During a February 4 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Dave Mustaine once again spoke about his decision to include his version of "Ride The Lightning", the title track of METALLICA's 1984 album for which he got a co-writing credit following his 1983 departure from the band, on the final MEGADETH album, simply titled "Megadeth". Regarding when he came up with the idea to record this particular METALLICA song, Dave said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we were past the halfway point in the album. 'Cause that song ended up being song number 13. And when the time came to do that, we were talking about — what we usually do is a rendition of somebody's song that we like or something like that, or a remake. And when I was talking with [my son] Justis [who is part of the MEGADETH management team], he had said, 'Why don't you do 'Ride The Lightning'?' And I kind of looked at him like, 'Hmm.' And then I thought about it. I said, 'That's probably a good idea.' And I said, 'Let's try it.' We tried it. It was cool. And I said to the band guys, 'Okay, if we're gonna do this, let's make sure that we do it as good as the original or better.' 'Cause we gotta do that. If we're gonna honor those guys by doing a new version of the song that I did with James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman], I think it's important to make it as good or better. And what we did was we sped it up a little bit, and the drum fills at the very end, I told Dirk [Verbeuren, MEGADETH drummer], 'Have fun there. And you can beef it up if you want'. And I talked to Teemu [Mäntysaari, MEGADETH guitarist] and I said, 'The guitar solo that's in there, try and stay close to it, if you can.' 'Cause it really is Kirk [Hammett, METALLICA guitarist] doing an improvisation of what I was doing. 'So, let's have fun with it.' And the solo was a little different — close to the original that Kirk did, but it was a little different. And then there was the singing. James and I have instantly identifiable voices, but they're not at all alike. And I was listening to James sing, and it was fun for me to be able to listen to his vocal parts and break it down and hear how he sings, and then to go back and approach the song and try and sing in my style, which I do believe I put my DNA on that."

Mustaine continued: "It would've been different if I would've done a song by a band I was in that I didn't write. That's kind of like doing a weird nepotistic cover song. But this is one of my songs. So, yeah, I loved doing this. I loved writing it with James, and I loved playing it with MEGADETH."

Asked if he thinks MEGADETH will include "Ride The Lightning" in the live set on the upcoming tour, Mustaine said: "Oh, shit, Eddie. You don't have to ask me that. [Laughs] Maybe. Maybe. We do play 'Mechanix'."

During the same chat, Mustaine spoke about his ongoing battle with Dupuytren contracture, a condition that causes one or more fingers to bend toward the palm of the hand. The affected fingers can't straighten completely. Asked if he is concerned about his physical ability to play all the shows on MEGADETH's upcoming final tour, Dave said: "I have concerns, but they're small. And I'm in good condition, and I have a great trainer that travels with me and I've got a very healthy band. My family's very healthy. It's just part of our way of life. And the stuff that I went through when I was younger, that was stuff that I went through. Nobody in our family ascribes to that lifestyle."

After host Eddie Trunk noted that Mustaine has "people that will work with" Dave to make sure that he is able to get through the shows, Mustaine said: "Well, I can't do anything about my hands. The next thing to do is go back to the hand surgeon. And the stuff with my back, I have fusion in my spine and I've got fractures and compression and bulging discs going on back there. So it's painful. I know that there's a lot of other guys that were dealing with this kind of chronic pain from headbanging a lot. And we would hear about 'em, and I would think, 'Man, I'm so sorry for you.' One of the guys — I think the guy was from DEATH, or what was the band that [ex-MEGADETH bassist] Jimmy MacDonough was in? ICED EARTH. Yeah, ICED EARTH. That guy's got a really bad back, supposedly. I never got a chance to talk to him about it, but I heard about that."

Mustaine co-wrote the song "Ride The Lightning" with Hetfield, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich and then-METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton.

"Mechanix" was the original version of "The Four Horsemen", the METALLICA song that was co-written by Mustaine and included on METALLICA's debut album, 1983's "Kill 'Em All". METALLICA wrote new lyrics and renamed the song "The Four Horsemen" after Dave was kicked out of the band. The track "Mechanix" later appeared on MEGADETH's debut album, 1985's "Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good!".

MEGADETH secured its first-ever first No. 1 album in the U.S. with the band's final self-titled effort. "Megadeth" debuted at the top of the chart after earning 73,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending January 29, according to Luminate. The bulk of that sum was driven by pure album sales (purchases of physical and digital copies of the album),totaling 69,000.

The follow-up to "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", "Megadeth" was released via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label.

MEGADETH also claimed the top spot in Australia (highest previous position No. 2) and Austria (highest previous position No. 8). Other top five spots included No. 2 in Finland (and No. 1 physical),Sweden (plus No. 1 physical; highest previous position No. 9),and Belgium (highest previous position: No. 6); No. 3 in both the U.K. and Germany (highest previous position No. 6); No. 4 in the Netherlands (highest previous position No. 7); and No. 5 in both Italy (highest previous position No. 15) and New Zealand (highest chart position ever).

In a recent interview with Spain's MariskalRockTV, Mustaine also spoke about his decision to include his version of "Ride The Lightning" on "Megadeth". Regarding why he chose to record "Ride The Lightning" at this point in his career, Dave said:  "Probably 'cause it was the most emblematic of my guitar influence. The spider chord — you know how I do the spider chord. And then there's something called grunting, where I'll hit the chord a half a step below the note I want to go to. I'll fret it and I'll slide into it… It's way heavier. So, to me, I call that grunting. So spider chords and grunting are in 'Ride The Lightning'."

Mustaine continued: "Having written so much of the songs with [METALLICA] — people think I wrote a lot, but on that record ['Ride The Lightning'], it was 'The Call Of Ktulu', which used to be called 'When Hell Freezes Over', and [the title track] 'Ride The Lightning'. And the previous album [METALLICA's 1983 debut, 'Kill 'Em All'] had four songs on it [that I co-wrote]."

Asked if the guitar solo in MEGADETH's version of "Ride The Lightning" is "very close to the original song" because current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett copied Mustaine's solo from Dave's original version of "Ride The Lightning" with METALLICA, or if Mustaine simply "wanted to respect" Hammett's work by reproducing Hammett's solo from the 1984 album, Dave said: "I think Kirk — if you listen to [METALLICA's 1982] 'No Life 'Til Leather' demo and then you listen to the 'Kill 'Em All' record, it's pretty clear that that Kirk had some instruction [about how to approach the guitar leads on that album]. Was it note for note? No. But it was pretty close. So, when the opportunity came to do 'Ride The Lightning' [with MEGADETH], I didn't really feel like I knew the song very well anymore, and I don't remember what I played on for that song, for 'Ride The Lightning'. I had a hard time finding anything that I played on either. So we just figured, 'Fuck it. [Current MEGADETH guitarist] Teemu [Mäntysaari] and I'll split the solo up, and half of it'll be for him and half of it'll be for me,' and it turned out so that [Teemu] did a little more than half."

In December 2025, Mustaine told Guitar World magazine about his decision to include his version of "Ride The Lightning" on "Megadeth": "The main reason I chose to do this was to close the circle and pay my respects to my partners. I thought this was a really great way to do that.

"Whenever we select any other band's music to go on our albums, sometimes there's a lot of thought behind it and sometimes there's not. This was one of the ones that we thought long and hard about, because all I wanted to do was play the song I wrote with the guys in METALLICA," Mustaine explained. "I wanted to pay my respects to James Hetfield, who I think is an amazing guitar player, and Lars Ulrich, who was an excellent songwriter. I remember when I was there and we were putting these songs together, Lars didn't just sit there; he was very instrumental in making these songs.

"Of course, when we got into making demos of these songs, it was fun to do the recordings, but we were never really able to do a full-on produced version of 'Ride The Lightning' [while I was in METALLICA], and I would have loved to have heard that.

"I gotta tell you — listening back to James's original vocal performance, it was really tremendous," Dave added.

"Anyway, there's no big strategy; I have respect for the guys, and I just wanted to show that. And it's a hell of a song."

Mustaine previously talked about his version of "Ride The Lightning" during an appearance on the December 5, 2025 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Dave said at the time: "We're managed by three men — Danny Nozell, Steve Ross and Justis Mustaine. And we were talking with management, and we were just kind of yacking about what the cover song was gonna be on the record, 'cause we always did cover songs on our records. But this wasn't a cover song, because I wrote it with James. And it just became clear that I should do this, because if I'm going to ride off into the sunset, I wanna pay tribute to the band that I started in, and I wanted to make mention about what I think about James."

Mustaine continued: "I think [James is] an exceptional guitar player. I remember the day that I saw him play guitar for the first time. We were playing at the Whisky [A Go Go in West Hollywood, California]. And we had a guitar player with us, and his name was Brad Parker. And the night of the show he changed it to Damian Phillips. And he showed up at the Whisky in mid-1980s Rudy Sarzo garb. And I thought, 'Wow, that's not gonna go down.' And I looked at him and he had a giant feather earring. And I thought to myself, 'This guy's not gonna be here very long.' So I go to rehearsal, after the show, the next rehearsal I go and there's no Brad, there's no Damian, nobody. It was just James playing guitar — like a motherfucker. And I thought, 'How did this happen? How did this guy go from singer to a great guitar player like this?' And I was excited for me. I was excited for the band. And we started playing then."

As for how "Ride The Lightning" was chosen as the song for MEGADETH to record this time around, Mustaine said: "With the track, choosing that, I figured it should be something that I had something to do with, but I didn't know it was going to turn out like that. Something off of 'Kill 'Em All' would've been obvious, and we already did that [with 'Mechanix']. And so I was thinking about 'Ride The Lightning', and there's only a couple songs on there that I wrote. And I didn't think that 'The Call Of Ktulu' would be the right move, 'cause that's not even how the song was when I was in the band; they changed it so much, so it's not the way that I remember it. So we started doing 'Ride', and it just felt so great, listening to the tracks, listening to James's singing, listening to how the song structure was. It was just great. I loved it. And I've always believed when you do a song from somebody, you've gotta do it as good or better — you've got to. So we sped it up a little bit and we beefed up a couple parts, just to make them a little bit more modern. And there you have it."

Mustaine also previously talked about MEGADETH's version of "Ride The Lightning" last October in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. He said at the time: "It wasn't really that I wanted to do my version. I think that we all wanted it to turn out a certain way, and for me, this was about something so much more than how a song turns out. It was about respect."

Speaking specifically about Hetfield, Mustaine added: "No one ever talks to me about that. One day he's a singer, the next day he's this fucking powerhouse and I've always respected him as a guitar player. So I wanted to do something to close the circle on my career right now, since it started off with [Mustaine's band before METALLICA] PANIC and several of the songs that ended up in the METALLICA repertoire, I wanted to do something that I felt would be a good song."

Elaborating on his reasons for recording "Ride The Lightning" for MEGADETH's final album, Mustaine said: "Our intentions were pure. I didn't have any reason I was going to say, 'Oh, hey man, this thing that we've had for 40 years where you guys will never tour with me, me doing the song is going to change things.' That wasn't it at all. It was more about: This is my life going forward. I want to do things that are respectable. And I think doing something where we can pay honor to the guy that … I mean, I hate to say this, because it's just so fucking arrogant, but the guitar playing in METALLICA changed the world."

In a separate video message, Mustaine said: "So on the new album we recorded 'Ride The Lightning', and the reason we did that was, obviously, it's a song that I had a lot to do with writing it. And James and I, when we were working on the song, it became clear to me, when James first started playing guitar, how good of a guitar player he was. And I thought it would be really cool to close the circle to show respect, to play the songs that I've written with METALLICA and to honor our friendship, even though it's been strained and ruined from emotions over the years when we were not necessarily friendly. But one thing I've always had is I've always had a tremendous respect for James's guitar playing andLars's [Ulrich] songwriting. So, it was cool to do this and add it to the record. We sped it up just a little teeny bit, and we kind of played around a little bit with the solo and Teemu and I both tossed it back and forth to each other. So, you might hear a little bit of some differences with the tempos and, of course, I sing different from James too. But once again, it was about completing the circle and just showing what James and I, as guitar players, did to change the world."

Mustaine was a member of METALLICA for less than two years, from 1981 to 1983, before being dismissed and replaced by Hammett.

Mustaine was not inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with METALLICA during the April 2009 ceremony at Cleveland, Ohio's Public Auditorium. Ulrich later explained to The Plain Dealer that Mustaine "never played on any METALLICA records. No disrespect to him. But there [were] half a dozen other people that were in the lineup in the early days. We thought... the fair thing to do would be to include anybody that played on a METALLICA record." He added: "Dave Mustaine was in the band for eleven months, predominantly in 1982... I'm not trying to play it down. I have nothing but respect and admiration for his accomplishments since."

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

Australian metalcore trailblazers THE AMITY AFFLICTION will release their long-awaited new studio album, "House Of Cards", on April 24 via Pure Noise Records.

"House Of Cards" is the first full-length outing from THE AMITY AFFLICTION to feature clean vocalist Jonny Reeves, who became a permanent addition to the lineup in 2025.

Bolstering Joel Birch's signature fusion of intense and open lyricism, the arrangements and vocal duality provided by THE AMITY AFFLICTION throughout the DNA of this new album is set to reaffirm the band's status as one of heavy music's most dynamic groups.

Today, the band shares the first taste of the new album — the impactful title track "House Of Cards". It is a song penned by Birch for his brother and sister (and himself),taking stock of the relationship shared with their mother — a central figure at the heart of the album.

Open about the difficult nature of the relationship shared between mother and children, Birch unpacks the thematic nature of "House Of Cards", saying, "Our mother died in 2024 and none of us had a healthy relationship with her. She was very self-involved, aggressive, abusive in our early years, and in her later years, spent a good amount of time trying to put a wedge between the three of us. Thankfully, once she passed, the three of us actually became closer as we realized we had individual, but shared trauma related to her."

With lyricism directly related to experiences Birch and his siblings experienced during their formative years, "House Of Cards" is a song that matches its sonic intensity with emotional weight threaded through its poignant words.

The single, both as an individual entry and as part of "House Of Cards"' broader tapestry, is a strong moment of acknowledging trauma but in doing so, navigating it with a redefined perspective on life and human relationships.

Released alongside the track is the music video for "House Of Cards", directed by Daniel Daly. Watch it below.

As demonstrated throughout 2025 with both music ("All That I Remember") and a huge return to touring across North America and Europe, the hunger THE AMITY AFFLICTION share with their global audience when it comes to new material remains fervent.

Across a two-decade strong career, the band has continued to take strides forward in delivering music that has brought them countless accolades including five ARIA No. 1 albums, over one billion streams, and numerous sold-out tours in both domestic and international markets. The release of "House Of Cards" in 2026 is set to be a powerful addition to a catalogue that remains one of Australia's best.

Australian fans won't be waiting long to see THE AMITY AFFLICTION back in action, with the band's 21-date regional tour with favorites IN HEARTS WAKE and REDHOOK starting in Queensland this week. The extensive tour will have THE AMITY AFFLICTION on the road through into March, a perfect primer for the band leading into the album release and their return to North America in April.

In addition to their current Australian tour dates, THE AMITY AFFLICTION has also been announced as part of the Hellbound heavy metal cruise for 2027. Setting sail in January 2027, the band will perform alongside heavyweights including PARKWAY DRIVE, ALPHA WOLF, I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN and THY ART IS MURDER.

Photo credit: Tom Brown

British symphonic black metallers HECATE ENTHRONED return seven years since the release of the group's last album with a new, vicious single, "Gallery Of Rotting Portraits". The official lyric video for the track — created by Jack Maguire from artwork by Erskine Designs — can be viewed below.

"The single takes its name from the morbid preservation of the peat bogs, where bodies like the Lindow Man have rested for centuries," explains HECATE ENTHRONED bassist Dylan Hughes. "'A Gallery Of Rotting Portraits' uses these 'pagan sacrifices' as a metaphor for obsolete devotion. It captures the jarring disconnect of unearthing a ritualized past only to find it stripped of its power. The song confronts the cold reality that while the bodies remain, the spirits and superstitions that put them there have long since rotted away, leaving us in a world devoid of its ancient magic."

"Gallery Of Rotting Portraits" gives us the first glimpse of the much-anticipated new HECATE ENTHRONED album "The Corpse Of A Titan, A Lament Long Buried", to be released May 29 on digipak CD, limited-edition colored vinyl, including 250 Boreal Light (EU) and 250 Draconic Vision (US) variants, and digital. A pre-order package is also available with exclusive merch design.

"The Corpse Of A Titan, A Lament Long Buried" is once again produced by HECATE ENTHRONED and Dan Abela (AKERCOCKE, BLEED FROM WITHIN, ANAAL NATHRAKH),who also mixed/mastered the album with cover art created by Erskine Designs (INANIMATE EXISTENCE, BLEED THE SKY).

Regarding the new HECATE ENTHRONED album, Dylan continues, "Our first release since 2019, these are huge, epic, hard-hitting songs carved in the traditional HECATE ENTHRONED way with a menacing veil delivered with a crisp punch. Lyrically based around ancient British myths and legends."

One of the U.K. underground's longest-running and most respected acts, HECATE ENTHRONED has been praised by the likes of Terrorizer for their "mixture of death metal aggression with black metal atmosphere" while New Noise Magazine declares them "an absolute must for fans of extreme gothic metal." Originally co-founded in Wales by guitarist Nigel Dennen in the mid-1990s, the band is dedicated to delivering their own brand of evil metal with little regard to politics or the trends of popular demand. The group's 1997 full-length, the Andy Sneap-produced "The Slaughter Of Innocence, A Requiem For The Mighty" (Blackend Records),was a seminal release in the then-burgeoning orchestral black metal movement, and since then, five more studio outputs including their M-Theory Audio debut in 2019 with the "Embrace Of The Godless Aeon" (HECATE ENTHRONED's first recording with vocalist Joe Stamps) and numerous live performances have firmly established the band as one of extreme metal's most important voices.

HECATE ENTHRONED is:

Joe Stamps - vocals
Nige Dennan - guitar
Andy Milnes - guitar
Dylan Hughes - bass
Pete White - piano/keyboards
Matt Holmes - drums

Swedish heavy metal veterans LION'S SHARE continue their comeback campaign by unveiling the official music video for "Pentagram", the opening track from their long-awaited album "Inferno", out March 27, 2026 via Metalville.

"Pentagram" kicks off "Inferno" with a dark, uncompromising tone. Musically, the song delivers classic heavy metal authority with sharp riffs, commanding vocals, and a sinister edge that makes it a natural introduction to the album.

LION'S SHARE vocalist Nils Patrik Johansson explains the inspiration behind the lyrics: "The song was inspired by a colleague of mine — a quirky guy in his 60s, a huge fan of heavy metal and black metal. At some point he decided he was a Satanist. Since he didn't want to keep his Christian first name, he simply flipped the letters around and officially registered a new one. I found the whole thing both dark and hilarious, and wrote a lyric about it. Needless to say, he was incredibly proud when he found out there was a song dedicated to him."

LION'S SHARE guitarist Lars Chriss adds: "'Pentagram' was a given choice as the opening track on 'Inferno'. It immediately defines the atmosphere of the album — dark, heavy, and straight to the point. It sets the listener's mindset from the very first second."

The accompanying black-and-white band performance video was filmed in November 2025 and directed by Tom Wouda. Featuring gritty, fast-cut performance footage shot in an industrial workshop filled with chains and heavy machinery, the video channels a modernized "Painkiller" vibe, perfectly aligning with the song's dark and foreboding atmosphere.

Formed in Sundsvall, Sweden in 1987, LION'S SHARE have built a respected legacy within European heavy metal, touring alongside legends such as MOTÖRHEAD, SAXON, DIO, MANOWAR, U.D.O. and Dee Snider.

Since 2017, LION'S SHARE has operated as a powerful duo with Chriss and Johansson, supported by trusted collaborators in studio and on stage.

With "Inferno" — their seventh studio album and first full-length release since the fan- and critically acclaimed "Dark Hours" (2009) — the band return sharper, heavier, and more focused than ever.

"Pentagram" is available on all digital platforms, accompanied by the official music video.

LION'S SHARE has also been confirmed for Alive Festival, one of Sweden's major summer festivals — taking place in Borlänge, Sweden on July 2-4, 2026.

LION'S SHARE is:

Nils Patrik Johansson - Vocals
Lars Chriss - Guitars
Andy Loos - Bass
Kay Backlund - Keyboards
Anuviel (SAECRED SPIRIT) - Keyboards
Fredrik Johansson - Drums

Touring lineup:

Nils Patrik Johansson - Vocals
Lars Chriss - Guitars
Andy Loos - Bass
Magnus Ulfstedt - Drums

Brutal Planet Records announces that two long-awaited titles from Florida Christian metal pioneers, Apostle, are finally getting the deluxe reissue treatment — and both are available now for pre-order at discounted prices exclusively at boonesoverstock.com.

– White Metal (1985) — available for the first time ever on CD and Vinyl, including the rare 1984 demo as bonus tracks
– Chariots Of Iron (1987) — the underground classic finally receiving its first official CD release

Both titles are fully remastered by Rob Colwell, feature expanded packaging with archival notes and rare photos, and are part of the Metal Icon Series. Quantities are limited, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.

In the early 1980s, when Christian metal was still finding its footing, Apostle emerged from Jacksonville, Florida, led by guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Matt Harding (1957–2012). What began as a small local group with a deep spiritual calling soon became one of the most dedicated and prolific underground acts in Christian metal. Formed in 1983, Apostle combined fiery, melodic metal with an unwavering devotion to sharing the message of Jesus Christ.

From the start, Apostle’s ministry reached beyond the church walls. As drummer Bill Box recalled, the band would play “anywhere and everywhere—clubs, reformatories, outdoor parks, churches, coffee houses, and skating rinks.” Their mission was to take the gospel wherever people would listen. Bassist Dave Lawson summarized their purpose simply: “What you have to do is sell out to Jesus and let Him change your life. We’ve tried to stay straight to the Bible and sing songs that glorify God.”

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Apostle toured widely across the South and Midwest, often sharing stages with national Christian rock and metal acts such as Whitecross, Bride, and Rez Band. In 1989, Apostle recorded with Glenn Kaiser (Rez Band/JPUSA) in Chicago—one of the scene’s most respected figures—resulting in their most polished and spiritually intense album. Harding’s soaring guitar work, layered harmonies, and heartfelt conviction set Apostle apart as a band unafraid to merge heavy music with deep faith.

Despite their talent and steady output, Apostle’s recordings were distributed only in small cassette runs, making them treasured finds among collectors. Their catalog remained largely unheard outside underground tape-trading circles. These official Retroactive Records reissues finally make that catalog accessible on both CD and vinyl for the first time—all beautifully remastered by Rob Colwell and accompanied by restored artwork and historical notes.

One exception, Prepare To Meet God, did receive a limited CD release years ago but quickly became nearly impossible to find. Its inclusion alongside the earlier Apostle material—and Matt Harding’s solo project Steel Armada—completes the long-overdue restoration of his musical legacy.

Albums included in this Retroactive Records / Metal Icon Series reissue campaign:

Apostle – White Metal (1985, +1984 Demo Tracks)
Apostle – King Of The Saints (1986)
Apostle – Chariots Of Iron (1987)
Apostle – Hymns (1988)
Apostle – Apostle (1989)
Apostle – Prepare To Meet God (1994)
Matt Harding’s Steel Armada – Steel Armada (1989)

Brutal Planet Records had been trying to obtain the rights to reissue Apostle’s music for nearly 30 years. After Matt Harding’s passing in 2012, they continued searching for any contact that could lead to his family or former bandmates—years filled with dead ends and unanswered messages. Eventually, they reached out to the Christian Rock & Metal Facebook group, asking its 80,000 members for help. Chris Rozier (writer for Heaven’s Metal Magazine) responded and connected them with Larry Motes, one of Apostle’s drummers. Larry then contacted Jacob Harding, Matt’s son, and through that connection, this long-awaited reissue campaign was finally set in motion.

Previously available only as a flimsy, low-quality cardboard-sleeve promo that barely surfaced in the collector world, Unburied has long been considered nearly impossible to obtain. This Brutal Planet Records edition finally gives these unearthed horrors a proper home in a jewel case with a 12-page lyric booklet, remastered by Rob Colwell and officially welcomed into the Metal Icon Series.

DEF LEPPARD bassist Rick Savage has told People magazine that he and his bandmates have already come up with enough ideas for an entire follow-up to 2022's "Diamond Star Halos" LP.

"We've really got enough material, and we'll have enough material to take us through to the end of the decade pretty much," Savage said. "We're a few songs short of having two albums."

Savage added that DEF LEPPARD is still working on new music and expects its thirteenth studio album to be released late this year or in early 2027.

"It's an ongoing process, really," Savage said. "If we needed to put the album out next week, we absolutely could, but we're still writing, we're still recording, we're still finishing off. It's like we always say, the last 20% takes 80% of the time to get it right. So, we're kind of in that process."

Last month DEF LEPPARD released a new single "Rejoice". The dynamic track came ahead of DEF LEPPARD's triumphant return to Las Vegas for their "Def Leppard: Live at Caesars Palace The Las Vegas Residency" that kicked off on Tuesday (February 3). "Rejoice" is available via UMe now on all streaming platforms. Watch the official lyric video below.

DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott stated about how "Rejoice" was created: "This song's been an amazing journey from concept to conclusion. I said to Phil [Collen, DEF LEPPARD guitarist] one day, 'I've got this idea for a lyric where the narrator is at absolute rock bottom and wants to rise up to a higher level. Do you have a musical piece that might match with that?' And he said, 'As it happens, yes I do.'"

Collen added: "I had this riff, this idea for a song a while ago actually, so when Joe came to me I created this drum loop based with a tribal sound and it fit perfectly with this other arrangement I had. I sent it to Joe and it was like magic — he sang straight over the top of it. And that's how the song was formed. Then we gave it to Ronan [McHugh] who'd done a proper drum loop with different sounds. It all started gelling and just sounded like a powerful chant. We love it. It's hard rock for us. It's got a bit more of an 'oomph' than stuff we've been doing for a while. It's kind of magical."

Last November, DEF LEPPARD drummer Rick Allen told The Sessions Panel that there was "lots of new music for DEF LEPPARD coming. I can't really talk about it that much, but the songs that I've been involved with, the songs that I've helped with recording. There's still quite a lot to do — details, some overdubs, that kind of thing. But the music is strong. We are fans of it, so we figure if we are fans of it, then other people are gonna love it."

In September 2025, Elliott confirmed that the band was working on its thirteenth studio LP. He told Planet Rock's Paul Anthony: "We're working through a new album right now, which won't be out [in 2026], but we may — and probably will — release a new song in time for [the Las] Vegas [residency] and then release another one again for the British tour [in June]. That's the plan that we have right now… So, we're gonna kind of drip feed songs from the album and then it'll [album] come out late '26, early '27 maybe."

In January 2025, DEF LEPPARD released a cover of Ben E. King's 1961 classic "Stand By Me". All proceeds from the song went to FireAid, which raises money for those impacted by the fires that swept through Los Angeles in January 2025.

DEF LEPPARD's version of the song is featured in the Netflix film "Bank Of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger", which was released in January 2025. The band can be seen performing the track before the credits.

DEF LEPPARD's "Just Like 73" single, featuring a guest guitar solo from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, was made available in June 2024.

DEF LEPPARD's 12th studio album, "Diamond Star Halos", came out in 2022. A year later, the band followed it up with "Drastic Symphonies", a collection of reimagining of some of DEF LEPPARD's greatest hits with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road. The album spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Current Classical chart.

In late 2024, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell underwent a bone marrow transplant as part of his treatment plan for Hodgkin's lymphoma, with which he was diagnosed in 2013.

In June 2025, Campbell revealed that he is "completely in remission" from the cancer of the lymphatic system.

Campbell — who before joining DEF LEPPARD in 1992 was well known for his work with DIO and WHITESNAKE — went public with his Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis in June 2013.

Vivian underwent three separate spells of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, only for his Hodgkin's lymphoma to return.

Seven years ago, Campbell underwent spine surgery.

Vivian and his DEF LEPPARD bandmates were finally inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2019 — 14 years after the British rockers first became eligible.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin (courtesy of Ume)

In a new interview with This Day In Metal, bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such of German thrash metal veterans SODOM once again discussed his decision to cut down on the band's touring activities for the foreseeable future. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have two kids. My daughter is 31, and my son is 28. So now I could spend more time with them and doing other things. I'm gonna do the re-releases for BMG. I also do some other things. I start writing new lyrics. I have new ideas for new songs already. You never can stop it. The only thing I stop is touring and all that stuff."

Tom went on to say that "it's a shame" he and his bandmates have not done any touring in support of their latest album, 2025's "The Arsonist".

"To make this decision to stop is always uncomfortable," Tom explained. "It's never a good time to stop. But nowadays, I enjoy my free time. I enjoy doing other things, like hunting and other stuff that I'm gonna do. And I don't wanna set up any time schedule for the next [live show] I wanna do. Just being on tour, playing festivals and shows, it's where the money's coming from.

"I know that we are gonna lose a lot of money because [we are not playing] all the festivals — just in Germany, we have 50 festivals around —and I know we're gonna lose, I especially will lose a lot of money, but I don't care," he continued. "I'm 63 years old. I have to calm down a little bit doing other things. My doctor said, 'You're in a very good condition, but calm down a little bit. Do other things.' But I know being on stage, it's my life — it's the biggest part of my life. But I don't wanna waste so much time for traveling around. Sitting on airports and hotels, backstage. If you are at my age, you think about the next years, what you're gonna do."

Tom also addressed the fact that a lot of international musicians are canceling U.S. tours because they have decided that going through the complicated process of getting a U.S. artist visa may not be worth the financial and safety risks.

"Visa, especially to go to the U.S., America., it's so much paperwork to do," he explained. "And it's so hard to get to U.S., America, just for a couple of shows. And I don't wanna live in U.S. I just wanna make a couple of shows and go back home. I don't wanna stay there. But it doesn't matter. They don't take care. You have to do all the paperwork. And I remember the last shows in U.S., America was really hard. In the end, we go to the embassy, to Frnakfurt, get an interview, what they call, and then you get the stamp, and it's very expensive. It's $2,000 [for] each person to get the working papers — for the band and also for the crew as well. And they ask me, why you don't take the crew in America? Because we have our own crew for all equipment. So a band has to take its own crew, because every guitar is different, every guitar amp is different. It's very hard. But American bands come to Germany or Europe [and they] just need a passport. They don't need any visa stuff."

Asked if his break from touring is a "full retirement" or if he plans to eventually come out and play a few shows with SODOM, Tom said: "No, no, no. It's like [SLAYER's] Tom Araya. You remember when he stopped doing this, he talked about the same [thing]. He said, when [they] release a new album, [a] SLAYER album, they are touring worldwide. And he said, 'I've never been home and I never seen my kids growing up.' So that's the same. But nowadays they're gonna do a couple of shows with SLAYER, and [SLAYER guitarist] Kerry King and all the other bandmembers have other bands touring around.

"I don't think about it," Tom continued. "But I cannot tell my band we just do five shows in a year. It's not enough. You have to do every show you can get. That is very important. But now it's gone for a while, and I have no plans, what to do."

Regarding how he is spending his time nowadays, Tom said:  "I'm looking not so much TV. I've spent more time with the family. I've spent a lot of time in my hunting district. I'm living without any pressure. I remember last year we had so many shows, and the time schedule was packed with everything. And then I thought, I have to stop it now. I wanna get more to my hunting district, because I have to do my job there and everything. Sometimes I'm just doing nothing. I just sitting, drinking my coffee. Just relax. But if you are touring and all this stuff, you can't relax. You're always under pressure. It's really hard. But the other guys from the band, I see [SODOM guitarist] Frank Blackfire, he is pushing his own band, which is called FRANK BLACKFIRE. And [SODOM drummer] Toni [Merkel], my drummer, he's the best drummer in Germany. He gets so many other bands he's gonna play drums with. That is not a problem.

"But I don't have any plans [to go back to playing shows]," Tom added. "I don't wanna set myself under pressure when I tell the people I'm coming back next year for the festival season or whatever. I don't know. When I think I have to go [play some shows], I go. I call my booking agency, try to get shows, whatever. But if you wanna play next year, the summer festivals, we have to book [it] now. That is the thing. But I never mind."

Last May, Angelripper also publicly discussed his decision to cut down on SODOM's touring activities for the foreseeable future. Asked by Chaoszine if this was a "hard decision" to make at this point in SODOM's career, Tom said: "Yes, because when you make a break or you stop something, the time is always uncomfortable, I think. The record company, they told me, 'Oh, you release a new album. You have to go on tour. You have to play festivals.' I know. But it's my decision. I'm working for the whole production, I'm working for the promotion for the new album. That's not a problem. But I wanna stop touring for a while. I need more time for my family, for my hobbies, for my good old friends or time for myself."

Tom continued: "My doctor said, 'You are in very good condition for your age, but slow it down a little bit.' And I'm still working on the band; I'm still working for re-releases. I just wanna do more home office. But I have no plan to come back. I don't wanna have any pressure. When I say, 'Okay, I come back in April '27,' whatever, I put myself under pressure. I don't want [that]. Maybe — I don't know how long it takes. I will see what happens. I don't have any plans. But I'm sure I'm coming back one day."

Angelripper previously discussed SODOM's decision to take a break earlier in May 2025 in an interview with RapidMetalFire. He said at the time: "I think you know the story of Tom Araya. Maybe you heard something about it. I think he's got the same problems, like [issues with his] neck [when performing live]. He couldn't more headbang. I can headbang. It's not so massive… But that is not the reason why. The reason why is I want to spend more time with other things. I want to spend more time with my family. I need more time going for my hunting district. I want to spend time doing nothing.

"If you are a professional musician — I'm also the manager of the band — you are busy every day," Such explained. "There is no time to breathe. There is no time to relax. I like to spend the time on stage. I like to spend the time making music, but I hate wast[ing] time on airports or hotels.

"If you're getting [63 years old] like me, you say, 'Okay, I need money to make my [living] from [playing] music.' I know — money is a very important thing. But there is something you cannot buy with money: the freedom," Thomas added. "And that's what I told to my boys, to my group. I told them, I think two years ago, 'In this year, I wanna slow down the things a little bit,' because I can't do nothing, because I'm still working on re-releases. The only difference is I have my home office. That's the only thing. But I can tell you, I have no plan what to do. I have no plan how long I'm gonna rest. I have no plan when I restart the band, so I don't wanna live without any plans in the next times. I can't tell people I want to come back in '27 or '28, maybe '26 — I don't tell the people. When I think I wanna come back, I go."

Asked if SODOM is still "receiving booking requests" from promoters around the world, Thomas said: "I receive a lot of booking requests… I get some offers from this [and that] festival. I get some offers for making a tour with HEAVEN SHALL BURN. They were interested in maybe a SODOM tour. I get a thousand of requests [for] the 'Big Four' [of German thrash metal: KREATOR, DESTRUCTION, SODOM and TANKARD] worldwide. That is not a problem… People are still interested. It's not something bad because we have no success. I can book tours every day over the year, if I want. That is another thing. SODOM is still — we are still very much a success, I think. People are really interested in coming [to see us]… So that is not the problem. I know that people wanna see SODOM."

Elaborating on his reasons for taking a break from the road, Thomas said: "I love my fans, but I also love myself. I also love my family. I also love my old friends. Now it's time to stop [and] just [concentrate on] doing other things. That's very easy. I'm still healthy. I'm able to do it. I'm still creative. Maybe the day will come I don't know what to do, I'm not more creative, I cannot write lyrics, I cannot play bass. Then it's gone. It's just a break. But I don't know how long it takes."

February 3, 2026 marked comedian Dean Delray's 60th birthday and the final edition of his legendary Bon Scott / AC/DC tribute show.

Billed as a very special, one-night-only event, the evening blended stand-up comedy and a live tribute to Scott, celebrating the iconic AC/DC frontman at the Avalon Theater in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

The first hour of the show was stand-up comedy with Bill Burr and Dean Delray, followed by a two-hour tribute to the Bon Scott era of AC/DC.

This final tribute featured an incredible lineup of rock 'n' roll heavyweights, including Josh Homme (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE),Gene Simmons (KISS),Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),Steve Gorman (THE BLACK CROWES),Larry "Ler" LaLonde (PRIMUS),Billy Rowe (BUCKCHERRY, JETBOY) and Mike Inez (ALICE IN CHAINS),with Dean Delray handling lead vocals.

Fan-filmed video of the event can be seen below.

For more than 40 years, Delray has assembled an annual celebration of Bon Scott alongside his musician friends, evolving into a true who's who of rock 'n' roll. Over the years, past performers have included Dave Lombardo (SLAYER),Josh Freese (FOO FIGHTERS, NINE INCH NAILS),Bill Burr, Brad Wilk, Greg Dulli, Juliette Lewis, Larry "Ler" LaLonde, Billy Rowe, Scott Ian (ANTHRAX),Scott Holiday, Steve Gorman and Mike Inez, among many others.

Bon Scott died on February 19, 1980 in London, England. He choked to death on his own vomit while sleeping in a friend's car. According to the AC/DC FAQ web site, he and the friend, a musician named Alisdair Kinnear, had been drinking the evening of February 19 and Bon apparently fell asleep during the ride home. Kinnear could not wake Bon, so he left him in the car to sleep. Kinnear awoke early in the evening on February 20, checked on Bon, and found him unconscious in the car. Bon could not be revived, and was pronounced dead.

In a 2010 interview, AC/DC guitarist Angus Young stated about Bon's influence on the band 30 years after the singer's death: "I think it's just something that is part of you. It's like you lost someone close to you, in your family or a very close friend. You've always got that feeling they're there but you just, I suppose, miss them in the physical sense. There's always memories that keep coming back to you, and it doesn't matter what the situation is. You could be traveling, you could be relaxing somewhere, or going to play or being in the studio, there's always something that reminds you."

Bon Scott sang on AC/DC's first six studio albums, including "High Voltage", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Let There Be Rock" and "Highway To Hell".

68 tickets left for the Bon Scott tribute. Comedy a Rock n Roll on my 60th birthday Feb 3rd. Los Angeles with Gene...

Posted by Dean Delray on Wednesday, January 21, 2026

SLIPKNOT's set of previously unreleased songs recorded by four members of the band during the sessions for its 2008 LP "All Hope Is Gone" will finally be made available this spring.

SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan revealed the existence of the music in 2018, saying that he, singer Corey Taylor, guitarist Jim Root and DJ Sid Wilson wrote and laid down the more psychedelic-flavored tunes at a separate studio during an impasse in the recording of "All Hope Is Gone".

Now it has been confirmed that the effort, dubbed "Look Outside Your Window", will receive a vinyl release on Record Store Day (April 18).

In a statement shared online, SLIPKNOT stated about the inception of the "Look Outside Your Window" project: "We knew we were heading down a different creative path, entirely apart from SLIPKNOT, and we followed it eagerly. We called the project 'Look Outside Your Window' as a tribute to this experimental spirit.

"Created during a chaotic time in our shared history, the songs were born late at night, in a house on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Peering out through a big picture window, we wondered about what, or who, might be lurking outside. That sense of the unknown seeped into the music itself. There were no rules; ideas could come from anywhere: subtle drum loops, bits of organ or abstract guitar noise, even samples of frogs or crickets. Guided by emotion and instinct, we let the sounds themselves point the way."

"Look Outside Your Window" track listing:

01. 11th March
02. Moth
03. Dirge
04. Christina
05. Is Real
06. Away
07. In Reverse
08. Toad
09. Juliette
10. U Can't Stop This

"Look Outside Your Window" official product description: "'Look Outside Your Window' is Corey Taylor, Jim Root, Sid Wilson and Shawn 'Clown' Crahan, who, in the downtime during recording sessions for SLIPKNOT's 2008 album 'All Hope Is Gone', began to freely create songs for themselves, exploring new directions with no outside expectations. Over the years, the existence of this project has seen coverage in outlets including Vice, Revolver, NME, Kerrang! and countless others, and the fans have only grown louder in their demand to hear this album. Now over 15 years later, the fans will finally get to experience it for themselves. Splatter vinyl with a die-cut jacket, purple foil on the front of the jacket, purple flood inside the jacket, and embossed text on the back of the jacket."

While speaking to Upset magazine three years ago, Crahan stated about plans to issue "Look Outside Your Window": "It's an amazing body of work. You will never hear another Corey Taylor like this. The music and the words… it's one of the best things I've ever done in my life."

Crahan went on to say that he wants to make sure the project gets its own time to shine rather than being a half-hearted release.

"We wouldn't want SLIPKNOT to hurt 'Look Outside Your Window', and we wouldn't want 'Look Outside Your Window' to be a little irritation to SLIPKNOT. Why? Because it's beautiful God art and people deserve it… It'll be worth the wait."

Crahan previously spoke about "Look Outside Your Window" in an April 2021 interview with Knotfest.com. He said: "The reason why we never can commit to a date or anything is because — don't make it confusing. Don't make it something it's not. Don't call it something it's not. Accept it. It's music. It's art. It doesn't carry the SLIPKNOT name. Joey [Jordison, then-SLIPKNOT drummer] wasn't up the hill playing drums. He doesn't know anything about the songs. I think he's only been to the house once or twice. It's a completely different project. It was never held to piss people off. It was never held to prove a point.

"It's been mixed. It's been mastered. It's ready to go," he revealed. "We wanna put it out. But it's only gonna be put out when the priority is created correctly. It's up to everyone to sort of shut their mouths and not make it confusing. Don't let it affect SLIPKNOT. That's the priority — SLIPKNOT, SLIPKNOT, SLIPKNOT, SLIPKNOT. Everything else is just beautiful things that branch off of it. Everyone, quit confusing it. Accept it. We are an anomaly. We're too much. We're everything and anything at the same time and no time at all."

Regarding when the project might finally see the light of day, Crahan said: "It was created because we wanted to create art, and we did, and it ended up being something that everybody's gonna want, and they're gonna get it when it's right. Like we should think about having babies — only do it when we know we can be good mothers and fathers, when we know we're not gonna walk away from each other, when we know we're gonna be there for a reward for the child and give all of ourselves. That's the way we tried to do it, and we did — we tried to get it out.

"The reason why I'm holding out is because it's absolutely beautiful — I'm very proud of it; I'm so proud of everybody in it — and it just needs to be represented correctly," he added. "It needs not affect anybody negative. Nobody should be affected by it in any negative way; I won't allow it. And if it means people are going to, it will never see the light of day. 'Cause people make things confusing, and I won't allow it. Because when you grow older, you become wiser."

One of the songs that was originally part of the "Look Outside Your Window" sessions, "'Til We Die", surfaced on the digipak of "All Hope Is Gone", but the rest have not been made available anywhere.

In 2019, Taylor described the material on "Look Outside Your Window" to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" as "experimental," "super vibey" and "super melodic." He added: "There's something about those songs. They're very solemn, very energetic, very artistic. For people who are used to a certain way of SLIPKNOT sounding, this doesn't sound anything like that. It's much more of a rock vibe. Honestly, it's much more of a RADIOHEAD vibe, to be honest."

According to Taylor, the music that was recorded for "Look Outside Your Window" was originally supposed to be released simultaneously with the "All Hope Is Gone" tracks, but the plan never quite came together.

"Man, I tried like hell to make those two worlds come together — 'All Hope Is Gone' and 'Look Outside Your Window' — to the point where I was taking songs from both and kind of putting them together, like arrangement, sequencing," Corey told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". "I had two different versions of 'All Hope Is Gone' that I had put together with songs from that. And just honestly, because of the emotional rifts that were in the band, the turmoil that was going on, nobody wanted to try and make that work. So what we ended up with was 'All Hope Is Gone' and then this unreleased album, which we've been trying to find a way to release this for a really long time."

You can celebrate the 45th anniversary of MÖTLEY CRÜE with the "Live Wire" EP as part of Record Store Day on April 18.

Out of print for 45 years, the "Live Wire" radio-only promo EP will be made available with newly created cover art for the first time ever on 12-inch color vinyl.

Side A

01. Live Wire
02. Take Me To The Top

Side B

01. Merry-Go-Round

Find more information and a list of participating indie record stores at recordstoreday.com.

"Live Wire" was originally released as a single on August 16, 1982.

"The song is actually about domestic violence," MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx explained in 2019, noting that the track stemmed from his "relationship with my mother and these stepdads that used to beat me."

"Live Wire" was included on MÖTLEY CRÜE's debut album, "Too Fast For Love", which initially received a limited release via Leathür Records in 1981. A year later, the group signed a deal with Elektra, who, after remixing and adjusting the track listing, gave "Too Fast For Love" a wider release.

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

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

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

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

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

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SMITH/KOTZEN, the collaborative project featuring IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith and THE WINERY DOGS frontman and acclaimed solo artist Richie Kotzen, kicked off its 2026 European tour Tuesday night (February 3) at La Riviera in Madrid, Spain.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Life Unchained
02. Black Light
03. Wraith
04. Glory Road
05. Hate And Love
06. Taking My Chances
07. Darkside
08. Outlaw
09. Got A Hold On Me
10. White Noise
11. Scars
12. Running
13. Solar Fire

Encore:

14. You Can't Save Me (Richie Kotzen song)
15. Wasted Years (IRON MAIDEN song)

Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

Having first joined together as SMITH/KOTZEN on the 2021 self-titled debut album, which was a Top 20 hit in the U.K. as well as a huge success across the rest of Europe and North and South America, the duo played live to rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. They reconvened in 2024 to record their second full-length album, "Black Light / White Noise", which was released in April 2025, and has seen a huge demand from rock fans around the world for another tour.

When the European tour was first announced last June, Smith said in a statement: 'We've been blown away by the reaction to 'Black Light / White Noise'. We're extremely proud of it, and to know that it's been received so enthusiastically by fans old and new has been amazing. We can't wait to hit the road next year with Julia [Lage, bass] and Bruno [Valverde, drums] of course, and start playing some of these songs live."

Kotzen added: "From the moment we finished the record, we knew we had something special on our hands. It's been a joy for us both to play together in the studio and on stage, and to write some of the most exciting music we've ever done. Bringing it to bigger stages and even more people in the U.K. and Europe next year is going to be great. We'll see you all down the front!"

Ahead of the tour announcement, Adrian and Richie were presented awards for the No. 1 UK Rock & Metal Album chart success of "Black Light / White Noise" and were thrilled to accept the accolade.

During an appearance on a March 2025 episode of the Guitar Hang podcast, Kotzen spoke about "Black Light / White Noise", which was released via BMG. Regarding how he and Adrian go about writing music and lyrics together, Richie said: "There is a bit of a method to our madness. As far as how we record, we kind of adopted a little bit of the approach that I take with my solo albums, because the truth is that we kind of are writing as we go. And so the part that we adopted is this whole notion of everything is mic'd up and ready to go all the time. So the drums are downstairs in the drum room, mic'd up, there's a bass path for the signal to go, the guitar setup. And so what happens is as we're throwing it down, recording the ideas, we can, over the course of a week, two, three days, whatever, go back and change stuff until we get it how we like it. Even to the point that we can change the drum fill. It's, like, 'All right, well, yeah, I wanna rewrite this bridge, and it doesn't really work with the drum fill. If we change the drum fill somehow,' so I can go punch it in, and, bam, there it is."

Kotzen continued: "And then as far as the actual, where the stuff is coming from, the material, it comes from both of us. So, on one hand, Adrian will show up here in this room [at my house] with his laptop and start going through, 'All right. I got this idea. I got this,' and he'll play me five or six ideas. And so, for argument's sake, let's maybe say four of 'em I connect with: 'Oh, yeah, we can do something with that.' I'll put 'em in my computer, 'cause my computer has the software and it's connected to the outboard gear. So, then I'll say, 'Okay, well, I've got this,' and I'll play him six or seven [ideas].' And he'll say, 'All right, well, I like those three.' So we got seven things that are worth messing with. And this is where the process takes a lot of time, because we'll work on something and we'll build what we call a template. And so the template can be built on sometimes a simple drum beat that we play and program or the template can be me downstairs playing a form. And we've done both. And so what we'll do is build the track on that. And then from there we can decorate it however we wish."

Richie added: "The real fun is the lyrics and coming up with what do we wanna sing and talk about, which, depending on what day of the week it is, is sometimes obvious and then sometimes not so obvious. But something that happens is very interesting for us is that — and it happened on several songs. I know on the first record happened on 'Solar Fire' and on this record, it happened on 'Heavy Weather'. I would be singing something on my demo, and I would not be singing real words. It would be, like — I think the word's phonetic or something like [that]… And so it's, like, fake words, and I would do that. And I'd play it for him. And he'd say, 'Well, I like that chorus.' And he'd say, 'It sounds like you're saying 'heavy weather'.' I'm, like, 'Really?' I said, 'What do you mean? Like a bad storm?' He said, 'Yeah, exactly. Like a thunderstorm — heavy like a snowstorm, heavy weather.' I'm, like, 'Wow.' So, how would you write a song with the title 'Heavy Weather'? Well, it's something you have to face. You've never faced the heavy weather. And it's, like, 'Yeah, yeah, I like that. Let's write something off that.' And so now it turns into this conversation, and we're just talking. It's, like, well, imagine if you had a child and they grew up in a situation where everything was pretty much there for you. Everything is lined up for you to either take the ball and run with it or run it into the ground. And maybe they run it into the ground and then they kind of have an attitude or they wanna blame. It's, like, well, wait a minute. You've never faced the heavy weather the way I have — meaning being left alone to your own devices, go figure it out for yourself. And so now we've got something to write about. And so that's how this stuff happens. All of 'em, really. You come up with a situation that either you went through or you fabricate. That's the other thing. A lot of people have this misconception, like, everything that an artist writes about has to have happened to them. Not necessarily. It could have happened to somebody they know. It could be a fantasy or something imagined. Let's not close all the doors of creativity."

Recorded at The House, Los Angeles, California, produced by Richie and Adrian and mixed by Jay Ruston, "Black Light / White Noise" was previously described in a press release as a "ten-track … masterclass in modern rock, with Adrian and Richie's prodigious talents as songwriters, musicians and vocalists on full display."

"We had a lot of fun making this," Adrian said. "We'd be writing and I'd want something inspired by some of my old hard rock or blues go-to bands then it'd go into a more progressive feel — and then Richie has these strong soul influences so there's a lot to dig into there too. Influences are what makes the musical world go round — they go through you and come out slightly differently."

"SMITH/KOTZEN is all about finding common ground," added Richie. "Maybe Adrian will tend to go heavy, and then I'll lean more in the fusion or funk or soul side of things, but somewhere in the middle is our sound: that heavy blues rock vibe that we really connect on."

"Black Light / White Noise" is a truly magnificent collection of songs that stands shoulder to shoulder with some of Smith and Kotzen's finest work to date. Atmospheric, ambitious, diverse and brilliant, the LP not only features stratospheric guitar solos and raw, bluesy vocals but soulful touches, intricate playing, beautiful songwriting and an assured poise and style that brings to mind a host of legendary musicians (THIN LIZZY, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, CREAM, FREE, DEEP PURPLE) but is undeniably the work of Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen in perfect harmony.

Kotzen commented: "We're so proud of this new album. It follows on from our debut and the EPs by focusing on collaborating on riffs, lyrics, harmonies and vocals. There's a SMITH/KOTZEN DNA now and it's definitely something we need to get out on the road with. I was pleased to work with my friend Jay Ruston on the mixing of the album, let alone my wife Julia (Lage) — who actually plays on 'White Noise' as well as four other tracks."

"We're like an extended family now," added Smith. "We have a sound and a vibe and I don't think many artists are doing what we do — sharing the vocals and the guitars. It takes me back to those classic bands like HUMBLE PIE and CREAM — which is not a bad place to start!"

In July 2024, Smith joined Kotzen on stage at the Islington Assembly Hall in London, England to perform THE YARDBIRDS classic "Shapes Of Things".

SMITH/KOTZEN released the "Better Days …And Nights" EP in September 2022 via BMG. The effort comprised five previously unreleased live tracks, plus for the first time ever on CD, the four studio tracks featured on their sold-out, limited-edition 12-inch vinyl EP, "Better Days", released in conjunction with Record Store Day in November 2021.

The live songs were recorded during SMITH/KOTZEN's inaugural whistle-stop tour of the U.S. and U.K. at the start of 2022, which attracted unanimously rave reviews from fans and media alike, celebrating the duo's debut on stage together with stellar back-up from Richie's wife, internationally acclaimed bass player Julia Lage (VIXEN),and drummer Bruno Valverde of ANGRA.

Japan's metal bible Burrn! magazine reviewing the Whisky A Go Go show in Los Angeles pronounced it, "An amazing night….this rock n' roll band is very different from any other…totally unique …and bringing you great songs!". U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine said the show was a, "masterclass in guitar playing and performance".

The original EP tracks were produced by Kotzen and Smith and mixed by Kevin Shirley. The live tracks were produced and mixed by Kotzen and Smith.

SMITH/KOTZEN's eponymous debut album was released globally through BMG in March 2021 to media and fan acclaim, charting No. 10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart in the U.S., Top 20 in the U.K. as well as in other major markets such as Germany, Japan and Canada.

Smith is best known as one of IRON MAIDEN's principal guitarists, having also enjoyed success as a solo artist. Kotzen is the frontman for THE WINERY DOGS as well as having been the guitarist for both MR. BIG and POISON during his long and acclaimed career, which has to date seen him release more than 20 solo albums. Both artists are also prolific songwriters.

POWERRAGE, the new band featuring former EXCITER guitarist John Ricci, will release its debut album, "Beast", on April 24 via High Roller Records. The LP was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound and it features artwork by Mario Lopez.

In addition to Ricci, POWERRAGE includes bassist Todd Pilon (formerly of WITCHKILLER),vocalist Jacques Bélanger (who previously sang on three EXCITER albums: "The Dark Command" [1997], "Blood Of Tyrants" [2000] and "New Testament" [2004]) and drummer Lucas Dery.

While Ricci and Bélanger were both members of EXCITER, John wants to make one thing perfectly clear. "Well, with this band I didn't want to be another EXCITER," he says. "It was time to move on. Even though EXCITER was based around my guitar style, and it was a successful formula, I wanted to start from scratch and start all over again.

"Starting over and not depending on your past accomplishments is definitely a very difficult task but I feel confident enough I can make it happen," he continues.

"I wrote everything on 'Beast': music, lyrics, melodies," Ricci explains. "POWERRAGE is 100 % my musical vision. All eight songs are brand-new — no rehashed riffs from my EXCITER days."

"Beast" track listing:

01. Dark Wings
02. Cremation Damnation
03. Dragon Man
04. Haunted Hell
05. I Torture I Kill
06. The Devil Is Screaming
07. Damned And Cursed
08. The Black Mass

More than seven years ago, EXCITER bassist Allan Johnson spoke to The Metal Voice about the September 2018 departure of Ricci. The guitarist has since been replaced by Daniel Dekay, who has previously played with DIEMONDS. Asked why Ricci decided to once again exit EXCITER, Allan said: "Well, that's still somewhat of a mystery. We haven't seen or actually spoke with John since it happened. We got back from our Singapore gig, and we started some e-mail chats back and forth, and John just said he's kind of getting fed up and he wants out. Dan [Beehler, drums/vocals] and I were actually quite surprised about this. First thing I said was we've got shows next year — tentative shows; nothing concrete — a couple coming up. They start to filter in quite quicky this time of year for 2019. So John said, 'You and Dan can go ahead and do the shows without me.' And that was pretty much it. He didn't give a solid reason why. I don't know what he meant by 'fed up,' but he said he was fed up. I confirmed with him. I said, 'Are you sure about this?' And he said, 'Yeah, I'm definitely out.'"

Ricci previously left EXCITER in 1985 following the release of the band's first three classic albums — "Heavy Metal Maniac" (1983),"Violence & Force" (1984) and "Long Live the Loud" (1985).

"It's funny because the first thing I said to Dan when I contacted him [to let him know John was out] was I texted him and I said, 'Guess what — it's 1985 all over again,'" Allan said. "And he said, 'What? What?' Like, what's going on? It's funny — it's like déjà vu. [In 1985], we came back from a U.S. tour and John said, 'I'm out. That's it. I don't wanna do it anymore.' And we were, like, 'Well, we've got a Germany tour. What do you wanna do?' And he said, 'Do it without me.' So back then, we got our old guitarist, Brian McPhee, from a band that Dan and I played with before we were in EXCITER. So it was like total déjà vu. Only this time we have an opportunity to do things better than we did back in '85. And by having Dekay onboard, I think we're gonna definitely do that."

EXCITER's latest album, "Death Machine", which featured Ricci as the sole remaining original member, was released in October 2010 via Massacre Records.

Ricci, Beehler and Johnson reunited as EXCITER in 2014 and had been playing sporadic shows until John's latest departure.

DEF LEPPARD kicked off its third Las Vegas residency, "Def Leppard Live At Caesars Palace: The Las Vegas Residency", on Tuesday, February 3. The 12-show run follows sold-out residencies in 2013 and 2019, marking the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees' first time at the 4,300-seat capacity The Colosseum.

DEF LEPPARD's setlist for last night's concert included the recently released single "Rejoice" as well as "White Lightning" (from 1992's "Adrenalize" album),which hadn't been played since the '90s.

DEF LEPPARD frontman Joe Elliott told People magazine about the band's latest Vegas residency: "We've scrapped everything we've ever used over the last five or six tours, which was adapted all the way, but we've just actually got rid of it and came up with a whole new stage show, including setlist."

In a separate interview with ABC Audio, Elliott stated about DEF LEPPARD's live show for the current Vegas residency: "The production is massive. It's the best we've ever had by a country mile. Visually it's insanely different to anything we've ever done."

Regarding the setlist for the residency, Elliott said: "We're pulling out stuff we haven't played in decades. Stuff we've never played before," including "Rejoice". Elliott explained: "It's the reason we released it, so that we could play it."

Remaining "Def Leppard Live At Caesars Palace: The Las Vegas Residency" shows at Caesars Palace: February 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26 and 28, starting at $110 plus tax and fee.

DEF LEPPARD's setlist for last night's concert was as follows:

01. Rejoice (live debut)
02. Animal
03. Let's Get Rocked
04. Personal Jesus (DEPECHE MODE cover) (live debut)
05. Bringin' On The Heartbreak
06. Switch 625
07. Just Like '73
08. Rocket
09. Rock On (David Essex cover) (first time live since 2019)
10. White Lightning (first time live since 1993)
11. Foolin'
12. Slang
13. Promises
14. Armageddon It
15. Love Bites
16. Rock Of Ages
17. Photograph
18. Hysteria
19. Pour Some Sugar On Me

Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

In January 2025, DEF LEPPARD released a cover of Ben E. King's 1961 classic "Stand By Me". All proceeds from the song went to FireAid, which raises money for those impacted by the fires that swept through Los Angeles in January 2025.

DEF LEPPARD's version of the song is featured in the Netflix film "Bank Of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger", which was released in January 2025. The band can be seen performing the track before the credits.

DEF LEPPARD's "Just Like 73" single, featuring a guest guitar solo from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, was made available in June 2024.

DEF LEPPARD's 12th studio album, "Diamond Star Halos", came out in 2022. A year later, the band followed it up with "Drastic Symphonies", a collection of reimagining of some of DEF LEPPARD's greatest hits with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road. The album spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Current Classical chart.

In late 2024, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell underwent a bone marrow transplant as part of his treatment plan for Hodgkin's lymphoma, with which he was diagnosed in 2013.

In June 2025, Campbell revealed that he is "completely in remission" from the cancer of the lymphatic system.

Campbell — who before joining DEF LEPPARD in 1992 was well known for his work with DIO and WHITESNAKE — went public with his Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis in June 2013.

Vivian underwent three separate spells of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, only for his Hodgkin's lymphoma to return.

Seven years ago, Campbell underwent spine surgery.

Vivian and his DEF LEPPARD bandmates were finally inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2019 — 14 years after the British rockers first became eligible.

After a busy period of working on various projects behind the scenes, Canadian sci-fi metal innovators VOIVOD have announced their upcoming tour dates across North America as well as a long summer touring campaign all over Europe. The band has also offered an update about their current studio activity and launched a new video clip for their classic track "Condemned To The Gallows".

VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin checked in with the following comment: "We are gearing for a very exciting year in the VOIVOD camp, as we are working on multiple projects at once. We have a brand new setlist for a few tours planned in 2026, where we will play with good friends like MIDNIGHT and BAT. We are mixing the Quebec City Symphonique Live album, while recording the next studio LP. A video game by Chaosmonger Studio is in the works as well.

"In the meantime, here's a video by Pierre Ménétrier for a re-recording of the very first song we ever wrote, 'Condemned To The Gallows'. The video was supposed to come out in 2023, but Pierre's computer crashed and most data was lost. Pierre, who also did the video 'Planet Eaters' for us, retrieved whatever he could and secretly salvaged the video over the last couple of years. The result is truly fantastic, so here it is. Enjoy!"

The video for "Condemned To The Gallows (2023 Version)", taken from VOIVOD's special 40th-anniversary release "Morgöth Tales" from 2023, was directed by Pierre Ménétrier and created by the production company Esprit Pop (managed by Bruno Beaudouin).

VOIVOD will next embark on a short North American run with BAT as well a newly announced comprehensive tour across Europe in the summer.

VOIVOD European tour dates:

June 04 - Stykkishólmur (Iceland) - Satan Fest
June 06 - Emmen (The Netherlands) - Pitfest
June 08 - London (UK) - The Underworld *
June 09 - Southampton (UK) - The 1865 *
June 10 - Bristol (UK) - Thekla *
June 11 - Nottingham (UK) - Rescue Rooms *
June 12 - Manchester (UK) - Rebellion *
June 13 - Glasgow (UK) - Slay *
June 15 - Belfast (UK) - Limelight 2 *
June 16 - Dublin (Ireland) - Whelans *
June 17 - Limerick (Ireland) - Dolans Warehouse *
June 19 - Vitoria-Gastiez (Spain) - Azkena Rock Fest
July 10 - Milan (Italy) - Frantic Fest Warm-Up
July 11 - Cagliari (Italy) - Cueva Rock
July 13 - Zagreb (Croatia) - Vintage Industrial
July 14 - Budapest (Hungary) - Analog Music Hall
July 15 - Vienna (Austria) - Arena
July 16 - Vizovice (Czech Republic) - Masters of Rock Fest
July 18 - Leoben (Austria) - Area 53 Fest
July 20 - Salzburg (Austria) - Rockhouse
July 21 - Munich (Germany) - Feierwerk
July 22 - Weinheim (Germany) - Cafe Central
July 23 - Essen (Germany) - Turock
July 25 - Brande-Hörnerkirchen (Germany) - Headbangers Open Air Fest
July 27 - Gdańsk (Poland) - Drizzly Grizzly
July 28 - Warsaw (Poland) - Hydrozagadka
July 29 - Bratislava (Slovakia) - Randal Club
July 30 - Belgrade (Serbia) - Zappa Barka
July 31 - Brasov (Romania) - Rockstadt Extreme Fest
Aug. 02 - Sofia (Bulgaria) - Mixtape 5
Aug. 03 - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Eightball Club
Aug. 04 - Athens (Greece) - Gazarte Ground Stage
Aug. 07 - Ancora (Portugal) - Sonic Blast Fest
Aug. 09 - Kortrijk (Belgium) - Alcatraz Fest
Aug. 10 - Trier (Germany) - Mergener Hof
Aug. 11 - Aarau (Switzerland) - Kiff
Aug. 14 - Francavilla Al Mare (Italy) - Frantic Fest
Aug. 16 - Carhaix (France) - Motocultor Fest

* headline show with MIDNIGHT and CRYPTOSIS

VOIVOD's upcoming live album was recorded during a performance with the Orchestre Symphonique De Québec, conducted by Dina Gilbert, on June 4, 2025 at Grand Théâtre de Québec in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

VOIVOD's eight-city U.S tour, which will kick off on March 20 in Houston, will feature support from BAT, the Richmond, Virginia metal-punk trio consisting of Ryan Waste, Nick Poulos and Chris Marshall.

VOIVOD is a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Québec. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s. Starting out as a speed metal band, VOIVOD have added a mix of progressive metal and thrash metal to create their own unique metal style, and are credited as one of the "big four" Canadian thrash metal bands, along with SACRIFICE, RAZOR and ANNIHILATOR. They are considered by many as one of the most influential metal bands from the '80s, influencing and gaining praise from multiple bands and across numerous genres.

VOIVOD found mainstream success in the late 1980s with their fifth studio album, "Nothingface" (1989),which is the band's only album to enter The Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number 114.

VOIVOD's long-awaited official documentary, "We Are Connected", received its world premiere in July 2024 at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Canada.

VOIVOD has been touring in support of its latest album, "Morgöth Tales", which was released in July 2023 via Century Media, The Orchard and Sony Music.

The band's 2022 release, "Synchro Anarchy", garnered significant acclaim, winning the 2023 Juno Award for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Album" in Canada.

Once more recorded and mixed by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio, mastered by Maor Appelbaum and produced by VOIVOD, "Morgöth Tales" includes fresh studio re-recordings by the band's current lineup of nine especially selected, not-so-obvious picks from the band's hyper-classy and extremely diverse back catalogue (between 1984 and 2003) as well as a brand-new song and the album's title track, "Morgöth Tales".

A new book, "Always Moving - The Strange Multiverse Of Voivod", was released in November. Written by Jeff Wagner, it celebrates the extraordinary 40-plus-year career of VOIVOD and draws from exclusive interviews with band members, managers, producers, record label reps, family, peers, and musicians profoundly shaped by VOIVOD's ever-mutating sound to tell their full, fascinating story.

Photo credit: Catherine Deslauriers

Swedish/American metallers IN FLAMES have entered a Los Angeles studio to begin recording their fifteenth studio album.

The band is once again working with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson — who has previously worked with MOTÖRHEAD, BODY COUNT and SEPULTURA, among others — as well as engineer Mike Plotnikoff. IN FLAMES has been collaborating with Benson since the group's twelfth studio album, 2016's "Battles".

IN FLAMES' upcoming follow-up to 2023's "Foregone" will apparently mark the recording debut with the band of drummer Jon Rice, who has been touring with IN FLAMES since May 2025.

On Tuesday (February 3),IN FLAMES guitarist Björn Gelotte took to the band's social media to share a video from the studio and he wrote simply "XV", which is the Roman numeral representation for the number 15, a reference to the fact that this will be IN FLAMES' fifteenth studio effort.

Also on Tuesday, Plotnikoff shared a photo of Rice's drum kit in the studio and he included the following caption: "Drums have begun @inflames @bgelotte @andersfridn @jon.charn.rice @howardbenson @joerickardproductions @decarli_editor @iansthunder @sunsetsoundrecorders #sunsetsound #studio2 #makinghits".

Rice had previously played with BEHEMOTH, UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS, THE RED CHORD, JOB FOR A COWBOY and SCORPION CHILD.

Last May, IN FLAMES parted ways with their drummer of seven years, Tanner Wayne.

Wayne, who was previously best known for his work with UNDERMINDED, SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS and CHIODOS, joined IN FLAMES in time for the band's summer 2018 tour.

Wayne stepped into IN FLAMES following the departure of Joe Rickard, who played on the band's 2016 album "Battles".

Tanner made his live debut with IN FLAMES on July 4, 2018 in Brno, Czech Republic.

IN FLAMES will play several U.S. shows in May in between the band's appearances at the Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple festivals. Support on select dates will come from THROWN, DISTANT and UPON STONE.

IN FLAMES is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Foregone", which was released in February 2023 via Nuclear Blast. According to a press release, the LP "combines the greatest aggressive, metallic, and melodic strengths of their landmark records with the seasoned songwriting of their postmodern era."

"Foregone" was the second IN FLAMES album with bassist Bryce Paul and Wayne, the first with ex-MEGADETH guitarist Chris Broderick, and the third with Benson. Plotnikoff (ALL THAT REMAINS, WARBRINGER) engineered at Benson's West Valley Recording Studios. Joe Rickard (10 YEARS, STARSET, DIAMANTE),who played drums for IN FLAMES from 2016 through 2019, handled mixing duties.

In 2023, IN FLAMES parted ways with Paul and replaced him with Liam Wilson (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN).

Wilson made his live debut with IN FLAMES on June 7, 2023 at the Release Athens festival in Athens, Greece.

Photo by Oscar Dziedziela

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Australian thrash metal pioneers MORTAL SIN played their first show in more than 14 years on January 31 at the Froth & Fury festival in Adelaide, Australia. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

MORTAL SIN's 2026 lineup consists of original members Mat Maurer (vocals) and Andy Eftichiou (bass) joined by Nathan Shea (guitar) and Ryan Huthnance (guitar),along with the band's latest addition, Sydney drummer George Delinicolis of LIVEWIRE and BASTARDIZER.

2026 signifies MORTAL SIN's place in thrash metal history celebrating 40 years of "Mayhemic Destruction", 20 years of "An Absence Of Faith" and 15 years since the release of "Psychology Of Death".

Asked in a recent interview with Metal Roos about the chances of MORTAL SIN writing and recording fresh music in the not-too-distant future, Mat said: "Yeah. It's been discussed. No one's agreed to anything yet. We will. I mean, yeah, we might. [Laughs] The thing is that let's get all of these shows out of the way. Let's see what the feeling is. Let's see what the vibe is. I'm sure they're all gonna say, 'Look, let's just fucking write.' I mean, I've already asked them, 'You guys got any material? Have you got anything? Have you got anything? Throw something at me.' I need to start now. If I'm gonna write something, even if it's like in two years' time, I need to remember how to write again. It's always a problem with me."

MORTAL SIN will embark on an Australian tour in March, to be followed by an appearance at Germany's Keep it True festival in April. A couple of more Australian shows will take place in May and June before MORTAL SIN returns to Europe in August to play at Czech Republic's Brutal Assault and Belgium's Alcatraz festivals.

Last August, Maurer was asked by the Heavy Metal Mayhem radio show if the Keep it True festival appearance was the main motivation in bringing MORTAL SIN back. Mat said: "No, that came afterwards. Although Oliver from Keep It True has been trying to get us for the last — I don't know how many years. Every year I seem to get an e-mail from him saying, 'Oh, will you do this?' And I go, 'I can't, I can't, I can't, can't.' Because I don't know if you know, my wife was quite ill and passed away in January this year. That sort of took up a big part of my life and that was the priority. When she passed away in January, I kind of needed a bit of purpose and I saw Andy and Nathan. We all sort of went to the same concert together, and I said, 'Look, I know that it's been me that's held us up for all these years, and I appreciate that you waited and everything, but if you guys wanna do something, next year's our 40th anniversary, if you're up for it, I'm up for it.' And they all just said — straight away they said yes. And then so we sat with those three, with us three for probably two months while we were sort of getting into the sort of sense that we're gonna do it. And then we sat there and thought, 'Well, who are we gonna get on guitars?' And Andy suggested getting Paul [Carwana], the original guitarist, but I was a little more inclined to use Ryan from the last lineup that we did with in 2011, just to keep some kind of — I can't say continuity, 'cause it's been — what? — 14 years since then. But I liked Ryan. Ryan was a pretty superior player. And, yeah, because we were losing Luke [Cook], our drummer, I didn't wanna have too much change. Changing one member's okay, changing two members kind of gets — everyone sort of [thinks], 'Yeah, you bloody change your members all the time,' that sort of vibe. So we've got four of the members who were basically together — I don't know what — since 2005 till 2011. And then George has joined us this year. Because he is a drummer, he plays in about 37 bands. But the two notable ones are LIVEWIRE and BASTARDIZER. You may have heard of BASTARDIZER. You may have heard of LIVEWIRE."

Regarding how far he and his MORTAL SIN bandmates are planning to take the reunion and if there is a chance of new music being released in the not-too-distant future, Mat said: "Well, look — one step at a time. When we said we'd start this, we said, 'Let's just do something for the 40th anniversary.' We feel we deserve to do that. And then let's just see. If the reaction is good, if we get shows out of it and all that sort of thing, if there's enough there to push us into doing more, then we'll do more. But we'll get past the first hurdle first, and then we'll see how we all feel together. Also having a new drummer on board… Yeah, it's basically a look-see for now. It's not a full commitment to writing a new album, but we have discussed it, and it's sort of not out of the question, but it's also not a hundred percent, 'Yes, we'll do it.'"

Asked if there are MORTAL SIN songs that are left over from different eras of the band that he and his bandmates could work on to create a new album, Mat said: "I wouldn't do it. I feel that's cheating. When METALLICA brought their 'Death Magnetic' [album] out, to me it sounded like they just went through and found all these old songs and [said], 'Let's redo these.' I don't know. That was my opinion.

"Look, we've already put out — on various bootleg CDs — we've put old tracks, stuff that we never released," he explained. "So we've already done all of that, and I think it's such a long time between now and when we were playing and did release an album that I think you've gotta come at it with fresh ears, fresh eyes, fresh head, all new, because it might be better. Sometimes old is not better. Sometimes new is better… It's kind of like looking at photos. A photo is a snapshot in time. An album is a snapshot in time as well. It's what you did at that time. It's what creativity you had at that time. And everybody changes. In 14 years, so much happens in your life. You've got a whole new bunch of material that's in your head of all your experiences and all the things that happened in your life. So why would you go back? Let's just draw on those experiences."

When the MORTAL SIN reunion was announced in July 2025, Eftichiou said in a statement: "Picking up the bass again for MORTAL SIN after all these years feels like coming home — loud, chaotic, and a hell of a lot of fun. We've still got something to say, and I can't wait to hit the stage with the boys and bring that energy back to the fans."

In July 2025, the Australian thrashers dropped a new lyric video for "Mayhemic Destruction", the title track of the debut album they started recording at Sydney's Studio 301 on Friday, July 25, 1986.

MORTAL SIN's latest album, "Psychology Of Death", was released in Europe in November 2011 via NoiseArt Records. The effort included the group's classic debut LP, "Mayhemic Destruction", as a bonus disc in the limited digipak version. The follow-up to 2007's "An Absence Of Faith" was mixed with producer/engineer Darren "jENK" Jenkins and marked the recording debut of guitarist Ryan Huthnance, who replaced Mick Sultana.

MORTAL SIN in 2009 released a live album, "Into The Inferno (Live In Oslo)" , via Riot! Entertainment. The CD, which contained the group's March 2008 performance in Oslo, Norway, was described by the band as "possibly the best live show MORTAL SIN have ever had recorded."

Once hailed as the next METALLICA, MORTAL SIN have become legends in their home country Australia, having been inducted into the Kerrang! Heavy Metal Hall Of Fame in 2005 and being the only Australian band to have played with the big five of thrash — METALLICA, SLAYER, ANTHRAX, MEGADETH and TESTAMENT — on tours in Australia and overseas.

DISTURBING VOYAGE TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT ALERT!!!

Mortal Sin Mayhemic Destruction 40th Anniversary Tour 2026

The first...

Posted by Utopia Records - Home Of Metal on Thursday, December 4, 2025

Breakout four-piece SLEEP THEORY — vocalist Cullen Moore, guitarist Daniel Pruitt, bassist Paolo Vergara and drummer Ben Pruitt — has shared the official music video for the song "Words Are Worthless". The track is taken from the band's debut album, "Afterglow", which came out in May 15 via Epitaph. The LP was produced by David Cowell and mixed by Zakk Cervini (BRING ME THE HORIZON, BAD OMENS, ARCHITECTS).

"Afterglow", described by Revolver as an "exciting mix of metalcore, pop and R&B," is SLEEP THEORY's first full-length for Epitaph. The LP has accumulated over 515 million global streams to date.

SLEEP THEORY, lauded as "one of the most compelling new acts in heavy music" by Kerrang!, embarked on its first-ever headline tour last summer, selling out most of the dates, in addition to packing crowds at every festival stage they performed on. They also appeared on the covers of Rock Sound, Kerrang!, Revolver and Outburn.

"Words Are Worthless" is described in a press release as "a violin-enhanced power ballad like only SLEEP THEORY could craft. The video, which features the band in performance mode, boasts a goth noir vibe."

SLEEP THEORY is touring through the summer and beyond, including a mostly sold-out run of Europe, with some venues being upgraded to accommodate demand. The band has also booked radio shows with THREE DAYS GRACE and I PREVAIL, and a slew of American and European festival appearances.

SLEEP THEORY combines energetic hard rock and metalcore, alongside the powerhouse vocalist Cullen Moore. Praised by Jelly Roll and DISTURBED's David Draiman, they've toured with SHINEDOWN, FALLING IN REVERSE and BEARTOOTH. In under two years, they became the fifth most-played artist on Active Rock radio. "Afterglow" and the "Paper Hearts" EP merge heavy rock with pop and R&B, producing anthemic bangers and emotional ballads. Saluted by Revolver, Loudwire and Amazon Music as an "Artist To Watch" in 2025, they've become one of heavy music's biggest breakouts.

Photo credit: Jonathan Weiner

Swedish heavy rock band SISTER SIN has released its first new music in 12 years, "Suicide Hill", through all digital platforms. The track was recorded by SISTER SIN's current lineup of Liv Jagrell on vocals, Jimmy Hiltula on guitar, Andreas Strandh on bass, Dave Sundberg on drums and Sebastian Svedlund on rhythm guitar and was mixed and mastered by Lawrence Mackrory at Rorysound Studios.

"Suicide Hill" is inspired by the 1988 classic movie "Maniac Cop" as well as the novel "Suicide Hill" by James Ellroy.

SISTER SIN's next single, "Drive", is set to arrive on March 3.

Although the SISTER SIN reunion was announced back in December 2019, the coronavirus pandemic delayed the band's return to the live stage until June 2022 when the group performed at Backstage Rockbar in Trollhättan, Sweden.

In a January 2023 interview with Dead Rhetoric, Liv stated about SISTER SIN's return to the live stage: "That was amazing, a lot of fun. It was like we never stopped. We had a real blast together. Definitely it's made us all very sentimental. It was so much fun. It made me even more certain that this is where I want to be, that I want to be on stage even more focused.

"If there are more shows, SISTER SIN may take on some more shows — but it's not going to be a full reunion," she explained. "The rest of the guys, they have a nice, normal life with houses, children, jobs that they care about. To do a show here and there, a festival maybe, that is still a possibility."

Jagrell announced the SISTER SIN reunion seven years ago after revealing that her post-SISTER SIN outfit LIV SIN was "taking a little bit of a break" following the departures of guitarist Chris Bertzell and bassist Tommie Winther.

SISTER SIN announced its split in November 2015, saying in a statement that the band's "relentless" touring and recording schedule took its toll and "the motivation for some members just wasn't there anymore." However, the group left the door open for a possible comeback, saying: "It is our hope that the flame will burn once again and hopefully resurrect this Swedish bastard sometime in the future. Time will tell…"

Eleven years ago, Liv told Sleaze Roxx about the end of SISTER SIN: "We toured too much and we got burned out. That's the simple answer. They just felt like they did not want to do this anymore. [In 2015], we had been out for almost four months or something so it's a lot of time away from family. It's a lot of time away from friends. And also just to survive in the business is hard, so I think we maybe worked too hard in the last years."

SISTER SIN's fifth studio album, "Black Lotus", was released in October 2014 via Victory.

Promotional photo by Mathias Colouri (courtesy of David Sundberg)