, over and around the audience, creating a fully immersive visual environment. The venue also features the world's most advanced concert-grade audio system, Sphere Immersive Sound, powered by HOLOPLOT, which delivers audio with unmatched clarity and precision to every guest.

In a new interview with Sweden's Bandit Rock radio station, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith was asked "how tired" he is of "Doctor Doctor", the classic UFO song which MAIDEN has played over the P.A. system as the band's opening intro to nearly all of its concerts since at least 2000. Adrian replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I mean, I love UFO — they're one of my favorite bands — but maybe we should change it. We used to have a different one — it was an AC/DC song called 'It's A Long Way To The Top [If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll]', with the bagpipes and everything. So maybe we should bring that back. I do love 'Doctor Doctor'."

Back in February 2022, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson was asked during the question-and-answer portion of his spoken-word show at The Vic Theatre in Chicago, Illinois why the band always uses "Doctor Doctor" as its "entrance music" at is concerts. He responded: "It has the added advantage that everybody knows we play 'Doctor Doctor' before we go on stage. So, before the intro tape, there's five minutes of 'Doctor Doctor'. It's brilliant, so people go, 'Oh, quick.' Stop having a piss, drink the last pint, get to your seats. 'Doctor Doctor' is playing. They'll be on in a minute. And for the road crew, it's also brilliant. It's, like, 'Stop masturbating in the toilet. Wipe your ass.'"

In 2021, MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris named "Love To Love", from UFO's 1979 album "Strangers In The Night", as one of the eight songs that changed his life. He explained to Metal Hammer magazine: "UFO have loads of great songs, and loads of great albums, but this version in particular, on 'Strangers In The Night', really struck a nerve with me. It's the light and shade and the dynamic build-up which does it for me.

"I used to listen to 'Strangers In The Night' when I was driving the kids to school in the morning and it gets you fired up for the day.

"UFO always had fantastic guitar players — Michael Schenker and Paul Chapman were brilliant — and Phil Mogg is a great singer.

"MAIDEN played two gigs supporting UFO in 1981, in Long Beach and San Bernardino in California, and we'd have loved to have them out with us, but for some reason it never happened."

IRON MAIDEN's ongoing "Run For Your Lives" 50th-anniversary world tour launched in May 2025 and focuses on the band's first nine albums, from 1980's "Iron Maiden" through 1992's "Fear Of The Dark". The trek will resume in late May and will run through November, visiting Europe, Asia and North and South America.

IRON MAIDEN will conclude its 2026 touring itinerary with two shows at Yokohama, Japan's K-Arena on November 24 and November 25.

In a new interview with Gastão Moreira of Brazil's Kazagastão, VAN HALEN drummer Alex Van Halen was once again asked why he made the decision to end his "Brothers" book in 1984 and not cover any of the band's later years, including those with Sammy Hagar. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I can only answer it one way, that was the publisher never mentioned it. They said this is the meat of the story. Yeah, there was good music made and all that, but the essence and the spirit and the balls to the wall was the first model. And that's nothing to do with other than everybody has a peak in their life. I don't care what anybody says, because it's simply not true. Just because you sell more of anything doesn't make you better or more creative. It's just you learn how to sell more [laughs], like BIC lighters. So it was not meant to be anything other than he wasn't there during that time period. And if somebody really wants to, that'll be the next book. [Laughs]"

After Moreira noted that he personally prefers the David Lee Roth era of VAN HALEN over the Hagar era, Alex said: "There's one thing to remember, and that was, this book, it was selfish, if you will. It was my way of putting all these open-ended things to bed. My brother [legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen] died [as] he tried to create more stuff. He didn't have to do it. I don't know whatever reason prompted him to do it, but he died trying to go further. And this is not just about playing more hits, about more Number One records. That stuff is gonna fade. We're glad that we had them. I don't wanna lay on my deathbed and look up and go, 'Man, Ed, I wish we should've done this,' because you can't take it with you. We did our best work with Dave."

Asked if he thinks VAN HALEN was a unique band, Alex said: "I think it was an interesting collection of different influences. Because of the exposure from my dad, who we worked with, and the different kind of musical tastes. And the fact that Dave is a very restless kind of guy. He couldn't settle on one thing for one day. The next day he's on something else, which some people might think is a negative. And it is, if it's left alone by itself to fester and become something that it shouldn't. In my personal opinion, if you see what happened when he went solo, that was it. You need conflict. You need open space. You need contradiction. You need friction. Without friction, you got no heat. Without heat, you got nothing. I can't think of the rest of the lyrics. [Laughs] But, no, a creative environment is an extremely different, difficult kind of a thing to foster and to keep in check and keep it balanced. Now, you don't want it completely balanced because then it becomes inert, then it becomes predictable, it becomes another record. And we were very concerned about ending up doing the same thing over and over again. The real question comes, are you doing something new just to be new or because you're hearing something different? And you have to be honest with yourself. Yeah, we could have cranked out more records, more Number One records, whatever, but that wasn't the point. And sometimes you make mistakes. Ed and I, we made some really bad choices."

Alex previously talked about his decision to exclude the Hagar years from "Brothers" in a December 2024 interview with Bringing It Back To The Beatles. He said at the time: "[The Hagar era wasn't included] because the original band was the band that was the driving force. That was the connection between the disparate parts of the musical world, if you will. And we were young. The first record going platinum — it's incredible. That's something you can really never expect to happen again. Later on, it was different — that's for another book — but the excitement and the confusion and the groping in the dark, if you will, and all the mistakes that we made, and all the B.S. we had to endure, and then to recognize at the very end, maybe we had one more record in us, it was very… You can't take it back, but those are the things that are in the back of your head. The old expression of, if you don't go over the edge, then you can't come back. You have to go too far to come back in. Does that make sense? Unfortunately, we're human and we made some bad choices. The US Festival, for instance, was just a clusterfuck. Nobody knew what the hell was going on. All we said was, 'You make sure you have enough power, and we'll play.' That's it."

When the interviewer noted that this attitude is "true rock and roll," Alex concurred. "Bingo. That's exactly right," he said. "You just hit the nail on the head. After that, that's why the book ends in 1984, because that was true rock and roll. After that, it became much more — I don't know; I can't explain it. But it's not to say that it was not any good. We always did our best at whatever we were doing, but it wasn't the same."

He added earlier in the interview: "I think I picked up where Ed left off in terms of saying… His example was that we were actually happier playing in clubs than we were when we hit the so-called big time, because in the clubs you weren't quite sure what you were doing, you could, at the drop of a hat, change directions, you can play anything you want and there's nobody that holds you accountable or they have expectations of any sort. You just go on and you play. And it's intimate. You're right there, two feet away. People are right there in front of your face. And that kind of goes away when you get to the place where you have five lines of security people. And we always kept it to a minimum, but nonetheless, that was the soup du jour."

In October 2024, Alex gave a slightly different answer to USA Today when asked about his decision to end the book when VAN HALEN's original singer David Lee Roth first quit the band more than 40 years ago.

"For me, the spirit of the band ended in 1984," Alex said. "We did good work after that, but the primary spiritual aspect, the magic, the potential, the looking to the future together, all of that stuff, our mutually strange backgrounds — that's what made VAN HALEN. Ed and I were outsiders. Dave was an outsider. Those kinds of intangible things make the fabric of how we were tied together."

Asked about his current relationship with David, Alex said: "I think Dave is laying low right now. I don't know his mental state in terms of how he's dealing with all of this.

"I was taught early on that the music field isn't about the notes and things, it's about relationships and what we all had [in VAN HALEN] was deeply entangled.

"I don't hold [Roth leaving VAN HALEN] against him. We're not here to hold you prisoner. But it was very telling how the dynamic of certain entities got warped by the people around him.

"Dave was in the middle of [huge success] where he wasn't thinking clearly, and he would admit that now. That's the reason I called him first [after Ed died] — only to find out that 23 years changes people."

Asked if that means that the conversation didn't go as expected, Alex said: "He's the not the same guy. But if he called me right now, I would answer the phone. It's about human dignity and respect."

"Brothers" ignores Sammy Hagar's stint with VAN HALEN, as well as that of EXTREME vocalist Gary Cherone, and even VAN HALEN's reunion with Roth that started in 2007.

"What happened after Dave left is not the same band," Alex told Billboard. "I'm not saying it was better or worse or any of that. The fact is Ed and I did our best work whenever we played. We always gave it our best shot. But the magic was in the first years, when we didn't know what we were doing, when we were willing to try anything."

Alex also explained his refusal to participate in the "The Best Of All Worlds" that focused largely on the music of VAN HALEN. The trek featured Hagar and former VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony, along with guitarist Joe Satriani and drummer Jason Bonham.

The 2024 tour came more than two years after Satriani revealed that he was approached about participating in a VAN HALEN tribute show with Alex and David Lee Roth. That project never got off the ground, reportedly because Roth was "holding up" getting everything approved.

In the Billboard interview, Alex said about why he was not responsive when Hagar and Anthony reached out about him taking part in some way in "The Best Of All Worlds": "I'm not interested. They're not doing the band justice. They can do what they want to do. That's not my business."

In a separate interview with Rolling Stone, Alex didn't even utter Hagar's name. "The heart and the soul and the creativity and the magic was Dave, Ed, Mike and me," he said. In the book, his only acknowledgment of the "Van Hagar" era reportedly came in the line, "We had a lot of other singers over the years."

Hagar mended his relationship with Eddie Van Halen months prior to the legendary VAN HALEN guitarist's October 2020 passing.

Hagar replaced Roth in VAN HALEN in 1985 and recorded four studio albums with the band — "5150", "OU812", "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" and "Balance" — all of which topped the U.S. chart.

Sammy, Eddie, Alex and Mike last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S. summer tour. In exchange for taking part in the tour, Anthony reportedly had to agree to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the band name and logo.

In a new interview with Chile's PowerOfMetal.cl, HALESTORM drummer Arejay Hale weighed in on bands who rely heavily on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. He said  (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The challenging thing about HALESTORM is that we don't play to a click, we don't have any backing tracks. It's as raw as it gets. So to compete with these other bands that have these fail-safes — having a playback rig filling up the sound, and we have to do it ourselves with our hands and with our voices, it is a bit more challenging. It requires a lot more training, it requires a lot more practice and listening, and, for me, a lot more focus on my playing, my velocities, my consistency, my tempos, my singing — everything all at once. There's nothing easy about it, but I love a good challenge."

Arejay then clarified: "Let me just say that I'm not against bands that use playback. I have another project called KEMIKALFIRE. We use playback. I think it's fine if you wanna do that. I'm not anti-tracks. If you wanna express your art in that way, then that's great. But with HALESTORM, we're so technologically illiterate [laughs] that everything would go wrong every night. So the best approach for us is just to keep it as raw as possible, which is really good. It's the most effective, I think, for us, personally. But it does make it challenging, but also a fun challenge."

Arejay previously spoke about HALESTORM's insistence on performing completely live — without the aid of backing tracks — during a June 2024 interview with May The Rock Be With You, HALESTORM. He said at the time: "We've always kind of prided ourselves by being one of the few bands that doesn't use any backtracks or any type of sound enhancement. We always felt it was more important for us to get the playing right within the four of us and to get the sound right with our playing. And that's always been a really — it's an uphill battle, but it's worth it, 'cause live, we don't even play to a click track, and without a click track, we're able to adjust the tempos and let the songs breathe and kind of react to the energy of the crowd. But it's also harder for me because I have to really focus on not playing too fast or too slow. So, I think that's always just kind of been a unique thing about us, is that we just don't want to [use tracks]. And also we're not very technologically savvy, so we know that if we start running backtracks and stuff like that, sure enough, something will go wrong. So that's kind of always been one of our main objectives, is just wanting to be as raw as possible."

Back in June 2020, Arejay's sister, HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale, told "Offstage With DWP" about why she and her bandmates choose to play live: "We do it more selfishly, not necessarily as a statement. But it has kind of become this interesting statement. We're very proud of that. But also, just again selfishly, I don't think I'd enjoy myself. I've guested with people — I've dueted with people and got up onstage where they have those things and I can hear it in my in-ear monitors — and some of it is, like, 'Chorus in one, two, three, four…' I'm, like, 'Oh my gosh! This would drive me nuts.' And also, I would rather have us sound imperfect than have somebody figure out that I'm miming, or a shaker goes awry — 'Where's the tambourine coming from?'

"I'm not a fan of when I find out my favorite bands do that," she continued. "And, like I said, I'm not knocking anybody who does it — you do you. But for us, that's just not our M.O. And there's nothing more fun that going out on stage and knowing that you're responsible for either we're gonna be tight, we're gonna be loose, something's gonna go wrong, we're gonna have to pull the train back onto the tracks, but that's cause we're listening to each other.

"And also, if we weren't actually playing, we would just get worse as musicians," she added. "We've been to shows where somebody's computer went down — the tracks are no longer there — and then they don't play anymore. And we're, like, 'Can't you just plug the instruments in?' I honestly think you would get so used to kind of like doing a music video and just miming along that maybe you can't [play live] anymore. So we've become better musicians because we challenge ourselves in that way."

HALESTORM's sixth full-length studio album, "Everest", came out last August via Atlantic Records. HALESTORM worked with producer Dave Cobb, after making three records with Nick Raskulinecz.

Fronted by Lzzy with Arejay, guitarist Joe Hottinger and bassist 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".

"Love Bites (So Do I)", from HALESTORM's second album in 2012, won the Grammy Award that year for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance".

In 2019, HALESTORM was nominated for "Best Rock Performance" Grammy for the song "Uncomfortable".

Legendary heavy rock drummer Tommy Aldridge has explained why he wasn't part of Ozzy Osbourne and BLACK SABBATH's final show, "Back To The Beginning", which took place last July in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

In a newly released audio clip, which was made available via Aldridge's official YouTube channel, the drummer emphasized that there was never any ill intent behind his absence.

"Well, I don't wanna cast dispersions. I don't want to shade anyone," he said. "I wasn't invited to be at Ozzy's last show. That's as much as I need to say. I wasn't invited. And I'm not gonna crash someone else's party. I will say, but that has no reflection on Ozzy. I have so much admiration and love for Ozzy. Ozzy was someone I spent a lot of time with, and it was by no means any disrespect intended on my part — certainly not — and the powers that be. I pay my highest regards and respects to Ozzy Osbourne on any opportunity I get to do that."

Asked what made him so motivated to become part of Ozzy's band back then, Tommy said: "What motivated me to start with Ozzy was a gentleman by the name of Randy Rhoads and being able to go on stage with that gentleman every night and be in close proximity to his guitar playing. That was my motivation in working with Ozzy. Unfortunately, that was very short lived, 'cause Randy was tragically taken from us and the plane crash, and the trauma of that and everything, that was a very bittersweet time in my career. The high watermark from a musical perspective was working with Randy, and the low watermark, from a personal perspective, was Randy. So it was a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' time in my career. Working with Randy was indescribably inspirational and devastatingly depressing at the same time with his loss."

Tommy continued: "We're made up of our past, present, and future, and your past helps you deal with what comes at you around the corner. Life is a learning experience. So everything that I've done in my career has prepared me for what's ahead. But that was one of them, certainly, working with Randy."

Reflecting on his working relationship with Ozzy, Tommy said: "I was pretty much established before I ever worked with Ozzy, from previous bands. In fact, Ozzy was interested in extending the offer to me from having heard me play when I was in bands that supported Ozzy. My first tour, actually, abroad, first internationally known band, was a band called BLACK OAK ARKANSAS, and the first dates that I did internationally were supporting BLACK SABBATH. That's when I met Ozzy. And that was … a long, long time ago. He shared some of his success with me. I would like to think that I, in some small way, participated, especially in the early, early times when he was unceremoniously dispatched from the only band he'd ever played in, BLACK SABBATH, I can imagine. Well, I know firsthand the trauma that was for him; I was there. I was living in England when all that was coming around. I was working with Gary Moore at the time, who was signed to the same label that Ozzy was ultimately signed to. So, yeah, I had some experiences with Ozzy that no one really knows anything about. I knew Ozzy before other people knew Ozzy, so I met Ozzy way before he met his wife, and so forth and so on. So we had a relationship that superseded Randy Rhoads, and I have a lot of respect and appreciation for what Ozzy has done, not just in my career, but what he's done musically."

Following the news of Osbourne's passing in 2025, Aldridge paid tribute to the late singer, honoring him as a "friend and brother" and calling him a "force in music." He also recalled stepping in to help Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne navigate the band's direction after the tragic death of Randy Rhoads in 1982, including assisting with the audition process for new guitarists such as Jake E. Lee.

Aldridge is best known for his work with BLACK OAK ARKANSAS, the PAT TRAVERS BAND, Ozzy Osbourne, WHITESNAKE, THIN LIZZY, Ted Nugent, Gary Moore and Vinnie Moore. He joined Ozzy Osbourne's solo band in 1981, later appearing on "Bark At The Moon" (1983) and the live albums "Speak Of The Devil" and "Tribute".

Tommy joined WHITESNAKE in 1987, replacing drummer Aynsley Dunbar, and first appeared on the band's 1989 album "Slip Of The Tongue". Aldridge went on to record six studio albums with WHITESNAKE and remained a key member until the band's effective retirement in November 2025.

In 2025, Rudy Sarzo, Brad Gillis and Tommy Aldridge reunited for a cover of THE WHO's "The Real Me", featuring singer Rick Hughes, best known for his powerful voice as the frontman of the legendary metal band SWORD and the hard-rock outfit SAINTS & SINNERS. The track appears on Hughes's solo album "Redemption", which was released on October 24, 2025.

Aldridge is also a member of ICONIC, a hard rock supergroup featuring Michael Sweet and Joel Hoekstra on guitars, Marco Mendoza on bass, Nathan James on vocals and Aldridge on drums. The band's 2022 debut album, "Second Skin", was followed by a completed sophomore album scheduled for release in summer 2026.

At 75, Aldridge is widely regarded as the most veteran active heavy rock drummer, still delivering remarkable power, speed, precision, and relentless double-bass work, while enjoying playing the drums more than ever. Notably, he was using two bass drums long before it became fashionable in rock and metal, helping to shape a heavier, more powerful approach to drumming that influenced generations of players.

While official videos will continue to be shared on Aldridge's YouTube channel, OfficialAldridgeWorld, Tommy's new web site, AldridgeWorld.com, will serve as the definitive source for announcements, releases, and merchandise. Several major announcements are planned for 2026.

In a new interview with U.K.'s The Guardian, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of RUSH spoke about their decision to reunite for a tour in 2026 and 2027. The run of dates — Lee and Lifeson's first official shows under the RUSH banner in 11 years — will begin at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, site of the last RUSH concert on the legendary Canadian band's "R40" anniversary tour. Joining the duo on the trek will be German drummer Anika Nilles, who toured with legendary guitarist Jeff Beck in 2022 and has been rehearsing with Lee and Lifeson in preparation for the tour, dubbed "Fifty Something", which will celebrate RUSH's music, legacy, and the life of late drummer and lyricist Neil Peart.

Asked about the first rehearsals with Anika, which took place in March 2025, and whether RUSH wanted someone to reproduce Neil's parts, Alex said: "It has to start there. They have to be true to the arrangements, because that's the expectation from the fans. But we don't place any restrictions on her. When she is comfortable and confident in the arrangements, she's free to enhance them with her own spirit."

"And she will," Lee added. "But I don't think we knew when she arrived what our expectations were, to be honest. "When we started playing with her, something felt wrong. And I was, of course: 'This is not gonna work.' Those seemingly impossible fills were not a problem for her at all. What was difficult was understanding a relationship between snare, bass drum and hi-hat that's different from her training.

"The first four days were up and down, and she was nervous, and she was jetlagged, and we were unsure. We had a little chat before the last day — 'I don't know, Al, is this going to work?' We talked about all the things we liked about her, and what a work ethic she has, nice person and deep knowledge, deep technical ability. So there's a lot of positives. So let's not be hasty. And we went into that last day and she just fucking nailed it."

"She suddenly understood what we were talking about that whole week," Lifeson said, "not about the technical aspect, but about the stuff in between the big stuff, that Neil was just so amazing at and those internal dynamics that only another drummer can understand, and it clicked in her."

Geddy and Alex previously talked about the initial rehearsals with Anika earlier this month in an interview with Leona Graham of U.K.'s Absolute Radio. Alex said: "[Anika is] a wonderful person. So that was half of the quest, can we find somebody that's gonna be really fun to be with? She's really a lovely person. She laughs easily. She felt immediately comfortable. I think she was quite nervous in those first few days… But she worked really hard. She prepped for it. She had five songs, and we went through those songs. But by the fourth day, Ged and I, we talked and we were quite sold on it. There was something that just wasn't there quite. And we talked to her about the importance of the feel that Neil had in his drum arrangements. And then on the fifth day, which was the final day that we rehearsed — bang! — she just nailed all those songs. And that turned everything around. And we again got together at the studio and thought, 'Okay, this is really gonna be worth doing. Let's talk to her about it.' And we brought her in and asked her if she'd be willing to continue. And she was really enthusiastic about it. And then we just continued throughout the year. That was in March. And then we got together in June and August and November, and [we went through] more material. And she was feeling more settled."

Added Geddy: "But that was the moment that the final tumbler clicked into place. On that day he's describing, it was very much like that. We had all these questions, and that day those questions were erased. And we knew we had someone that would be fun to travel with us down this road. That's when we had to get serious — 'cause we were starting from scratch. We had no crew, really. We had no management. We had to learn about the modern state of touring: how are we gonna put this show back on the road? So, it's been a lot of work, but we've surrounded ourselves with some great people. And now we're on that road."

RUSH will perform multiple shows cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico, beginning June 7, 2026 at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles. These special "evening with" shows will find the band playing two sets each night. Each show will feature a distinct selection of songs and RUSH will build each night's setlist from a catalog of 40 songs including their greatest hits and fan favorites.

Speaking about the setlist for RUSH's upcoming tour, Alex said: "Yeah. [There will be] two sets each night. And our intention is to mix it up from one night to the next in a cycle of about five nights, so that every set will have other songs in them. So that we can really service the fans that like to come to our shows multiple times, give them the opportunity to hear other music. And it's not just the same show over and over. It's a lot more pressure [on us], but it's good. It's a challenge. It keeps you on your toes."

Added Geddy: "Last night we were talking to Anika. We saw her in Berlin. We were doing press there, and we were rehearsing together a few days ago. And there was this one song that we thought, 'Oh, we should add that to the set.' We're up to 39 songs. And so I said, 'Anika, we're adding one more song.' She said, 'Noooo. I'm just getting comfortable with the first 25.' So it's a lot of pressure on her, obviously. I think she has the constitution and the mental capacity to handle it, 'cause she's gonna be under scrutiny."

Asked what tracks they are most excited about playing, Geddy said: "Oh, we're not gonna talk about setlists yet, because there are very few secrets in the world of the Internet now. And we know it'll only be a secret for one week, and then everyone will know. So, obviously there are the big songs that people know and love that we will have to play regularly and we want to play regularly. But there's gonna be a turnover — about 40% of the set will be different night to night to night. I think we have five different days' worth of sets."

Earlier last week, Alex and Geddy were asked by U.K.'s Planet Rock what the "challenges" are of putting the "Fifty Something" tour together. Alex responded: "We always rehearsed a lot, and in the past we would rehearse on our own individually for maybe a month, and then we would get together and rehearse for a month, and then we'd do a couple of weeks, full-production rehearsals in a venue. So by the time you hit the stage on the first show, you're seasoned; it's like the 20th show. The difference this time around is that we're rehearsing for about a year — seriously — before the [first] show. We just really wanna be at our absolute peak by the time we start the tour in earnest."

Geddy added: "And it's a lot for Anika to take on. Even though we're rusty on some songs, they're lying in the grooves in the brain somewhere, and it comes back. But she's starting from scratch. And she's starting from scratch trying to fill the shoes of a guy whose shoes are impossible to fill. So she has her work cut out for her. But she's incredibly, deeply talented, both technically and from a musical knowledge standpoint. She's got a fantastic work ethic. She's easy to be around. She's a great person, and she's ready to take on the inevitable scrutiny of RUSH fans. And so far they've been very welcoming, they've been very warm, and she's really appreciative of that."

Geddy went on to say that the overwhelmingly positive response from RUSH fans to the tour announcement took him and Alex by surprise.

"Originally the tour we wanted to do was just going to be six or seven cities and we would thought we'd do these small residencies," Lee explained. "And when we announced it, people went crazy, and we were taken aback. Our new management was very heartened and very bullish. They thought the shows would do well, obviously, but we didn't expect them to sell out in a few days. It was insanity. And so we had not been prepared for anything beyond that. But management always thinks ahead. And we had hoped that we could come to the U.K. in the fall of 2026, but we couldn't get the dates. So we added an American leg, which is also selling incredibly well. And so finally we can organize coming over to Europe and the U.K. [in 2027].

"So it's a lot to take on," Geddy admitted. "We haven't done a tour that big in many years, so we're just gonna make sure that it is effing note perfect."

The 2026 leg of the "Fifty Something" tour, which will cover Canada, USA and Mexico, initially consisted of 22 dates, which sold out immediately, prompting the addition of more shows. The tour now totals 58 shows across 24 cities, with over half a million tickets sold for 2026.

Earlier last week, RUSH announced the addition of South America and Europe tour dates to the "Fifty Something" tour, in early 2027. The dates will be the first time the band has played in Europe since 2013 and 17 years since visiting South America.

For "Fifty Something", Lee and Lifeson will be accompanied by Nilles and keyboard player Loren Gold (THE WHO, Roger Daltrey).

On October 6, 2025, fans got the news via a RUSH newsletter from a home video that announced the celebration of upcoming dates with Lee and Lifeson at Geddy's home studio.

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.

RUSH 2026 press photo credit: Richard Sibbald