San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal legends EXODUS will release their twelfth studio album, "Goliath", on March 20, 2026 via Napalm Records. Today, the band reveals the music video for the colossal title track. The clip simmers the tempo down with winding, malevolent leads, towering drums and ominous string work from violinist Katie Jacoby, coupled with intricate guitars by the legendary Gary Holt.

Even over 40 years after their debut, EXODUS are steadfast in their refusal to settle for the safety of mediocrity and continue to forge their trademark just as resolutely as they did in their fruition. The band's highly anticipated 12th studio album is their most multifaceted offering so far, featuring several epic collaborations and marking the return of Rob Dukes as lead vocalist.

EXODUS comments on the "Goliath" title track: "'Goliath' may quite possibly be the heaviest thing we have ever done, and certainly the slowest song in our catalog, as close to doom metal as EXODUS we get! Just pure evil, as sinister as it gets, featuring our friend Katie Jacoby, who laid down 18 tracks of strings in the middle harmony section, making the song go from just pure horror to a thing of beauty."

Emerging hungrier than ever in 2026, with "Goliath", EXODUS reinforces their eternal foothold at the top of thrash metal's hierarchy with 10 of their most diverse, anthemic emissions to date. Further fueled by the widely embraced return of iconic late-era frontman Rob Dukes — first appearing on 2005's "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" — the album boasts what the band describes as the performance of his life. "Goliath" is EXODUS's most collaborative record in their four decade-plus history, featuring songs written by several band members and guest contributions from Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN) and violinist Katie Jacoby.

"Goliath" wastes no time proving as massive as its name, with a sinister introduction opening "3111". Ode to owning one's own volatility "Hostis Humani Generis" features a palpable lyrical delivery from Dukes that cuts like crystal amid frenetic riffs, before rolling into "The Changing Me". The track's introductory notes cascade into hair-raising rhythms, forming one of the band's most anthemic offerings — blending menace and melody with the cleans of guest Tägtgren together with Tom Hunting and at the end both Peter and Rob scream off the song. Harmonic dual axe acrobatics from resident guitar legends Gary Holt and Lee Altus. "Promise You This" incites mosh pit treachery with explosive energy, cyclonic riffs and turbocharged soloing from Holt and Altus, prior to colossal title track "Goliath" simmering the tempo down with winding, malevolent leads, towering drums and ominous string work from Katie Jacoby coupling with intricate guitars. The album standout showcases the band's ever-increasingly dynamic approach, even decades into their historic reign. Tracks like "Beyond The Event Horizon" and "2 Minutes Hate" provide EXODUS's trademark deadly dose of thrash theatricality — the latter boasting one of the album's most grimacing, grooving pit primers — while undeniably '90s-tinged metallic charm attacks alongside drummer Tom Hunting and bassist Jack Gibson's unmistakable rhythmic rage on tracks like "Violence Works". The nearly eight-minute epic "Summon Of The God Unknown" turns the danger dial to max capacity, setting the stage with a wicked introductory passage before traversing a variegated passage of trudging riffs and heavy metal melody. Power-packed closer "The Dirtiest Of The Dozen" wraps the album on a manic high, showcasing EXODUS pulling out all the stops on all instruments. Flurried dueling solos, an isolated bass excursion, rigorous drum dexterity and a blend of both gritty vocal passages and cutting chants combine to serve as yet another prime example of the band's ever-evolving musical mastery.

Produced by EXODUS, mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis (WHITECHAPEL, NILE, UNDEATH),"Goliath" beams with the explosive authenticity that has set EXODUS eons apart from their peers since the release of their debut, 1985's groundbreaking thrash blueprint "Bonded By Blood". 40 years later, EXODUS are steadfast in their refusal to settle for the safety of mediocrity, fearing nothing and no one and continuing to forge their trademark just as resolutely as they did in their fruition.

EXODUS on the new album "Goliath": "Are we excited for this record? That's an understatement. We put everything we had into this record (and it's 80 percent complete follow-up, but we'll save that conversation for another day!) and it's one of our proudest accomplishments. Wildly collaborative, the most band centric album to date with four songs written by Lee, lyrics by Gary, Rob, Lee and Tom, and just killer all the way around. The time to let the monster loose is coming! Bow Down!"

"Goliath" track listing:

01. 3111
02. Hostis Humani Generis
03. The Changing Me (feat. Peter Tägtgren)
04. Promise You This
05. Goliath (feat. Katie Jacoby)
06. Beyond The Event Horizon
07. 2 Minutes Hate
08. Violence Works
09. Summon Of The God Unknown
10. The Dirtiest Of The Dozen

This past December EXODUS filmed music videos for three songs from "Goliath", including "3111" and "Goliath". The clips were helmed by Jim Louvau, a musical and visual creative artist based in Phoenix, Arizona, who previously worked on EXODUS's music video for the song "The Fires Of Division" from the band's 2021 LP "Persona Non Grata".

In November, EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt told Robb Chavez of Robbs MetalWorks about "Goliath": "It's fucking awesome. I mean, it's so awesome. We're so proud of this record."

According to Holt, EXODUS completed nearly two albums' worth of material during the latest recording sessions, with a view toward releasing the second collection of songs when the first touring cycle is finished.

"80 percent of the follow-up [to EXODUS's next album] is done already," Holt explained. "We just kept working. We never stopped. We were in the studio for two months. And we tend to record by… We all live together in a house, or sometimes we build a studio in a house, and it's like heavy metal summer camp. But we like each other enough to live together still. A lot of bands — that's a rarity. And so we write the whole process. When we started recording, we only had four songs done and a million ideas. And Lee wrote a ton of stuff; he wrote four out of 10 songs on the new album."

Gary also talked about the return of Dukes, who replaced Steve "Zetro" Souza in January 2025. He said: "It's fucking been amazing. When you hear [Rob's] vocals on this new record, you're gonna shit your pants."

Elaborating on what fans can expect from the new EXODUS material, Holt said: "The new album is so killer, dude. And everybody says that — I know that — but, dude, this album's so good. Me and [EXODUS drummer] Tom Hunting call each other and [I tell him], when I listen to it, it makes me wanna cry, it's so good. It's that fucking good. We made something special."

Asked what it is about the new EXODUS album that is so good, Gary explained: "It's just the songs, dude. It's all about the songs. I mean, it's crushing, but it's all anthems. And it's so varied, this record. So many different aspects of EXODUS are in there, from the blinding speed to the slowest, heaviest shit we've ever done. And Rob's vocals are, like, at the top of the pyramid on this shit."

As for the status of the second collection of new songs EXODUS had written during the most recent sessions, Gary said: "We still gotta record a little bit more to complete it. Our goal, we fell a little bit short. We have eight songs done. It was hard picking which ones go on this, 'cause I still, to this day, I have panic attacks, like, 'I should have put that one on it. That song is so sick.' But you're trying to balance a record. And we just picked what we thought were the best ones for this album."

"Goliath" marks the first time in nearly three decades that an EXODUS album hasn't been mixed by Andy Sneap, who has acted as JUDAS PRIEST's producer and touring guitarist for eight years.

In a recent interview with Chicago's Rebel Radio 92.5 FM as part of the station's 31st-anniversary celebration, Dukes praised the material on EXODUS's upcoming effort, saying: "It's killer. It's the best thing I've ever done with EXODUS. I thought [2010's] 'Exhibit B: [The Human Condition]' was probably some of my best work, and I think this tops it. It's so different than what we've done. We've added so many little different things that it's still EXODUS, but we've definitely stepped outside the box a little bit and tried a few different things and it worked well… It's fast. it's dark, it's awesome, man. It's gonna be a lot of fun to go play these songs live."

Souza joined EXODUS in 1986 after previously fronting the band LEGACY (which later became TESTAMENT). He remained in the band until their hiatus in 1993, but rejoined them for two years from 2002 to 2004. Dukes had joined EXODUS in 2005 (following Souza's departure) and remained until 2014, when Souza rejoined.

Dukes previously joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005),"The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007),"Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS's classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

EXODUS played its first concert with Dukes in nearly 11 years on April 5, 2025 at the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Although EXODUS rarely gets mentioned alongside the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX — the aforementioned "Bonded By Blood" LP inspired the likes of TESTAMENT, DEATH ANGEL, VIO-LENCE and many others to launch their careers and is considered one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time.

Photo credit: Jim Louvau

In a new interview with Alejandro Bonilla Carvajal of Colombia's Alejandrosis, OBITUARY frontman John Tardy was asked about the possibility of a new studio album from the veteran Florida death metallers. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah. It's tough. You come out with an album nowadays and it takes us that three, four, five years just to kind of cover all the territory [on tour] and get things done. But we're always collecting rhythms and ideas and songtitles and things like that all day long. It's kind of what we do. Every time you soundcheck or something, Trevor [Peres, OBITUARY guitarist] just turns his amp on or something, and you're in a cool room and he'll come up with something and always just kind of go over to his phone, record a little bit, this and that. So you're always collecting stuff. We've just been so busy, but it is kind of our goal to go ahead and start putting some of that stuff together this year and getting some of these ideas put down and start that slow process towards maybe doing another release here, maybe next year or so."

John was also asked to weigh in on former DEICIDE/CANNIBAL CORPSE guitarist Jack Owen's recent comment that a tour of the "Big Four" of Florida death metal — featuring MORBID ANGEL, DEICIDE, OBITUARY and CANNIBAL CORPSE — could never happen because there wasn't enough of a friendship between all the bands to make it a reality. John said: "[Laughs]  That's not us. You know what? We have personally always been that band for as long as I can remember… And I know there's lots of bands that would show up and they might say, 'Oh, we're better than you. We wanna play after you,' or, 'We wanna headline' and this and that. And you can even see with a lot of the tours that we do, we have no problem in the world opening for anybody. I don't really care. It doesn't bother me whatsoever to open for anybody else. And I would open for CANNIBAL CORPSE or DEICIDE on any given day. And maybe some other bands always aren't like that. Maybe they feel like they should be a headlining band and maybe that means something to them. It doesn't matter to us. We like to drink and party a lot, so if to get on earlier in the night and get done and then go ahead and start drinking, I'm totally down with that. [Laughs]"

Asked if that means that he would be open to sharing the stage with all those bands, John said: "Yeah, you know what? We've done a couple of tours with CANNIBAL CORPSE, and we have told Glen [Benton, DEICIDE frontman] before that we wanna do some tours with them before we're all too old to do it. And he keeps promising that we'll get together and do something. So, it wouldn't surprise me [if we did something together]."

Tardy continued: "We've been friends with TESTAMENT for the longest of time and finally just went and got to do our first European tour with TESTAMENT, which was fun for us. I know they're not a Florida band, but they're friends of ours from long ago. And Steve DiGiorgio [TESTAMENT bassist] is a really good friend. We actually had [TESTAMENT singer] Chuck Billy — [he] just flew in the town this weekend. Me and my brother, we went golfing with Chuck and went and had some dinner and stuff and hung out with him. So that was a lot of fun. But it wouldn't surprise me, and hopefully here sometime soon we get to at least maybe do some shows with DEICIDE, for sure."

OBITUARY recently announced a headlining tour for March with support from CASTRATOR and INTOXICATED. The nine-date trek will include two shows as the support act for ACID BATH.

Last summer, OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy, who is John's brother, was asked by Bloodstock TV's Oran O'Beirne if the band was still planning on releasing a new studio album in 2026 or 2027. He responded: "In the rock and roll industry, you make plans and nothing ever sticks, and getting pushed back, it happens always. So I don't wanna tell people that there's gonna be a new album, 'cause is there? We don't know. We're having a damn good time. My brother and I are having a blast.

"Should there be one more record? Possibly. Possibly for the fans," he continued. "Going on a 40-year career, we're wondering, where do we go with this career of ours? And how much longer? Do we wanna do it? Can we do it? And should we?

"And so to answer the question, we love writing music and we love the idea of a new album, but we will definitely take our time and write the best songs we possibly can, just like we did with 'Dying Of Everything'," Donald added. "So '26 and '27 will be a writing process, and then the recording of it. So, we're looking it as, if we're still on this side of the ground and we could do it, there'll be another one, simply because the fans deserve it. And we're still having a good time doing what we do."

Last year, OBITUARY celebrated the 35th anniversary of its second album, "Cause Of Death", on a North American tour. Support on the trek came from NAILS, TERROR, SPIRITWORLD and PEST CONTROL.

OBITUARY's latest studio album, "Dying Of Everything", came out in January 2023 via Relapse Records.

In 2022, Decibel Books released "Turned Inside Out: The Official Story Of Obituary", the fully authorized biography of OBITUARY. The book was written by David E. Gehlke, author of "Damn The Machine: The Story Of Noise Records" and "No Celebration: The Official Story Of Paradise Lost".

Legendary guitarist and composer Jason Becker, who has been living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's Disease) for 35 years, will release the official music video for "Crip Tone Night", a new song from Jason's upcoming effort "The Strawberry Jams", on Saturday, February 14 (Valentine's Day). The following week, all of the music from "The Strawberry Jams" — described as "a collection of songs, demos, and musical ideas straight from the man himself" — will be made available on Bandcamp for free downloads.

Becker's team explained via social media: "We're sharing it this way as a heartfelt thank-you, out of deep gratitude for the incredible love, kindness, and generosity you've shown Jason and all of us at Team Becker over the years. Every one of you has made a difference, and we are truly grateful.

"If you feel moved to support Jason, you can donate directly to his medical trust fund [here via PayPal]. Everything goes directly to Jason to help with his ongoing care and to give him the resources he needs to continue living his best life, creating music, and inspiring others.

"Thank you for being part of this journey with us and for standing by Jason all these years.

"We can't wait for you to hear what's coming."

Becker's story is one of brilliance, talent, determination, adversity, and, ultimately, triumph. A child prodigy on guitar, Jason rose to prominence as a teenager when he was one half of the technical guitar duo CACOPHONY, with his great friend Marty Friedman. In 1989, at only 19 years old and after wowing audiences all over the world, the young virtuoso became the guitarist for David Lee Roth, following in the huge footsteps of Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai. He wrote and recorded on Roth's third solo album, "A Little Ain't Enough", and was poised for superstardom when a nagging pain in his leg was diagnosed as Motor Neurone Disease (MND),also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS),or Lou Gehrig's Disease, the same condition Stephen Hawking lived with for over five decades. It is a fatal condition with a life expectancy of maybe five years. Maybe. That was three and a half decades ago. He lost the ability to play guitar, walk, talk, and breathe on his own. But never lost his will to live or his desire to create music. Communicating through a series of eye movements with a system developed by his father, Jason spells out words as well as musical notes and chords. He imparts his musical vision to his team who then can input the notes into a computer, edit the parts to his exacting standards, and then generate charts for session musicians. His inspiring music and life story have been the subject of countless news articles and magazine cover stories.

Becker's latest album, "Triumphant Hearts", was released in December 2018 via Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group. The disc features guest appearances by a who's who of six-string gods, including Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Neal Schon, Steve Morse, Paul Gilbert and Joe Bonamassa.

A documentary film, "Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet", was released more than a decade ago. The film follows Jason through his life and creative career with ALS. It is a truly inspirational tale of overcoming the odds and creating music no matter what curveballs life throws your way.

In a new interview with Argentina's UnDinamo - La Última Radio De Rock, ex-MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was asked if he would be open to taking part — along with other former members of the band, such as guitarist Marty Friedman — in taking part in MEGADETH's farewell tour. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have always said that I am available for that. And I would do it because I think any reason that I'm not there now is unfounded. It's untruthful and it's unfair because clearly there's nothing wrong. So, I would hope and even pray to [God] that any misunderstanding, any bitterness would be removed, that that would somehow be dissipated.

"It's funny — you make your first record, you have no fans," he continued. "You just make your first album. Then you start to get fans who [say], 'Hey, give us more.' So you make album two, like we do. And then at that point, you — I feel — have an obligation to listen to your fans. You don't have to do everything they say, like, 'Make 'Rust In Peace Part II',' 'cause creatively the spirit leads you where it's supposed to go. But I think, especially when you're playing concerts — making albums is music business; playing concerts is show business. They're two separate things that kind of come together. When the fans, who have made all of this possible, really, 'cause Capitol Records wouldn't have signed us if we didn't have fans. Live Nation doesn't book the concert if there's no fans. So, the fans are the entire reason that you live to have album two and beyond. Album two and beyond is because of fans. So, to me, you give them what they want. Even my little tour here [of South America], 'Basstory'. It's me telling a story of my life, but if there's nobody to come and hear the story, I'm just sitting on a stool by myself. [Laughs]"

Ellefson added: "So for me, yes. Marty — I can't speak for anyone else, but Marty coming back to play a couple of shows [with MEGADETH in 2023] showed his willingness, which I think was great. I would wish that Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader]… Look, if it were just me and Dave sitting here, I'm sure everything would be fine, but there's a lot of people with influences, and that can be sticky. So my hope is that the voice of the fans gets louder than any other voice that would tear it apart."

Mustaine was recently asked by Guitar World magazine whether there are any plans to invite some of MEGADETH's former members to take part in any of the performances on the band's upcoming farewell tour. "We've already done that with Marty," Dave responded. "And I mean, let's look at the other people we've played with… there's a lot of people. [Laughs] That would be a huge undertaking. I don't think I want to do that. I'd rather keep doing what we're doing and let the fans [experience] MEGADETH music and be happy about it. It's not 'puppet show MEGADETH.'"

Mustaine was previously asked about the possibility of MEGADETH playing the final show of its upcoming farewell tour with a lineup that could include all surviving former members of the group during an appearance on the December 5, 2025 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Mustaine responded at the time: "Well, I can't really do that, because of the behavior of one of the bandmembers in the past. I just can't — I can't. Because, first off, it would be unfair to the other bandmembers if I didn't play with them as well. But the thing about what we did with Marty in Japan [in early 2023], that was a no-brainer. That was brilliant. And I love Marty. We had our separation, and he went his way and we went our way. But it was a very, very intense relationship I had with Marty, because that was the first relationship I had with a guitar player. My relationship with [former MEGADETH guitarist] Chris [Poland] was really great, but it wasn't as good as it was with Marty. My relationship with [former MEGADETH guitarist] Jeff [Young] was good, but it wasn't as good as it was with Marty. And I probably wouldn't have a problem playing with any of the members of those two lineups, except the fact that [former MEGADETH drummer] Gar's [Samuelson] deceased, and [I'm] just not gonna do anything that is gonna, in any way, seem unfair to the other bandmembers."

Asked if he thinks the final MEGADETH show would be announced as the band's last-ever gig or if MEGADETH will "quietly end" its touring career without an official announcement of one final performance, Mustaine said: "I don't know. I was joking around with our management and said, 'You guys should probably book some fake dates at the end of the tour that I don't know about so I won't go out there on the last date and just blubber like a fucking 175-pound wuss."

Last October, Ellefson was asked by AlternativeNation.net for his reaction to the band's announcement that its new LP and tour would be the band's last. He said at the time: "Honestly, I don't think about it that much. I think probably everybody else thinks about it more for me than I do for me.

"It's been a rocky road, for sure, obviously, and there have been moments sublime and there have been moments that I just scratch my head over, but at the end of the day… Look, Dave said four and a half years ago he doesn't wanna play music with me anymore, so I just left it there and just moved on. I'm not sitting around waiting for a call. I've already offered, if it should come my way, I'd be happy to participate on some level.

"What we saw in Birmingham [at BLACK SABBATH's 'Back To The Beginning' event], in my opinion, was 100% on point the right way to say goodbye," Ellefson continued. "You bring back the O.G.s — Geezer [Butler], Tony [Iommi], Bill [Ward] and Ozzy [Osbourne]; the four O.G.s — 'cause, obviously, they went through their… Look, they fired Bill [at some point earlier in their career], they fired Ozzy, and at some point they're back together. The four guys that started it all get to say goodbye together, to each other, to the fans, the fans say goodbye to them. So, to me, that is the model of how it's done. I mean, that is a hundred percent the right way to do it."

Circling back to MEGADETH, Ellefson said: "If it really is a farewell, if it really is, and it's not just an attempt to boost ticket sales, 'cause we've seen this movie before — boost ticket sales, go away, then the bigger offers come after everybody's gone away for a couple years; I mean, we've seen how this works — but, look, if Dave needs to shut it down and call it quits because he is just had enough and he's been through it all, then hey, you know what? As a still friend to him, even we haven't spoken almost five years — you know what? God bless you, brother. Put it away with grace and go enjoy the rest of your life. So if he really is shutting it down and he's really gonna put it away, then please do so with dignity and grace and do what you say and mean what you say. 'Cause I think that farewell thing has been thrown around so much by so many people that it doesn't have much weight to it. We've just seen it over and over again. So, if you've really gotta shut it down, shut it down and put it away and go enjoy the rest of your life."

Ellefson previously discussed his reaction to MEGADETH's farewell tour in September 2025 during an appearance on the Rock 'N' Blues Experience podcast with host Tim Caple. Asked if it was a shock to him to hear that MEGADETH was ending, Ellefson said: "I knew about it. Obviously, I'm in the business, so I knew about it, which — it was a little shocking. I've known Dave as a workhorse. All things good, bad or indifferent about Dave, he's a pretty fucking tough mule, man. I mean, he's gotten out there and sang and played despite all the odds. And I will give him that. He definitely never backed down to a challenge."

Ellefson continued: "I remember there was a comment some years ago — we were playing a festival in Mexico, and his wife, Pam, had looked over at me, and with him sitting right next to me, [she] goes, 'The old horse is slowing down.' [Laughs] And that was a big gig. It was [with] JUDAS PRIEST and SCORPIONS… And I remember when she said it, it was kind of, like, we are getting up there a little bit, but then I look at the SCORPIONS, and fucking Rudolf Schenker, that guy comes up and hugs you like a Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot. You're, like, 'What the fuck did they put in the water in his house?' This guy's well into his 70s, and it's, like, 'Aargh.' Like, Jesus, man. The SCORPIONS are impenetrable; they're strong, like Iron Man."

David added: "I haven't talked to Dave now in four years, so I have no idea the reason or anything about it other than they made their announcement."

Asked what he thinks would happen if he just picked up the phone and called Mustaine, Ellefson said: "Well, even if I had his number — I don't know; he might have changed his number since I [last] talked [to him]. No, but I know what you mean.

"Look, he removed me from the group, so it's not my place to call him to go back," David continued. "I put it out there — I did something on my podcast, I floated it out there and said, hey, look, if it were to be, I'd be up for it. I think it'd be cool. Having just watched what happened in Birmingham [at the 'Back To The Beginning' event] where everybody got together —not only did we get to say goodbye to [BLACK SABBATH], they got to say goodbye to us. And I think that's just as important.

"Dave's closing up shop on MEGADETH, and he's doing it for him, obviously, for his reasons. I think in a perfect world there would be at least a moment where maybe some of, if not all of, the rest of us got a chance to say goodbye as well," Ellefson added. "I think that's a takeaway from Birmingham, is that there's a moment for everybody to just put everything aside and go, 'You know what? That was a fucking good run, man.' And take the final bow together on some level."

Ellefson also discussed his reaction to MEGADETH's farewell tour in August 2025 in a special episode of his video podcast "The David Ellefson Show". Asked for his "thoughts" on MEGADETH "calling it quits", Ellefson said: "There's a lot, 'cause, of course, it brings up years and years of thoughts, feelings, emotions, some great, some not so great. I always say these gold records on the wall — which, the only reason I have 'em up is 'cause we have a podcast [laughs]; it just makes for a good backdrop — but I look at 'em, 'Countdown [To Extinction]', 'Peace Sells', 'Beavis And Butt-Head', 'Rust In Peace', they all have a story in 'em. And some of the stuff in the '90s were better stories — the band was cohesive, the management was consistent, the music, I think, was collaborative. We went to new heights, we explored new territory that you could only dream of doing, Grammy nominations, festivals, the world for touring was really opening up everywhere. So, really great stuff. In the middle of it, of course, and around it was addictions, rehabs, canceled tours, lost finances in the millions. And so for things to sort of flush out the way that they did with now me not being part of the final farewell of something I started, as one can imagine, [it's] probably not something I'm super happy about. And saying that while still being grateful for all that it was, because I think at some point you have to find a path through it because this is reality."

Referencing Mustaine's debilitating injury in 2002 that caused severe nerve damage to his left arm and hand, and rendered him unable to play the guitar for a while, Ellefson continued: "Look, I feel like Dave Mustaine ended our friendship in 2001, and that was it. And he ended it very loudly, very publicly. He personally signed his name to it. He said we would never play music together again. And that's it. That is it. So from there on, I, I moved on. And I learned from 2002, with the career-ending nerve damage to his arm, and then two years later there's a new album with a new band and new financial terms and I'm not part of it and lawsuits to settle business matters, and just all the things go, there's a whole story there of a lot of this stuff. I was out, then suddenly I was back, and it was great. And he and I tried to mend fences, as I think we did. He was generous to me. Things were good.

"Clearly MEGADETH is a Mustaine family-run business," Ellefson added. "And it started that way, I think, probably a little while after I came back to the band [in 2010]. 'Cause when I came back to the band, it was not — it was Dave. And I kind of became the good friend to Dave. I knew him and he knew me in a way that no one else could. Dave had his friends before me growing up in California, but I've certainly known him one of the longest of most anybody on the planet, at least from inner workings of a band kind of thing. So, as bands go though, there can be tensions, there are all those things. Certainly what was made clear to me in 2004 is, 'Hey, it's a new day. It's a new way. Dave's in charge. It's not gonna be what it was. It's not gonna be collaborative.' [Former MEGADETH drummer] Shawn Drover always used to remind me of that. He goes, 'Dude, those days when of us all getting in a room and writing a record, dude, those days are long gone.' In fact, I remember when I came back and we were doing the 'Th1rt3en' album after about a year on the road, Dave asked me, he said, 'Oh, I'd like to have you write.' I said, 'You know what? No. Why don't you write the songs? I'll play bass for you. Let's just keep it clean. Keep it simple. Let's not even blur the lines.' And that's why I did other musical things. I did the ELLEFSON solo records and various other things to just have a little… I [thought], 'Let me take my creative stuff over there.' I knew in no way was that ever gonna sort of trump the brand, if you will, be bigger than the MEGADETH brand, yet it was a way to have a little creative outlet on the side, kind of get my yayas without interfering with MEGADETH. 'Cause I knew — look, we got it back together. Let's keep it clean, let's keep it simple. Let's just do that. And I think every time we tried to write, it was always a sore spot. It was problematic. And I was, like, 'Oh, I wish we weren't even going down this road.' Now, of course, everybody wants their name on the record, everybody wants to feel some of the financial windfall. And how things are split financially doesn't always have to how they're split with the credits and stuff like that.

"There's a weird thing in bands that how things are financially split… If you're a founding member of a band, to some degree you should be entitled to a piece of every everything and all of it, basically, 'cause it wouldn't exist if you weren't there," David noted. "And that deal got changed in 2004. That immediately changed the landscape. It changed my feelings about it. It drew us into a legal dispute — rightfully so. And no one wins in lawsuits, to some degree, yet sometimes they have to happen because things need to be done the way they need to be done. And I guess the good news for me is financially it landed certainly much better for me, and getting paid directly for my sources rather than… 'Cause sometimes that's what happens, is money goes through the channels of the organization and sometimes people don't get paid. So that needed to happen, and I'm glad I went through the process. It's not a fun process — I didn't sleep for nine months because of it — but that's when I had my little band F5 and I was trying to at least kind of keep my nose creatively involved in some stuff.

"So, there's a lot of history here with this band. This band started with a resentment. It started with a 'fuck you', Dave's sort of revenge against [his former band] METALLICA. And it wasn't entirely that. I mean, that gets a little blown out of proportion. To some degree, Dave was his own artist away from METALLICA. He had 'Mechanix' and some songs before METALLICA, and he certainly wrote songs after. So I think that that's a little unfair to paint that entirely on Dave that MEGADETH was just this revenge toward METALLICA. It may have been often fueled by it, but how could it not be? He was not a founding member of METALLICA. He was there for, as I always call it, a year and a half in the life of METALLICA. And [he] certainly changed the course of what they did. But they went on and had their own successes.

"But, look, for Dave to call it quits or to retire, I should say… Farewell… I don't even know if he's retiring. He's just basically saying MEGADETH's over… Would I like to be a part of it? Yeah, of course. Who wouldn't?" he admitted. "I'm a founding member of it. I'm a 30-plus-year member of it. Is that gonna happen? Who knows? It's too early to tell. I don't know what they have planned. I have no idea what it is. They just made an announcement about it. Do I think there should be some sort of farewell that everybody gets to participate in? I mean, look, [the] 'Back To The Beginning' [concert in Birmingham] with BLACK SABBATH. Look, they made nice. They brought all four of BLACK SABBATH['s original members]. They brought everybody back. You had [former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist] Jake [E. Lee]. Now, was everybody there? No. There were some key people — Bob Daisley — some people that weren't there. But for the most part, they brought a lot of the people back. And just speaking of BLACK SABBATH, they brought the original, the core four back, and they said goodbye. Not only did they say goodbye, everybody got to say goodbye to them. And I think when you're doing a farewell, that's important, that you get to say goodbye and everybody gets to say goodbye to you. I think that that's an important part of it. But that's me. I'm not in the band anymore. I have no say in it. So that's just me. That's just one guy with an opinion, quite honestly."

After podcast co-host Joshua Toomey opined that "everyone that was ever in MEGADETH should also be able to say their farewell too" and be part of the celebrations in some way, Ellefson said: "Well, I strongly stand against the notion that MEGADETH was only Dave Mustaine, 'cause it wasn't. And everybody knows that. So, if Dave needs to retire, wants to retire, I get it. I understand. He's given a lot. It's taken a lot out of him. It's taken certainly a toll on him, as anyone can imagine. So, look, God bless you, brother. If you're done, this is it, you wanna go do something else with your life, spend time with your family, just not play guitar, I get it. I mean, dude, believe me, I'm 60. There's some days I just kind of go, 'God, really? Should I write another album, another song? Do I really wanna go on stage?' And the answer always comes back to yes, I do. So I do. So I can't speak for him, and I'm not gonna speak for him. But, look, again, I haven't talked to the guy now in four and a half years, so I have no idea what his reasoning is, what the thinking is behind it.

"Someone made a point, they said we're all fans of MEGADETH music, even if we're not maybe fans of a particular lineup of the band, or we're not fans of certain members of the band, we still all love MEGADETH music," he continued. "And I thought, okay, I'm down with that. I can get behind that."

Referencing Mustaine's decision to fire Ellefson in May 2021 after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter, David said: "It's unfortunate that things landed between me and Dave where they did, because as I said right from the beginning, they didn't have to. And I made it very clear on the phone call when they were firing me that they didn't have to do that. It was unnecessary. Whatever those circumstances are were nothing to be feared. We can move on. But whatever. They made their decision, so let the chips fall where they may. I don't really even like going back to that period of time, because I felt like there was a lot leading up to that stuff behind the scenes, conversations that Dave and I were having about things that maybe we just weren't agreeing on. And that's okay. You can agree to disagree. You don't have to agree on everything.

"[OVERKILL singer] Bobby Blitz said something really good to me when I was touring with OVERKILL," Ellefson added. "'Cause he said he and D.D. [Verni, OVERKILL bassist], they're the boss. They run OVERKILL, they run the band. And he said, 'No matter how we go into the room with separate ideas, we come out as one voice.' And I thought, 'Man, that's a great way to put it.' And I always felt like Dave and I did that. No matter what we felt like when we got in the room, we leave this room as one voice. And Dave being the leader, Dave being the self-appointed voice of the group, let him have that voice. So I always felt like I stood behind that. I was unified with him. Whether I agreed with it or not, you get on board with it and that's what it is, and you go with that. And look, for the most part, Dave's way worked pretty good. I wasn't there to defy that."

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, when the group briefly broke up because Mustaine suffered severe nerve damage that left him unable to play. After Mustaine reformed MEGADETH with an all-new lineup in 2004, Ellefson sued his former bandmate for $18.5 million, alleging that Mustaine still owed him substantial merchandise and publishing royalties. In January 2005, the case was dismissed in court, and five years later, Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH.

BROTHER CANE will release its first new album in 27 years, "Magnolia Medicine", on April 17, 2026 via Double Dragon Records, distributed by Virgin Music Group.

The official lyric video for the LP's latest single, "Nothing To Lose", can be seen below.

BROTHER CANE is an American rock band originally from Birmingham, Alabama. Formed by frontman/guitarist Damon Johnson and bassist Glenn Maxey in 1991, the group released three studio albums, charting several singles, including three No. 1s and five top 10 hits.

"Magnolia Medicine" reunites Johnson with Marti Frederiksen, a songwriter-for-hire who has previously collaborated with AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow, among many others, rekindling the creative spark that powered BROTHER CANE's legacy and redefining it for a new era.

The magnolia symbolizes resilience, so it is no wonder that BROTHER CANE has chosen to highlight the mighty tree for its return to original recorded music for the first time in nearly three decades.

BROTHER CANE found immediate success with the July 1993 release of its self-titled debut album, which delivered three singles: "Got No Shame", "That Don't Satisfy Me" and "Hard Act To Follow". "Got No Shame" reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock charts and garnered the band U.S. tours with AEROSMITH, Robert Plant and LYNYRD SKYNYRD. The band's next album, "Seeds" (1995),yielded another No. 1 rock track, the haunting and swampy "And Fools Shine On". This hit led to a lengthy and successful tour in support of the mighty VAN HALEN. Three years later saw the release of "Wishpool" (1998) and BROTHER CANE's third No. 1 song at rock radio, "I Lie In The Bed I Make". After major personnel changes at Virgin Records (the band's label),as well as a major shift in style at rock and alternative radio formats, the band laid down their instruments and called it a day in 2000. "Wishpool" would be the band's final full-length release until now.

Written and recorded in Nashville, "Magnolia Medicine" sees Johnson, original bassist Glenn Maxey, drummer Jarred Pope, guitarist Tony Higbee, and keyboardist Buck Johnson put forth an 11-track effort steeped in all of their various influences.

For the past 25 years, Johnson has been the lead guitarist on global tours for John Waite, Alice Cooper, THIN LIZZY and now currently filling the enormous hole left by the late Gary Rossington in LYNYRD SKYNYRD. These experiences have helped provide the inspiration and source material for "Magnolia Medicine". Opening track "If This Means War" leans heavy into an aggressive stance that announces that this is no meek or half assed attempt for BROTHER CANE to reenter the world of rock and roll. This return is sonic, soulful and it is not messing around. The swampy "Take A Chance" is vintage BROTHER CANE in that it was co-written by Johnson and Frederiksen. The song is a perfect example of the ineffable relationship between a musician and his creative partner. A strong riff from Johnson and a soaring melody from Frederiksen have always been the magic sauce that makes BROTHER CANE tick. This is further proven on the riotous and infectious "Nothing To Lose".

While "Magnolia Medicine" is a deeply personal album to Johnson, such as on the breathtaking "The Wolf On The Mountain", which explores the complications of mental illness infecting a family and a community against the backdrop of mournful drop D tuning, ultimately the album feels like a family endeavor. Johnson has described the current lineup as close friends that are like brothers. This vibe carried the project through to the highlight track "Prince Charming" which is a haunting and hopeful tribute to Rossington. Featuring a stunning guest vocal from SKYNYRD's Johnny Van Zant, the song, whose title is a reference to Rossington's nickname, is in effect a hymn. It holds space for the pain of losing someone you love and admire while also making you feel like they are in the room with you just waiting for another hug. Another tribute of sorts is the track "Miracle" which pays homage in tone and spirit to the great American songwriter and artist Tom Petty. You can also feel the pull of Bruce Springsteen in the song "Are You In There Anymore". After multiple decades in the music business Johnson knows where he came from and he knows what he likes. His love of music is genuine and here he and the band acknowledge their heroes while being unapologetically themselves.

Johnson recounted that the title "Magnolia Medicine" came to him after he and his wife rehabilitated a Little Gem Magnolia tree that was dying in their backyard. After they almost lost hope that the tree would survive they began treating it with a special fertilizer and finally one beautiful single white blossom appeared at the top of the tree. A southern flower, a tree resurrected. So here is BROTHER CANE, a southern band, reborn.

BROTHER CANE returned to performing in 2022, released two brand new songs in October 2023, and continues to schedule shows around Johnson's now-full-time commitment to SKYNYRD.

BROTHER CANE promotional photo courtesy of Straight 9 Entertainment

The Recording Academy / GRAMMYs channel on YouTube has shared official professionally filmed video of Post Malone, along with GUNS N' ROSES members Slash and Duff McKagan, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith, and producer Andrew Watt performing a special tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at this month's Grammy Awards. They played a cover of the BLACK SABBATH classic "War Pigs" the February 1 ceremony at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles to honor the life and legacy of the beloved SABBATH frontman who died last July at the age of 76. During the performance, Kelly, Sharon and Jack Osbourne appeared visibly emotional and moved by the tribute to the late rocker.

Post Malone first connected with Ozzy when they worked together on the "Take What You Want" single in 2019, a track that later appeared on Osbourne's 2020 album, "Ordinary Man", produced by Watt. McKagan, Smith and Slash all contributed performances to the LP, which featured another Ozzy-Post Malone collaboration, "It's A Raid". Watt also worked with the Prince Of Darkness on his last solo album, 2022's "Patient Number 9".

The "War Pigs" performance was part of the annual "In Memoriam" segment at the 2026 Grammy Awards where the Recording Academy paid tribute to those who are no longer with us. Reba McEntire, Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson also paid tribute to Brett James, Alan Bergman, Sheila Jordan, Roy Ayers, Jimmy Cliff, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, Chuck Mangione and more with "Trailblazer".

The 2026 Grammys, hosted by Trevor Noah, was broadcast live on the CBS television network and is available to stream on demand on Paramount+.

The Grammy Awards are the only peer-recognized accolade in music and are voted on by the Recording Academy's voting membership body of music makers who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers, and engineers.

A separate Osbourne all-star tribute took place last September at the MTV Video Music Awards. During that event, AEROSMITH's Steven Tyler teamed up with British singer Yungblud for a three-song set that included covers of Ozzy's "Crazy Train", the 1972 BLACK SABBATH ballad "Changes" and the Osbourne classic "Mama I'm Coming Home".

Ozzy's death certificate revealed that he died on July 22, 2025 of a heart attack. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31, 2025 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer's friends and family members attended the service, including his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).

The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy. Sharon, along with their children Aimée, Kelly and Jack, joined mourners for the emotional tribute.

Seven months ago, Ozzy reunited with the rest of the original BLACK SABBATH lineup — guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward — for what was his final performance at the "Back To The Beginning" charity concert in their original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

At "Back To The Beginning", Ozzy played a five-song set with his solo band — consisting of guitarist Zakk Wylde, bassist Mike Inez, keyboardist Adam Wakeman and drummer Tommy Clufetos — before being joined by Iommi, Butler and Ward for four classic SABBATH songs: "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "N.I.B." and "Paranoid".

Ozzy's solo set consisted of four songs from Osbourne's 1980 solo debut album "Blizzard Of Ozz" — "I Don't Know", "Mr. Crowley", "Suicide Solution" and "Crazy Train" — along with his 1991 "No More Tears" ballad "Mama, I'm Coming Home".

The 76-year-old heavy metal singer sang while seated on a black throne and appeared overcome with emotion at times. "You have no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart," he told the crowd.

In a new interview with Pete Pardo and Lynne Versaci of Sea Of Tranquility, founding METAL CHURCH guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof spoke about the band's new lineup, in which he is joined by longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bass icon David Ellefson (MEGADETH),powerhouse drummer Ken Mary (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, FIFTH ANGEL, ALICE COOPER, HOUSE OF LORDS, TKO, CHASTAIN) and dynamic new vocalist Brian Allen (VICIOUS RUMORS). Regarding how the latest version of METAL CHURCH came to be, Kurdt said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, about two years ago, maybe a little over two years ago now, we did a Australia run. And the shows were fine, but we got back. Things got ugly, and the whole thing was just turned into a mess. And then [there was] a whole bunch of stuff flying around. Stet [Howland, former METAL CHURCH drummer] didn't like the way business was going, so he left. And the other guys didn't like it either. I didn't like the way things were going at all. It just wasn't any fun anymore. And a band at our level, if you're not having any fun — that's part of the pay. And if you're not having any fun anymore… Nobody makes a lot of money anymore, so you gotta be able to afford to do what you're doing and enjoy it… So I shut the band down, I was, like, 'This isn't worth it anymore.' The record company lost interest in us; [they] didn't wanna work with us anymore. Both European and American labels, they were just, like, 'They're done.' And I'm, like, 'Okay, there's no reason to go on.' So I shut the band down. And I made a point of saying, 'Look, I'm not gonna say anything derogatory about anybody in the press or anything like that, and I hope you would do the same.' But apparently some people decided not to do that. So, that's on them, not me."

Asked if he was happy with METAL CHURCH's last album, "Congregation Of Annihilation", which came out in May 2023 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe),Kurdt said: "Yeah. Oh, yeah. It's a fine album. It's good. Yeah, it had some great moments, and it was fine. It was just a bunch of business stuff and a bunch of things like that just wasn't working for anybody, myself included. And so it was, like, 'Eh.' And then when labels and people like that aren't really [into it, I was], like, 'Okay, I don't think I wanna do this anymore either. There's no point.' So I shut the band down, and I thought it was done — again… And I keep trying to kill it. It's like the band that won't die… So, again, I had no intention of doing it anymore. I was done. I was, like, 'All right. We did that. We're not getting along. Okay, I'm done.' And then not having interest [from] the label, there was just no point. So I shut it down. I was still working with Rat Pak with PRESTO BALLET and HALL AFLAME and a couple of other things. So I still had my deals with them on my other projects. And so I was working with them. And then just out of the blue one day, Joe [O'Brien] at Rat Pak sent me a couple of files from this guy doing METAL CHURCH songs… Well, he did 'Start The Fire' and 'Date With Poverty', I believe. And Joe just said, 'Hey, listen to these.' And I did. And it was, like, 'Is this like an unreleased track of [late METAL CHURCH singer] David Wayne?' kind of thing. When I heard 'Start The Fire', I was, like, 'Wow, who is this?' Anyway, so that turned out to be Brian Allen, who, I didn't know at the time, was a guy I knew from Portland. I didn't know him, but we knew him from Portland when he was in a JUDAS PRIEST tribute band, and we did some shows with him back over the last 10, 15 years. So I was, like, 'Wow. I had no idea.' And he did such a great job with it, I was, like, 'Well, if we ever decide to put the band back together, there's our singer,' 'cause he can do the David Wayne and Mike Howe [late METAL CHURCH singer] stuff. And so he said, 'Great. Okay. Isn't that nice?' And it was completely unsolicited. It was Todd La Torre [from QUEENSRŸCHE] who told Brian to send [Joe the files]. And I'm, like, 'Okay, cool. That was quite impressive, to say the least. So a little time goes by and then Rat Pak's working with ELLEFSON-SOTO [Ellefson's collaboration with Jeff Scott Soto]. So he put out their record, and so he's in contact with Dave Ellefson and working with him. And as that comes up, Dave offered his services: 'Oh, well, if METAL CHURCH ever wants to get back together. I'd love to be involved. I'd love to play bass.' … And it was, like, 'Wait, what? Wait, Dave Ellefson would wanna… Really? Okay.' Well, then it was starting to get interesting. And soon after that, or right about the same time, [former METAL CHURCH drummer] Jeff Plate said, 'Well, yeah, if you ever wanna do that, yeah, I'd love to get re-involved again. Sure. That'd be great.' I'm, like, 'Okay. Again, here I am saying this is the final tour. We're not doing anything, the farewell tour or whatever.' … So long story endless, suddenly there's Brian Allen, the singer, which would be the most important part of that. Then Dave bringing a certain credibility to it. And then Jeff coming back. I was, like, 'Okay.' So I kind of started putting some songs together, songs started happening. But then the SAVATAGE thing took off, which I couldn't be happier for [Jeff] and all of those guys… So [Jeff] couldn't continue [with METAL CHURCH]. Lo and behold, Ken Mary, an old friend of ours from Seattle, who is a transplant down here as well, reaches out to me for some other complete other reason, and I'm, like, 'Are you still in FLOTSAM?' He goes, 'Yeah, yeah. But we don't work on all that much.' 'Hey, well, [I'm] kind of thinking about maybe seeing if I… I kind of started putting METAL CHURCH back together, but Jeff is really busy with the SAVATAGE reunion.' And he's, like, 'Yeah. Oh, I'd love to do that.' I'm, like, 'Okay.' So it was kind of a no-brainer at that point. So there you have it."

Kurdt went on to say that the first two songs that were released from METAL CHURCH's upcoming "Dead To Rights" album, "Brainwash Game" and "F.A.F.O.", are "getting a great response, and people seem to like" it. "But it's a really good bunch of guys [we have in the band now]," he explained. "And again, I had no intention of doing it. And so we made a record. We're really happy with the record. And so I guess we're back at it. It was kind of unplanned. It was resurrected by itself. So, yeah, I'm really happy. I'm still a little bit surprised of how it came together 'cause it wasn't on my radar. So that's basically, a very Reader's Digest, condensed version of how it happened. But that's basically it. And I know a lot of people, they want a lot of the dirt and stuff like that, and a couple of the other guys like to talk smack about what happened. Whatever. That's fine. I'm gonna keep to my promise, and if you guys wanna [talk smack], that's on you guys. That's fine. 'Cause I can't stand those Internet fights when this guy, formerly of this band, and this guy [says], 'He did this' and 'he did that'. I'm not doing that. No, I'm not doing that. If they have an issue, that's fine. They have their opinion, I have mine. But I'm not airing my stuff in public."

"Dead To Rights" will be released on April 10 via Rat Pak Records. The LP was produced by Vanderhoof and mixed and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z.

METAL CHURCH plans to hit the road extensively this year on the "Dead To Rights" tour.

Singer Marc Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Howe, who tragically passed away in July 2021. Lopes's first and only studio album with METAL CHURCH was the aforementioned "Congregation Of Annihilation".

METAL CHURCH made its live debut with Lopes on June 3, 2023 at the Legions Of Metal festival at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois.

Last month Lopes described METAL CHURCH as "a shit show" and blasted Vanderhoof over the way the band's recent lineup changes were handled. He went on to say that Kurdt had "no integrity" and accused the guitarist of displaying "cowardice" by "not confronting any of the issues, whether good or bad." He added that he had "to find out everything on the Internet" about what was actually going on with METAL CHURCH. "That was the ultimate 'fuck you'. And that does not bide well with me personally, which will be addressed in another time," he added.

Stet, an in-demand metal drummer who has also pounded the skins for W.A.S.P., BLACKFOOT and Lita Ford, briefly addressed his eight-year stint with METAL CHURCH in a social media post. He wrote in part: "After seeing recent [METAL CHURCH] interviews, Marc's statement, and Kurdt's response. There's clearly MANY things that need to be said. But in short, Marc was 100% accurate. Tho[ugh] he barely shared the tip of the iceberg of the bullshit, and he was much more kind than I'm going to be. There's truths that need to be told and facts that need to be shared. I'll be as kind as I can, but I'll be dissecting and explaining a shitshow."

Photo credit: Rick Moyer

"The Ballad Of Judas Priest", a new documentary about legendary Grammy-winning English heavy metal band JUDAS PRIEST and their epic journey to the top of rock and roll, will receive its world premiere at the 76th Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival, set to take place February 12-22.

The first preview clip from the film, in which PRIEST singer Rob Halford talks the inspiration behind the band's classic song "Breaking The Law" was premiered on Rolling Stone and can be viewed below.

PRIEST wrote "Breaking The Law" in 1980 during the unrelenting throes of Margaret Thatcher's reign, and the song addresses many frustrations sitting immovably at the core of the working class at the time.

"'Breaking The Law' is a revolution song," Halford says in the clip. "You'd watch the news every night and you see all this conflict going on. With the pain and the suffering of some of the British working class people. Rioting and striking because of their rage."

Co-directed by documentary filmmaker Sam Dunn and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Tom Morello in his directorial debut, "The Ballad Of Judas Priest" celebrates the legendary band's lasting impact on music and culture with their influence reaching far beyond metal. Featuring unforgettable anthems and pop culture staples like "Breaking The Law" and "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", "The Ballad Of Judas Priest" captures the passion, resilience and enduring legacy of a band whose music and story continue to inspire generations.

Dunn commented: "Super proud to announce that our JUDAS PRIEST doc 'The Ballad Of Judas Priest' will premiere at Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival this February. Beyond excited for all our German metalheads to get the first look."

Rising from humble, working-class roots in Birmingham, U.K., to become global rock legends, JUDAS PRIEST didn't just help shape heavy metal culture — they forged it. Widely credited as being one of the pioneers of the heavy metal genre in the 1970s, JUDAS PRIEST has sold more than 50 million records and released 19 studio albums for their legion of dedicated fans around the world. In 2022, they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. With their 2024 album "Invincible Shield", the band became the first heavy metal act to release studio albums 50 years apart. The album drew widespread acclaim, receiving a Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance".

JUDAS PRIEST said: "We have lived and breathed metal for over five decades, and finally in this documentary we are summoning our congregation to officially witness our lives uncensored, in a never-before-seen way…the cassock comes off, revealing PRIEST in all its metal glory!"

Co-directors Morello and Dunn said: "While some may know JUDAS PRIEST for their huge hits that have shaped the heavy metal genre, there is so much more to their story. Tracing their incredible 50-year journey, this film will capture how JUDAS PRIEST both defined the sound and look of metal, but also made it a more inclusive place along the way. We are grateful to the band for allowing us such intimate, unfiltered access to their lives and look forward to bringing this film to the metal masses around the world."

The documentary is a production of Banger Films and directed by Sam Dunn and Tom Morello. Producers include Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn. It is executive produced by Tom Morello, Rick Krim, Sheila Stepanek and Jayne Andrews. Tom Mackay, Krista Wegener and Abby Davis serve as executive producers for Sony Music Vision. Sylvia Rhone is executive producer for Epic Records. The film is presented and distributed by Sony Music Vision.

JUDAS PRIEST's current touring lineup consists of singer Rob Halford, bassist Ian Hill, guitarists Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap and drummer Scott Travis.

PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease more than 15 years ago but announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of PRIEST's "Firepower" album. He was replaced by "Firepower" and "Invincible Shield" producer Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

Released in March 2024, PRIEST's latest album, "Invincible Shield", entered the U.K. chart at No. 2, just behind Ariana Grande's "Eternal Sunshine".

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Andy "Elvis" McGovern

Tickets are now on sale for the world premiere of The Ballad of Judas Priest at @berlinale. Be part of the first...

Posted by Judas Priest on Wednesday, February 11, 2026

During an appearance on the February 13 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", W.A.S.P. leader Blackie Lawless ripped Gene Simmons for suggesting the death of Gene's KISS bandmate guitarist Ace Frehley was the result of the guitarist's "bad decisions". "That upset me greatly because, hey, I understand that Ace aggravated him over the years," Blackie, who was Ace's longtime friend, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I get that. I was there and I saw both sides of the fence. But at the same time, if he wants to do a commercial for drug abuse, wait six months. Drugs are still gonna be a problem six months down the road. My friend's body is still — [Ace's] body's not even cold yet and [Gene is] saying the things that he's saying."

Lawless continued: "I got great respect for Gene, but that was totally uncalled for. He did not need to do that. Like I said, drugs are still gonna be a problem six months down the road. If you wanna make a a comment about it then, do it, but don't do it about this. That was totally uncalled for."

After host Eddie Trunk noted that Ace always had balance issues, Blackie concurred. "We'd be walking down the street sometimes, and he would literally just crash right into me," Lawless said. "We would be in restaurants, go to get up from the table, he'd crash into me. One time we were at Trader Vic's [restaurant] here in Beverly Hills, and we went to stand up, and I could tell he was, you know, he was losing it. And I went to grab him, and when I did, I hit the table. He ends on top of me, food flies up in the air and there's these four little blue-haired ladies sitting next to us. There's food — it looked like something out of a bad sitcom. He's laying on top of me. He goes, 'What are you doing?' I go, 'I'm trying to help you.' But that was life with him, because, like I said, he had that problem with his equilibrium in his left ear."

Blackie continued: "When I would see him, the first question that I would ask him when they would come back from the tour, 'How many times did you fall down on this tour?' Because he would do this thing where he would lean back, like he's doing a limbo and he's playing guitar, and Gene would come lean over the top of him. His equilibrium would go out, and when that did, his legs would shoot out and it would kick Gene. Gene would fall on top of him, but they would keep on playing. And people just thought, over a period of time, it was part of the show. Gene knew all of this. So to say that for someone who had been as clean as long as [Ace] had been, to blame it on that, that was uncalled for."

Last December, Gene apologized for suggesting Ace's death was the result of the guitarist's "bad decisions". Simmons took to his social media at the time to write: "On reflection, I was wrong for using the words I used. I humbly apologize. My hand to God I didn't intended to hurt Ace or his legacy but upon rereading my words, I see how it hurt everyone. Again, I apologize. I've always loved Ace. Always."

The founding KISS guitarist died of blunt-trauma injuries to his head due to a fall, the Morris County Medical Examiner confirmed in a report. The manner of death was ruled an accident.

According to the report, a CT scan of Frehley's head revealed multiple contusions, bone fractures to the back of his skull, hemorrhages, and a subdural hematoma (the type of bleeding that occurs in a person's brain after a head injury). Additional bruises were found on the musician's hip, thigh, and abdomen. The report also noted that Frehley had suffered a stroke.

A separate toxicology report on Frehley's blood at the time of his death has not yet been released.

Just days prior to Simmons's apology, Gene told the New York Post about Ace: "He refused [advice] from people that cared about him — including yours truly — to try to change his lifestyle. In and out of bad decisions. Falling down the stairs — I'm not a doctor — doesn't kill you. There may have been other issues, and it breaks my heart. The saddest thing — you reap what you shall sow, unfortunately. It breaks my heart," Simmons continued, before describing Frehley's private funeral service on October 22. "Peter Criss, our founding drummer, Paul [Stanley] and myself went to the funeral, open casket. "It was just heartbreaking. Saddest of all perhaps is that Ace just couldn't stay alive long enough to sit there proudly at the Kennedy Center and listen to … really impressive people … say how much KISS meant to them. What can you say — sad," Simmons concluded.

During last November's "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" event, Gene talked about Ace and Peter while answering a question about what he would have done differently in his career if given the opportunity. He said: "If I have any regrets, it's that I sometimes — and I think we all go through this — wish we were smarter and better at trying to help Ace and Peter have better lives. All of us are guilty of it, and so am I — 'I don't want to start an argument. Let's just continue doing the tour,' because you want to get through it for selfish reasons because it's working and the chicks and the money and [so on], and you don't want to ruin anything. [In the] meantime, somebody who might be your brother is ruining their life by bad decisions. I think this goes to your friends, your lovers, your family members — I wish I would have practiced more tough love and been more in the face of people that we cared about… Tough love is a good idea in my opinion with your children, with the people you love, with the people you care about, with the people you work with. It's not going to be a popular thing — you're going to argue about it — but in the long run, you're going to be helping that person hopefully change their life."

Frehley's longtime manager John Ostrosky confirmed to the New York Post that the late KISS icon was laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.

The legendary musician was buried on October 22 following a private memorial on October 21 at Sinatra Memorial Home in Yonkers, New York.

Frehley, whose real name was Paul Daniel Frehley, passed away peacefully surrounded by family in Morristown, New Jersey. He reportedly died nearly two weeks after a second fall at his home, which led to him being placed on life support after a brain bleed. The musician's family made the heartbreaking decision to take him off the ventilator.

Frehley's family confirmed his death, writing in a statement: "We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth.

"We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace's memory will continue to live on forever!"

The day of Ace's death, Stanley and Simmons issued a statement in which they said: "We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley. He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and will always be a part of KISS's legacy. Our thoughts are with Jeanette, Monique and all those who loved him, including our fans around the world."

Simmons also wrote on X: "Our hearts are broken. Ace has passed on. No one can touch Ace's legacy. I know he loved the fans. He told me many times. Sadder still, Ace didn't live long enough to be honored at the Kennedy Ctr Honors event in Dec. Ace was the eternal rock soldier. Long may his legacy live on!"

Ace co-founded KISS with Paul, Gene and Peter in New York City in 1973. Frehley appeared on KISS's first nine albums, and returned for the band's 1998 reunion album, "Psycho Circus", only to leave again. He was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with the rest of KISS's original lineup in 2014.

Frehley first left KISS in 1982. He rejoined in 1996 and parted ways with the band once again in 2002 after the conclusion of KISS's first "farewell tour." Since his departure, guitarist Tommy Thayer had assumed the role of the Spaceman.

Earlier in October, Frehley scrapped the remainder of his previously announced 2025 tour dates due to unspecified "medical issues".

The legendary rocker announced the cancelation two weeks after he pulled out of the Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster, California after sustaining minor injuries in a fall at his home.

Frehley had a rocky relationship with Simmons and Stanley whom he blamed for exacerbating his abuse of drugs and alcohol because they allegedly minimized his contributions to KISS.

In 2019, Simmons told Guitar World that Frehley and Criss had exited KISS three times, in part because they "weren't carrying their load" and weren't dependable onstage. In response, Frehley called Simmons and Stanley "control freaks, untrustworthy and… too difficult to work with."

Ace said in a 2024 interview that he got sober in 2006 after "10 car accidents" and credited his daughter Monique with inspiring him to give up drinking in 2006.

"My daughter calls me up and goes, 'Dad, I'm not hearing good things about you.' I looked in the mirror and just said, 'Shit — she's right,'" he said. "That evening, I called my sponsor and he took me to an AA meeting, and I've been sober ever since."

Frehley married Jeanette Trerotola in 1978 before they legally separated seven years later but remained married. She survives him, along with their daughter Monique, brother Charles, sister Nancy Salvner, and a number of nieces, nephews and extended family members.

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In a new interview with Chris Akin Presents, WINGER drummer Rod Morgenstein spoke about the band's decision to retire from touring after the completion of the group's final gig of 2025, which took place on August 31 at the Rainbow Bar & Grill Backyard Bash 2025 in West Hollywood, California. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, let me start by saying last year turned out to be a very rough year emotionally for me because I didn't realize how much my life and my vision of who I am is tied up in my band. And I think a lot of musicians understand that, but a lot don't really until it hits them in the face.

"So we've been talking about the end of the band for years," he continued. "Hindsight is 20/20. When the band formed, Kip [Winger, bass/vocals] and Reb [Beach, guitar] and Paul [Taylor, keyboards], they were in their twenties, I was in my thirties. For a singer to sing in the stratosphere, it was no problem. Well, when nearly 40 years later, all you're doing is detuning your guitars and basses a half step, which is not very much, singing in those registers becomes an issue for every singer. I couldn't even name three, I think , who in their sixties can still do it. Mickey Thomas from STARSHIP is the main one. Glenn Hughes [is another one]… But we're not gonna get to five, I don't think. So we knew it was coming. And the last gig that we did, and at the concert, instead of saying, 'This is the last show. You'll never see WINGER again.' We said, 'Never say never. Circumstances change.' And sure enough, we have four shows on the books this year — a festival in Brazil, a festival in Cancun."

Rod added: "But on August 31st [of 2025] we played the Rainbow Bar & Grill, the infamous birthplace of American heavy metal. And I don't know how many years ago — in the last few years, they started, twice a year, setting up a stage and lights in the back parking lot of the Rainbow. And next door is the Roxy. That's the nightclub that broke the DIXIE DREGS in California way back in the '70s. And so that's where we played our last concert where we thought, 'This is wonderful.' And there were a total of seven or eight bands that played… But it was such a fun day, like 10 hours of music. But, yeah, when I mentioned a couple of minutes ago that last year was an extremely rough year for me, it was, like, holy cow, September, this past September, was the 50-year anniversary for me of having gotten out of college at the University Of Miami in Florida, where I met what became the DIXIE DREGS. And so, wow, being a professional musician 50 years, I've done a lot of introspective work in trying to come to terms with everything."

Morgenstein previously talked about WINGER's decision to retire from touring last December in an interview with Anthony Bryant of The Hair Metal Guru. He said at the time: "I think it's been years in the making. Part of it is Kip's concern over his voice.

"When you're a crooner, you can sing forever, but when the vocal demands are in this high register — we've seen it all too many times with singers who were in their forties, fifties and sixties; it's just not possible for them to do it anymore," Rod explained. "If you saw Robert Plant try to sing [LED ZEPPELIN's] 'Rock And Roll' [now], he would [sing it in a lower register]. It's not possible [for him to sing it the way it was originally recorded]. And so, from show to show over these past few years, Kip always worried, like, 'Uh-oh, is this the show where the voice is not gonna give me all that I need?' There's that, and then just, like, wow, I mean, it's been a 37-year run. Pretty not bad. Some of us have other things in us that we'd like to do. [Kip] would like to spend more of his time in his classical world."

Rod added: "But when we did that last show [at the Rainbow], we kind of left the stage instead of saying, 'This is it. You've been the best. We are done a hundred percent' over, over, over. It's, like, 'Hey, look, let's never say never.' So, being a little cutesy to leave the door open if maybe there might be the occasional event now and then."

In March 2025, Beach told Adam Roach of the Become A Guitarist Today podcast about WINGER's announcement that it was embarking on "farewell" tours of Australia and Japan in 2025: "It's too bad that Kip wants to end it, from my end, just because I'm loving it and I could do it another 10 years. But it's really hard on his voice. When he says he has a bad night, you'd never know it. I've seen singers have a bad night, and his bad night sounds like a record. One note might be flat, or he might have trouble with three notes in 'Miles Away', and then afterwards he's, like, 'Uh, this is so embarrassing.' And it's, like, 'No, those are three notes. Come on, man.' These people go to see these singers from the '80s who just can't sing a note anymore. And Kip's really, really amazing. But it's just such an effort for him to keep up that vocal excellence."

Reb continued: "It's that, and it's also that touring is hard, but it's mostly that he hears a different drummer. He's always wanted to do the classical thing. That's what's in his heart. He's been rocking for 35 years here with this band, and he's finally broken into the classical world. He was nominated for a Grammy a few years ago. And the Nashville Symphony Orchestra is performing his piece that he wrote for them. And that's what really excites him. He doesn't need the money. I could use the money. He doesn't need the money. So it's his time to quit it now. And it's too bad, because you would think we could get another singer. But no — you can't have another singer in WINGER. That wouldn't make any sense."

In a separate interview with The Rockpit, Beach was asked if WINGER might continue making music even after the band stops touring. Reb responded: "No. Kip is classical. That's where he's at. He's over the rock thing. He gets so much more enjoyment from writing classical music. And he overbooks himself with the classical music. He has to write. You can just hear him saying, 'I have the 12 symphonies I have to write in the next three years, and I'm not even halfway done with the first one.' So, yeah, there's no way. There won't be another WINGER record, I don't think, unless I come to Kip and go, 'Kip, I've written 70 precent of the new WINGER record.' If I'm desperate for another WINGER record and I just write great riffs and I already have a verse and a chorus and a solo section for 10 songs, he may do it. It's never worked that way, though. Most of the time if I come in with a completed idea like that, he just feels like it has to have its inception when he and I are sitting in a room for it to have the magic. As soon as I play a riff that I come up with on the spot, that's exciting to him. If he's listening to something that I put a drum machine to and have any kind of production to, he's not inspired by that. I don't think he's ever used a riff that I brought in, whereas [my] BLACK SWAN [project] uses every riff that I bring in, which are usually the riffs that I brought to Kip that he turned down."

Earlier in March 2025, Kip was asked by Steve Mascord of White Line Fever TV what he would miss about playing with WINGER. Kip said: "Listen, I've been well-known my whole life. But I was never, like, 'Hey, I'm a rock star' or anything like that. It's very matter of fact to just talk to people. What I'll miss is playing with these guys that I really love so much, but I'm very excited to move on to this other world that I'm really inspired because I'm hearing so much of the music.

"At some point I'm gonna play a final show with the band," Kip explained. "I don't know when it is. But that's not to say I might not do a cruise or something. I don't really know. I'm not going, 'Hey, this is the last show we're ever gonna do' because… Well, hey, KISS did it for 10 years, so… [Laughs]"

Kip also talked about how his daily routine would change once WINGER had stopped touring. He said: "Well, the biggest thing is the traveling. If you do 40 gigs in a year, and sometimes we do more than that, you have twice that many days on each end traveling. So, you spend half of the year of your life sitting in an airport, and it really… Listen, we're not a huge band — we don't fly around in our own Learjet — so it tends to take a toll on you. And then, all of a sudden, all my personal goals just end up drifting away in an airport somewhere in Chicago. So my life will be different in that way."

Kip continued: "Listen, interruption is the death of creativity. So my focus is to get myself into a place where I can be 100 percent creative and keep it rolling because it's really difficult to have it all broken up so much. And I've written every kind of rock song possible. I've made my final statement on the last WINGER record. And a lot of people think that's, like, if not our best record, it's close to being our best, along with 'Pull'. And I kind of brought back the original guys and put the original logo on and gave it a nice full circle. So, there's nothing else that Reb and I could do with WINGER that wouldn't just be, like, 'Okay, let's write another one of those' or 'another one of those.' And now I'm in this whole other mentality where the sky's the limit and I've got 30 more years of expressing myself in a world of things that haven't been done by me."

WINGER issued its seventh studio effort overall in 2023, the appropriately titled "Seven". Kip is also a respected and successful symphonic composer, having issued recordings under the name C.F. Kip Winger, while Reb had been a member of WHITESNAKE since 2002, and drummer Rod Morgenstein had served as a professor at Berklee College Of Music (in addition to playing in a variety of other more jazz-fusion-based projects).

WINGER formed in the late 1980s and soared to immediate success with its 1988 self-titled release. The album spawned the hit singles "Seventeen" and "Headed For A Heartbreak" and achieved platinum sales status. "Winger" also stayed on the Billboard 200 chart for over 60 weeks where it peaked at #21. Their next album, "In The Heart Of The Young", also achieved platinum status behind the singles "Can't Get Enuff" and "Miles Away". The change in musical climate of the mid-'90s, compounded with unprovoked ridicule on MTV's popular "Beavis And Butt-Head" show, led the band to go on hiatus in 1994. In 2001, WINGER reunited and has not looked back since. Kip also earned a 2016 Grammy nomination for the classical album "C.F. Kip Winger: Conversations With Nijinsky", recorded with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra.

In a new interview with Jason Irwin of RadioRadioX.com, ex-SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach was asked how he deals with "all the social media noise", particularly as it relates to his former band. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't even care about social media. I use social media to promote my shows. It doesn't mean anything. It's, like, nothing. It's like a big nothing. I promote my concerts and I let fans know that I got a new record out.

"It's been years since I bothered reading a comment section or whatever," Bach explained. "I have better things to do with my time than [to read online comments].

"Let me just say this, though: when the Internet first came out, none of us knew what the hell it was," Sebastian added. "So, 10, 15 years ago, yeah, I was reading comments and threatening people to fight down at the Chick-fil-A and meet me at 4:30. And then I go, why am I wasting my time? And I think nowadays people are realizing that the really cool people are not on the Internet. It's a place for fucking losers. I think people are getting that. Nobody really cool is on there typing shit. It's all a bunch of jealous fucking losers that have nothing else to do… I mean, I like looking at shit like old videos that are posted of bands I like, like ROSE TATTOO. I love all the KISS stuff — I'm a collector — but as far as reading what Jimmy from Iowa thinks of my new video, I don't give a fuck."

Bach recently announced a 2026 North American headlining tour, "The Party Never Ends", kicking off February 26 in Highland, California at Yaamava' Casino. Joining the tour as direct support is STITCHED UP HEART, handpicked by Bach for his 2020 tour celebrating the debut SKID ROW album. That tour was ultimately canceled due to COVID, making this long-awaited pairing finally come full circle.

Bach's current touring band includes his son Paris Bach on drums, "Bruiser" Brody DeRozie on guitar, and Fede Delfino on bass.

Bach's latest album, 2024's "Child Within The Man" — the singer, songwriter, author, Broadway star and actor's first album in more than 10 years — was well-received, with Associated Press saying "…it shows a fierce performer in prime fighting form…his vocals remain sharp and his songwriting talents as cunning as ever," while Ultimate Classic Rock noted: "Bach's voice has lost none of its rage or range, even in the highest registers…" In addition, the album's "(Hold On) To The Dream" track was included in Consequence's "30 Best Metal & Hard Rock Songs Of 2024" which described the song as "...a late-career masterpiece from the former SKID ROW singer. Baz hits some of the highest notes of his career on the sweeping ballad, an inspiring anthem about perseverance."

In January 2025, Sebastian was back on TV when he appeared on Food Network's "Worst Cooks In America Celebrity Edition: Heroes vs. Villains". In addition, in June 2024 Sebastian was the subject of an A&E "Biography: Rock Legends" special. This followed his 2023 appearance as "Tiki" on Fox's "The Masked Singer".

"Child Within The Man" has yielded the following singles/videos, all of which have impacted the rock charts: "Freedom", "What Do I Got To Lose?", "Everybody Bleeds" and "(Hold On) To The Dream" (along with the "(Hold On) To The Dream" alternate video),"Future Of Youth" and "To Live Again".

"Child Within The Man" was recorded in Orlando, Florida; produced and mixed by Michael "Elvis" Baskette; engineered by Jef Moll, assistant engineered by Josh Saldate and mastered by Robert Ludwig of Gateway Mastering. Bach wrote or co-wrote all the album's 11 tracks and sang all lead and backing vocals.

"Child Within The Man" features guest appearances from John 5 (MÖTLEY CRÜE, ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON),Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) and Orianthi (ALICE COOPER, MICHAEL JACKSON) — who all co-wrote their respective tracks with Bach — and two tracks co-written with ALTER BRIDGE's Myles Kennedy ("What Do I Got to Lose?" and "To Live Again"). Devin Bronson (guitars),Todd Kerns (bass) and Jeremy Colson (drums) round out the players on the album.

Prior to "Child Within The Man"'s arrival, Bach hadn't released a full-length disc since "Give 'Em Hell", which came out in March 2014.

Beloved and influential Los Angeles trio FAILURE — Ken Andrews, Greg Edwards and Kelli Scott — has announced "Location Lost", its seventh studio album and fourth since reuniting in 2014 after a 17-year-hiatus, along with a spring North American tour. The LP features nine new tracks that showcase a focused, modern and ever-evolving vision of FAILURE's utterly unique sound, led by first single "The Air's On Fire". "Location Lost" will arrive April 24 as the first release under Failure Records/Arduous Records/Virgin Music Group.

Recorded after the completion of the recent Hulu/Disney+ documentary "Every Time You Lose Your Mind", "Location Lost" doesn't arrive as a victory lap or a nostalgia exercise. Instead, it sounds like a band actively negotiating where — and who — they are now.

"It's very different," Edwards says plainly of the follow-up to 2021's 'Wild Type Droid'. "There are sounds and parts that really don't have any precedence within the FAILURE world."

"The Air's On Fire" embodies this sense of disorienting unfamiliarity. Almost immediately after finishing editing the documentary, Andrews suffered a serious back injury that required surgery. The operation was technically successful; the recovery was not. The single is the album's most literal confrontation with Andrews's medical trauma, its oppressive atmospherics and crushing bottom end mirroring his struggle to breathe on his own.

"That song is directly about my surgery and waking up," he explains. "I basically coded. Everything was spinning. I kept saying, 'Turn the air on. I'm fine — just take me home.' I was definitely not fine."

Watch the video for the track, directed by Sean Stout, below.

At the opposite emotional pole is the largely acoustic, straight-up breakup song "The Rising Skyline" featuring PARAMORE frontwoman Hayley Williams, an artist whose longtime public admiration for FAILURE has unquestionably helped introduce the band to an entirely new generation of listeners. The album also delivers dose after dose of Andrews, Edwards and Scott's signature creative and instrumental interplay, from the warning bell-like guitar chimes on propulsive opener "Crash Test Delayed" to the elastic, bass-driven groove of "Halo And Grain" and the grinding, methodical wall of sound on "Solid State", which wouldn't have sounded out of place on 1996's all-time-classic "Fantastic Planet". Other songs such as the slow-burning, dream-inspired closer "Moonlight Understands" and the stuttering "Someday Soon" emerged from singular, unrepeatable moments.

FAILURE will premiere material from "Location Lost" on its spring headline North American tour, kicking off with an album-release show on April 21 at Zebulon in Los Angeles and wrapping in Toronto on May 20. ALL UNDER HEAVEN is supporting all headline dates starting May 3. Their run of shows also includes festival appearances at Las Vegas's Sick New World, Chicago's Space Echo @ Radius and Daytona Beach's Welcome To Rockville. Tickets go on sale to the public this Friday, February 20 at 10 a.m. local time. For tickets links and more information, visit www.failureband.com.

FAILURE's musical communion has intrigued critics, fans, and peers for more than three decades. Following "Comfort" and "Magnified", the trio created what is largely considered one of the '90s most influential and innovative albums, 1996's "Fantastic Planet". The 17-track collection earned rave reviews and onboarded a trove of new fans and also led the band to headline Lollapalooza's second stage and craft one of the era's most recognizable videos, "Stuck On You". After a 17-year hiatus, FAILURE returned with "The Heart Is A Monster" in 2015, followed by 2018's "In The Future Your Body Will Be The Furthest Thing From Your Mind" and 2021's "Wild Type Droid".

"Location Lost" track listing:

01. Crash Test Delayed
02. The Rising Skyline (feat. Hayley Williams)
03. Solid State
04. The Air's On Fire
05. Halo And Grain
06. Someday Soon
07. Location Lost
08. A Way Down
09. Moonlight Understands

FAILURE tour dates:

April 21 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon (album-release show)
April 25 - Las Vegas - Sick New World Festival
May 02 - Chicago, IL - Space Echo @ Radius
May 03 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
May 05 - Nashville, TN - Basement East
May 06 - Atlanta, GA Masquerade - Hell
May 08 - Daytona Beach, FL - Welcome To Rockville
May 09 - Asheville, NC - Eulogy
May 10 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
May 12 - New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
May 13 - Cambridge, MA - Sinclair
May 14 - Hamden, CT - Space
May 15 - Washington, DC - Union Stage
May 16 - Harrisburg, PA - Arrow at Archer Music Hall
May 17 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
May 19 - Detroit, MI - Shelter
May 20 - Toronto, ON - Opera House

Press photo by Lindsey Byrnes

Last September when British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN announced their only U.K. show of 2026, on July 11 at Knebworth Park, they said they would be "turning it into as much of a 'MAIDEN world' as we can for all our fans to enjoy!" And true to form, they are now able to announce the full details, revealing exactly what that means.

Get ready for Eddfest — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience what constitutes IRON MAIDEN's idea of a fun-filled 48 hours of entertainment, themed areas and bars, experiences, live music and more. Inside Eddfest fans will be able to explore the Infinite Dreams Museum Experience, a walk-through display of stage props and relics, inspired by Sunday Times bestseller book "Infinite Dreams". This is an unprecedented and completely unique opportunity to view MAIDEN relics up close and personal.

Fans will also encounter Maidenville, where you will find the greatest Eddie's Dive Bar yet, a second stage for music and entertainment, the Unfair Funfair featuring rides and Eddie-themed Funfair Games, plus Eddie's Emporium and much more to explore throughout the site.

Friday night campers will be able to gain early access to the site and experiences, including first access to the Infinite Dreams Museum Experience. There will also be a whole evening of entertainment planned on the Maidenville stage featuring a mix of special acts with a connection to MAIDEN. This is all topped off with the previously announced main stage on the Saturday, featuring an exceptional supporting lineup, ahead of IRON MAIDEN's show-stopping "Run For Your Lives" performance.

MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood explains: "After the monumental shows in the U.K. last year, we knew that if we were going to play the U.K. in 2026, it had to be very different. So we chose Knebworth Park as it gives us the space required — which is just not available in stadiums — to put together something groundbreaking for our fans by creating a 'MAIDEN world' for them. We are excited to now reveal the details of this one-off event to celebrate the band's 50-year career, which we are now calling Eddfest, because, as everyone knows, Eddie is the true star of the show! We also know MAIDEN fans are basically a huge gang and we want to give them a weekend to remember at Knebworth.

"For the last couple of tours we have been arranging the Eddie Dive Bars for our fans, both pre- and post-show. Some of these took over the entire centres of towns with thousands of fans gathered there enjoying the fun, the music and each other's company. So Eddfest is going to expand on that concept in a huge variety of ways, to create a truly unmissable 'MAIDEN world' over the whole weekend!

"There will be a whole host of great music, great beer (of course!),lots of exciting and varied fun things to do, great souvenirs and merch, some unique and fantastic photo opportunities to create unbeatable MAIDEN memories, and of course, the true camaraderie that comes from being a MAIDEN fan."

Kilimanjaro promoters Stuart Galbraith and Alan Day, the creators of Sonisphere, add: "MAIDEN have a different view on how they want to do things for their fans than most bands. We previously worked with them at Sonisphere and when they explained what they wanted to do for this show we were hooked. It will be a unique event. A celebration of the Eddie-verse, if you will: a curated Friday afternoon, night and all day Saturday, finishing with the last U.K. show MAIDEN will play until at least 2028!

"Creating something like that, which will include a once-in-a-lifetime Infinite Dreams museum experience, featuring a wide range of rarely-seen memorabilia from throughout their history, a MAIDEN-themed fun fair, the biggest Eddie's Dive Bar ever with some extra special additions and surprises, plus the ability to camp, glamp or park a motorhome on site for the Friday and Saturday night show in a specially created 'village' space with MAIDEN alumni, friends and our perfect partners Planet Rock — well, it was a chance not to be missed!"

The Eddfest festival starts from 2 p.m. on Friday with camping included for both nights. Various parts of the Maidenville site will be open to weekend campers throughout Friday afternoon and into the early hours of Saturday morning, including the Infinite Dreams Museum Experience.

Friday Night at Eddfest is all about fun before the big day. The campsite comes alive with direct access to the heart of Maidenville and the entertainment is a blend of bands and artists with connections to MAIDEN — some obscure, some as clear as daylight but they all have something in common and deserve to be a part of the opening night celebration.

Friday night on the Maidenville second stage will feature full sets from STRAY, MAIDEN UNITED, AIRFORCE and TONY MOORE'S AWAKE, plus HAIR METAL GLAMAGEDDON. Saturday sees the opening of the Main Arena, which includes Eddie's Extended Emporium, the Trooper VIP area and a range of interactive experiences. These will act as hors d'oeuvres for the curated Main Stage festival live bill, starting with back, better than ever British rockers THE ALMIGHTY. Australia's festival-ready AIRBOURNE follow, before the thrilling Mongolian metal of THE HU rings out across Knebworth's hallowed park. As we move into the evening THE DARKNESS will take to the stage for a barnstorming set before IRON MAIDEN deliver an historic performance — the ultimate communal experience between the band and their fans set in the heart of this one-off "MAIDEN world".

Eddfest is going to be a truly exceptional weekend for each and every MAIDEN fan in attendance — an unforgettable chance to be part of a fully themed Festival experience, celebrating IRON MAIDEN's spectacular fifty year career — and the last chance to see them in the U.K. until at least 2028.

Tickets available via ironmaiden.knebworth.com, myticket.co.uk, ticketmaster.co.uk and, of course, ironmaiden.com

Camping tickets are separate to the event tickets and available to purchase in parallel

For further details, to purchase tickets and to stay updated on all things to do with IRON MAIDEN at Knebworth, including FAQs and timings, make sure you check out the dedicated site: ironmaiden.knebworth.com

Photo credit: John McMurtrie

In a new interview with The Mistress Carrie Podcast, singer Joakim Brodén of Swedish metallers SABATON was asked how it feels for him and his bandmates to finally start to crack the American market. The 45-year-old musician said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm happy about it mostly, actually. We're still a bit behind. The largest [venue] capacities [that we will play] in North America [on our upcoming tour] is gonna be about five thousand while we do largest in Europe is gonna be about 25 [thousand]. But it still keeps us on our toes. And it's natural. I mean, we're a European band. We started out touring here pretty early and we didn't start touring the U.S. until 2011 for the first time. So it took us a while. And it's a different market. You don't have the same vibe with festivals with classic metal as we do in Europe. So it's easier, I think. So it's easier for European fans, in a way, to discover new metal bands because every country or every city, it feels like, has a medium-sized rock festival where any band from, basically, black metal to heavy metal can play."

After podcast hostess Mistress Carrie noted that European fans can be exposed to different music genres at various festivals while the American festival tend to be formatted more "based on the style of music", Joakim concurred. "Yeah, absolutely," he said. "[There are] lots of crossover festivals, but also the spectrum for what's considered a heavy metal festival of what bands are invited. If you are doing a lot of American festivals, that market, if you will, is locked for a band like us unless you've achieved a certain size, because… And here's the funny thing: it's not about the fans. It's sometimes the business itself, it feels like that: 'No, no, no, no. That's not gonna work in America.' And then when the fans actually discover that band — it might not only be us 'cause we're not the only band who's experienced this transition that, 'Oh, why haven't I never heard of these guys before?' Well, a lot of us have tried, but getting through the noise in the U.S. … But it is also because you have a lot of your own bands [who] are amazing and it's a hard competition, but there's also that wall of fighting your way through the business, because enough people think classical hard, rock, metal, power, metal, and that genre's dead and gone, pretty much. Which is weird because METALLICA is probably the biggest one of them all."

Elaborating on why he thinks it's harder for traditional heavy metal bands to make a mark in both the U.S. and Europe, Joakim said: "Yeah, well, it's less prominent in mass media. I mean, rock radio sure has it — absolutely — but in general mass media, I think there's still some sort of stigma related to being a metal band for enough people on the planet for this to matter. I mean, not if you're in Finland, obviously, because heavy metal is mainstream there. But in most places of the world."

Asked what he thinks it is about cold weather in the Nordic countries that makes fans love hard rock and metal so much, Joakim said: "Yeah, we've been asking that as well. I mean, the amount of heavy metal bands per capita in Scandinavia is pretty damn high. And I don't know why, really. But at least in the days before… well, everybody had a social media computer. I mean, computers we had, obviously, but growing up it was dark and cold during the winter. When you woke up, it was dark. When it's three o'clock in the afternoon, it gets dark again. So what do you do in the winter? You don't wanna be outside when it's negative 32 or 35 or something like that. So you learn an instrument. … And [it's] not only the weather — the culture, the people around you, all of these things are gonna affect your music. I mean, what was the popular music being played to you sort of when you grew up? Obviously, it seems like Scandinavian music is quite popular internationally for some reason, and I have no idea why, but I'm thankful."

Last October, SABATON bassist Pär Sundström was asked by Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station how important it has been for him and his bandmates to break into the American market. The 44-year-old musician, who also serves as SABATON's manager, said: "Yeah, there was a point where it seemed impossible, because everybody told us, 'Guys, you play European power metal. Good luck in America. It's never happened before that a band ever became any popular in in this.' And we had to be strong in believing in ourselves and we had to go and we were doing all a lot of support tours. And we said, 'We know that this is the way we're gonna build it. That's how we built it in Europe. And that's how we're gonna make it.'

"We know that our biggest strength is the guys in the band and our music, and what we do on stage is what matters most," he explained. "And we won't be anything unless we are there playing. So once we sort of had a base to stand on in Europe, we turned our heads and really [went], like, 'Okay, now it's time for America.' And we won't stop. We won't let everybody who told us that it's not gonna work, we won't the them speak to us in that way. They said the same about the U.K. We went to U.K. and made a hundred shows and then we sold out the Wembley. It was just hard work — push, push, push, push, push. And, yeah, I think we have probably done a hundred shows in the U.S. now. But things are improving and they are really doing well. And we are so excited to continue and [we] still believe in what we do."

After Meltdown noted that SABATON has already taken part in some big tours in the U.S., Pär said: "Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We did. And the last year we added two tours where we joined JUDAS PRIEST. They were not really supposed to happen, but thanks to that our old guitar player, Thobbe [Englund], came back [to SABATON], we wanted to kind of get back into the game with him before we went and finished the new album. We wanted to get to play together a little bit. So, in order for that, I went to see if there were any tours that we could jump on to. And JUDAS PRIEST were one of those, so we jumped on to JUDAS PRIEST. And they were great tours. And between them and during that, we could finish the new album and also be really tight with our new old guitar player Thobbe who went on an eight-year holiday [before rejoining SABATON]."

Last month SABATON postponed its previously announced North American tour in order to allow Sundström sufficient time to heal from "inflammation in his arms".

SABATON's North American tour was scheduled to kick off February 9 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and hit venues across the U.S. and Canada, including major stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston before wrapping April 20 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Support on the trek was slated to come from POP EVIL and WINGS OF STEEL.

SABATON kicked off the European leg of its "The Legendary Tour" on November 14, 2025 at Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany. The band teased the 20-city European trek as "a huge celebration of SABATON's music, storytelling and the incredible bond they share with their fans", featuring "The Legendary Orchestra and other surprises," resulting in "something unprecedented." "The Legendary Tour" was SABATON's first headlining tour in support of the band's eleventh studio album, "Legends", which arrived on October 17, 2025 via Better Noise Music.

Throughout the aptly titled "Legends", which blends rock and history for fans of all ages, SABATON delves into some of history's greatest and most loved characters such as Jeanne D'arc (also known as Joan Of Arc),Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar and the legendary swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi.

"Legends" is available across various different physical formats and retailer exclusives, including CD, 2CD digibook, 2CD earbook (both including the exclusive Storyteller Edition),11 unique vinyl editions (including a special vinyl color and exclusive artwork each),additional exclusive vinyl colors and a limited box set (including another exclusive vinyl color, the 2CD earbook, and a colored cassette as an exclusive format).

Among 11 unique vinyl editions, each one portraying one legendary figure, "Legends" is available as the "Hannibal Edition" and the "Miyamoto Musashi Edition", which are linked to the song releases for "Lightning At The Gates" (Hannibal) and "The Duelist" (Miyamoto Musashi).

"Legends" is a rock odyssey that transcends time and borders, with melodic guitar riffs, goosebump-inducing choirs, and epic choruses. It marks a bold evolution in storytelling, plunging headfirst into the heart of history's most formidable and enigmatic figures. These are not just rock songs, they are battle hymns carved from the blood and legacy of warriors, kings, strategists, and revolutionaries.

SABATON have always had a signature focus on writing songs about historical battles, wars, and acts of heroism that have solidified their impact with their loyal and longtime fans. They've collaborated closely with its network of specialists, developed over the years since the launch of the Sabaton History Channel on YouTube, to make sure this new album is once again as close to reality as possible.

SABATON continues to work with graphic artist Peter Sallai to create the striking album artwork, and producer Jonas Kjellgren is once again behind the boards from his Swedish Black Lounge Studios to create the classic SABATON sound the band is now known for.

In the more than two decades since the band's launch, SABATON has headlined major festivals, sold-out arena concerts worldwide, and gained a legion of loyal fans by carving out a reputation for being one of the hardest-working bands in the business. Since their 2005 debut album, they've earned gold, platinum, and multi-platinum certifications in territories around the world with their 10 studio albums. Eight of their albums scored Top 10 international chart status, and six claimed the Top 5. SABATON has earned eight Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards nominations, taking home the award for "Breakthrough Artist" in 2011 and "Best Live Band" in three different years, and a Grammis nomination (Swedish equivalent to the U.S. Grammy Award) as "Best Heavy Metal" band. They've accumulated more than three billion streams across all streaming platforms and two billion views on YouTube.

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

Photo credit: Steve Bright

In a new interview with Lollapalooza India, LINKIN PARK's longtime members, co-lead vocalist and producer Mike Shinoda and DJ and video director Joe Hahn, spoke about how the band's latest additions, singer Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, a songwriter and producer for G FLIP, ILLENIUM and ONE OK ROCK, affected the songwriting process for LINKIN PARK's comeback album, "From Zero", which arrived in November 2024 via Warner. It marked LINKIN PARK's first full-length effort since 2017's "One More Light", which was the last LINKIN PARK album before singer Chester Bennington's death. Joe said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think a big part of what makes us 'us' is when we're in a room, usually at Mike's house in his studio, before we even make the music, we're hanging out. We're talking about life, things that we're interested in and something that's bothering us and kind of sharing experiences with each other. And sometimes that'll drive towards a topic or it might drive towards a feeling of a type of vibe when we start writing. It always comes from a different inspiration, but it really comes from like a collective… We get to the point where we're excited to just try new things. And I think that's really where Emily and Colin came in to that environment that we always have, and it was very natural for them to be part of it. So I would say a lot of that has to do with our friendship as well as the skills that we bring."

Mike added: "Yeah, I think that was — to Joe's point, the chemistry, the dynamic, that was something that just kind of showed up over the course of days and then weeks, and it was the thing that drew us to them versus whatever other options we could have been thinking about. 'Cause in the beginning of the new album, we weren't necessarily thinking, like, 'Okay, now we're gonna restart the band and then we're gonna go do shows.' It was really just the question of, do we feel compelled to like get together and make stuff and be creative? And is it fun? Does it have energy that'll go forward? And that was just between us, the original members. And then once that started happening and it was the first time there was real momentum, and then Emily and Colin came in separately and then together, and it all started happening. And part of it, the thing that's so nice is they have their own versions of the story of how they relate to the band. Emily had some formative years of when she was learning to sing, [LINKIN PARK's debut album] 'Hybrid Theory' was one of the albums that she was listening to a lot and how she sang 'One Step Closer' and it was the first song she had ever really screamed on. And then Colin, even when we were in the studio working on this record, he sometimes would switch gears from producer mode or songwriter mode, he'd switch to fan mode, and I could see it happen. I'd just be playing something and I was, like, 'Why is that exciting to you? Why is that a good part?' And he could tap in to fan mode and be, like, 'Yeah, the thing I like about LINKIN PARK is this thing.' And so it was a really good asset to have in both cases."

LINKIN PARK introduced its new lineup during a September 2024 live performance event, with Armstrong and Brittain joining Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and Hahn. LINKIN PARK also released a new single, "The Emptiness Machine", and announced "From Zero".

Regarding what it has been like working with Emily and Colin, Mike told Futuro in an October 2025 interview: "It's been awesome. When they were coming into this era, this chapter, they were already so prepared, they were so ready for it. They just hadn't done it. I mean, Emily has played for — I don't know how many [years], like 10 years or more with DEAD SARA. Colin was in multiple bands before he got into producing and writing with other people. And when I met Colin, I could tell that we had a lot of similar ways of looking at music and similar ways of thinking. I was just writing and producing stuff with him, and all of a sudden he got behind the drum kit and I was, like, 'Oh my God. He's an amazing drummer.' And as it turned out, Rob [Bourdon], our previous drummer, he didn't wanna keep playing. So that was almost just like good luck for us that we knew a guy already that that was so great. Emily is a total phenomenon. For us to find a once-in-a-generation voice like Chester and then to find another one like Emily is crazy. It doesn't make any sense."

Asked how he knew Emily was "the one" when it came to finding a replacement for Chester, Mike said: "Well, it's not just the singing, 'cause there's thousands and thousands of great singers out there. And when I worked with people, I've had a bunch of experiences where I worked with lots of different singers who are so talented and I've played shows with lots of singers who are so talented, but there's an an intangible thing that happens when people get in a room and they make things together, and you just feel like the vibe is so effortless and strong and easy. It's easy to hang out with each other. Even when you have differences of opinion on something that you're making or something that you're doing, it doesn't turn into arguments. Nobody's killing the energy, the vibe. And that was the experience we had with Emily and Colin. But as we were starting to make music a couple of years ago, we just found ourselves wanting to do more with them because they were so fun to hang out with and we would always make such good stuff together."

Shinoda went on to say that he and his LINKIN PARK bandmates had no expectations that "From Zero" would turn out to be a commercial success. "When we're making things, we're not thinking about hits," he explained. "That's not part of our process at all, really. First and foremost, we wanna love what we're doing, we wanna love playing it every night, we wanna feel like it artistically represents an important chapter for the band and that we're proud of where it sits in our catalog. And that's been the way we've approached things every time since the beginning. There are, of course, moments when it's, like, 'Okay, well, the label wants to release a single,' so you have to do marketing and you have to do promotion. And I totally enjoy doing that stuff. I love making surprises and scavenger hunts. Like the timer — in the beginning of our launch [for the new era of LINKIN PARK], we did a timer [on the band's web site] that counted down to zero and then the fans expected something to happen and it didn't happen; it just bounced back up and started… It went to 3, 2, 1, 0 and then it went 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and they were, like, so mad. But they realized later, the album is called 'From Zero'. The whole point was this is an actual marking of something that's gonna start at that point and go on until whenever. It's not just a countdown to something happening and then it's over. So the process of doing these things, the creative process, making things and sharing them with people, that's an everyday thing for us. I don't get too caught up in numbers and comparisons, unless it's like just checking in to see, like, 'Oh, do people like it? How are we doing with the fans in terms of maybe the show. Are fans excited about the show?' And so far the tour has been so much fun and such an undertaking and it's a lot of joy every night, I think."

At the first first show of LINKIN PARK's "From Zero" tour in September 2024 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, Shinoda addressed the band's new chapter while reflecting on LINKIN PARK's return to the stage. "I mean, that's part of why we're back out here," he said. "We are thrilled to be back out here. It is not about erasing the past. It is about starting this new chapter into the future and coming out here for each and every one of you."

"From Zero" featured the No. 1 single "The Emptiness Machine" and propelled LINKIN PARK to be the only rock band in 2024 to exceed two billion streams. "From Zero (Deluxe Edition)" was released in May.

Delson contributed to "From Zero", but hasn't been part of LINKIN PARK's live shows in support of the LP. The live guitar position has instead been filled by Alex Feder.

Photo credit: James Minchin III (courtesy of Warner Records)

Goblin metal's least likely legends are back. After nearly two decades of chaos, cult stardom, and the viral mayhem of "No One Survives", NEKROGOBLIKON returns with "The Boiling Sea" — the feral new EP that ushers in a historic era for the band. It arrives on April 17.

Today, the goblin metallers drop the video for "The Secret Elephant" (featuring REEL BIG FISH). Watch the video, directed by Brandon Dermer, below.

For the first time ever, the goblin throne is shared. Former mascot-turned-frontman (and beloved host of the number one comedy podcast "Right Now"),John Goblikon steps fully into the spotlight with soaring melodic vocals, while extreme metal phenom Dickie Allen (of INFANT ANNIHILATOR) unleashes the kind of throat-shredding brutality usually reserved for apocalyptic events.

John states: "I've been asked to give a statement on our new song 'Secret Elephant' and after strong consideration, I've decided I'm not quite sure know what that means. But what I DO know is secrets don't make friends… unless that secret is, of course, an elephant who you happened to befriend. Yhey also say an elephant never forgets, but goblins definitely do, because I literally can't remember where I put my phone! I had it earlier and then I got distracted by this email asking me for a quote about our new song 'Secret Elephant', which is such a banger by the way. Ooh, that reminds me I gotta look for my phone!"

"It was so much fun filming ourselves being goofballs," says Allen. "Also, has anyone seen my beer?"

Produced and mixed by metal mastermind Jason Suecof (JOB FOR A COWBOY, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER),"The Boiling Sea" is a high-octane proving ground for the band's new dual-vocal onslaught, first teased by the 2025 double-feature videos for "Show Me Your Goblin" and "Fiend".

On the upcoming release, guitarist Alex Alereza offers: "Writing for this release began in the midst of constant touring and right after bringing on a new vocal duo, so we found ourselves in new territories both in terms of pace and creative process. And that ended up being a good thing! We had a blast making this together and hope everyone enjoys these songs as much as we do. And for the NEKRO fans that have been with us for a very long time, we decided to include live recordings of five NEKRO classics!"

The goblin horde won't stay submerged for long. NEKROGOBLIKON will hit the road on an electrifying tour alongside Japan's genre-smashing metal force HANABIE., giving fans the chance to witness the premier goblin metal spectacle live and scream along to their favorite anthems.

"The Boiling Sea" track listing:

01. Show Me Your Goblin
02. Fiend
03. Closer To The Sun
04. Secret Elephant (feat. Reel Big Fish)
05. Dead-ish
06. The Boiling Sea
07. Prince Of The Land Of Stench (live)
08. No One Survives (live)
09. Powercore (live)
10. The Magic Spider (live)
11. This Is It (live)

NEKROGOBLIKON on tour:

March 05 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro #
March 06 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep #
March 08 - Wichita, KS - Wave #
March 09 - Springfield, MO - The Regency Live #
March 10 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In #
March 12 - Allentown, PA - Arrow #
March 13 - Boston, MA - Big Night Live ^
March 14 - New York, NY - Brooklyn Bowl ^
March 15 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore ^
March 17 - Montreal, QC - Beanfield Theatre ^
March 18 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall ^
March 20 - McKees Rocks, PA - Roxian Theatre ^
March 21 - Philadelphia, PA - TLA ^
March 22 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa +
March 23 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz ^
March 24 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theatre ^
March 25 - Chattanooga, TN - Barrelhouse Ballroom %
March 27 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues ^
March 28 - Fort Wayne, IN - Piere’s Entertainment Center +
March 29 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews ^
March 30 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues ^
March 31 - Sauget, IL - Pop’s +
April 01 - Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore ^
April 03 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues ^
April 04 - Houston, TX - House of Blues ^
April 06 - Austin, TX - Emo's ^
April 07 - Phoenix, AZ - Van Buren ^
April 09 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues ^
April 10 - San Francisco, CA - August Hall ^
April 11 - Los Angeles, CA - Belasco ^
April 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Belasco ^

# Headlining with ENTERPRISE EARTH and WRETCHED
^ Supporting HANABIE with ENTERPRISE EARTH
+ Headlining with ENTERPRISE EARTH
% Headlining with local support

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer

SHINEDOWN will release its eighth studio album, "Ei8ht", on May 29 via Atlantic Records. The official lyric video for the LP's latest single, "Safe And Sound", can be seen below. In addition, SHINEDOWN has announced a massive "Dance, Kid, Dance Act II" world tour, taking the band to 11 countries across 54 dates, including stops throughout North America and Europe at some of the world's biggest venues.

On the new album, upcoming world tour, and working with longtime bandmate and producer of the record Eric Bass, SHINEDOWN singer Brent Smith said: "This album is over a year in the making. Without question, as a band we pushed ourselves like never before. Especially when it comes to Eric. Myself, Zach and Barry are so honored to create, and work with such an extraordinary producer, engineer, mixer, songwriter, musician, performer and bandmate. We are so excited, finally announce our eighth studio album titled 'Ei8ht' alongside our 'Dance, Kid, Dance Act II' world tour."

He continued and described the new song "Safe And Sound" with: "'Safe And Sound' is about reminding the competition what they are dealing with one by one."

Joining SHINEDOWN on the massive worldwide tour will be COHEED AND CAMBRIA, BLACK STONE CHERRY, FROM ASHES TO NEW, DJ Rock Feed and THOSE DAMN CROWS on various dates. North American tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, February 20 at 10 a.m. local time and European tickets go on sale Friday, February 27 at 10 a.m. local time with various onsales earlier in the week for all markets. See full itinerary below and more information at www.shinedown.com.

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

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

Recently the band made history with "Searchlight", as they performed the track at the band's Grand Ole Opry debut. Smith introduced the song by telling 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 quickly became the most talked-about moment of the night, resonating deeply with fans and critics alike. Written by Smith, Bass and Dave Bassett and produced by Bass at Big Animal Studio, the song showcases SHINEDOWN at their most expansive, blending rock with Americana, rhythm and blues, bluegrass, and outlaw country influences, while retaining the anthemic power that defines their sound.

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

Beyond the studio, SHINEDOWN's recent live milestones reflect their global scale. The band sold out Madison Square Garden for the first time during their "Dance, Kid, Dance" arena tour, a career-defining achievement that mirrored the explosive demand seen across the entire run. The tour also carried a meaningful philanthropic impact, raising $300,000 for Musicians On Call through a $1-per-ticket donation that helped launch a new bedside music program in partnership with HCA Florida Healthcare.

"Ei8ht" track listing:

01. At The Bottom
02. Dance, Kid, Dance
03. Burning Down The Disco
04. Three Six Five
05. Young Again
06. Dizzy
07. Imposter
08. Machine Gun
09. Outlaw
10. Safe And Sound
11. Searchlight
12. Bear With Me
13. Deep End
14. Killing Fields
15. Back To The Living
16. Wide Open
17. So Glad That You Asked
18. The Pilot

SHINEDOWN "Dance, Kid, Dance Act II" world tour dates:

May 13 - Green Bay, WI - Resch Center *^%
May 15 - Columbus, OH - Sonic Temple Festival Headlining
May 16 - Madison, WI - Kohl Center *^%
May 18 - Sioux Falls, SD - Denny Sanford PREMIER Center *^%
May 19 - Wichita, KS - INTRUST Bank Arena *^%%
May 22 - Austin, TX - Moody Center *^%
May 23 - Oklahoma City, OK - Paycom Center *^%
May 26 - Jacksonville, FL - VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena *^%
May 28 - Estero, FL - Hertz Center *^%
May 30 - Tampa, FL - Benchmark International Arena *^%
June 2 - Biloxi, MS - Mississippi Coast Coliseum *^%
June 5 - Norfolk, VA - Chartway Arena *^%
June 6 - Hershey, PA - GIANT Center *^%
July 11 - Mt. Pleasant, MI - Soaring Eagle *#%
July 13 - Toronto, ON - Coca-Cola Coliseum *%
July 15 - Quebec City, QC - Centre Vidéotron *#%
July 17 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena *%
July 18 - Albany, NY - MVP Arena *#%
July 20 - Manchester, NH - SNHU Arena *%
July 21 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center *%
July 23 - Philadelphia, PA - Xfinity Mobile Arena *%
July 25 - Knoxville, TN - Food City Center *#%
July 30 - Lubbock, TX - United Supermarkets Arena *#%
July 31 - Colorado Springs, CO - Weidner Field *%
August 2 - El Paso, TX - UTEP Don Haskins Center *#%
August 4 - Tucson, AZ - Tucson Arena *#%
August 6 - Ontario, CA - Toyota Arena *%
August 7 - Las Vegas, NV - Michelob ULTRA Arena *#%
August 9 - Sparks, NV - Nugget Event Center *%
August 10 - Boise, ID - ExtraMile Arena *#%
August 12 - Billings, MT - First Interstate Arena at Metrapark *#%
August 14 - Spokane, WA - Numerica Veterans Arena *#%
August 15 - Vancouver, BC - PNE Pacific Coliseum *#%
August 17 - Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place *#%
August 20 - Fargo, ND - Fargodome *#%
August 21 - Welch, MN - Treasure Island Resort *%
August 23 - Springfield, IL - Illinois State Fair #%
September 4 - Dyersville, IA - Velocity Festival
September 10 - McHenry, IL - McHenry Music Festival
October 31 - Paris, FR - Zénith Paris - La Villette &
November 2 - Milan, IT - Alcatraz &
November 4 - Tilburg, NL - O13 &
November 6 - Prague, CZ - Forum Karlín &
November 8 - Copenhagen, DK - Falkonersalen &
November 9 - Stockholm, SE - Annexet &
November 11 - Berlin, DE - Columbiahalle &
November 12 - Düsseldorf, DE - Mitsubishi Electric Halle &
November 14 - Birmingham, UK - bp pulse LIVE *&
November 16 - Glasgow, UK - OVO Hydro *&
November 17 - Nottingham, UK - Motorpoint Arena *&
November 19 - London, UK - OVO Arena Wembley *&
November 20 - Manchester, UK - AO Arena *&
November 22 - Dublin, IE - 3Olympia Theatre &

* with COHEED AND CAMBRIA
^ with BLACK STONE CHERRY
# with FROM ASHES TO NEW
& with THOSE DAMN CROWS
% with DJ Rock Feed

Photo credit: Ryan Camp

STEVE MORSE BAND has released the official music video for the song "Taken By An Angel". The track is a tribute to Morse's late wife Janine and it features Steve's son Kevin.

The "Taken By An Angel" video was directed by guitar virtuoso Angel Vivaldi and his company The Xenith Counsel.

"Taken By An Angel" is taken from STEVE MORSE BAND's latest album, "Triangulation", which was released last November via Music Theories Recordings.

Whenever we think of the greatest guitar players of all time, Steve Morse is a name that's always in the conversation. This album sees Morse teaming up once again with THE DIXIE DREGS and FLYING COLORS bassist Dave LaRue, with Van Romaine (Enrique Iglesias) joining on drums.

Steve previously commented: "Dave and Van have been the bedrock of this trio, and this recording shows why. These guys are unique and incredible musicians on their own, and together, our chemistry is magical. While making the album, we played together, working through parts, riffing off each other, and collaborating on arrangements. I'd bring an idea, and hear it instantly — and then hear it improved. We made this album together, and you can hear it."

There are also some stellar guest features, from Eric Johnson's majestic contributions to "TexUS" and DREAM THEATER's John Petrucci bringing his inimitable progressive metal thunder and, of course, Kevin joining his father on the aforementioned "Taken By An Angel".

Executive producer Bill Evans noted: "The compositions are among Steve's best. And audiences can finally hear every detail of Van and Dave's performance…the band's collaborative musicality." Steve added, "Brian captured me brilliantly, and Carl Roa created more sonic and performance clarity than we've ever had."

Morse started his career in the mid-1970s, playing mind-melting jazz-rock with THE DIXIE DREGS, which earned him multiple Grammy nominations in the process. The following decade, he formed the STEVE MORSE BAND, grabbing an additional Grammy nod, and joined arena heavyweights KANSAS, before being recruited by rock and roll originals DEEP PURPLE in 1994. And despite being in one of the world's biggest bands, he continued to innovate in other projects like LIVING LOUD, ANGELFIRE and FLYING COLORS — as well as guitar supergroup G3 — showing the world just how much versatility there was in those magic fingers. He announced his departure from DEEP PURPLE in 2022, choosing to care for his wife, who passed away in 2024, by that point having become their longest-serving guitarist.

Naturally, the last few years have been the most personally traumatic of his life, which is perhaps why last year's creative comeback with the new STEVE MORSE BAND album "Triangulation" embodies the spirit of a master returning to do what he does best. Its nine tracks are a thrilling ride through the mind of a musician who seemingly knows no bounds, crossing over into a cornucopia of sounds and styles from funk and blues to classical and metal.

"The album title 'Triangulation' comes from the concept of aviators, navigators, and sailors looking at two points to pinpoint their exact location at a specific moment in time," said Steve. It's a geographical concept that also applies to human life on a broader level, and given the journey Morse has been on in recent years, it's only natural that he's been on a path of self-discovery and reflection.

Perhaps the most poignant of the nine tracks is "Taken By An Angel". Steve left the music world behind to care for his beloved wife Janine, remaining by her side until her final days.

"That song is new territory for me," explained Morse. "It was put together for my late wife's memorial service, with my son Kevin playing along. It brought tears to many folks' eyes because Janine was a huge part of my life and career. People knew her from the STEVE MORSE BAND tours. She was the smiling face opening CDs for me to sign, selling t-shirts, listening to people's stories in the crowd, and taking photos for VIP visits."

After all the heartache and anguish of the last few years, you can't help but feel grateful Morse is once again ready to share his creative genius with the world around him. Given his stature among the guitar community — often lauded as "your hero's hero" in the same way people spoke about Jeff Beck — his creative return marks a new phase of inspiration and brilliance. In that sense, you can tell the release of this record means a lot to him.

BAD MARRIAGE, the band featuring former TESLA guitarist Tommy Skeoch, will release its new album, "Match Made In Hell", on March 13 via Ron Keel's RFK Media label. The official music video for the LP's title track can be seen below. The clip is from the beautifully twisted creative genius of Grammy-nominated director/producer Jim Foster, who has also worked with DAUGHTRY, GODSMACK, and many more. The video also features a devilish cameo from entertainment entrepreneur/radio personality Tommy London.

A powerhouse band out of Boston, BAD MARRIAGE has been winning over the fans and the media for several years and is well-positioned for the big time; the new album "Match Made In Hell" fully embraces the spirit of their classic roots while capturing a modern active rock sound.

BAD MARRIAGE — guitarists Mike Fitz and Tommy Skeoch, vocalist Jonny Paquin, bassist Todd Boisvert and drummer Michael Delaney — will be taking this honeymoon on the road early and often throughout 2026, with a full calendar of tour dates leading up to two appearances at this year's Monsters On The Mountain rock festival in August.

Formed in 2015, BAD MARRIAGE exploded on to the hard rock scene, setting the bar high with their airtight, energetic live shows that has created a massive following of support.

BAD MARRIAGE has toured nationally with TESLA, Glenn Hughes and BUCKCHERRY, to name a few. They have had the honor of opening for EXTREME, Stephen Pearcy, L.A. GUNS, Geoff Tate, LAST IN LINE, Scott Weiland and many more. As a result of the band's success, they were welcomed to play on the 2022 Monsters Of Rock cruise and 2022's Monsters On The Mountain where they shared the stage with legends such as Alice Cooper, QUIET RIOT, KIX, NIGHT RANGER and Tom Keifer.

BAD MARRIAGE has released two full-length albums, titled "Bad Marriage" and "Bad Marriage 2" and one EP, "Artificial Mind", that was produced by Brian Wheat of TESLA.

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

Tommy rejoined TESLA when the band reformed two and a half decades ago following a brief hiatus.

Skeoch left TESLA in 2006 to receive treatment for substance-abuse issues.

Skeoch and former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes recently teamed up with Wheat and original SALIVA singer Josey Scott to launch a new band called TERMINAL.

Veteran rock vocalist John Corabi, known for his powerful voice and rich legacy with bands like MÖTLEY CRÜE, THE DEAD DAISIES, UNION and THE SCREAM, kicked off his European tour under the "John Corabi & Friends" banner on February 12 at Empire Music Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Joining Corabi (vocals, guitar) on stage for the performance were Michael Devin (THE DEAD DAISIES, WHITESNAKE) on bass and vocals, Paul Taylor (WINGER) on keyboards, guitar and vocals, Jeremy Asbrock (ACE FREHLEY) on guitar and vocals, Troy Luccketta (TESLA) on drums, and Marti Frederiksen (STEVEN TYLER) on guitar and vocals. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

Corabi will release his debut full-length solo album, "New Day", on April 24, 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl.

"New Day" marks Corabi's first full-length solo album of original material. Recorded in Nashville during the summer of 2025 and produced by multi-platinum songwriter and producer Marti Frederiksen (AEROSMITH, Ozzy Osbourne, BUCKCHERRY),the LP fuses classic '70s rock, soul, and blues influences into a sound that feels both timeless and deeply personal.

The record features the previously released singles "Così Bella (So Beautiful)" (2021) and "Your Own Worst Enemy" (2022),now presented as part of a rich collection of tracks that spotlight his commanding vocals, heartfelt lyrics, and masterful songwriting. Throughout the album, Corabi is joined by Marti Frederiksen, who adds backing vocals, guitars, piano, and percussion; Evan Frederiksen on drums, bass, B3 organ, electric guitar, mandolin, and programming; Richard Fortus (GUNS N' ROSES) on lead guitar; Paul Taylor (WINGER, Steve Perry) contributing piano, organ, and clavinet, as well as Charlie Starr (BLACKBERRY SMOKE) offering guitar solos.

More than just a solo debut, "New Day" serves as Corabi's personal testament to rock's enduring spirit — an exploration of melody, soul, and authenticity, played with passion and conviction at every turn.

John said: "I'm very excited for everybody to hear this new collection of songs! I wanted to put together an album of eclectic, organic songs that are reminiscent of the music I grew up listening to, and I truly believe the mission was accomplished! This is a 60's-70's sounding classic rock and roll record…Turn it up, and enjoy!!!"

Corabi is a journeyman singer-songwriter and guitarist who burst on to the music scene with Hollywood Records recording artists THE SCREAM in 1991. Touring extensively throughout the United States on the strength of their songs "Man In The Moon", "I Believe In Me" and "Father Mother Son", John attracted the attention of radio, MTV, fans and critics alike.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's Nikki Sixx reached out to John after the departure of Vince Neil in 1992 and asked him to join the band for the writing and recording of their 1994 self-titled record. During the recording process of the follow-up "Generation Swine" album in late 1996, Neil returned to the band, and John started the band UNION with former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

UNION headed into a studio to record its debut self-titled album in 1998. With UNION, John released three albums between 1998 and 2001. Afterwards, John left UNION to join the band RATT on their 2001 summer tour, handling guitar and backing vocal duties. Touring constantly from 2001 to 2008, John eventually left the band to go out on his own.

John released the acoustic album "Unplugged" in 2012 and a live album, "Live 94, One Night In Nashville", in 2018, as well as multiple original and tribute singles. John received a phone call in 2015 to join the all-star collective called THE DEAD DAISIES, and has since recorded the albums "Revolución", "Make Some Noise", "Live And Louder", "Burn It Down", "Light Em' Up" and a recently released blues covers record "Looking For Trouble".

For the last ten years, with THE DEAD DAISIES and as a solo acoustic artist, John has toured extensively in Europe, the United States, Japan, South America and Australia, playing all the major festivals and selling out shows to a growing, loyal fan base.

Corabi's autobiography, "Horseshoes And Hand Grenades", came out in June 2022 via Rare Bird Books. It was written with the help of MÖTLEY CRÜE historian/author Paul Miles. The book's description promised to detail the singer's "life from the mean streets of Philadelphia to the Sunset Strip." It featured stories from Corabi's tenures in MÖTLEY CRÜE, UNION, RATT and THE DEAD DAISIES, as well as personal tales including "his parents' difficult divorce, his family's dark history of abuse [and] his run-in with a serial killer."

U.K. and Europe….are you ready? Do you have your tickets???? See you soon!!!! #classicrock #rocknroll #itsanewday #jcandfriends

https://www.johncorabi.com/tour-dates/

Posted by John Corabi on Tuesday, January 20, 2026

In a new interview with Andy Frasco's World Saving Podcast, HEART guitarist Nancy Wilson discussed a possible follow-up to the band's latest album, 2016's "Beautiful Broken". She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I go  through these phases. Like right now I'm in a phase of really feeling like creating some new songs. And I've got songs going on. But I feel like this is the perfect time for HEART — like this year, next year — to make a victory lap out of our legacy. So I figure we need to make one more HEART album. And especially with these players that we have in the lineup right now in this band. We're just really excited to play together, and there's no kind of limits on what we could kind of pull off as musicians. So I've got a few songs, and Ann's [Wilson, HEART singer and Nancy's sister] working with those guys in her side band right now writing other songs. But I think I'm gonna want to make the last HEART album and do the victory lap and make 2027 mainly about the HEART film, the HEART documentary."

Nancy also offered an update on the previously announced HEART biopic. The movie about the Seattle rock greats is being written and directed by Carrie Brownstein, of SLEATER-KINNEY and "Portlandia" fame, and is being produced for Amazon by Lynda Obst, who has produced more than 20 movies and TV shows, including "Interstellar", "Contact", "Sleepless In Seattle", "The Fisher King", "Flashdance"; Amazon's "Good Girls Revolt", TVLand's "Hot In Cleveland", SyFy's "Helix" and NBC's miniseries "The '60s".

"We've got a big movie, and we've got a final draft soon to read that Carrie Brownstein, actually, [is working on] — she did 'Portlandia', of SLEATER-KINNEY fame — she's a buddy and she's a good writer too," Nancy said. "And we've been working mainly with her… And it's so weird too, 'cause you kind of have to go, well, okay, who would be the actor that plays you?"

Asked which actress she would like, in a perfect world, to play her, Nancy said: "For me, I mean, somebody like Elle Fanning. She's great. Florence Pugh would make an incredible Ann Wilson, I think. I don't know. It's just fun to think about anyway."

Asked if it is "weird" to "think of a victory lap", Nancy said: "Kind of, but then as the grandchildren start arriving, [it's] not as crazy to think about doing less of the big rock tour. I mean, it's entirely exhausting to do that travel. And when you're not quite as young and rubbery as you always were, going through almost 50 years-ish of doing that, you really get paid for the travel on those rock tours. The show itself is the thrill — the million thrills and the glory and that magic thing — and I would do that for free, and I probably will end up doing music somehow for as long as I can live. But the tour part, it's really rough on you."

Back in October 2023, Ann told the "Totally 80s" podcast about the HEART biopic: "I've seen a couple of drafts of the script. It's good. [Carrie's] a great writer. If anybody can capture the story of a couple of women in rock, it's probably Carrie, 'cause she's been there herself. And Lynda Obst is one of the producers."

Asked if she knows yet who is playing her and/or her sister Nancy, Ann said: "There've been a few things bandied about, but nothing solid yet."

Pressed about whom she would like to play her, and if she wants it be someone "who can sing," Ann said: "I'd like somebody who could sing, and then they could sing some, I could sing some. I think that my preference would be somebody young and brand new and fresh — somebody who's really got their shit together in terms of being into the script."

One actress who was interested in playing Ann in the film is Anne Hathaway, "but I don't think she's exactly right for it," Ann said in a November 2020 interview with the SiriusXM show "Volume West".

The movie will begin in the Wilson sisters' childhood and end in the '90s.

After taking a break from HEART for a couple of years after a family fallout in 2016, Nancy and Ann mended their complicated relationship and returned to touring.

The North American leg of HEART's "Royal Flush" tour was initially postponed in July 2024 after Ann went public with her cancer diagnosis. She later underwent surgery and got through a course of preventive chemotherapy before returning to the road.

The current members of HEART feature Nancy Wilson (rhythm, lead and acoustic guitar, backing and lead vocals),Ann Wilson (lead vocals and flute),Ryan Wariner (lead and rhythm guitar),Ryan Waters (guitars),Paul Moak (guitars, keyboards and backing vocals),Tony Lucido (bass and backing vocals) and Sean Lane (drums and bike).

HEART's 2013 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame saw Ann and Nancy reunited with the four musicians who helped HEART achieve its initial success in the mid-1970s — guitarist Roger Fisher, bassist Steve Fossen, drummer Michael DeRosier and longtime guitarist-keyboardist Howard Leese.

The Wilson sisters' reunion with HEART's original lineup at the Rock Hall ceremony marked the first time the group played together in 34 years.

When Ann and Nancy formed HEART, the idea of two women leading a rock band was still groundbreaking. From the moment 1975's "Dreamboat Annie" was released, they became stars. With hits like "Magic Man", "Crazy On You", "Barracuda", "Alone", "What About Love" and "These Dreams", the band became one of the biggest hit-makers in the '70s and '80s, selling more than 35 million records. In 2012, their memoir "Kicking & Dreaming: A Story Of Heart, Soul And Rock & Roll" became a New York Times bestseller.

Image credit: Gibson

In a new interview with the JJO Discover New Music Podcast, Zakk Wylde spoke about BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's upcoming album, "Engines Of Demolition", which will be released on March 27 via MNRK Heavy. The follow-up to 2021's "Doom Crew Inc." contains 15 tracks, including the four previously released singles, "Name In Blood", "Broken And Blind", "The Gallows" and "Lord Humungus", as well as a tune titled "Ozzy's Song", which is a tribute to the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY guitarist/vocalist's longtime bandmate, the iconic BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne.

Regarding the five-year gap between albums, Zakk said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Usually when we're doing a BLACK LABEL album, my wife [and manager] will just say, the fellas are gonna be out here in a month, to the Vatican [Zakk's home studio called the Black Vatican], where we make all the records. So I'm, like, all right, well, I've got a month to start writing riffs and whatever mellow things I think about on the piano or acoustic guitar or whatever. So, you just go out there and you just start digging. And if you get something you're happy with, great. But if you don't, no big deal; you write some more tomorrow. That's always been the mindset. And then we usually record it — 'cause we don't demo [anything beforehand]… I'll just write in one sitting. It's just, like, here's the beginning, like 'Stillborn' or 'Suicide Messiah', any of that stuff. It's, here's the beginning, the middle, and here's the end, and then we're done. Next song."

Zakk continued, referencing the fact that he has spent the last three years touring with the reformed PANTERA: "For ['Engines Of Demolition'], it was just, like, there was an implosion of ideas in 2022, and then we started the PANTERA celebration. And we did a year of that, rolling with the fellas. Then we came home, then we did another year of PANTERA celebration. Then I noodled on some more riffs and some piano stuff. And then after that we went out again for another year and a half. So, total, it's been, basically, four years of PANTERA in a blink of an eye. And I was just, like, there's no sense of putting a BLACK LABEL album out if you can't support it. We're all in. I'm doing the PANTERA celebrations, so it's just, like, it doesn't bother [me]. It'll just give me more time to keep writing songs. So it's all good. And now here we are four years later and now the album's [ready to come] out. So it's just, like, it's all good."

Wylde also talked about the importance of spontaneity when it comes to the songwriting and recording process and not overthinking everything.

"It's kind of a weird thing, 'cause if you're sitting on [a piece of music for a long time], then you constantly wanna be changing it and you'll never think it's good enough: 'I gotta change this.' I think if you ask anybody who's writing in a band or writing songs, you instinctually know it's cool. It came out good. Like when we did [Ozzy Osbourne's] 'No More Tears' or 'Mama I'm Coming Home' or 'Miracle Man' or whatever, when it was done, we were, like, 'All right. It came out all right.' So, we're done with this one. But I could see — I think if you ask all bands or whether you're asking Elton John or Billy Joel, them sitting behind a piano whenever they wrote any songs, 'cause if it's sitting there for 10 years, it might not even make the cut anyway, 'cause you're on to newer things. Because I think you ask anybody, the last thing you wrote is usually what you're most excited about. 'Cause it's fresh and it's new, whereas the other stuff, if it's older… I mean, I still have a blast playing 'Stillborn' or 'Suicide Messiah' or anything like that. Or like when I was playing with Ozz, every time we played 'Mama, I'm Coming Home' or something, it felt just as great as when we first recorded it. So, yeah, I think a good song's gonna be a good song."

During a January 28 question-and-answer session at the HMV store on Oxford Street in London, United Kingdom, Zakk was asked when he wrote "Ozzy's Song" and how it came together. Zakk said: "Well, I actually wrote the music before, obviously, I wrote the lyrics. I had the music done, and I was just, like, 'I'm really happy with the way it came out,' but I was just, like, 'I gotta figure out what I [wanna write about].' Usually, for me, always the lyrics are last, 'So I gotta figure out what I wanna sing about.' Like 'Lord Humungus', you know what I mean? So let's figure out how write a song about Lord Humungus and Mad Max."

Zakk continued: "I didn't have any lyrics for it, but after we had laid Ozz to rest… 'Cause we had done the ['Back To The Beginning'] show [in early July 2025], and then I went back home. We were playing with PANTERA [in the U.S.], and after we did the gig, and I got the phone call from [Ozzy's son] Jack, Jackie boy, and I spoke with Jack [about the fact] that Ozz passed away. So then we flew back over [to the U.K.]. We laid Ozzy to rest, and when I got back home, right after we got back, I went right back to playing with PANTERA celebration. It was crazy, 'cause the first gig we did back, when I flew back after we laid Ozzy to rest, was at Jones Beach in New York. And I remember playing there with Ozzy when it was pouring rain and people all in the front, everybody was standing in knee-high water. So I'll never forget that show. So we were playing there. So all I was thinking about was Ozzy at that first [PANTERA] show [after Ozzy's funeral]. And then after we got done with the PANTERA celebration, once the tour ended, I got home. It's crazy. In our library room, where we have books, we have Ozzy's books up on the the library shelves. And I was looking at him while I was listening to the tunes, and then I just wrote the lyrics."

Regarding why it has taken five years for BLACK LABEL SOCIETY to release the follow-up to "Doom Crew Inc.", Zakk said: "I can't believe it's already been — 2021 was when 'Doom Crew Inc.' came out. And so we started working on ['Engines Of Demolition'] middle of 2022. And it was just, like, we went out and did the PANTERA celebration for a year. I figured after we got done writing, we'll put the new BLACK LABEL album out. And then we went back out [on tour] again, and I came back and wrote some more riffs and some song ideas. I said, 'Well, I might as well get the fellows out to the Vatican again. Then we'll record some more.' Then we went back out [on the road] for another year, and then recorded some more. So next thing you know, we're sitting here talking right now, and four years have gone by in the blink of an eye. To me, it was just, like, 'All right, I'll just keep writing until PANTERA celebration takes a rest, and then we'll put the album out.' There's no sense of putting the album out if I'm not gonna be able to give it any TLC [tender loving care], you know what I mean?"

Wylde went on to say that the songwriting process for "Engines Of Demolition" once again took place at the Black Vatican. "Yeah, it always usually takes place at the Vatican when I get home [from tour]," he explained. "I mean, once we get out on the road, whether we're doing ZAKK SABBATH or we're doing PANTERA celebration or whatever, there's not that much that I do writing. I might as well jam when I'm in my room. But I might get a song idea or a ballad thing or something on the guitar — maybe — but usually when you're writing heavy riffs, the instruments that you're playing on usually dictate and inspire you the way you're gonna play. When I'm sitting behind the piano, you're gonna start playing — you'll get more reflective, mellow, either THE [ROLLING] STONES, ALLMAN BROTHERS, Elton [John], THE EAGLES, that that kind of stuff is gonna come out of you with an acoustic guitar. When you're playing a piano, you really don't think about writing something like [the classic BLACK SABBATH songs] 'Supernaut' or 'Into The Void', you know what I mean? But when you're playing an electric guitar — I'll plug into my little practice amp at the house, at a low volume with some reverb on it so it sounds like I'm playing at Madison Square Garden with nobody in it, and it's inspiring. It inspires you to write riff-orientated stuff. So that's why I usually just wait until I get home."

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

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

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

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is:

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

Photo credit: Justin H. Reich

Dreamcatcher Events has shared a video recap of EXTREME guitarist Nuno Bettencourt's first-ever "Nuno Bettencourt's Six String Sanctuary", a four-day celebration for guitarists and music lovers of every age, skill level, and style, which took place January 16-20, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Check it out below.

When "Nuno Bettencourt's Six String Sanctuary" was first announced last October, Nuno said in a statement: "Hey guitar lovers, I've been waiting a long time to do this, and it's finally happening. I'm throwing my very first guitar camp — 'Six String Sanctuary' — January 16-20, 2026 in Las Vegas. Four days and nights of nothing but guitars, attitude, and music that hits you in the chest.

"I'm bringing some serious firepower with me: First off, the legendary Steve Vai will be our special guest and will be joining us for a shred-filled day of masterclasses and a never-to-be-seen-again performance. Rick Beato will drop the kind of knowledge that makes you rethink everything you thought you knew. Eric Gales is coming to tear the roof off the place with his soul and fury. Richie Kotzen will melt you with those vocals and smooth guitar lines. Mateus Asato will be joining the party to absolutely blow your mind. And Taj Farrant — trust me, the kid is a beast. You'll see the future standing right in front of you.

"But here's the kicker. This isn't just about sitting back and watching us play. Everyone who comes to 'Six String Sanctuary' will lay down your own solo on a brand-new track I've written and recorded with the house band. You'll walk out with your version in hand-proof that you were part of this crazy, one-time-only experience.

"This is gonna be raw, loud, heavy, and real. If the guitar has ever been your sanctuary, you already know you need to be there."

Every attendee got a chance to lay down a featured solo using Positive Grid's BIAS X, the AI-powered guitar tone creation platform, on an exclusive track written and recorded by Nuno specifically for this event.

For more information, visit nunossixstringsanctuary.com.

Bettencourt rose to rock superstardom as lead guitarist of the legendary rock band EXTREME. He has parlayed that success into an acclaimed career as a Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum artist, songwriter, and producer, working alongside industry titans such as Sir Paul McCartney, Steven Tyler, Kanye West, Robert Palmer, Rihanna, Janet Jackson and Perry Farrell, among others.

EXTREME's latest studio album, "Six", was released in June 2023 via earMUSIC.

Vocalist Brian Ross of long-running heavy metal titans SATAN will undergo a "major life-saving preventative surgery" this spring, resulting in the postponement of all of the band's shows for the remainder of the year.

Earlier today, SATAN released the following statement via social media: "Fans and friends, with a heavy heart, we must announce a break from scheduled performances. Our singer, the inimitable Brian Ross, has just learned that he must have a major, life-saving preventative surgery in April/ May 2026. His recovery will take several months. This sadly means that SATAN is forced to postpone all planned concerts for 2026, with the exception of this weeks shows in Spain which will go ahead as planned.

"This is not what we wanted, but we trust that you all want Brian to take care of his health, recover fully and come back stronger and more powerful than ever in 2027.

"Thank you so much for your unwavering love and support!"

SATAN's latest album, "Songs In Crimson", was released in September 2024 via Metal Blade Records. The LP was produced by the band and Dave Curle of First Avenue Studios who also engineered, mixed, and mastered the record.

Originating from Newcastle, England in 1980, SATAN is known as part of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement. Though generally obscure throughout their career, the band is considered influential for playing a form of proto-thrash metal that was fairly advanced by the standards of the early 1980s, influencing major acts like METALLICA, EXODUS and DEATH ANGEL.

The original "Court In The Act" lineup of SATAN got together for an exclusive "one-off" reunion show at Germany's Keep It True festival in 2011 in what marked their first performance together in 28 years. The band was somewhat overwhelmed with the response — 10 minutes into headliners CRIMSON GLORY's set, the crowd could still be heard chanting, "SATAN! SATAN!" The SATAN bandmembers immediately booked more shows in Germany, Holland, Belgium and London, and have since released five studio albums: "Life Sentence" (2013),"Atom By Atom" (2015),"Cruel Magic" (2018),"Earth Infernal" (2022) and "Songs In Crimson" (2024).

In an interview with Alikivi, Ross stated about the SATAN band moniker: "That name has certain significance and imagery attached to it for some people — upside down crosses and that — but our intention was not to go down that road. We weren't exactly listening to the church bells ringing out on a Sunday, but believe me, it has attracted a certain type of response from some people — shall we say maybe misguided."

SATAN guitarist and co-founder Steve Ramsey told Metal Hammer magazine: "We thought of the band name when we were just 15, and we didn't consider any consequences; it just sounded like a cool metal name. [BLACK] SABBATH weren't writing songs about slitting virgins' throats or shit like that, so it should have been okay. But then black metal and death metal started coming out and we were getting associated with it, and it wasn't what we were about. The very negative press we got in England really knocked us for six, but looking back now it doesn't make any sense."