"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, is receiving its world premiere at the 76th Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival, which is taking place February 12-22.

Co-directed by documentary filmmaker Sam Dunn and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Tom Morello in his directorial debut, the documentary 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.

At the press conference (see video below) for the Berlinale world premiere of "The Ballad Of Judas Priest" on Sunday (February 15),a journalist for a Spanish radio outlet asked Morello about political content in the film. Morello responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "What a time to be alive where you can both make a documentary about one of your favorite bands and fight fascism at the same time. But one of the things that while the lyrical content — maybe 'Breaking The Law' and a few songs — are explicitly political in JUDAS PRIEST, the band's existence is very political. When I've seen JUDAS PRIEST over the course of the last decade or so in Los Angeles, the audience is maybe more than 50% Latino. It's a lot of gay couples — nothing that has anything to do with the stereotypical… And yes, there are some older dudes like myself and leather jackets proudly bringing their kids to the show as well, but that community and the unity and the harmony that exists at a JUDAS PRIEST show is in some ways a model for how we might all do better."

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford joined Morello and Dunn at the Berlinale press conference and noted he doesn't steer clear of politics in his music.

"It's been impossible for me as a lyricist to not avoid seeing things in the world that affect me, that get me pissed off and thinking, is there a way I can put this into a song?" Rob explained. "And I've been doing that forever, whether it was 'Raw Deal' from 'Sin After Sin', which was a really explicit gay song, going to Fire Island and trying to hook up with somebody and the freedom that that gives you as a person to be with your own people, to a song called 'Savage', which is about climate change from the — what album was 'Savage' on? 'Stained Class'? So that's a ways back. The last album [2024's 'Invincible Shield'], I talk about — I'm not gonna say his name, but I talk about that person, and it's a bit of a smokescreen, but if you understand, if you really listen, the message is there, the expression, the feeling is there. And it's a very difficult tight rope to walk because I just wanna give people a good time."

Halford — who famously become the first heavy metal icon to announce he is gay in 1998 during an MTV interview, despite knowing about his sexuality since he was 10 — continued: "RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE gives people a great time. When you see everybody bouncing up and down, they're lost. They're in ecstasy, but the message isn't lost on them. The message is probably more relevant when they're home alone, lying in bed or sitting, having a coffee and listening to the music. That's a whole different experience in the way the message can reach you. So, I really have to temper myself, because as I've gotten older, I've gotten angrier with the world. I've gotten angrier with the injustice, particularly for my own people who are still suffering and are not given the human rights that they absolutely deserve. I'm not talking about Germany, — I'm talking about Saudi Arabia, Iran, other parts of the world where people like myself are just used and abused in horrible ways. So, I try my best to avoid that type of explicit message, but it's there. It's there. And that gives me some comfort that I'm not letting myself down consciously on subjects that mean a lot to me and piss me off."

Dunn also chimed in, saying: "For me, going into the film, there was probably four or five main moments I know we needed to hit in the story of this band. And one of them was the song 'Breaking The Law' and the brilliant and fun video for 'Breaking The Law'. And the reason why that is is 'cause — this ties back to our first film, which is, I think, we've been on a journey to debunk stereotypes about heavy metal for over two decades now. And I think there still lingers that stereotype of heavy metal [that] it's just about sex, drugs and hedonism and all of that. So a song like 'Breaking The Law' was very important to illustrate that JUDAS PRIEST, in 1980, had something very important and timely to say about the lives of working class people in England at that time. And when I did the last interview with Rob and he said the line, 'It's a revolution song' — thank you for delivering that line — that was a very important beat in the story for me."

The first preview clip from "The Ballad Of Judas Priest", in which 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."

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".

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.

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

Polish extreme metal titans BEHEMOTH have announced the cancelation of the band's scheduled performance on March 3 in Bangalore, India.

BEHEMOTH was slated to stop by India as part of the group's "Chant Of The Eastern Lands" tour. The band was set to take the stage alongside metallers NIDHOGG at Phoenix Marketcity in Bengaluru, with BEHEMOTH's India return presented by SkillBox and their festival and gig series BigHorn.

Earlier today (Monday, February 16),BEHEMOTH released the following statement via social media: "Over the past few weeks, we and our team have received numerous credible threats stemming from religious Christian groups who have been applying pressure to authorities and to the promoter in an effort to stop the show from taking place. These threats have raised serious concerns regarding the band's safety and security, including the possibility of arrest or physical danger.

"We have been in close contact with the local promoter throughout this process. We want to make it clear that this cancellation is not the fault of the promoter, who has acted in good faith at every stage. Despite genuine efforts, it was not possible to obtain sufficient assurances that the band would be protected from legal consequences or security risks. On that basis, we have made the decision to cancel the show.

"This is another example of religious fanaticism attempting to impose itself on artistic expression, something the band has recently faced in Turkey. It is deeply concerning to see what feels like a growing movement toward censorship around the world. In this modern age, artists should not face intimidation, threats, or the risk of imprisonment for performing their art.

"Regardless of religion, race, or culture, freedom of expression must remain a fundamental principle. We believe it is important that people stand together in support of liberal values and creative freedom.

"To our legions in India, we are deeply disappointed that we will not be able to perform for you on this occasion. We appreciate your support and hope to return soon.

"Stay strong. Stay free."

BEHEMOTH made its Indian live debut debut in September 2016 at Deccan Rock Festival in Hyderabad.

Earlier this month, BEHEMOTH's scheduled performances in Turkey were canceled, with the band calling the decision by Turkish authorities to scrap the shows an "example of ideology being used to suppress artistic expression and restrict cultural freedom".

The Beşiktaş District Governor's Office called off the concerts in Istanbul and Ankara, citing concerns that the events conflict with "societal values" after a wave of online backlash and accusations of satanism.

"The events were found to have caused public reaction due to their incompatibility with our societal values," the governor's office said in a statement.

BEHEMOTH, which is no stranger to controversy, last performed in Istanbul in 2019 at the Volkswagen Arena.

Back in February 2021, BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski was convicted for offending religious feelings by a court in Warsaw. The charges stemmed from an image the Polish musician posted on social media showing a foot stamping on a picture of the Virgin Mary. At the time, Darski was ordered to pay a fine of 15,000 złoty (approximately $4,000) and court costs of almost 3,500 zloty (approximately $942). Darski later contested the judgement and the case was eventually dismissed.

This wasn't the first time Nergal had encountered legal problems in Poland related to his social media activities. Back in January 2018, it was announced that Nergal was being formally charged by Polish authorities in a case involving BEHEMOTH's "Republic Of The Unfaithful" tour artwork and merchandise, which was said to be "insulting" to the national coat of arms of Poland, a stylized white eagle with a golden beak and talons, and wearing a golden crown, in a red shield. Seven years earlier, Nergal was acquitted in Poland on charges he insulted religious sentiment when he called the Catholic Church "the most murderous cult on the planet" during the band's September 2007 performance in Gdynia and tore up a copy of the Bible, calling it "a book of lies."

Photo credit: Sylwia Makris and Christian Martin Weiss

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Angela Gossow has shot down rumors that she has rejoined ARCH ENEMY following the recent departure of Alissa White-Gluz.

Speculation about Angela's possible return was sparked by a teaser video shared by ARCH ENEMY and Gossow in which a mysterious figure could be seen holding up a torch, captioned with a cryptic "2026" Everything else has been wiped off each of their accounts.

After a second teaser video was shared earlier today, Angela, who has been managing ARCH ENEMY for more than a decade, took to her social media to write: "It's not ME! But thank you for all the love! I am really excited to be involved in this new chapter as the manager. This is gonna CRUSH!"

After 13 years as ARCH ENEMY's vocalist, German-born Gossow shocked the heavy metal world in 2014 with the sudden announcement of her retirement from the band. While she is no longer performing with them, she has remained closely involved with ARCH ENEMY as their business manager.

"I took over management in 2008 already, after I noticed our previous manager was making a nice chunk of money, but we — the artist — did not at all," she told Roppongi Rocks back in 2016 about her move into artist management. "We hardly managed to get by. That couldn't be right. A lot of things changed for us since then. I think most managers take way too much out of the artist's pocket. Like 20% of the gross income, then they waste away what's left, no regards for the budget and the fact the artist should really make the most out of it. I've changed that. I take a lot less commission and I always make sure the artist makes more money than me at the end of the day!"

Asked how the dramatic changes in the revenue streams for non-mainstream musicians in recent years have affected the way she works with her artists from a business perspective, Gossow said: "Like I said, I think it's wrong to take too much commission. Also, there are markets you don't need to utilize a booking agent, but do it yourself. This way you save another 10% agent fee. It's all about planning ahead and avoiding extra costs. Book your flights early, make sure your passports and visas are issued in time.

"Artists make money touring — but if touring becomes too expensive or you have to cancel a tour due to missing paperwork, you are ruined. It's a manager's duty to keep a good cash flow, review label and publishing statements, make sure all shows, etc. are being paid for, know the places you need to get an advance, take no risk with work permits, hire good crew and organize everything well ahead of time.

"Losing money and having stressful moments is threatening for a band's existence. Be on top, sober and alert. Know what you are doing. Numbers don't lie."

About her decision to step down as ARCH ENEMY's singer, Gossow said simply: "There's a time and place for everything. I started out in 1991. I was simply losing the joy to be doing this, living a life on the road. So I decided to step down rather than pretending."

Gossow also praised her replacement in ARCH ENEMY, White-Gluz.

"I took notice of [Alissa] a couple of years ago [after] she came to an ARCH ENEMY show in Montreal and told me 'Wages Of Sin' was her reason to get into growling," Angela said. "I checked out her stuff [with her previous band THE AGONIST and] I was really impressed. When I started to think about my future and the future of the band, I decided to approach her. There's not many out there who'd be up for that task, it's easy to throw some clips on YouTube and pretend to be serious. But the real game is much tougher. You'll be out there performing no matter how you feel, you got a responsibility. You need to step it up big time to become a professional touring and recording musician. You need discipline, health and talent. She's got it all."

When Gossow officially announced her departure from ARCH ENEMY in 2014, she said that she was "passing the torch to the super talented Alissa White-Gluz, whom I've known as a dear friend and a superb vocalist for many years."

ARCH ENEMY recorded three albums with vocalist Johan Liiva — "Black Earth" (1996),"Stigmata" (1998) and "Burning Bridges" (1999) — before Liiva was replaced by Gossow.

Gossow appeared on all ARCH ENEMY albums from 2001's "Wages Of Sin" through 2011's "Khaos Legions".

ARCH ENEMY released four studio albums with White-Gluz on vocals: "War Eternal" (2014),"Will To Power" (2017),"Deceivers" (2022) and "Blood Dynasty" (2025).

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In a new interview with Germany's Metal Hammer magazine, Alissa White-Gluz was asked how difficult it was for her to announce her departure from ARCH ENEMY last November after an 11-year tenure with the extreme metal titans. She responded: "It was definitely difficult but change is always a wild mix of fear and excitement. When you spend that many years with something, it becomes a huge part of your life and identity. So making that announcement wasn't something I took lightly. I had devoted an enormous amount of my creative energy to the project for more than half of my career."

She continued: "I really love music and art, I can't bear to treat it like just another day at the office. That's why I put so much extra care and intention into every lyric, performance, recording, and visual that I do. I felt a real responsibility to handle the announcement with respect for the fans, for the music, and for myself. Just getting straight to the point felt like the only way to honor my past while also stepping confidently into what comes next."

Regarding the reaction to her exit from ARCH ENEMY, Alissa said: "The fans' and industry peers' responses honestly blew me away. There was so much love, encouragement, and genuine support, more than ever before, and it felt incredibly energizing. What really stood out to me was how strongly people connected to the idea of my growth and evolution. It made me feel deeply grateful and also very motivated. It reinforced that the connection we've built is strong, and that it naturally carries forward. That is something I have always been focused on in my career: stepping outside of my comfort zone and outside of the box so that I can have artistic freedom without being typecast. That support gave me a lot of confidence and excitement about the future, because I really do believe that art and artists are meant to evolve."

Alissa also touched upon "The Room Where She Died", the recently released first single from her upcoming debut solo album. The music for "The Room Where She Died" was written by KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai, while Alissa performed, recorded and wrote all the vocals for the track. White-Gluz also came up with the script for "The Room Where She Died"'s accompanying music video, which was created by Serbian video production company iCODE Team. Asked why now is the right time for her to release her debut solo album after first signing with Napalm Records as a solo artist back in 2016, Alissa said: "The intention was always there, but I never wanted to rush something that personal or force it into the wrong moment. I knew this project needed the right headspace, focus, and creative freedom to really come alive. Now feels right because there's real momentum. I have clarity, excitement, and the space to fully commit to it, and everything is aligning creatively. I know what I want to express, I know how I want it to sound and feel, and I'm genuinely energized by the process. This album feels like a natural evolution, something I've been building toward for a long time, and that makes this moment feel both exciting and right."

White-Gluz also revealed that she is working with "two amazingly talented guitarists, Alyssa Day and Dani Sophia" on new material. "So far the music we are making together is exactly what I have always wanted," she explained. "I feel like they both have such unique playing styles that complement each other to make our collaborative work super heavy, energetic, catchy and evocative at the same time. I really couldn't be happier and more honored to be working alongside such talented and inspiring musicians. Fans will not have to wait long at all to hear and see what we have been up to."

Alissa previously talked about "The Room Where She Died" a couple of months ago in an interview with Extreme Vocal Institute 's "Behind The Screams" podcast, produced and hosted by vocal coach David Benites. Alissa said at the time: "The script for that video, I wrote it with Oliver, the guitar player who is playing with me in the song. We co-wrote that song, we co-wrote the video script, and it was a time where we were really, really inspired. I could feel that we were really in the zone together, we really had a good flow. And we actually wrote a bunch of songs together, not just this one. And we just thought, like, 'What would represent this moment of this song?'

"Honestly, whenever I'm writing songs in general, I like to envision, how is that gonna be on stage? How is that gonna be in a music video?" she explained. "'Cause I'm an MTV child, or MusiquePlus, as it's called in Quebec. But I love music videos. I love the art of telling a story visually to accompany a song. It's almost like — rather than having music be a soundtrack to a visual story, you can have a music video be an accompaniment to the song. So the visuals are highlighting the song rather than the other way around."

Circling back to the "The Room Where She Died" video shoot, Alissa added: "That day was very long, a very full day. It involved all sorts of costume changes and actors coming in and out. And I was suspended on a harness floating in the air. It was a lot, but it was so much fun and it was so satisfying because we really presented a full script of how we wanted it to go. And I actually just recently shared the script on my Patreon with my members there, just so that they could see, like, this was the goal and this is the result. And maybe [they can] get a little bit more insight into how music videos go, because music videos, I've had so many different experiences, some in my earlier career where I just walked in and I was, like, 'What's the plan?' And they were, like, 'We don't know. We're just gonna film stuff and then see where it goes.' All the way to this type where I was, like, 'I really wanna tell a story with this, so let's make sure we can.' And it's hard to tell a story in only a few minutes. So you have to be selective and edit down what you wanna show."

After Benites noted that "The Room Where She Died" features her playing the guitar, which is not something fans are accustomed to seeing from Alissa, she said:  "I've been playing guitar just to write songs, just to write the basics of songs. I am by no means a good guitar player. My instrument is vocals, for sure, but at least having the basics of guitar and piano allows me to write, it allows me to at least accompany myself enough to write. And then what I have been doing for this album, which I completely love, is collaborating with a lot of friends and a lot of other musicians that I respect and love and just seeing where it goes. Kind of like I was saying with the music video directors earlier, but just — I think in January I have, like, four or five different sessions lined up with friends, and even friends of friends that people in the industry, they're, like, 'Oh, you would work so well with her and with him.' And so I just have sessions lined up where we're just gonna jam and see if we can come up with some cool stuff. And I'm really excited to just have that be the kind of groundwork for my career moving forward, is just, like, make good music with good people and just enjoy it."

Alissa went on to say that learning to play the guitar has been a "very humbling" experience. "I will say — maybe this is a similar thing for all guitarists, but I kind of took off quite well at first, and I was, like, 'Yeah, I'm getting this,' and then plateaued so hard and I was, like, 'That's it? That's as good as I get?'" she laughed. "You have to break through that if you really, really wanna accelerate. But I think I'll leave the virtuoso guitar playing to a lot of amazing friends that I have who are already at that level, and I'll just keep mine as a tool for songwriting."

Elsewhere during the chat, White-Gluz talked about the challenges facing artists in today's music industry, saying: "That's, I think, the myth of 'making it'. You never make it. That doesn't happen. You just work, and if you're lucky, you work more, and if you're lucky, you work with good people, and if you're lucky, you can make a living off of it. But all of that's ephemeral, and you have to just sort of keep focused and keep grinding and also take care of yourself, of course. But there's no moment — there may have been in the '80s, when record sales were really a thing, where a band could break out, sell millions of copies, and then it's, like, 'You guys are all set for life. You don't have to work another day in your life.' But, of course, you do because you love music. But that's not the way it is anymore. And this industry is really tough — really, really tough. So I think that's why it's even more important for people who are making music to be making music because they love making music. That has to be the 'why'."

On November 23, 2025, ARCH ENEMY announced it had split with White-Gluz, writing on social media: "ARCH ENEMY have parted ways with singer Alissa White-Gluz. We're thankful for the time and music we've shared and wish her all the best.

"Wherever there is an ending, there is also a beginning.

"See you in 2026."

Alissa added in a separate statement on her Facebook page: "After 12 years in ARCH ENEMY, we have parted ways. I am forever thankful to the thousands of amazing fans I have met along the way. Thank you, Beastlings!

"I can't wait to share what I have been working on with you all (with some big surprises in store). Stay tuned for big news in 2026 and see you very soon."

White-Gluz, former vocalist of Canadian extreme metallers THE AGONIST, joined ARCH ENEMY in 2014 as the replacement for Angela Gossow. Angela, who joined ARCH ENEMY in 2000 and made her debut on the now-classic "Wages Of Sin" (2001),stepped down as frontwoman and is now focusing on management, while Alissa took her place.

ARCH ENEMY released four studio albums with White-Gluz on vocals: "War Eternal" (2014),"Will To Power" (2017),"Deceivers" (2022) and "Blood Dynasty" (2025).

Throughout her career, the now-40-year-old Alissa has consistently used her music as a vehicle for social change, addressing pressing issues such as environmental conservation, veganism, and the ethical treatment of animals.

During a March 2022 appearance on the "Vox&Hops" podcast, White-Gluz spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for her long-in-the-works debut solo album. She said: "What happened was it was announced [in September 2016] that I signed [with Napalm Records] for a solo album. All I did was sign to do one, but I think a lot of people interpreted that I had an album that I was ready to put out. So, basically, when the news came out about this solo album, the only thing that happened at that point was that I just agreed to do one. And then I was on tour for, like, three hundred days of the year up until 2020. And so now it's done, because now I've actually been home long enough to write the songs and get them done. And it's awesome and I love it."

As for the musical direction of her solo material, Alissa said: "It doesn't really sound like ARCH ENEMY, actually. It's still me, so it's gonna sound a little bit like ARCH ENEMY, but it's kind of different. I feel like it's kind of an amalgam of that really interesting place that you're at when you're a beginner musician, because although I'm not a beginner vocalist or songwriter, I am a beginner guitarist — I'm very bad at guitar. So when I'm writing songs on guitar, I have an approach that is probably totally wrong, and that's what, I think, makes it cool. It's different — it's an unorthodox approach. I mean, I can still play it, but it's not my main instrument, so when I'm writing riffs on a guitar, I'm writing like a vocalist writing riffs on a guitar. Some could argue that that's kind of how Michael [Amott, ARCH ENEMY] writes too, actually, because his riffs are so 'sing-songy.' But, yeah, so I wrote a bunch with Jeff [Loomis, now-former-ARCH ENEMY guitarist] and I wrote a bunch with a lot of other people, actually, which I don't wanna spoil and announce them all now. But there's clean singing, there's growling, of course, and other interesting vocal techniques with the note screaming and some operatic stuff. It's a heavy album. I don't know what genre to call it. It's totally self-produced in that sense. It's honest. It's exactly what I just felt like writing for this. So there's some prog elements, there's some rock and roll elements, there's a lot of metal in it, obviously. But, yeah, I'm really happy with it. So I hope that other people like it too, basically."

Back in 2017, Alissa said that her debut solo album would feature collaborations with a member of KAMELOT and at least one of her now-former bandmates in ARCH ENEMY.

The now-ex-ARCH ENEMY frontwoman said that the idea for a solo project came about as a suggestion from Gossow, who had been managing ARCH ENEMY's career for more than a decade and also oversaw Alissa's personal affairs.

"[Angela] was, like, 'Well, you need something. You need something that you can do, because I know you're a workaholic and you're not gonna be able to just sit there like this waiting for the next ARCH ENEMY tour,'" Alissa told France's Duke TV. "And she's totally right — I needed something else to be able to work on. And also, I have a lot of ideas that maybe don't sound like ARCH ENEMY and it would be kind of silly to just force them into ARCH ENEMY."

According to White-Gluz, her debut solo album will be released under the ALISSA banner because she wanted to "keep it simple" and "make it very clear who it is and what it is." In order to make the disc, Alissa "did a huge life overhaul," which included building a studio and investing a lot of time and money into learning how to engineer and record, program drums and improving at playing guitar. "Of course, on the album itself we're gonna have real musicians playing all of these things, but in terms of just getting the style down and the songwriting, it's something that I need to start on my own," she explained to Duke TV.

At the time of the Duke TV interview, half of Alissa's solo effort had been written, and it contained some musical surprises. "It doesn't really sound like ARCH ENEMY — it's pretty different — but I think it's pretty cool," she said. "For example, a song that I'm writing with Oliver from KAMELOT doesn't sound like KAMELOT and it doesn't sound like ARCH ENEMY, but it's members of both."

Loomis, who joined ARCH ENEMY in late 2014 and left in December 2023, didn't have any of his songwriting ideas included on the latter band's "Will To Power" and "Deceivers" albums, but will apparently play a prominent role on Alissa's upcoming disc.

"Jeff didn't write with Michael, because Michael was already writing so well with Daniel [Erlandsson, ARCH ENEMY drummer] that we just actually had too many ideas," White-Gluz told France's Loud TV in a separate interview. "But all of Jeff's ideas are really good and I've heard them and they're gonna be released, so people will hear them… Jeff is gonna be one of my collaborators on my solo project, because how can you say no to that? [Laughs]"

ARCH ENEMY played its final show with White-Gluz at the closing concert of the band's European "Blood Dynasty" 2025 tour with AMORPHIS, ELUVEITIE and GATECREEPER on November 15, 2025 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

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In a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Dutch guitarist Adrian Vandenberg, who was a member of WHITESNAKE from 1987 to 1990, and again from 1994 to 1997, was asked if he was surprised last November when WHITESNAKE leader David Coverdale announced he was retiring, not just from music, but from social media and public life. Adrian responded: "I wasn't really surprised he quit music. I was more surprised that he pulled back from social media, since he was on it all the time. That was the unexpected part."

Adrian continued: "I haven't talked to [David] in quite a while, but yeah, it makes sense he retired. So, he finally did it, and I think it's a good thing. He joined DEEP PURPLE when he was 23 or 24. That was really young. So, he's been doing it all his life, which is still great. I mean, there's only one Coverdale, everybody knows that. So, on the one hand, it's a pity. But at the same time, I see guys like [THE ROLLING STONES'] Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler from AEROSMITH, and some others who are still going strong. I don't know how long they'll go on, but I do know that Steven Tyler wants to go on until he drops. And he can still sing great. It's amazing."

Asked for his view of the legacy WHITESNAKE left behind, Adrian said: "Well, WHITESNAKE has become an institution, especially since [the] '1987' [album], because, as you know, before that, WHITESNAKE was big predominantly in Europe and Japan. And then, with the '1987' album, everything blew up and became more of a global thing. I think the '1987' album, most people agree, was pivotal and the epitome of what the '80s stood for. It was glamorous, featured phenomenal guitar work from John Sykes, of course, and tons of great songs. It was on MTV all the time. So, I think the legacy is, especially in my opinion, quality rock with great singing, great playing, which definitely wasn't the case with most of those bands, because a lot of bands came in the slipstream of bands like WHITESNAKE, DEF LEPPARD, AEROSMITH, and then a whole bunch of those L.A. bands that had a guitar player who wanted to sound like Eddie Van Halen and a singer who was squealing like a pig in a slaughterhouse. So, it became very generic. But if you think back about the sound of the '80s, I think it was a combination of… If I had to name five bands that left a lasting mark, in my opinion, it would be DEF LEPPARD, WHITESNAKE, BON JOVI, AEROSMITH and GUNS N' ROSES, of course. But that was more of a crossing point into the '90s, I think. I mean, they took it in a more punkish direction, but they started out as a glam rock band. They had big hair and stuff in their early days, too."

Earlier this year, Adrian continued celebrating his iconic years with WHITESNAKE during a special tour called "My Whitesnake Years".

In 2025, it had been 35 years since WHITESNAKE toured the world with the "Slip Of The Tongue" album, and "My Whitesnake Years" is looking back on highlights such as the legendary WHITESNAKE "Live At Donington" 1990 show.

Vandenberg joined WHITESNAKE in 1987 and played the famous guitar solo on worldwide hit "Here I Go Again". He also co-wrote the entire "Slip Of The Tongue" album and toured with guitar virtuoso Steve Vai. Before his WHITESNAKE years, Vandenberg made his international breakthrough with his own band VANDENBERG, known for the hit "Burning Heart", and shared the stage with rock greats such as OZZY OSBOURNE, KISS and SCORPIONS. After his WHITESNAKE period, he launched the successful VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS and made a successful comeback in 2020 with his renewed VANDENBERG band.

Vandenberg was a member of WHITESNAKE for 13 years at the height of the band's fame. He was also part of supergroup MANIC EDEN, and more recently released a number of albums with the aforementioned VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS.

Vandenberg's namesake band released its comeback album, titled "2020", in May 2020 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group. A follow-up LP, "Sin", arrived in August 2023. The group's fifth full-length offering, "Sin", was produced by Bob Marlette (OZZY OSBOURNE, ALICE COOPER, ROB ZOMBIE).

In a November 2024 interview with Alma Hard, Vandenberg was asked why he took a decade-and-a-half break from recording music prior to the 2014 release of the debut album from his band VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS. He said: "Well, I stayed together with David up until 1998, because we did tour — we toured in 1994 and we toured in 1997, '98. So, the end of 1998, David wanted to stop with everything because he wasn't feeling well and he wanted to stop touring because he didn't seem to enjoy it anymore. So, in 1999, I was with a girlfriend at the time and she got a baby. Or actually we got a baby, and she got pregnant and I thought, 'That's great. I wanna be there for that.' Of course, I didn't wanna tour and then record records because that's a very important thing. But when the baby was three years old, the relationship fell apart, and we weren't married. And it appeared to be a very difficult period. And I thought, 'If I'm gonna record now and start a band and start touring, then I will be one of those fathers who sticks his head around the corner of the door and goes, 'I'm your father, but I have to go.'' So when that relationship went wrong, I wanted to be an important part in the life of my daughter. I thought, 'You know what? I'm gonna live off my paintings for about 10, 11 years,' which is what I did, 'until she's old enough that I can explain to her what I actually do and what I did before.' So, when my daughter was about 11 or 12, she was old enough to explain and she thought it was really cool because there were kids at her school who go, 'Oh, is that your dad? He's famous and he's got long hair' and all that stuff. So before, until she was 11 or 12, for her it was totally normal that I played some guitar and there was painting and all that stuff. So, that's when I started MOONKINGS. She must have been 12 or something. And I really missed playing and touring and doing shows and all that stuff, so I was happy to pick it up again. And I thought, 'Well, the world will have forgotten about me, of course.' That would have been totally normal, because that's how it goes. Pop music is called pop music because people, when it started, with bands like THE BEATLES and pop artists and stuff in the '60s, people thought, 'Oh, you know, that's the kind of music you throw away. It's pop music, popular music. That's music you forget after about a couple of months.' But it's never gone away, fortunately, because that's why I didn't go away either. I'm still here."

Recalling his refusal to return to WHITESNAKE when Coverdale resurrected the band in 2002, Vandenberg told "White Line Fever" that the singer "wanted to stop altogether because he was kind of worn out on the road. He didn't want to do it anymore… When he called me up and said he wanted to start it up again, I couldn't do it because I had all kinds of obligations for exhibitions for my paintings. And those are always planned a year ahead, because art galleries reserve the space a year ahead because exhibitions usually last three to six months or something. I couldn't do it."

In a new interview with Brazil's Regis Tadeu, DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy spoke about last year's announcement that RUSH's surviving members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson had recruited award-winning fusion drummer Anika Nilles to fill in for the late Neil Peart this year as the Canadian rock legends embark on their surprise "Fifty Something" reunion tour. Addressing the fact that some RUSH fans had hoped Portnoy would be asked to play with Lee and Lifeson instead of Nilles, Mike said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'd be lying if I denied that, of course, playing with those guys would be a dream come true. Of course. And I love and respect not only RUSH's music, but Neil Peart as a person and as a drummer. So if the hypothetical scenario ever occurred that they had asked me, I would've approached it with the utmost respect — believe me. But in a way I'm kind of relieved they didn't ask me, because that's a very tough role to walk into. I think for Anika, she's gonna have a lot of people making inevitable comparisons. There's no way around it. So that's gonna be a very tough gig to have. So in a way I'm relieved that they didn't ask me. [Laughs]"

Earlier this month, Portnoy denied that he ever offered his services to Lee and Lifeson, but made it clear that he would consider playing with them if asked, and if the circumstances were right. He told Metal Hammer magazine: "I read Geddy's book ['My Effin' Life', published in 2023], and he mentioned about all the drummers kind of offering themselves to them and how much it turned him and Alex off.

"I did send my condolences to Geddy and Alex after Neil passed, but I never once tried to throw my hat in the ring for Neil's gig. I realize that's a sacred role that should only ever be filled if Geddy and Alex choose for it to be so. And sure enough, here we are with them choosing to finally do so, which has been really incredible."

Asked by Metal Hammer if he would have played with Lee and Lifeson if the gig had been offered to him, Portnoy responded: "If they hypothetically ever approached me with it, of course, I would have done it with the utmost respect and honor. But frankly, I'm kind of relieved they didn't. First of all, filling Neil's shoes is going to be impossible. If anybody ever thought Mike Mangini [DREAM THEATER's drummer from 2010 to 2023] filling my shoes was tough, try filling Neil Peart's shoes. And I came back home to DREAM THEATER, which is where I belong. So if, hypothetically, if they had approached me with this reunion that they're doing, it would have put me in an incredibly awkward position because of the timing of it all."

Last month, Portnoy told Chile's Futuro that the prospect of Geddy and Alex touring with Anika was " extremely exciting. I, as a fan, can't wait to see how they do this and what it's gonna be like," he said. "Neil Peart was not only one of my biggest drum heroes, but he was somebody that I was honored to become friends with in the last decade or so of his life. So, yeah, as a fan of the band and as a friend of Neil's, I'm very happy to see them doing this, and I can't wait to hear what they do."

Portnoy went on to say that he has "never seen" Anika play in person, "but like everybody else in the world, as soon as the announcement was made, I started pulling up videos on YouTube and saw her playing with Jeff Beck and doing the jazz fusion kind of stuff she does," he said. "She's obviously a tremendous drummer, so I'm really curious to see how it sounds."

Regarding how many times he had gotten asked about his own hypothetical involvement with RUSH prior to last year's announcement, Portnoy said: "Before [Lee and Lifeson] announced their return, it's a question that I would get asked in almost every single interview for the last decade: 'Would you ever play with Geddy and Alex? Would you ever?' Of course. Those guys are my heroes. But in all honesty, I'm kind of glad that they didn't even ask me, because that would be way too much pressure, way too much pressure. So, it's much better this way. I get to enjoy it like a fan."

Five and a half years ago, Portnoy spoke to World Prog-Nation about how Peart influenced him on a musical and personal level. He said: "I spent 20, 30 years idolizing him and being his biggest fan. And all those years, it was mainly the drum kit — the drum kit was such a fascination for me. He always built such amazing kits and put so much thought into it. I'd always get the tour programs where he'd write about the kit and what the new things were on it, and I would just look at those photos. Most other kids were looking at Playboy centerfolds; I was looking at Neil Peart drum kits. And then, obviously, his playing — it goes without saying. I learned how to really develop parts and orchestrate drum parts to build and change and develop within the song. So that was the biggest stuff for me as a fan. And then later on, once I got to know him, I was so inspired by what a gracious person he was."

Mike added: "He had this reputation that he was sort of quiet and isolated and private, and he was, and it was very important for him to guard that. But once you were somehow allowed into that inner cicle, he was always so sweet and kind and generous. He'd always send me holiday e-mails and he would always send me his new books and stuff like that. It was a relationship that I'll always cherish and I was honored to have."

During an October 2021 interview with TWISTED SISTER bassist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza's Internet show "22 Now", Portnoy once again spoke about a hypothetical scenario in which he would be chosen to tour with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson as the replacement for Peart. Asked if he would be interested in taking that gig, Portnoy said: "Of course. That would be a dream to play with those guys. But I don't wanna see the Blabbermouth headline right now, me thinking that I deserve the gig. I'm not saying that. You're asking me a question. Hypothetically, of course, it would be a dream come true. Neil was my hero, and always will be, and Geddy and Alex are as well.

"I don't think in a million years they'll play [as RUSH] without him; I really don't," he continued. "But in a hypothetical dream scenario, I mean, come on — of course. But I don't think in a zillion years it will happen. But it's a nice dream to hypothetically wonder about. But I honestly don't think it would ever happen. But who knows? You never know.

"As much as hypothetically it would be fun, it would be amazing, it would also be an impossible role to fill," Portnoy added. "It's a no-win situation. Really, it would be impossible, 'cause his fans are as obsessive as they get — and count me amongst them. So, yeah, that would be a tough one."

Mike also talked about RUSH's final tour which concluded at the Forum in Los Angeles on August 1, 2015. Peart indicated at the time that he wanted to retire while he was still able to play well, along with a desire to spend more time at home with his young daughter.

"They went out on such a high," Portnoy said. "Their last tour was a farewell tour. I don't think anybody expected Neil to pass, but they wanted to stop touring, so they really went out with such an amazing tour. That tour was just so well done, so perfectly executed, and they went out with all three of them still at the top of their game. So I give them all the credit in the world for that. It's just sad that Neil didn't get many years to enjoy the retirement before he got sick. That saddens me."

RUSH will perform multiple shows in cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico, beginning June 7, 2026 at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles. These special "evening with" shows will find the band playing two sets each night. Each show will feature a distinct selection of songs and RUSH will build each night's setlist from a catalogue of 35 songs including their greatest hits and fan favorites.

After Lee and Lifeson announced RUSH's initial 2026 tour dates in early October, they instantly sold out. They then doubled the tour's length due to increased demand before adding even more dates to the trek.

At the moment, the "Fifty Something" tour is scheduled to stretch into the fall and early winter, with sold-out shows in Chicago, Cleveland, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York and Toronto, as well as dates in Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C., to name a few.

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

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

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

In a new interview with James Wilson-Taylor of Rock Sound, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE frontman Chris "Motionless" Cerulli spoke about the band's recently released song, "Afraid Of The Dark". The track, which was produced by Drew Fulk and Justin deBlieck, is the first single from MOTIONLESS IN WHITE's upcoming seventh studio album, which is due later in the year via Roadrunner Records. Regarding when "Afraid Of The Dark" came together and whether it was always the plan to release the track as the first single, Chris said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes, this is technically the first song we started working on for the album. I just started dabbling in working on things. … Once I knew what the song was going to be, yes, I was, like, 'This has to be the first song.' And that was even before we really had the amount of songs for this record to pick from. It's another kind of record where we wrote — I don't even know — 50, 60 songs over the course of the whole time. And this always stood out as this has to be the one. So it was pretty cool. But it also made an interesting dynamic in trying to work on it, because knowing it was gonna be the first one, [there was] so much more pressure on it — for better or worse."

After Wilson-Taylor noted that "Afraid Of The Dark" "really nicely marries what we could call modern MOTIONLESS with [the band's] old-school" sound, Chris concurred. "Yes, that was the goal," he said. "Once I knew that this was gonna be the first song, even before we knew that we were gonna push the record to [a] '26 [release] to [coincide with] the 20-year [mark of the band's formation], I was, like, this still is gonna be a song that's just about the journey and the trials and throwing back to older moments of the band that fans could latch on to and really speaking to them on a level. But that's actually kind of what pushed us to push from '25 into '26, was, like, this has to be a song that releases in a timeframe that makes so much sense with what the history of the band is, and to talk about all those moments and really give fans a song that is for them and that story and that journey that we've both been on together. It's not just the band that's been a band; 20 years of that journey can only exist with the fans accompanying us."

When "Afraid Of The Dark" was first made available in late January, accompanied by an official music video, it was described in a press release as "a fist-in-the-air anthem that will be instantly beloved by the MOTIONLESS faithful. At the time, Chris said in a statement: "20 years ago, I stepped into a tour van with my best friends, having no idea what was next every mile we drove down the road. Funny enough, we broke down two hours later in the AM hours in a snowstorm. We had to sleep on the floor of a rest stop on the side of the Interstate and wait what felt like forever for a tow truck. We were forced to cancel the first few shows of our first tour ever, and to figure out how to scrape up every cent we could to try and get the van fixed and get back on the road. Nothing was ever going to stop us. There was never a doubt that we would find a way to live out our biggest dream and set a precedent for anything standing in our way."

He continued: "On our 20-year anniversary, that spirit is burning just as hot as it was on that day. We refuse to settle, refuse to let any opposing force stop us from clawing our way up from hell, and we refuse to fear the dark of the unknown. I want the story of MIW to inspire anyone listening to not fear the unknown, but to run head first into it with everything they've got. This song is about taking control of your destiny and writing the script of your own future without any doubt or apprehension. For those of you who have been with us for any part of the last 20 years, this one is for you. If you mean it, you will make it."

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE will spend the spring on tour supporting BRING ME THE HORIZON, including a performance at Madison Square Garden and at Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple festivals.

After earning three straight Top 5 Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums debuts, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE's 2022 effort "Scoring The End Of The World" bowed at No. 1 on the chart, in addition to securing the band's highest position on the Billboard 200 at No. 12. The LP notably spawned their second RIAA gold-certified hit and first Active Rock No. 1, "Masterpiece", which has leapt towards the platinum threshold.

Photo credit: Acacia Evans

Brooklyn, New York's LIFE OF AGONY has released a powerful new live music video capturing their emotionally charged cover of "Don't You (Forget About Me)", the SIMPLE MINDS anthem made famous by its appearance in the 1985 John Hughes film "The Breakfast Club".

Filmed during the band's "30 Years Of Ugly" anniversary tour in Europe, the video — which can be seen below — captures LIFE OF AGONY at a defining moment in their career. While honoring the spirit of the original, the band delivers a distinctly LIFE OF AGONY–sounding interpretation — darker, heavier, and more emotionally weighty than the original recording, transforming the song into something raw, brooding, and deeply personal.

The video was filmed and directed by Leigh Brooks of Firebelly Films, a longtime visual collaborator who has also directed several LIFE OF AGONY music videos, as well as the band's acclaimed documentary "The Sound Of Scars". Brooks's immersive live-performance approach places viewers directly inside the venue, capturing the intense connection between band and crowd.

Audio for the performance was recorded, mixed, and mastered by LIFE OF AGONY guitarist Joseph Zampella, a.k.a. Joey Z., delivering incredible clarity while preserving the grit and immediacy of the live experience.

"Even though our studio version of 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' appears on 'Ugly', we had never performed the song live until the '30 Years Of Ugly' anniversary tour," LIFE OF AGONY bassist Alan Robert shares. "Bringing it to the stage after all these years — and experiencing the live energy of the crowd — made the song one of the highlights of the set every night."

Originally released in 1985, "Don't You (Forget About Me)" defined a broken generation through "The Breakfast Club", symbolizing youth, alienation, and connection — themes that have long aligned with LIFE OF AGONY's own body of work. This live rendition underscores the song's enduring relevance while showcasing the band's ability to fully claim and transform familiar material through their own uncompromising lens.

The live music video is available now across LIFE OF AGONY's official platforms.

For more than 30 years, LIFE OF AGONY have remained one of heavy music's most distinctive and emotionally resonant bands, revered for their vulnerability, authenticity, and genre-defying sound. Their landmark 1993 debut, "River Runs Red", was named by Rolling Stone as one of the "Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time", cementing its legacy as a defining release of the era and an enduring influence on generations of artists across rock and metal.

Continuing to shape the landscape of heavy music decades into their career, LIFE OF AGONY was inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame in 2025, recognizing the band's lasting cultural impact and contribution to the genre. Known for their powerful live performances and deeply personal songwriting, the band maintains a rare and deeply felt connection with audiences worldwide — one that has only strengthened over time.

Photo credit: Jolien Wilke

In a new interview with FaceCulture, former HANOI ROCKS singer Michael Monroe reflected on the band's breakup following the death of HANOI drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley in December 1984. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " The band was so tight and so close that Sami Yaffa, the bass player, he left. After that, he decided, 'Okay, that's it.' He's gonna leave. And we were all devastated. And then the band broke up. And, actually, I thought we couldn't replace Razzle, and Sami had left too. That situation was such that HANOI was such a cool band and I couldn't imagine anybody replacing them, so it was better to just call it quits. And I'd rather have the world know HANOI as it was, as opposed to making it big with what it wasn't."

Asked what he thinks would have happened to HANOI had Razzle not died, Michael said: "Well, we knew that we were the best band in the world, and we were gonna make it the biggest band in the world. [Laughs] And all the possibilities. We had what it takes. We could have become one of the biggest bands in the world, had we been luckier. But fate had other plans, so that's what happened."

Pressed if it was "hard" for him to let go of HANOI ROCKS knowing that the band had so much potential prior to Razzle's passing, Michael said: "Only that I lost my best friend. That was the worst thing about it. Losing Razzle, he was such a great guy and such a nice, great personality. And just losing him, we were all devastated, losing our best friend. And, of course, the band was my life. So it was a big, big adjustment. But I knew that rather than having somebody replace Razzle and Sami — I mean, we tried a couple of people auditioning and it just felt really weird; I was, like, 'Huh, this is not right.' So I decided, rather than have the band, even if we could have become one of the biggest bands in the world, still it wouldn't have been right. That would've been even worse, 'cause it wouldn't have been the same band. So I decided it was best to break up the band and just call it quits. And that's the end of it."

Monroe celebrated his 60th birthday in September 2022 at the Helsinki Ice Hall (Helsingin Jäähalli) in Finland. As the grand finale of the concert, the original lineup of HANOI ROCKS, one of Finland's most significant rock bands of all time, took the stage: Monroe, Andy McCoy, Sami Yaffa, Nasty Suicide and Gyp Casino. The "support band" for the show was the reunited DEMOLITION 23. Led by Monroe, the band rose to great cult fame, although they only released one album ("Demolition 23") in 1994 and broke up shortly afterwards. This was DEMOLITION 23's first performance since the band's breakup in 1995.

Monroe and McCoy founded HANOI ROCKS in the late 1970s and the band's original lineup was established in 1980. HANOI ROCKS, the first Finnish rock band to make an international breakthrough, recorded their first three albums with the original lineup: "Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks" (1981),"Oriental Beat" (1982) and "Self Destruction Blues" (1982). Casino was replaced in 1982 by Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley who became an integral member of HANOI ROCKS. Razzle was killed in a car accident caused by MÖTLEY CRÜE's Vince Neil. Unfortunately, this led to the band's untimely demise in early 1985.

HANOI ROCKS did reform once before in 2002, albeit with only Monroe and McCoy from the band's classic lineup, and released a comeback album, "Twelve Shots On The Rocks". The reunion lasted until 2009.

Ex-I PREVAIL vocalist Brian Burkheiser has released a new original song, "Phases", along with the track's accompanying music video, under the SCATTERBRAIN banner.

In a video message accompanying the single's release, Brian said in part: "I am dropping my first-ever original song. So just wanted to hop on the camera real quick and just kind of express how I'm feeling right now. I'm a little nervous, anxious, excited — a lot of emotions — but this music video … means everything to me. I put a lot of heart and soul into it and just tried to speak my truth and I tried to be vulnerable and authentic and as real with you guys as I possibly can be. I think you're gonna see a side of me that [was], yeah, kind of hidden over the last year, I guess, at this point. But I think I'm gonna take you all the way back and kind of just really lay out who I am as a person in some of the phases, I guess you would say, that I've gone through in my life.

"So, yeah, thank you to every single person who has supported this project. I know you are ready for me to get the song out, and I'm ready to give it to you. I hope everyone enjoys it. And [I'm] truly just blessed, thankful for all the support through some trying times."

When Burkheiser first announced "Phases"' release on February 5, he said in a statement via social media: "I'm grateful to share that I am officially a free, independent artist, and will be releasing my own original music under the name SCATTERBRAIN.

"I want to sincerely thank Fearless and Concord Records for their professionalism, respect, and support throughout a very complicated period.

"Now that my legal dispute is behind me, I'm ready to share my story.

"My first original song, 'Phases', along with the music video, drops next Friday."

This past December, Brian released a cover of Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" under the SCATTERBRAIN banner. At the time, Burkheiser, whose split with I PREVAIL was announced in May 2025, shared the following statement via his publicist, Atom Splitter PR: "To my fans: This year forced me to pivot in ways I never expected, and it tested me more than I can explain. But through it all, your support has meant everything.

"I'm excited to finally share a song with you. I chose this cover because it truly resonates with me and serves as a nod to what first sparked my career.

"I'm still working toward the day I can release my original music, but for now, I'm grateful to have found a way to put a piece of art into the world."

Seven months ago, Burkheiser claimed that "an unresolved dispute" with his former band had prevented him from releasing his new solo music.

On August 25, 2025, Brian took to his social media to write: "Due to an unresolved dispute with my former band I PREVAIL, I am being blocked from releasing my song 'Phases', as well as other new music.

"I'm deeply disappointed, but I'm doing everything I can to move things forward.

"I want to thank my family, friends, and most importantly, my fans for their unwavering support."

Burkheiser had handled the clean vocals in I PREVAIL since the band's formation in 2013 but was forced to step away from the group's touring activities due to his battle with Eagle's syndrome, a condition associated with the elongation of the styloid process or calcification of the stylohyoid ligament, clinically characterized by throat and neck pain, radiating into the ear. In Burkheiser's absence, co-vocalist/growler Eric Vanlerberghe had handled the bulk of the singing in I PREVAIL, with the help of guitarist Dylan Bowman.

I PREVAIL announced in May 2025 that it was "mutually parting ways" with Burkheiser. A month and a half later, Burkheiser posted a series of Instagram Stories in which he claimed there was "no beef" between him and his now-former bandmates. "I love every single one of those guys whether they know it or not," Burkheiser wrote. However, he added that he believed he "didn't deserve how things went down" regarding the circumstances surrounding his departure, before clarifying, "But it doesn't mean they are bad people. I did try to communicate more and I wish that they would've talked to me more," Burkheiser wrote. "But if it took it coming down to this to teach the world this lesson then I'm OK with that because I want to rekindle my friendships with those guys one day."

Burkheiser went on to say that he was proud of Vanlerberghe, who has since become I PREVAIL's primary singer, and encouraged fans to buy tickets to the "Summer Of Loud" tour featuring I PREVAIL, BEARTOOTH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and PARKWAY DRIVE.

I PREVAIL's fourth studio album, "Violent Nature" arrived in September 2025 via Fearless.

Press photo courtesy of Atom Splitter PR

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In a new interview with Mark Strigl, EVANESCENCE drummer Will Hunt spoke about the status of the band's follow-up to 2021's "The Bitter Truth" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's gonna drop sometime this year. I'm so excited for people to hear that. It's cliché to say, 'Oh, it's the best thing we've ever done, but I this is insane. It's another level. Amy's [Lee, EVANESCENCE singer] really pushing the boundaries, and we're all pushing boundaries."

Asked which producers EVANESCENCE is working with this time around, Will said: "We did, like, four tunes with Nick Raskulinecz, who's done the last two records; he did the self-titled in 2011 and then 'The Bitter Truth' from '21. And so we did four tunes with him. And this was originally the idea, by the way, for the last record, but COVID had other plans. So, we weren't able to bounce around. So this one is part partly Nick. And then we were working with Jordan Fish [formerly of BRING ME THE HORIZON] and Zakk Cervini. And Zakk's mixing the whole record. So Zakk mixed 'Afterlife', which is the song that was in the Netflix series 'Devil May Cry'. And we did that song with Nick and Zakk mixing. So that was kind of like the first little test of that. But then we've done six or seven songs with Zakk and Jordan Fish. And it's just beyond my expectations, which is awesome. I'm a pretty tough nut to crack, man, when it comes to that. I just can't wait for people to hear it."

This past December, Amy told Kevin Ryder at the annual KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2025 at Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California that she had a "few more lyrics to write" for EVANESCENCE's upcoming LP, but added that it was "going very well and I'm really excited about it."

Last September, Lee told PK of the ALT 105.1 radio station that she and her bandmates were "midway through the process of making" their next album. But she quickly clarified: "I'd say we're more than halfway. We're really getting there. [I'm] really excited about it."

Asked if EVANESCENCE's recent single "Afterlife" will appear on the band's next album, Lee said: "I think so. I don't see why not. We haven't really gotten into the track list and that yet, but I think we have all the songs that are gonna be on it at least started, so we're in that moment of finessing and beautifying and writing lyrics and doing the hard stuff where I slam my head up against the wall."

Earlier in September, Lee, SPIRITBOX's Courtney LaPlante and Poppy joined forces on a brand new single, "End Of You", out now via Sumerian Records.

Last July, Lee told Kevin Ryder and Megan Holiday of the KROQ radio station that she and her EVANESCENCE bandmates were "just full speed ahead, making stuff, putting stuff out, doing stuff on the side. We're in a super just energized creatively mode this year."

Lee went on to say that she doesn't "like to set" a release date for an album "until it's really done. So, we're recording now. We're writing now. We're doing this album kind of in a way that is very freeform. We have a few songs with one producer, we have a few songs with another one over here. We're just doing whatever feels good. No rules except what the song wants."

Earlier in July, EVANESCENCE and alt-rock visionary K.Flay released the video for their song "Fight Like A Girl". The track plays over the end credits of "Ballerina", the latest film set in the world of "John Wick", now available on PVOD. The clip was helmed by Chad Stahelski, director of the "John Wick" films and producer of "Ballerina".

EVANESCENCE completed a tour of Australia and New Zealand last fall, including several shows as the support act for METALLICA.

EVANESCENCE's current lineup consists of Amy Lee (vocals, keyboards),Tim McCord (guitar/bass),Will Hunt (drums),Troy McLawhorn (guitars) and Emma Anzai (bass, backing vocals).

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Former CRO-MAGS singer John Joseph has blasted the band's founder Harley Flanagan over the latter's decision to re-record CRO-MAGS' debut album, 1986's "The Age Of Quarrel", for inclusion in the feature documentary "Harley Flanagan: Wired For Chaos", which charts Harley's tumultuous life and survival. A full-length re-recording of "The Age Of Quarrel" is expected to arrive later this year to coincide with the LP's 40th anniversary.

During a recent appearance on The T&F Podcast, Joseph stated about Flanagan's new version of "The Age Of Quarrel" (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's already recorded. None of the original members that played on the record are involved. I guess my former bass player feels — whatever. I don't know why he did it. I don't know. Who cares, dude? I'm doing new music. I mean, the dude put out a five-CD box set — I don't know — three or four years ago, and without our permission of live performances. [He] didn't take care of anybody in the band, so whatever, dude. If you need money, I don't know. Who cares? I'm doing new music. And as far as I'm concerned, that's a classic record. And I think a lot of people are kind of sounding a similar vibe to the whole thing. Why do that? Go write some new music, dude. So, whatever."

After the interviewer noted that a better option might have been for Harley to "remaster" the original "The Age Of Quarrel" album, John said: "He doesn't own the masters. Steve Plotnicki from [the defunct record label] Profile owns the masters. We were talking with Joe Nelson [co-founder of Trust Records], who I trust, and they just did the BAD BRAINS catalog. He's been trying to get the rights from Steve Plotnicki, but apparently the old bass player threatened him online or whatever, and the guy was, like, 'Well, now I'm never giving you the masters. And you can sue me. I got millions of dollars' and whatever the hell. I told Joe anyway, if he puts that record out, I don't want nothing to do with the re-release. It's a dead issue at this point for me. I got another BLOODCLOT record coming out, and I'm doing some other music."

Addressing Flanagan's decision to re-record "The Age Of Quarrel" with Harley's lead vocals, John said: "What are you gonna do? You actually think you're gonna do a better job? And as raw and hardcore as it was… I mean, a lot of people don't know, I sang that record straight through. I did one song after another after another after another. Is that my vocal ability now? I should hope not. But, anyway, it is what it is. It was a classic time. I came out of the temple and injected … teachings. That's why I named it 'The Age Of Quarrel', Kali Yuga, all of that."

Joseph also talked about the possibility of a reunion of the CRO-MAGS' classic lineup, saying: "That dude [Harley] was reaching out to me all the last couple years to do the 40-year reunion. Nobody wants to be involved. That's where it's at. And I learned my lesson, after giving somebody multiple chances and just pulling the same old bullshit over and over and over. Money missing, fucking just treating people like shit. That's why G-Man [drummer Garry Sullivan] and all of them just quit. He's [Harley] got a documentary out. How come none of the original members that were in the MAGS are in it? You gotta ask yourself that. I don't think Kevin [Parris Mayhew] or Doug [Holland] or Mackie [Jayson] or myself would have really anything good to say. So that's the end of that issue."

John added: "There will be no reunion shows. There will be no record. He can go do whatever he wants. I could care less."

John also talked about the fact that AGNOSTIC FRONT vocalist Roger Miret was asked to join the CRO-MAGS in the early 1980s prior to the recording of "The Age Of Quarrel".

"Homeboy [Harley] had the audacity to say, like, 'I wonder what would've happened if we would've got Roger instead of [John],'" Joseph said. "It's, like, you wouldn't have gotten 'The Age Of Quarrel'. That's what would've happened. And that's no disrespect to Roger. He's done great with AGNOSTIC FRONT. It's a different vocal style. I got respect for Roger and everything he's done over the years in AGNOSTIC FRONT. That's not a dig at him. But it's my fucking band. I was in there since day one. The original lineup wasn't even Mackie and Parris. It was me, him on bass, Dave Stein and Dave Hahn, the BAD BRAINS manager. We rehearsed for months. I mean, it's in The Big Takeover magazine. There's the proof. All this shit, I'm not the original singer and all this, is nonsense. It's always been to try to discredit me for whatever reason. I could care less."

Earlier today (Saturday, January 17),Joseph took to his Facebook page to write: "I was the original [CRO-MAGS] singer in 1981. When the band broke up in August of 1981 after months of rehearsals — due to reasons the late Dave Hahn gave in The Big Takeover magazine (in the comments). The bass player then formed a cover song band called, 'THE DISCO SMOOTHIES' which I wanted nothing to do with. John Berry (RIP),who was a friend, sang at that one show at the Peppermint Lounge. it was not billed as the CRO-MAGS.

"I was glad to be a part of that band over the years, write lyrics, and sing on 'The Age Of Quarrel' as well as other records," he continued.

"'The Age Of Quarrel' has stood the test of time because it came from a good place. We were all 100% invested. It was never about money or ego. We were on a mission, and that translated to the live performances as well.

"I've moved on for good from anything involving the CRO-MAGS, as I feel its far better to let the legacy of what once was, remain a part of the history that can never be re-lived, re-written, imitated, RE-RECORDED, or erased by anyone."

In early January, a freshly re-recorded version of the CRO-MAGS classic track "Hard Times" was made available online. The song arrived just in time for the 40th anniversary of "The Age Of Quarrel". This version, dubbed the "Wired for Chaos Session", also celebrates the aforementioned documentary film of the same name.

During an appearance on the Lipps Service With Scott Lipps podcast, Harley stated about a possible reunion of the CRO-MAGS' classic lineup: "For whatever it's worth, man, I've always been open to any kind of communication with any of those guys about whatever, and always have been. But sometimes people just get so dug in on shit that they lose sight… Honestly, I can't say that fans really would give a fuck about me playing with any of those guys again at this point, because we're doing well, we're touring a lot, life is great, but if the fans really wanted it, and more so if those guys ever wanted to give those fans what they wanted, I'm always open for the conversation. Because at the end of the day, as a musician, you're an entertainer, right? I mean, that's what you're getting paid to do, is to make people feel good or get some steam off or whatever that emotion is — that's your job. So if that means that you gotta get on stage and do that, and you know you can do it with these guys and people are gonna be super pumped, then what the fuck, man? I mean, I just don't see the big fucking deal [of] just playing with people that you may not necessarily love just for the sake of, you wanna make fans happy, you wanna make people happy. But fortunately for me, I feel like I'm doing that right now any goddamn way."

In 2018, Flanagan filed a suit against Joseph and drummer Mackie Jayson regarding ownership of the CRO-MAGS name. A year later, Joseph and Jayson reached an agreement with Flanagan over the rights to the CRO-MAGS name. At the time, it was announced that going forward, Joseph and Jayson would perform as CRO-MAGS JM while Flanagan would get to use the CRO-MAGS name for his own version of the band.

In October 2022, Flanagan announced that Joseph would no longer be able to use the CRO-MAGS JM name to promote his live shows. As part of a settlement between Flanagan and Joseph filed on September 30, 2022 at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Joseph agreed not to use the CRO-MAGS mark, the CRO-MAGS JM moniker or any derivative thereof for any of his projects. Since that time, the CRO-MAGS mark has only been used by Flanagan.

When Flanagan sued members of the group for allegedly using the CRO-MAGS name without his permission, he claimed that CRO-MAGS was his idea when he formed it back in 1981. Flanagan filed a lawsuit against the then-most recent lineup of the group — including Joseph — in part for copyright infringement, saying he trademarked the "Cro-Mag" name for recording in 2010 and for merchandise in 2009 and then again in 2017.

According to the New York Post, Harley claimed in the lawsuit that the other members of the CRO-MAGS took over the band around 2002 when "Flanagan's first son was about to be born… and Flanagan had to stop touring to help with the baby."

"Wired For Chaos" arrived in theaters last June.

Ohio metalcore favorites MISS MAY I have share the first taste of their new music for 2026. Today, they drop the video for new single "Die On The Vine", which is full of galloping guitars, plate-shifting breakdowns, and memorable melodies.

"'Die On The Vine' captures a mid-life reckoning — coming to terms with how deeply childhood experiences and unresolved trauma shape who we become," MISS MAY I explains. "The song reflects the moment where denial stops working and self-awareness sets in. If those patterns are something you have to live with, the choice becomes whether to decay under their weight or grow stronger through them. 'Die On The Vine' leans into that tension, framing survival as adaptation: sharpening your thorns over time instead of letting the damage define you."

MISS MAY I will appear at both Inkcarceration festival in Ohio and Rock Fest in Wisconsin this coming July. More live shows will be announced in due course.

In a December 2025 interview with the Vulgar Display Of Podcast, MISS MAY I frontman Levi Benton spoke about the band's upcoming follow-up to 2022's "Curse Of Existence" album. He said: "Well, the funny thing is we have taken two years doing this album, just 'cause our schedules are crazy. And since it's a new lineup, we're making sure it's perfect. So it's taking a long time. I have five more songs of vocals to do. That's why I'm going in a couple weeks to finish it. So the album's not done yet, so until it's done, we don't really have a date, but because we have a lot of singles and a lot of stuff… We have the art and everything ready, so I think we're gonna start rolling it out sort of with no end date."

He continued: "It's gonna be a little experiment for us. But it's been fun because I think our fans will like it. Yeah, we're just not gonna approach it normally of, like, 'Hey, here's the pre-order. Here's two music videos from the album.' Since we've worked so hard on it, we're gonna really try to make each song special and just really work on it. And [the recently released new single] 'Pray For Silence' is as light as the album gets. So I try to tell everybody, like, that's the ballad of the album."

Referencing the fact that founding MISS MAY I guitarists B.J. Stead and Justin Aufdemkampe left the band in 2024 and guitarist Elisha Mullins was welcomed into the MISS MAY I family in their place, Benton stated about the group's mindset while writing "Pray For Silence": "We knew the lineup was changing, we knew we were doing everything, but it was sort of traumatizing to us, 'cause, obviously, we didn't want the original lineup to change. So that whole thing was just sort of a mess. And Elisha was amazing. He was a fill-in before he became part of the band. And we [went] into the studio and then we worked with Elisha for the first time and we were dumbfounded, because we've been with the original lineup since high school. And B.J. and Justin, the original guitar players, always started the songs. So we got into a room, and he's, like, 'Okay, where do we go?' And we're, like, 'Oh, shoot. Those guys aren't here.' We're, like, 'We don't even know where to start.' Which was cool, 'cause Elisha was that for all his projects. And being from Missouri and the same age, we're all cut from the same cloth, which was really cool, 'cause we had the same upbringing and same inspiration, just 500 miles over. So we were doing the same thing just east, which was cool. And then now being a four-piece, and writing with Elisha and not having a full five-piece — and I think people can really tell in 'Pray For Silence' and we lean into it more in further songs. But we'd sort of take rhythm out, the rhythm guitar, and we're playing with soundscapes because we're a four-piece, but we've never got to play with those sounds. So that's why there's a lot of crazy sounds that we were screwing around with, because we're down a person. But we didn't wanna just have a guitar playing on a speaker somewhere, so we've been playing with a lot of sounds. And I think not only 'Pray For Silence', but it gets crazier further in the album of just crazy soundscapes that we're doing. And that's new for MISS MAY I. So that's why I think it sort of sounds like old MISS MAY I, but the new thing — if somebody's really paying attention, dissecting it, we've never had soundscapes until now. Which is so fun, to open up a keyboard and just, like, have 3,000 sounds to be, like, 'Okay, guys, let's figure out what the rhythm's gonna sound like.'"

Benton went on to say that "the secret member" of MISS MAY I "that's behind the scenes that I guess only diehards or people looking at the credits will see is, we've had this guy Nick Sampson, who's sort of been with us since our second album. He was like a young padawan to Joey Sturgis, engineering on when we did 'Monument' at Joey's house," he explained. "And then he's worked on all our albums since. And he does POLYPHIA, he was in I AM ABOMINATION. He's like a guitar shredder, and he's up in Michigan. So he actually comes to Cape Girardeau and he's like our consistent piece instrumentally, on guitar from second album on. So he's sort of like our judge, like, 'No, we wouldn't do that.' Or 'this is that or 'let's do that.' So he's like our boundary to keep it consistent, which has been great."

In 2024, MISS MAY I joined the Solid State Records roster and released "Apologies Are For The Weak (Re-Recorded 15th Anniversary Edition)", the awesomely ambitious 15th-anniversary edition of the band's classic, beloved debut album "Apologies Are For The Weak". The LP was entirely re-recorded and featured cameos on every single song, including from Jake Luhrs of AUGUST BURNS RED, Brandan Schieppati of BLEEDING THROUGH and Scott Lewis of CARNIFEX. Asked what MISS MAY I's relationship with Solid State is like, Levi said: "It's unreal. I wish I started a band like this 15 years ago. Not that everyone's always cracking the whip, but we were just so busy all the time and there was such hard deadlines all the time, which I get, but it's also, like, who knows if that's gonna be the best album? Or who knows if you worked hard enough? And when we were shopping around and we had kids and we were parents, we talked to all the labels and a bunch of managers too; our management team changed at the same time. 'Cause we're just a different band. We are doing things on our own time. We're not just a poster boy metal band that they could just throw out there anymore, 'cause we don't say 'yes' all the time, as much as we used to. And they're still totally cool with it. It's so weird to get off a call and they're just, like, 'Take your time. It'll be done when it's done.' And I'm, like, 'I don't understand.' I'm, like, 'That's crazy.' And they're, like, 'Turn it in when you guys are ready.' And I'm, like, 'This is so nice.' We've always been, and I think you guys have probably seen it a million times in band interviews, but it's always the vocalist's last day, like, 'Yeah, I had to finish three songs before the next band was coming in, 'cause that was the last day of the studio.' I'm, like, we've always done albums like that, and this is just, like, 'Hmm, I could do better. I'll go back in in a month and do different lyrics and try to make it perfect.' 'Cause we know we wanna sit on this one and really make it… I think it's a pivot point for our career. When it comes out, it's gonna be different. I think it's gonna be really awesome."

When it was first released in August 2025, "Pray For Silence" was described in a press release as "a vocally dynamic anthem, with a chorus that will instantly embed in your brain, heavy artillery riffing, and floor-shaking breakdowns. It's ultimately classic metalcore that swells with modern flourishes, ushering MISS MAY I into their next exciting era."

Benton previously told Rolling Stone Australia about Mullins: "He comes from being a producer. All this new music we're doing, it's stuff we've never had before, because we've never written with someone like this."

On a personal level, Benton said Mullins and the rest of MISS MAY I are "all cut from the same cloth. Elisha's from the Midwest, he's the same age [as us]. We listen to the same local bands. It's a natural fit. It's very cool."

Regarding what it was like working on new MISS MAY I material without their main songwriters, Benton said: "The funny thing was, it was a total lost thought. We weren't even thinking about it. We went into the studio and the rest of the guys were, like, 'Oh my God. Justin and B.J. were the main writers — we've got to change something up.' We went back to the drawing board, and that's when the anxiety hit. After years of touring, we didn't even think about writing [like that]. We spent a whole month with Elisha in the studio, just doing one song to get the vibe of how we write together. It was a mock-up of sorts, just a practice run; we ironed everything out."

Image credit: Rock & Metal From The Front Row

Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson brought his acclaimed "Basstory: Performance, Stories & Legacy" tour to Latin America this month — a powerful blend of live performance, storytelling, and an inside look at the riffs, moments, and music that shaped his life on and off the stage.

Joining David on this run are Andrew Freeman (LAST IN LINE) on vocals, Andy Martongelli and Emanuel López on guitars, and Adrián Esposito on drums.

Fan-filmed video of the February 14 "Basstory" concert at Uniclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina can be seen below (courtesy of the Walter Morgan channel on YouTube).

"Basstory" has toured the world with select shows across Europe, the USA and Australia, giving fans a rare chance to experience Ellefson up close in an intimate, high-energy format. It’s not just a concert — it's a behind-the-music experience with personal stories, iconic bass lines, and a setlist packed with metal classics.

Ellefson previously stated about the trek: "'Basstory' lets me connect with fans on a deeper level. You get the riffs, but you also get the stories behind them — plus a badass live performance of fan favorites by talented musicians!"

Ellefson recently announced his "Bass Warrior" European tour for March 2026. The trek will feature Ellefson and his solo band performing select cuts from his well-known catalog of MEGADETH hits, including MEGADETH's "Countdown To Extinction" album in its entirety, solo material and other hard rock and metal favorites which inspired him during his 40-year music career. Direct support on all dates will come from MADO.

Ellefson launched his "Bass Warrior" tour in 2024, accompanied by guitarist and musical director Andy Martongelli (ELLEFSON-SOTO, ARTEMIS),as a way to perform songs for fans across Europe from his 40-plus years as a world-renowned recording artist.

Ellefson was originally in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, when the group briefly broke up because MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine suffered severe nerve damage that left him unable to play.

Mustaine reformed MEGADETH 22 years ago. Originally setting out to record a solo album, Mustaine enlisted studio musicians to play on what ultimately became MEGADETH's 2004 "The System Has Failed" comeback album, subsequently recruiting former ICED EARTH bassist James MacDonough to take Ellefeson's place for the album's touring cycle.

Ellefson sued Mustaine in 2004 for $18.5 million, alleging that the MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist still owed him substantial merchandise and publishing royalties. In January 2005, the case was dismissed in court, and five years later, Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH.

In his first book, Ellefson admitted that he became a salaried employee upon his return to MEGADETH 15 years ago. He told Metal-Rules.com in an interview: "Going from being a co-founding owner to just a sideman musician was initially why I didn't come back in 2004. I was not happy with the participations that were presented to me. In recent times, coming back, I found great joy in doing music with a lot of other people in other settings that helped me fall back in love with playing music. Now I can come back into or go into musical situations and be able to be there for a purpose and level of pay. Being a sideman absolves you from being involved in all the other stuff. At this point in my life, I would rather leave that stuff on the sidelines. Like American Express says, 'membership has its privileges,' being a sideman has its benefits. In my case, it helps retain a friendship too. In order to have a friendship, I had to give up some ownership."

During a February 2021 appearance on Mitch Joel's "Groove - The No Treble Podcast", Ellefson reflected on his legal battle with Mustaine, saying: "I firmly believe Dave and I ended up in that situation because he and I were not directly communicating. There was a new manager, a new lawyer, a new team of people, and they were all trying to impress the client, so they were just, 'Well, we're just doing whatever the boss tells us to do.' And it's, like, wait a minute — your job is to manage and counsel and direct your client, and — in my opinion — avoid litigation, avoid these things. Those people are no longer here — they've all been let go, thank God — and once most of them were let go was when Dave and I had an opportunity to come back and reconcile. And as soon as Dave and I get in a room, it's, like, 'What the hell are we fighting over? Get your guitar. Let's play. Let's jam.' And then it becomes about the music, and there it is. So when we keep it on that level, it goes well. When the business people and the lawyers and the people come in and they try to sort of put logic around it, that's when the trouble [begins].

"I've always said MEGADETH is completely illogical — there's no logic to it at all," he continued. "And there's not really supposed to be, because it's something of the heart — it's not of the head; it's of the heart. I always say the longest journey is the 15 inches from the head to the heart. To memorize it is one thing, but to know it by heart is another thing. And that's what we do as musicians — we don't just memorize it; we have to really [know] it by heart. And that's what a group is — a musical setting is about that. And, of course, there has to be some sort of business dynamic around it to kind of make it work, I guess — at least for the accountants."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH nearly five years ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

🎸 SABADO 14 DEFEBRERO 19 HS 🎸
@davidellefsonbass Único show en Argentina 🇦🇷

🎟️ Conseguí tus entradas a través de @...

Posted by Uniclub on Tuesday, January 13, 2026

In a new interview with Primordial Radio presenter Dewsbury, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine spoke about the making of the band's final, self-titled album, which arrived late last month via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label. Dave said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We went into the studio and we just started writing. And we said, 'Okay, guys, let's write. And whenever we have the right amount of songs, we'll know.' So we got to, I think it was 15 or 16 ideas, and we've got a lot of really good tracks out of the recording. The main album comes out with 10 tracks and then of my version of [METALLICA's] 'Ride The Lightning' circa 2026. And we also have a song called 'Nobody's Hero'. One called 'Farewell, My Love', another one called 'Bloodlust'. And I think that's it for the additional tracks."

Explaining the need for so many bonus songs, Dave continued: "Whenever you make records, you gotta have an additional track for Japan, because Japan had a terrible thing that used to happen a long time ago for artists where the fans there would go and rent the record from a music store and they would record it at home. So it would affect your sales figures and your tracking numbers for the record business. So you don't really get the awards that you deserve in some of these countries that have these crazy methods for charting and tracking records. Because I don't care what anybody says — it is competition. That's why the chart has numbers on it. If it had flowers or something like that, I would say, 'Whatever.' But when you're all vying for that Number One spot, don't tell me it's not competition. And at least if you're worth your salt, you should compete with your former self."

Mustaine also once again confirmed that his worsening hand condition has forced MEGADETH's retirement. He's been diagnosed with Dupuytren's contracture — also known as Viking's Disease — which is preventing him from playing his guitar at a hundred percent and ultimately led to his decision to announce that MEGADETH would embark on its farewell tour.

"The injury on my hand, it is progressive," Dave said. "You can see it right there [on my left hand] — there's a line going across my palm right there. That's, called Dupuytren contracture and it's basically gonna pull my finger down like this, where I won't be able to play. So the answer to your question [about how long the farewell tour is going to be] is, yeah, when I can't play anymore, I won't. I'm not gonna stop before I can't. And I don't know how long it's gonna take for this disease to progress. My pinky and this finger on one side's numb. My thumb's numb on [the right] side. That's all from having my neck broken and having it fused together, 'cause I have a piece of metal in my neck with screws holding the two vertebrae together. And consequently, I've got numbness in my hand. I mean, what else can I possibly have happen to my hands?"

According to the Mayo Clinic, Dupuytren contracture is a condition that causes one or more fingers to bend toward the palm of the hand. The affected fingers can't straighten completely.

There's no cure for Dupuytren contracture. Treatments can relieve symptoms and slow how quickly the condition gets worse.

Last December, Mustaine told Spain's MariskalRockTV about his ongoing battle Dupuytren's contracture: "Yeah, you can look right here on this hand. There's a line right there that's sticking up… It's gonna make my finger come down like this. It's already started, where it's kind of bunching up a little bit. And then if you look at the tips of my fingers, they're severely arthritic. So, all those bumps makes it really painful to play."

Asked if he has contemplated undergoing surgery to correct the issue or if he has already done that, Dave said: "I'm gonna wait for that until I'm ready to try it, because if I try it now and I'm 95 percent, and I do a surgery and it sets me back, that would've been a bad decision. If I wait until my hands are causing a problem and I try it and it doesn't work, well then I've toured everywhere, I've said farewell to everybody and I'm not leaving stuff unsaid or unfinished."

Earlier in December, Mustaine spoke to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about MEGADETH's recently announced "farewell" tour, which will officially launch later this year. The trek, dubbed the "This Was Our Life" tour, will be in support of "Megadeth", which marks the end of more than four decades of musical history for the 64-year-old musician.

Asked why "Megadeth" is the band's final album and why he decided to embark on a "farewell" tour at this point of his career, Mustaine said: "It had been a long time coming — just physical stuff that was going on with my hands… My hands were letting me down. And there were other things that were difficult because of all the stuff going on in my neck and my trunk. All that area there has arthritis and it has discs that are bulging. I've got a broken lumbar bone. Of course, you know I have my back fused, up by my shoulders, by my neck. And just a lot of stuff."

Mustaine continued: "I always said when it got to the point where I was unable to give a hundred percent every night, that's when I was gonna start considering winding down. And it wasn't that I was unable to give a hundred percent, because we finished the record, and I think we did a good job on it, but there was a period when we were working and I said to my manager, I said, 'I don't know how much longer I can do this. My hands are really hurting.' And I didn't mean to set the ball rolling. Honestly, I just was making conversation, and it turned into me talking to the band guys and sleeping on it and talking to my family and praying on it. And the answer was clear to me that by the time we're done with the record, I'm gonna know how the record's gonna do. If the record does really well, then I'll be able to have one last really good tour. And the part about the farewell thing, it's kind of like the same thing, isn't it? We've got some dates that we wanna play to say goodbye to our friends."

Dave added: "The thing is we're an American band, but we play everywhere. So it's not like we just are weekend warriors, like country acts here in the States. We've got a lot of touring to do in order to do our farewell properly."

After host Eddie Trunk noted that a lot of veteran artists overstay their welcome and don't gracefully bow out of the music scene after they are no longer able to perform their songs properly, Mustaine concurred.  "I don't think there's any reason [for us] to [keep playing when we are not able to deliver a hundred percent]," he said. "I mean, unless you're financially in a bad way and you need to keep playing, which, by the grace of God, I've been successful. I've been able to pay all my bills. All the band guys, they all get their paychecks on time. We do everything right by the book. So, some people, like I said, they may have to keep playing, because there's nothing else for them to do. Now, when I think about, what am I gonna do after I hang the guitar up, that's in relation to touring, and I believe that I'm going to keep doing music in some way, shape or form. But not in the fashion that I was doing with MEGS because if I can't do it and I need to stop playing with my first love, I'm not gonna go out and try and do it again with someone else."

In November, Mustaine told Kerrang! magazine that MEGADETH's farewell run of shows could last a long time. "We're easily talking about touring for another three to five years," Dave said. "And if we're going to be doing it for that long then, shit, I'll be looking at the birthday I don't even want to think about," he added, referencing the fact that he will turn 70 in 2031.

As someone who overcame addiction to drugs and alcohol and beat throat cancer, Mustaine added: "I'm not caught up in longevity and stuff like that, and being one of those guys who can play until he's in his 80s. I have to remember that people live and they die. And I need to take good care of myself."

In a press release announcing MEGADETH's final album and farewell tour, Mustaine thanked fans for their commitment and love while celebrating the band's impact on the music world.

"There's so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional," Mustaine said. "Most of them don't get to go out on their own terms on top, and that's where I'm at in my life right now. I have traveled the world and have made millions upon millions of fans and the hardest part of all of this is saying goodbye to them."

He continued. "We can't wait for you to hear this album and see us on tour. If there was ever a perfect time for us to put out a new album, it's now. If there was ever a perfect time to tour the world, it's now. This is also a perfect time for us to tell you that it's our last studio album. We've made a lot of friends over the years and I hope to see all of you on our global farewell tour.

"Don't be mad, don't be sad, be happy for us all, come celebrate with me these next few years. We have done something together that's truly wonderful and will probably never happen again. We started a musical style, we started a revolution, we changed the guitar world and how it's played, and we changed the world. The bands I played in have influenced the world. I love you all for it. Thank you for everything."

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

TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider has shot down rumors that he is dying, a little over a week after the legendary rock canceled its planned 50th-anniversary concerts.

On February 5, TWISTED SISTER announced it had scrapped its 2026 reunion shows after Snider resigned, citing health issues.

The band posted on social media that Dee's "sudden and unexpected resignation" forced the group to cancel all dates starting in April through the beginning of the summer.

On Saturday (February 14),Snider shared a video to the Facebook page of his long-running "House Of Hair" radio show in which he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Hey, everybody. It's me, Dee Snider, and I'm not dying. No, not never — I mean, we're all dying, but not immediately.

"My announcement about canceling the tour for health reasons, problems with my heart, arthritis, things like that, the rumors have run wild that I am on my deathbed," he continued. "I am not. I just can't do those things that I did in my twenties, thirties, forties, fifties and even sixties. All right? Otherwise, I'm alive and well. I'm enjoying life. I'm here for the 'House Of Hair'. I'm directing a movie. I'll be writing things. You won't see me on the stage kicking ass like I used to because that will mess me up.

"[Someone] just told me, 'Hey, man, could you just go out on stage and lay back?' No, I can't do that," Dee explained. "That's not who I am. Look, I can barely do that on the 'House Of Hair'. So, I had to pull out of TWISTED SISTER. I had to cancel a tour. My apologies for that. And thank you for all the love and care and worry and all that stuff. It was crazy. I mean, the amount of people, the outpouring was beautiful. Thank you very much for cheering me on.

"I'm okay. I just can't do that anymore," Snider added. "And you know what? Truth of the matter is, I don't want you to see me up there being less than you expect me to be. If you got memories of a great show that I did, that's what I wanna leave you with, not me standing up there like Willie Nelson. Nothing wrong with Willie — 95 years old in a wheelchair — but you know what I'm saying. I went out rocking. I'm still rocking here. I ain't stopping. I got a lot of life to live. My dad's 95 and still kicking, so I'm expecting to be around for a long time, which means the 'House Of Hair' will go on forever.

"All right. Don't worry about old Dee. Thank you."

TWISTED SISTER's 2026 shows were supposed to feature the band's three core members: Snider, along with guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda. Bassist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza was not going to be joining the celebration. Russell Pzütto, who has toured with Snider's solo projects, was slated to replace Mendoza on bass. Joe Franco, who briefly played with the group in the mid-1980s, was supposed to sit behind the drum kit, stepping in for A.J. Pero, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 55.

On February 7, Jay Jay shared a video message on social media commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dee joining TWISTED SISTER. He said:  "Today is the actual 50th anniversary of the day that Dee auditioned in the band. 1976. Here's the diary entry. 'Danny Snider' — he wasn't Dee yet — 'auditions for TWISTED SISTER', February 7th, 1976.

"For the last 50 years, me and [TWISTED SISTER guitarist] Eddie [Ojeda] have stood side by side with Dee, not with hundreds of shows, but with thousands of shows.

"You know the cliché in sports, when a great sportsman retires, they say he left it on the field," Jay Jay continued. "Well, I can tell you when it comes to Dee, he left it on the stage. He gave everything his all, and his body is now telling him, 'I can't give you anymore.' And when someone tells you that, you have to accept it and you have to move on. So please understand this was a tough decision, but we had no other choice but to cancel these dates.

"As far as the future of TWISTED SISTER is concerned, Eddie Ojeda and I will have conversations in the next couple of weeks to discuss what, if any, options exist for us to continue.

"Until then, just know that the SMFs [an abbreviation for 'Sick Mother Fucker', which is what TWISTED SISTER fans are affectionately called] around the world are the thing that kept us alive and kept us going, and we love you guys and we will do everything we can to always live up to your expectations as fans, 'cause nobody understands fandom more than us. We appreciate everything that you've ever done for us and hopefully we'll see you again in the future. Thank you."

In a separate announcement on February 5, the 70-year-old Snider revealed that he had been diagnosed with degenerative arthritis and had undergone several surgeries for the condition "just to keep going, able to only perform a few songs at a time in pain."

"A lifetime of legendarily aggressive performing has taken its toll on Dee Snider's body and soul," the statement read. "Adding insult to injury, Dee has recently found out the level of intensity he has dedicated to his life's work has taken its toll on his heart as well. He can no longer push the boundaries of rock 'n' roll fury like he has done for decades."

Snider added that he doesn't "know of any other way to rock.

"The idea of slowing down is unacceptable to me. I'd rather walk away than be a shadow of my former self," he said.

"In the immortal words of Dirty Harry, 'A man's got to know his limitations.' Sadly, Dee Snider now knows his," the statement concluded.

In a November 2025 interview with "Steve And Rik's POTcast", the podcast hosted by Steve Whiteman of KIX and his friend Rik Parks, Dee spoke about why he changed his mind about returning to the road, nine years after the completion of TWISTED SISTER's "40 And Fuck It!" farewell tour, and after he repeatedly slammed KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE farewell tours and subsequent reunions as mere cash grabs. Dee said: "Why am I doing a reunion with TWISTED SISTER? [Sighs] I'll say that it was my idea. The [other] guys [in the band] couldn't even believe I was making the call. And it had to do with — I said this publicly already — I had a little bit of a health scare. It was okay, and it was okay, but it was enough to make me say, 'Wow, that was weird.' I never had to think about those things before. And I'm 70 years old, and I'm, like, 'Do I wanna go out like that, go silently, or do I wanna go kicking and screaming?' And I picked up the phone and I called up John and Eddie, Jay Jay and Eddie, and said, 'What do you think about getting together?' And they couldn't believe I was suggesting it, 'cause I told 'em,'[It's] not happening. [It will] never happen.' But circumstances, particularly [since] this was emotional circumstances, made me change my mind. Am I regretting it? A little bit right now, sorry to say. [Laughs]"

When Whiteman noted that Snider was "brave" to stage a TWISTED SISTER reunion after not performing a full set with the band in nearly a decade, Dee said: "I'm [either] brave or stupid. Up till TWISTED's retirement, and we did that in 2016 — I mean, first of all, I was 175 pounds, and I was shredded. I had a 29-inch waist. I was 62 years old, and people were going, 'What the actual fuck is going on there?' And I'd take my shirt off at every show and people would go, 'Damn, look at that guy.' I saw wives hitting their husbands, going, 'Why don't you look like that?' But what I really loved is the smiles, man. When you hit start singing and you are on and you're still delivering, the audience would just light up. And I'd see fathers doing like this to their sons, going, 'That's Dee fucking Snider.' They were being transported back to their youth through the performance. And it was the way they remembered it and I looked the way they remembered. And I loved that. And I walked away and said, 'Okay, I don't wanna ever see a look of dissatisfaction.'"

He continued: "Somebody was reviewing our show and said, 'When a reunion is good, it makes you feel young again. When it's bad, it makes you realize how old you've gotten.' And I wanna be the first part. And the review was, like, 'TWISTED SISTER made me feel I was 19.' But I never wanna be that guy where people go, 'Yeah, time's passed,' and make people feel old, just looking at me on stage."

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

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

In a new interview with Spiral Out, TOOL drummer Danny Carey confirmed that he and his bandmates are piecing together material for the follow-up to their latest LP, "Fear Inoculum", which arrived in August of 2019. "[We're] working on a lot of new TOOL songs right now," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET),before adding that "the goal" is to release the next TOOL LP in 2027.

After the interviewer noted that TOOL is "a very cinematic band", particularly when it comes to the group's live shows, Carey concurred. "Yeah, we're very much into that," he said. "We're hoping when we release the new record, maybe do a stint at the Sphere [in Las Vegas] 'cause I think we're the perfect band for that. We've been talking to those guys."

Carey went on to say that "the preparation" to bring a massive Sphere residency from blueprint to opening night "is pretty intense". He added: "It's a very expensive endeavor, and it takes a while to get into the black. I think [you have to play] quite a few shows before you make any money."

Asked if he has ever been to the Sphere, Danny said: "Yeah. Well, I just took a tour of it. I haven't actually seen a full-on show, but they took [us around the venue] to show it off. It's incredible, man. I almost got vertigo [just looking around it]."

It was reported in January that METALLICA was "90 percent" done negotiating the terms of a Sphere residency in Las Vegas, set to take place in 2027 after the group's scheduled "M72" world tour dates conclude in July 2026.

The Las Vegas Sphere is a 17,600-capacity venue which has transformed live entertainment since opening in September 2023.

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

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

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

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

Quite possibly the era's most highly anticipated album, TOOL's latest LP, "Fear Inoculum", debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 and earned heaps of critical praise, with NPR saying, "'Fear Inoculum' was worth the 13-year wait," Revolver proclaiming the album "a masterpiece to be dissected for years to come" and Consequence saying the release finds "TOOL in peak performance."

In 2022, TOOL released "Opiate2", a re-imagined and extended version of the 1992 EP's title track and an accompanying short film, marking the band's first new video in 15 years. The band also unveiled the first incarnation of "Fear Inoculum" vinyl, dubbed the Ultra Deluxe edition, the limited offering included five 180-gram vinyl discs emblazoned with a unique etching and accompanied by an elaborate pictorial booklet including never-before-seen artwork.

TOOL formed in 1990, releasing five studio albums: "Undertow" (1993),"Ænima" (1996),"Lateralus" (2001),"10,000 Days" (2006) and "Fear Inoculum" (2019); two EPs: "72826" (1991) and "Opiate" (1992),and the limited-edition boxset "Salival" (2000). The band has won four Grammy Awards: "Best Metal Performance" (1998, "Ænima"),"Best Metal Performance" (2002, "Schism"),"Best Recording Package" (2007, "10,000 Days") and "Best Metal Performance" (2020, "7empest").

In a new interview with Jacob Ridenour of the Wildman Podcast, vocalist Chuck Billy of San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans TESTAMENT addressed how the Internet has not only changed how we consume music but also the music itself, particularly as it relates to vinyl's resurgence in popularity, with some fans craving better sound quality after being served digital mediums like the ultra-compressed MP3 format.

On the topic of how the rise of streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Amazon Music has disrupted the traditional sales model, making it difficult for rock bands to rely heavily on album sales, whether through vinyl records, cassette tapes, CDs, or even digital downloads,  Chuck said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's no Tower Records anymore. Walmart stopped selling CDs. Best Buy stopped selling CDs. Record shops are just a handful of mom-and-pop record stores now, so the physical sales are just kind of gone. There's the specialty stuff that labels put out, 'cause true fans like collectible, special stuff. It's there, but it's not just the physical CD anymore; it's that digital print. But the sad thing is a lot of bands gotta figure out how to either renegotiate and get a better digital rate since things have changed. And once you're stuck in your old contract, you'll kind of wanna change the deal. It's like that credit card that just kind of keeps growing on you, that interest rate."

When Ridenour noted that "vinyl has a different sound than digital", Billy concurred. "Yeah, it does to a certain point," he said. "I would say the earlier records, like our first couple of records, when we were mixing those records, we were actually burning them to vinyl to listen to them, 'cause that's what we were putting out back then. So you were actually mixing records to sound correctly through the turntable, where down the road when bands or labels were just taking CDs, albums made for CD quality, transfer them right to digital without really EQing them properly and making them correctly, don't transfer the same. 'Cause I could hear some records I put on that sound really thin still, that don't have that warm feeling like a record from 1980 or before that has that really warm feeling."

Chuck added: "CDs sound better when you play 'em through a CD player, than digital, like [when] you listen to it off your phone or something. There's something to that, like when I put a CD in, I'd rather listen to that in my vehicles than the digital. Something about — it's made to sound better."

TESTAMENT recently announced the U.S. leg of its "Thrash Of The Titans" world tour. The trek, which will launch in March, unites the band with fellow thrash legends OVERKILL and DESTRUCTION for one of the fiercest tours of the new year.

TESTAMENT's latest album, "Para Bellum", came out in October 2025 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was recorded with Juan Urteaga and mixed for the first time by Jens Bogren. The cover art was once again painted by Eliran Kantor.

When "Para Bellum" was first announced in August, it was accompanied by the official music video for the LP's first single, "Infanticide A.I.", directed by Joey Durango.

A major evolution on "Para Bellum" was the addition of powerhouse drummer Chris Dovas, whose precision, speed, and instinctive dynamics infuse the album with fresh energy. Working closely with TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson throughout the writing process, Dovas helped shape song structures, accelerated the workflow, and injected a level of versatility that amplifies the album's modern edge without straying from the TESTAMENT sound.

A couple of years ago, TESTAMENT entered a new partnership with Nuclear Blast which secured the first six albums of the band's catalog in the United States. Starting in late 2023 the band saw the re-release of the first two albums. In January 2025, the reissue of TESTAMENT's third album, the band's seminal 1989 effort "Practice What You Preach", was made available. The original master of the album was released as a CD, an orange bone swirl LP, a limited-edition orange cassette (700 worldwide) and a limited-edition long box (CD, sticker, and button, limited to 500).

PRONG will release a new live album, "Live And Uncleansed", on March 6 via SPV/Steamhammer. Recorded over seven nights in July and August 2025, the LP sees guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor and bandmates Christopher Dean (bass) and Tyler Joseph (drums) deliver eleven powerful live songs (plus three live bonus tracks),all pure and unadulterated, authentic and honest, which is the reason why the result is so incredibly captivating.

A performance video of the PRONG classic "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck", taken from "Live And Uncleansed", can be seen below.

Victor states: "This live version of 'Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck' is raw, high energy and unpolished.

"If you want to get exposed to PRONG or you want to get a taste of their explosive live show, this song is a must!"

Track listing:

CD

01. Revenge…Best Served Cold
02. Inheritance
03. The Descent
04. One Outnumbered
05. No Question
06. Sublime
07. Not Of This Earth
08. Home Rule
09. Ultimate Authority
10. Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck
11. However It May End

Bonus tracks:

12. Out Of This Misery
13. Corpus Delicti
14. Whose Fist Is This Anyway?

LP

Side One

01. Revenge…Best Served Cold
02. Inheritance
03. The Descent
04. One Outnumbered
05. No Question
06. Sublime

Side Two

01. Not Of This Earth
02. Home Rule
03. Ultimate Authority
04. Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck
05. However It May End

Victor previously said about the live LP: "We were really well rehearsed. This is truly a live (!) record, everything is as is. You can hear some of the little mistakes here and there, but that makes it cool!"

At last October's Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California, Victor told Rock News Weekly about "Live And Uncleansed":  "It's from the last tour we did. We picked and chose from a European tour — picked and chose from a selection of 14 different shows. They really centered around — it came down to four shows that were good, and we picked from them. It's a short record, though. It's gonna be just a single vinyl and a single CD. And then we're going in — we signed to Napalm Records, and the [new PRONG] studio album will be out in October [of 2026]."

Formed in 1986 by Victor and cemented into American metal legend, PRONG have never released their grip on the scene. From the '80s club basements of New York City to the MTV "Headbangers Ball" era with '90s classics "Beg To Differ", "Prove You Wrong", "Cleansing" and "Rude Awakening", to their official return in the late aughts and today, PRONG have stood their ground as household names in the metal universe, continuing to put out grippingly gritty, provocative and vital records for the next generation of heavy music fans.

PRONG's new partnership with Napalm Records was announced in June 2025. It came on the heels of the band's European headline tour celebrating 31 years of their aforementioned 1994 album "Cleansing".

Asked by Metal Insider if he had any fond memories of making "Cleansing", Victor said: "Yeah, in the studio, there's a lot of fond memories. The preparation for it and the chaos that consumed the whole pre-production period, and I've been through it so many times in my career. Member changes, namely Troy Gregory leaving, and again the bulk of the work being thrown on me to solve all these problems while handling the business and personal matters. I remember that being extremely stressful. I think it catered to the inevitable/possible disappointment with 'Rude Awakening', and I just remembered how much work and how much sacrifices I had to make in order for those records to come into fruition. But the process was great. I mean, working with Terry Date was always a pleasure, more so on 'Cleansing'. I got to mix a record with him at Electric Lady Studios in New York, which is an experience I will never forget. We had a lot of fun with the guitar tracks, and again with PRONG, it wound up being a solitary experience. That's just the way it is. I mean, people tend to think a lot of times that when you're making records, and I guess if you're a rap artist this may not apply, you're surrounded by this posse and everyone's partying, you're in the studio listening to the same track over and over again, bringing your buddies in to hear stuff, like as if that was the '90s. It wasn't like that for PRONG at all. I was in the studio all day long with Terry, making decisions, laying guitar tracks on it, vocals, and the traveling. At that point, the budget was enough where we did sessions in multiple places. Then when you finish the mixes, there's always the mastering problem. That record was mastered four times before we settled on the brilliant mastering that we inevitably had. So, I mean, it's a great-sounding record. There is an amazing magic to that record, and a lot of that record came together by accident. It was just one of those great moments in my life."

"State Of Emergency" came out in October 2023 via Steamhammer/SPV. The LP was helmed by producer Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) and included a cover of "Working Man", originally written and recorded by the legendary RUSH.

Prior to "State Of Emergency"'s arrival, Victor stated about the LP's stylistic direction: "It's a very PRONG record. I think it's totally genre-transcending and definitely ignores what's going on out there these days."

Commenting on his artistic approach, he said: "I like all kinds of music. This record totally reflects that because it covers lots of different angles. At the same time, 'State Of Emergency' is very guitar-oriented and a typical example of my style.'"

Photo credit: Peter Vangelder (courtesy of Palmer Turner Overdrive for SPV/Steamhammer)

PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS, the band featuring former MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell alongside his sons Todd, Dane and Tyla has canceled its previously announced shows in Australia and Europe from March to May "due to medical advice Phil has just received".

PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS said in a statement: "We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this is likely to cause our fans, but Phil's health will always be our number one priority."

Affected shows:

March 06 - AU - Brisbane, The Triffid
March 07 - AU - Sydney, Manning Bar
March 08 - AU - Melbourne, Max Watts
March 10 - AU - Adelaide, Lion Arts Factory
March 11 - AU - Perth, Magnet House
April 18 - DE - Remchingen, No Playback Festival
May 02 - NO - Kopervik, Karmøygeddon Metal Festival
May 09 - SI - Tolmin, Open Air
May 16 - DE - Oberscheidweiler, Resäcker Open Air

In a December 2025 interview with Strefa Music Art, Phil was asked if there were any plans for PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS to record the follow-up to the band's third album, "Kings Of The Asylum", which came out in September 2023 through Nuclear Blast Records. It was PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS' first studio release to feature singer Joel Peters. Phil said: "Well, let's say we've got about eight to 10 song ideas. Eight are kind of recorded, just very roughly jamming. So, no serious recording yet, but we've got ideas to start on and everything.

"We've been so busy all year — we get busier every year — but we have a little break now after this next tour," Phil explained. "And in January and February we will try and knuckle down and get in the studio. We're lucky that Todd has his own studio real close to where we live, so we we can go down there whenever we want. That's where I feel most comfortable and relaxed there, yeah. So there's no time pressures, [nobody] say[ing], 'No, you've gotta finish today' or 'You've gotta be out by six o'clock, because there's another band coming in.'"

Asked if that means that fans can expect new material somewhere from PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS in 2026, Phil said: "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We've gotta get a permanent singer yet. Joel left. We've got a great singer that's helping us out for the moment. His name is Julian Jenkins. He sings in a band called FURY. He [also] plays the guitar in a band called FURY. So he's a friend of ours. He's done a few shows with us already, and he's fantastic. So he'll be on this big [fall 2025 European] tour. Now he's helping us out. And I'm not sure what we're gonna do [after] that, but we will have a permanent replacement at some point."

Originally formed as a side project towards the last couple of years of MOTÖRHEAD by Campbell under the banner PHIL CAMPBELL'S ALL STARR BAND, the band decided to take it up a level and revealed the new name of PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS at Wacken Open Air 2016. A self-titled EP was released a few months later. Led by one of the genre’s most respected guitarists and completed by his sons Todd, Tyla and Dane, PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS emerged on to the 2017 touring circuit powered by a huge amount of good will, a smattering of MOTÖRHEAD covers and a handful of new songs that crackled with passion and swagger. Landing themselves a prestigious support slot on GUNS N' ROSES' 2017 summer stadium run, the BASTARD SONS hit the ground running.

By the time the band released their debut album, "The Age Of Absurdity", in January 2018, this honest rock and roll enterprise had organically blossomed into a pretty big deal. The album garnered widespread great reviews, picking up an award for "Best Debut Album" at Metal Hammer Germany's 2018 awards. Two years later, recorded and engineered during lockdown by guitarist Todd Campbell, the second album was just the tonic people needed. It was called "We're The Bastards" and it was bigger, better and even more raucously uplifting than its predecessor, with Top 40 national chart entries in four countries.

Campbell was a member of MOTÖRHEAD from 1984 through 2015, and for the last 20 years of the band's existence was its sole guitarist, appearing on classic releases such as "Orgasmatron", "1916" and "Bastards", among others. With Lemmy's 2015 passing, MOTÖRHEAD came to an abrupt end.

In October 2019, Phil released his first-ever solo record, "Old Lions Still Roar". The album, which had been in the works for more than five years, included guest appearances by Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST),Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER) and Alice Cooper, among others.

Lemmy died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

PCATBS regret to announce that due to medical advice Phil has just received, we have been forced to make the decision to...

Posted by Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons on Friday, February 13, 2026

Gameloft, leader in the development and publishing of multiplatform games, has teamed up with iconic British power metal band DRAGONFORCE for a collaboration on the global hit racing game "Asphalt Legends".

This in-game collaboration sees the game updated with six DRAGONFORCE songs, a dedicated spotlight event, new custom decals and a DRAGONFORCE special-edition car.

New decals:

* Porsche 935 DragonForce Edition - An enhanced edition of the regular car, based on the "Inhuman Rampage" album
* Porsche 911 GTS Coupé - New DRAGONFORCE aesthetic
* BXR Bailey GT1 - Based on "Extreme Power Metal" album
* Nilu27 NILU (new car) - Based on the "Ultra Beatdown" album

New music tracks:

* "Through The Fire And Flames"
* "Burning Heart" (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)"
* "Fury Of The Storm"
* "Heroes Of Our Time"
* "Cry Thunder"
* "Highway To Oblivion"

New Rhythm Overdrive game mode:

Take to the track in an all-new racing mode that tasks you with outracing security opponents while picking up collectibles. Keep the race going and stay in sync with the beat or lose your rhythm with the screen going grey and the music beat bottom out.

See a trailer for the collaboration below.

DRAGONFORCE is best known in the gaming community for its song "Through The Fire And Flames", which was featured as a notoriously difficult, unlockable bonus track in "Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock" (2007). It is considered one of the hardest songs in the series' history.

Last June, DRAGONFORCE unleashed a new official music video for an alternate version of its album track "Burning Heart", featuring now-former ARCH ENEMY frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz. Originally released as a bonus track on select editions of DRAGONFORCE's celebrated 2024 album "Warp Speed Warriors", the special version supported by White-Gluz's distinctive vocals is now out as its own single.

Formed in 1999, DRAGONFORCE has earned their reputation as the world's fastest band via its power metal anthems filled with spectacular guitar solos, including the iconic platinum-selling hit "Through The Fire And Flames". Several of the songs on "Warp Speed Warriors" have already gained over a million streams on Spotify.

In May 2024, DRAGONFORCE teamed up with "Brawl Stars", a hit multiplayer mobile game with over one billion downloads, to celebrate a brand new character entering the game with a new song, "A Draco Tale", and music video.

"Warp Speed Warriors" was released in March 2024 via Napalm Records.

On "Warp Speed Warriors", DRAGONFORCE — composed of of guitar virtuosos and founding members Li and Sam Totman, singer Marc Hudson, bassist Alicia Vigil and drummer Gee Anzalone — explored a wider range of varying musical styles than ever before, evolving their sound throughout the exciting musical journey while still staying true to their roots.

"Warp Speed Warriors" was produced, mixed and mastered by Damien Rainaud at Mix Unlimited in Los Angeles, California with Sam Totman and Herman Li.

In March 2019, the "Through The Fire And Flames" music video reached a new milestone: it surpassed one hundred million views on YouTube — DRAGONFORCE's first music video to do so.

"Through The Fire And Flames" is the leadoff track from 2006's "Inhuman Rampage" album, which was officially certified gold in July 2017 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies.