Fan-filmed video of reunited California thrash metal pioneers DARK ANGEL performing two new songs, "Extinction-Level Event" and "Circular Firing Squad", on Sunday, March 23 at the Metal Beer Open Air festival at Hipódromo Chile in Santiago, Chile can be seen below.

DARK ANGEL's first new album in 34 years, "Extinction-Level Event", is due to be released later in 2025 via Reversed Records.

Earlier this month, DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan was asked by Chile's PowerOfMetal.cl about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's long-awaited new album. He said: " Well, we are going to be debuting a couple of new songs, some new material, at these upcoming couple of South American shows that we have. I know we are playing Buenos Aires [on March 21], and that's two nights before the Metal Beer [Open Air] fest. So, at both of those shows we are debuting some new material, and we're really excited to be able to play some new stuff after all this time. And hey, man, hopefully that's gonna lead to a whole bunch more stuff. And we're very excited to be unleashing some new material on the metal world."

Regarding the possibility of a new DARK ANGEL album being released this year, Gene said: "Boy, you never know. We're working and trying to make things happen. And so hopefully at some point — I've said this many times in the past — hopefully at some point we'll be able to give some kind of exciting update on progress of anything. And so hopefully we'll be able to do that somewhere in the near future. And everybody, keep your eyes peeled to DARK ANGEL. We'll see what happens."

DARK ANGEL was originally scheduled to play new music for the first time since 1991 during its January 29 concert at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. However, that show ended up getting postponed due to the wildfires in the state.

In July 2024, DARK ANGEL officially entered the studio to begin recording its new LP. Two months earlier, Hoglan told Rocking With Jam Man that he had "been working diligently for the last couple of years on some projects that are gonna make DARK ANGEL fans really happy, I think. So, everybody, just sit tight," he said. "I just don't wanna nebulously announce something and then have circumstances beyond my control come along and make things delayed. I just wanna be able to be able to say, 'Yes, this is gonna be a solid date that we can announce for people, and we're gonna be able to stick to that date.' That's what I'm all about. So, keep your eyes and ears peeled, everybody."

Asked what it has been like making new DARK ANGEL music more than 30 years after the release of the band's last album, 1991's "Time Does Not Heal", Gene responded: "Well, that's one thing. It's like we had a choice. I had an entire DARK ANGEL album written that was ready to start getting recorded after the 'Time Does Not Heal' record, and circumstances occurred where the band just had to dissolve. So, I had a bunch of material written. And when [DARK ANGEL guitarist] Jim Durkin and myself — Jim is no longer with us, but when we put DARK ANGEL back together and we started talking about, like, 'What do we wanna do for the future? Do we wanna write some new material?' And 'I've got some ideas, Gene, and you probably have some ideas.' And I have a number of songs that I sent to Jim. And when Jim heard that — I sent it to him on a CD — he freaked out and he was, like, 'My God, here's our new album. This is gonna be our next record. Hell yeah.' And he got really excited about that material. But I was, like, 'Hey, Jim, tell you what. I feel really strongly about my writing chops, and the songs I'm hearing from you right now are crushing. So how about we just write new stuff, get together and start writing new material?' And so we kind of went that route."

He continued: "For my elements of what I wanted DARK ANGEL to sound like, Jim Durkin is a huge influence on my writing style. So I wanted this to have a lot of the Jim Durkin influence on it. In terms of riffs, there's not as many from Jim as we were hoping for, but Jim's entire presence is all over the new DARK ANGEL material that I've been working on. And he's a huge guitar influence on me, as well as a lot of people. So, there's definitely gonna be a pretty hardy Jim Durkin influence. And I just wanna write a kick-ass metal album. So what I've tried to do is not go back 35 years or 37 years or whatever, 'Darkness Descends' or even 'We Have Arrived', those early albums, or 'Leave Scars' or 'Time Does Not Heal', I've not tried to duplicate anything from any of those albums, but I tried to put myself in the mindset of what if DARK ANGEL just kept writing albums for the last 30-whatever years, 32, 33 years, where would we be at now? And so that has been my approach on the new DARK ANGEL material."

Durkin died on March 8, 2023 at the age of 58. An original member of DARK ANGEL, Durkin played on the band's first three albums — 1985's "We Have Arrived", 1986's "Darkness Descends" and 1989's "Leave Scars" — before departing the group in 1989. He was part of DARK ANGEL's lineup when the band reformed in 2013, and had been playing with them, on and off, ever since.

Prior to his death, Durkin had been sitting out some of DARK ANGEL's gigs. He was replaced at the shows by Hoglan's wife Laura Christine, who has since joined DARK ANGEL as a permanent member.

DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — the aforementioned "We Have Arrived" and "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — "Leave Scars" and "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992.

Hoglan previously talked about DARK ANGEL's upcoming LP in May 2023 in an interview with Friday 13th. He said at the time: "Jim and I, we had gotten together a number of times to write some new material for DARK ANGEL. And we weren't able to get it down on tape too much. If DARK ANGELhas any new material, there's a song that he's got on there that is pretty darn DARK ANGEL-esque.

"In tribute to Jim, DARK ANGEL's new material will have a ton of his spirit all over it — his feel. Whether he actually wrote stuff on the new stuff or not, his spirit is very there. His imprint is felt throughout thrash metal, I feel. Even before I was in DARK ANGEL, I'd see Jim's influence on bands. Absolutely. So his legacy will live forevermore in the realm of extreme metal. His style will always be a part of DARK ANGEL, absolutely, big time."

Asked how the next DARK ANGEL album will compare to the band's previous efforts, Hoglan said: "Well, I can't really even comment on the fact that there might or might not be an album yet. But put it this way — if I were to have any new DARK ANGEL material, I would want it to be an extension of where the band is at now and where I'm at now. And I would probably approach the writing of it in a way as if DARK ANGEL never disappeared for a decade, two decades, three decades, or whatever it's been. It's just like we just kept doing what we do, and this would be where we're at right now. Which I would want to be putting out the most savage, heaviest material that DARK ANGEL could. And I'm no slouch with writing psychotic, heavy material. So I would be very, very excited with where DARK ANGEL's new material would be if that would be able to confirm."

erman techno-metallers, Electric Callboy, have shared the first in a series of clips dubbed the Acoustic Cover Sessions. Check out the band’s rendition of the Linkin Park hit “Crawling” below.



Electric Callboy recently released their new single, “Elevator Operator”, and they performed the song live for the first time at Escalation Fest 2025 in Oberhausen Germany on February 1st.

The band has shared an official live video of the performance. Check it out below.

GODSMACK kicked off its 2025 European tour Saturday night (March 22) at Arena 8888 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Filling in for drummer Shannon Larkin and guitarist Tony Rombola at the gig were Will Hunt (EVANESCENCE) and Sam Bam Koltun (DOROTHY, FASTER PUSSYCAT, BUDDERSIDE),respectively.

The day before the Sofia concert, GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna was asked by Elena Rozberg of Bulgaria's Z-Rock radio station about the current state of GODSMACK. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well [laughs], [that's] such a tricky question to answer right now at this stage. I can tell you that there has definitely been some changes that have happened in the last few months. They are changes that we're not sure will be permanent or temporary, but everybody and everyone is in good health and in really good spirits. And the band is doing better than ever. We're [playing to] the biggest audiences ever, and the shows are just becoming more and more valuable, because, as we get older, we still appreciate coming to places like Sofia that is so far away from where we started and being able to come here and sell out a 13,000-seat arena.

"All I can tell you right now is that the band is in good health, we're in good spirits, but there's gonna be a little bit of a different visual for everybody [at the Sofia show]," he added. "Tony and Shannon have some personal things going on, and they're not with us. So we have a couple of guest musicians playing with us that are phenomenal."

Asked to elaborate on the reason for Shannon and Tony's absences from the trek, Sully said: "Hmmmm… I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if I feel safe enough talking about that yet, because I don't wanna give people the wrong impression. Right now we're still at a stage where we're trying to figure out exactly what's happening, but we're also trying to respect their privacy. So whatever Tony and Shannon have going on in their personal life, we're just trying to respect that and at the same time still come here and put on a really great show. I can tell you right now that we have a guest drummer playing with us, who's Will from EVANESCENCE. And he is such a good friend of ours and such a great musician, and we've been having so much fun with him. So that's been a real surprise. And then we have a guitar player with us named Sam Koltun, who is somebody who — he's played with several different bands and a really, really nice guy and great guitar player. So as far as the music goes and the sound, it sounds exactly like we've always sounded, which is even surprising to me."

Larkin joined GODSMACK in 2002 after cutting his teeth with WRATHCHILD (later WRATCHILD AMERICA and SOULS AT ZERO) before getting picked up by UGLY KID JOE in time for a taste of their zenith.

Tony has been the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for GODSMACK since the mid-1990s following the departure of Lee Richards.

GODSMACK's spring 2025 European tour features support from P.O.D. and DROWNING POOL.

The 14-date trek will end on April 12 in Oberhausen, Germany.

GODSMACK's latest album, "Lighting Up The Sky", was released in February 2023 via BMG. The LP was co-produced by Erna and Andrew "Mudrock" Murdock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ALICE COOPER).

The first single from "Lighting Up The Sky", "Surrender", which arrived in September 2022, marked the first release from GODSMACK in four years, following their globally acclaimed and gold-certified 2018 album "When Legends Rise", which earned the Erna-fronted outfit a No. 1 spot across U.S. Hard Rock, Rock, and Alternative album charts.

Press photo by Chris Bradshaw

Inspiring interview with Godsmack’s frontman Sully Erna on @zrockbulgaria 🤘🤘🤘Their European tour kicks off with a mega show in Sofia.

Posted by Elena Rozberg on Saturday, March 22, 2025

While Norwegian rock outfit, Leprous, continue to promote their recently released eigth studio album, Melodies Of Atonement, and have just returned home from an extensive tour across Latin America, it’s time to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the band’s outstanding The Congregation album with a vinyl repress edition out May 23 via InsideOut Music.

Originally released in May 2015, The Congregation, the fourth studio album by Leprous, was mixed by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios (Opeth, Devin Townsend, Katatonia, etc.) and will now be available as gatefold deep blood red 2LP on 180g vinyl with the following original tracklisting.

Pre-order here.



The Congregation (10th Anniversary Edition):

LP 1 – Side A
“The Price”
“Third Law”
“Rewind”

LP 1 – Side B
“The Flood”
“Triumphant”
“Within My Fence”

LP 2 – Side C:
“Red”
“Slave”
“Moon”

LP 2 – Side D:
“Down”
“Lower”
“Pixel” Bonus Track

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Rolling Stone Music Now" podcast, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett spoke about his songwriting process. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've found over the years that the stuff I don't think about is usually the best stuff, because it just comes to me, and if it just comes to me in a natural way, there's kind of like an organic sort of feel to it. And so that's how I come up with everything these days, bro. I just sit there with my guitar and see what happens. I refuse to work hard on anything. I mean by 'working hard', just like analyzing it and trying to see, 'Oh, if I change this note' and 'this has to work with this' — it feels like I'm doing algebra after a while. I don't want it. I failed algebra two years in a row. I'm not gonna fucking wanna do algebra when it comes to music. I wanna sit there and see what the universe and the muse sends me. And, bro, in the last 10 years I've gotten great results. And all I really have to do, and I do this practically every day, I go, okay, I sit here, clear my mind and start just moving my fingers, moving my hands, and inevitably something comes. And it's a beautiful thing. And I feel so blessed and lucky that this is happening. 'Cause I'm 62 fucking years old, and a lot of artists, when they're 62 years old, they're winding things down. I feel like I'm still fucking climbing the summit, bro. I haven't reached the top of the mountain yet. I still feel like I'm improving and I still have a lot of fricking creative momentum and energy in me, to the point where it's just, like, I'm creating more work for myself. And I had to be careful. [Laughs]"

When the interviewer noted that Kirk supposedly had 700 riffs for the last METALLICA album, "72 Seasons", Hammett said: "Oh, it's ridiculous, bro. Because, okay, let me see how many riffs I have at this point [for the next METALLICA album]. Okay. Oh, man. All recordings — 767. New ones. New ones, bro. Oh God. It is such a nightmare going through this stuff, too. I can't do it. And I'm the one responsible for all of it, and I can't do it."

Hammett continued: "[METALLICA bassist] Rob Trujillo is an extremely patient individual, and he doesn't mind taking on a task like that, and I just shake my head and say, 'God bless you, man. You're my bro. There's a reason why you're so much my bro,' because it's just a lot of material to go through."

Asked for a possible timetable for the next METALLICA album, Kirk said: "When we have a band meeting, and it's usually [METALLICA drummer] Lars [Ulrich] who says the line, 'Okay, boys, time to create the riff bank,' that's when we all step up.' But I don't foresee that happening for at least another year, 'cause we're still finishing the '72 Seasons' tour. And once we fully finish this and go to all the outlying places like Asia and Australia and New Zealand, whatnot, I think we're gonna take a little bit of a break — not too much of one — and then we're gonna get right back into it. Hopefully — that's what I see. But in METALLICA, any fucking thing can happen. I mean, COVID really just fricking surprised the hell out of us and threw our whole cycle off. We managed to get our heads together and figure out a way to to work during COVID, and the result of that is '72 Seasons'. And '72 Seasons' turned out better than any of us expected, given the circumstance of fucking COVID and writing via Zoom, writing songs via Zoom. It's not ideal, man. I wanna feel that kick drum in my gut, but you can't get that through Zoom. But still we managed to fucking focus and be as precise as we could under the circumstances. And we made what I think is a pretty decent album."

When the interviewer suggested that it would be interesting for METALLICA to pursue a 1990s direction again with a bluesier, simpler songwriting approach, Kirk said: "Yeah, who knows? We might just say, 'Okay, let's go back to the '90s again.' It's not a bad idea. We haven't said that to each other yet. And it's interesting because when 'Load' and 'Reload' came out, there was a lot of derision, there was a lot of backlash. It was too much change. We changed our appearance, we changed our sound, we changed the way we recorded. I was even playing different guitars and fucking tuning to E flat and listening to a lot of blues and jazz. And so all those factors came out on 'Load' and 'Reload' to make what 'Load' and 'Reload' are, and 'Load' and 'Reload' are so different from anything that came before it. It's interesting, 'cause nowadays I run into fans and they love that era — they love'Load' and 'Reload'. But when those albums first came out, it was, like, 'Fuck 'Load'. Fuck 'Reload'. Fuck METALLICA.' But nowadays we play 'Fuel' and people go nuts."

Hammett continued: " When I was a teenager, I listened to all the [LED] ZEPPELIN albums except '[Led] Zeppelin III', because it was more acoustic and I just wanted the high-energy, aggressive stuff, 'cause that's what I'd like when I was a kid. But over time, I really came to embrace 'Zeppelin III' and how wonderful it is. And now I fucking fully understand it and its place in ZEPPELIN's catalog. And I think a similar theme kind of happened with 'Load' and 'Reload'. After people got over the initial shock and the challenge, people kind of sat down and gave an honest listen and said, 'Oh, it's not really that bad at the end of the day.'

After the interviewer opined that METALLICA's nail polish and short hair affected people's opinion of those albums more than the music, Kirk said: "One of the reasons why I cut my hair, bro, is 'cause I didn't think I looked good with long hair when I wore a suit jacket. So I cut my hair so I looked better when I wore a suit jacket. I swear to God. That was one of the only reasons. There wasn't like any fricking huge thing. I showed up and I cut my hair. Then literally the next day, Lars cut his hair, because he was already thinking about it. And so James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] saw that Lars and I cut our hair and he fucking went for it. It just seemed like a cool, kind of nice change. And [then-METALLICA bassist] Jason Newsted already had short hair by that point."

Hammett also talked about his plans for new solo music, explaining: "Right now I'm just actively getting ideas together for my second solo album. And I guess the best way for me to describe it is it's gonna be a fusion of all sorts of styles, but not necessarily a fusion album. It's not [gonna be] jazz fusion… All of a sudden I'm writing fucking classical progressions and all of a sudden I'm fucking writing more heavy stuff and all of a sudden I'm writing like a funk thing. I'm like going, 'Okay, I guess this is what it is. This is what it is.' It's a fusion of different styles. And it's gonna be a full-length album. My last one, called 'Portals', it's still a half hour worth of music, but this is gonna be a full album's worth of music… There will be vocals [on it], because the songs that I wrote just scream for vocals this time around. So I'm, like, 'Okay.' Who's gonna be doing the vocals? I don't know. I hope I'm not, 'cause I already have too much to do on stage."

Regarding what he is drawing inspiration from for his solo music, Kirk said: "It's interesting because I started to read Ancient Greek. And I've been obsessed with a lot of ancient Greek texts. Pythagoras, he's the father of fucking musical theory. And I'm discovering that, that the guitar, the liar and the cathara are ancient, so ancient that they can't figure out the origins of these instruments and the Greeks just say that Gods, they just showed up with them. and Dionysus and Apollo, they just showed up playing these things. And so there's so much reference to music in the ancient text in regards to rite, ritual and magic, and it's so interesting to me because I see parallels. The Greeks used to use music to augment the rituals, their secret rites. And music was so highly regarded back then. And I'm reading all this and I'm shaking my head going, 'Yes, I can see how they would use all this.' 'Cause I firmly believe that if there's any true, real true example of what magic is in this world, it's music, bro. Music is magic. Magic is music. Music is magic, because all you need to do is sit in front of someone and play an instrument and they're moved by it. You have the ability to change the situation in the room by playing music. When people hear certain types of music, they're transformed. If you don't think that's magic, what is it? Science. Come on, give me a break. It's more than that. And so I spend a lot of time thinking about stuff like this. Sorry to say."

On the topic of a possible release date for his next solo album, Kirk said: "I'm hoping to bring it out at a time where it doesn't conflict with METALLICA's schedule, so it's probably gonna be sometime next year. I'm gonna try and finish it by the end of this year. And because I've been reading all these ancient Greek texts, they've influenced the music. I have an instrumental piece that, to me, sounds like it's 2000 years old, called 'The Mysterion'. And it's based on all this stuff that I've been reading, the ancient Greek texts. And it's amazing to me, bro, because I wouldn't have had this instrumental if I didn't start reading these ancient texts. So something's happening, something unseen and invisible is happening, bro, to me, because I'm being sent all this music."

Kirk continued: "I feel like an antenna or a vessel. The muse whispers music into my ear every single fucking day. I need to act on it or else I'll stop. And that's kind of where I'm at these days. And I'm having my own fricking weird experience, my own musical experience in the close confines of my house when I'm writing and doing demos for this music. And it feels almost like stemming on paranormal, bro, because, like I said, I refuse to work hard on anything. But the music's still coming, and it's taking shape into songs, tracks, great musical ideas, and all I can really do is say 'thank you' to whoever, because I refuse to take my ego and put it into this and take responsibility for this thing. And I created all this. 'Cause it doesn't even feel like that. Honestly, it does not feel like it. I'm just fucking passing something along. It's craziness. I'm having problems wrapping my head around it because I need to understand things. I'm a seeker of knowledge, so I need to understand things, and this I can't fully understand, so I'm looking to other ways to explain it. And it's living somewhere in the unseen. And people are gonna think I'm crazy. But you know what? I'll just play you the fucking music and you guys figure it out.

"I see music as an invisible temple," Hammett added. "When you listen to the music, the four walls come up: harmony, tone, rhythm and melody. And you're in this temple listening and experiencing it. And then when the song ends, the walls come down and you're left with an experience.

"I've been struggling with all this stuff the last two or three years. I don't have any answers that sound logical. And any answer that I can give you that's steeped in some sort of sensibility just sounds like bullshit to me. And I'm not a bullshitter."

"Portals" was released in April 2022 via Blackened Recordings across digital platforms, on CD, and as a Record Store Day-exclusive ocean blue vinyl EP (including a download card).

Produced by Kirk, "Portals" was comprised of the songs "Maiden And The Monster" and "The Jinn" on side A, followed by "High Plains Drifter" and "The Incantation" on side B. The latter two were co-written with Edwin Outwater, whom you may remember from "S&M²". Outwater also contributed keyboards and led the orchestral players from the LA Philharmonic on "Portals".

Other familiar names amongst the "Portals" players included drummers Jon Theodore (Kirk's fellow WEDDING BAND member) and Abraham Laboriel, Greg Fidelman on bass, Emmy-winning arranger Blake Neely and producer Bob Rock.

As previously reported, Kirk has partnered with Gibson Publishing to release "The Collection: Kirk Hammett", available in three premium formats now in The Metallica Store, on Gibson.com and in Gibson Garage locations. The 400-page luxury coffee table book explores Kirk's arsenal of guitars in unprecedented detail, including exclusive new interviews with Kirk conducted by Gibson editor-in-chief Chris Vinnicombe and director of brand experience Mark Agnesi. The book features photos from Ross Halfin, shot on location in Hawaii and Los Angeles, alongside rare images from the photographer's archives.

Hammett was a member of EXODUS's original lineup before replacing Dave Mustaine in METALLICA in 1983. In fact, Hammett was not only the person who came up with the EXODUS name, but also the first from the band to meet original EXODUS singer Paul Baloff and brought him into the group. With Hammett on guitar, METALLICA went on to record its debut album, "Kill 'Em All", later in 1983.

Photo credit: Epiphone

Peaceville will release a limited marble vinyl edition of Pentagram’s 1985 debut on June 20. You can pre-order the upcoming release here.

Starting life in the early 1970s, US legends Pentagram are one of the most enduring underground bands in heavy metal history. Influenced by British bands The Groundhogs and Black Sabbath, their own take on doom metal has undoubtedly influenced countless bands of subsequent generations and continues to do so. Though the band lineup has changed many times over the years, enigmatic vocalist Bobby Liebling remains at the helm, with Pentagram now widely-regarded as a true cult band with a fan-base transcending whole generations.

Relentless was the band’s debut album, and was originally self-released in 1985 as ‘Pentagram’ – later to be renamed and released by Peaceville in 1993, after a long search for a suitable record label. With its numerous timeless heavy metal anthems and the distinguishable voice of Bobby Liebling eerily ringing out, backed up by the masterful guitar prowess of Victor Griffin, plus Martin Swaney on bass and Joe Hasselvander on drums, Relentless remains the most iconic release of the band’s studio output and a staple of the entire heavy doom genre.



Tracklisting:

Side A
“Death Row
“All Your Sins”
“Sign Of The Wolf”
“The Ghoul”
“Relentless”

Side B
“Run My Course”
“Sinister”
“The Deist”
“You’re Lost, I’m Free”
“Dying World”
“20 Buck Spin”

Nuclear Blast has announced colored vinyl reissues of two Burning Witches albums. Hexenhammer and Dance With the Devil will release on May 16. Preorder at the Nuclear Blast webshop.



Hexenhammer will be available on transparent blue vinyl. Originally released in 2018, the band’s second album is the last album featuring singer Seraina Telli. Singles include “Executed” and the title track.

Dance With The Devil will be issued on transparent green vinyl. The 2020 album is the first with singer Laura Guldemond and features the title track and “Six Feet Underground” as singles.

utch singer / songwriter Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering) recently checked in with the following update:

“Dear friends, few things are as exciting as releasing new music! What starts as a simple idea, shaped in the comfort of solitude, eventually becomes a fully produced release that involves many musicians, technicians, art designers, and more. Over the past few months, we’ve worked very hard on developing and recording these four songs. I’m incredibly proud of the result!

My new album will be titled La Vie, La Mort, L’Amour – French for Life, Death, Love. This collection of songs will be released as a trilogy. Today, the first EP La Vie has arrived and is now streaming on all digital platforms!

In 2026, the three EPs will come together to form a full-length album. The release of the third EP will coincide with a physical version containing all the songs, available as a CD Digipak and Gatefold LP.

Thank you for your endless support, and… enjoy listening!”

Now, Anneke has made an announcement regarding the first installment, La Vie:

“I’m very excited to announce that a 12” version of La Vie will be released as part of the Record Store Day drop list in The Netherlands on April 12th! Record Store Day is all about supporting indie shops. If you don’t live in The Netherlands, try reaching out to individual record stores directly to see if they’d be willing to ship to you. I’ll also make sure to have some copies available in my own webshop. I’m very proud of this release – it’s the very first one on my own label, Label Mates!”

Michele Luppi is back in Vision Divine, and is already writing new material alongside the band’s leader, Olaf Thorsen.

Luppi sang on the fan favorite Vision Divine tracks, “Stream Of Consciousness”, “The Perfect Machine” and “The 25th Hour”, and later joined the lineup of hard rock giants Whitesnake and many other great acts.

“Everything happens for a reason. Michele and I parted ways after three albums that defined our peak – works still celebrated by our fans and critics alike. Now, years later, fate has brought us back together at the perfect moment to bring back the same vision of creating something just as powerful, with the same artistic depth and impact. You asked for it for years. Today, it’s reality!” – Olaf Thorsen

“Careful what you wish for! Life is full of circles and I’ve always felt there was unfinished business between me and the band I started my recording career with. It feels great to be a frontman again after many years supporting my heroes… This is the right time and we’ll make sure we’ll handle the whole thing with true passion – at the end of the day, Music is what really matters and I’m so proud of what we did back then! Can’t wait to start this new chapter!” – Michele Luppi

Vision Divine has recently renewed with Scarlet Records and will soon share some other very exciting news – stay tuned!

BAD MARRIAGE, the band featuring former TESLA guitarist Tommy Skeoch, has signed with Ron Keel's RFK Media for the release of BAD MARRIAGE's new album, "Match Made In Hell", this summer. This powerhouse band out of Boston has been winning over the fans and the media for several years now and is well-positioned for the big time, with a collection of songs that embrace the spirit of their classic roots while capturing a modern active rock sound.

A relentless work ethic combined with a special chemistry between the band members and their fans has earned BAD MARRIAGE a loyal and constantly growing audience, plus appearances on the Monsters Of Rock cruise and the Monsters On The Mountain festival, as well as opening slots on tour with BUCKCHERRY, TESLA, VANDENBERG and more.

"BAD MARRIAGE has been on our radar for a while," Keel explains. "I've been equally impressed by their aggressive pursuit of success and the aggressive admiration the fans have for this band and their music."

"Trying to make it in rock n roll these days is like a heavyweight fight," says BAD MARRIAGE guitarist Mike Fitz, "and we want people in our corner who aren't ever going to throw in the towel. RFK Media has a proven track record and together we're going the distance."

Skeoch, who joined BAD MARRIAGE in 2023, echoes that vote of confidence. "I've known Ron Keel since the '80s, and that guy never quits or backs down," the guitarist says. "It's really cool how we've come full circle now and are all working together to take this band and this music to the next level."

RFK Media managing partner Aaron Fischer signed BAD MARRIAGE on the 2025 Monsters Of Rock cruise.

"There was no prenuptial agreement; we just eloped," he says. "BAD MARRIAGE and RFK Media are truly a match made in hell, built upon our love of the music and the fans."

BAD MARRIAGE is: Jonny Paquin (vocals),Mike Fitz (lead guitar),Tommy Skeoch (lead/rhythm guitar),Ian Haggerty (rhythm guitar),Todd Boisvert (bass) and Michael Delaney (drums).

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

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

Tommy was fired from TESLA in 1994 due to substance abuse issues. He rejoined TESLA when the band reformed more than two and a half decades ago following a brief hiatus.

LYNCH MOB, the band formed by George Lynch in 1989 after his exit from DOKKEN, played its "final" concert this past Saturday, March 22 at the Medina Entertainment Center in Medina, Minnesota. The following day, George took to his social media to write: "Well, last night was our last show as LYNCH MOB. We played Medina Entertainment Center in Minnesota which we've played many, many times. It was a wonderful sold-out show and everyone in the house was aware of the gravity and finality of the performance. With the help of my old friend [Brian Tichy] on drums the band stepped up and bared our souls for one last performance.

"I'm going to miss my brothers in arms deeply. My band has always been a second family to me and there's a bond there that transcends time and space.

"I feel it's fitting to turn the page on this chapter of my musical journey after 35 years of LYNCH MOB.

"I wish the best for Gabriel, Jimmy and Jaron moving forward and I look forward to whatever the universe holds in store for me.

"Thank you so much to all our fans for 35 wonderful years."

Fan-filmed video of the Medina concert can be seen below (courtesy of PositiveVibes).

Last month, George spoke to the Iron City Rocks podcast about LYNCH MOB's "The Final Ride" farewell tour celebrating the band's 35-year legacy. Asked how he felt about completing one final trek with LYNCH MOB, George said: "Well, it's a mixed bag. I thought that it would make sense to go out with a band that, or a version of the band, which this is, that has remained intact for a while. LYNCH MOB has a history of having a revolving door, so that's been frustrating for me because when I first put the band together in '89, I was hoping for the exact opposite… And, of course, that did not happen. But we have a great time, and when we spend time together and tour, it's just really a dream, fun band. We joke around a lot. We work hard and the band — we bring it when we get on stage and we get in the studio. I thought, 'Well, that's the way to go out.' And also, on the other side of the coin, I'm not getting any younger. I didn't want to be that guy up there on crutches, having to sit down. I wanted people to remember it with some sense of vitality. Yeah, so I think we're kind of ending on a positive note, I would say. And we gave ourselves quite a long window. We decided this last year, and it gave us an eight-month, nine-month window. So it's a long, slow kind of fade into the sunset. We'll be done March 23rd, I believe, or 25th, something like that. So we've got a lot of work ahead of us. And we've got, actually, two records [in the works] — we've got a live album and a live DVD and a studio record."

Asked if he is planning on getting involved in more recording projects in the future once the LYNCH MOB tour is done, George said: "Well, I love being in the studio, and I have a pretty nice studio situation, both in California, where I have my own studio, and in New Mexico, where I have found a home out there and a really wonderful venue, where I'm working now, actually. So, as long as I have something to say, I'll try to say it musically. But I will say that I've sort of spent my — I've done a lot of recording, I've written a lot of songs in the last group of years, since COVID and so forth, so I find myself kind of treading over old ground and saying the same thing, and I don't like that. And I think on occasion I've gotta slow down in my output a little bit. So, as I mentioned, we are working on a LYNCH MOB 'Final Ride' studio record. It's been written and recorded, except [for] the vocals now. And beyond that, I've got other records in the pipeline that I am obligated — well, I can do, let's say; I don't know how obligated I am. If I don't wanna do 'em, I don't have to do 'em. One is a fourth THE END MACHINE record for Frontiers. And the other one is a third 'Heavy Hitters' album, which is a series of records that [ex-DOKKEN bassist] Jeff Pilson and I have been doing for Cleopatra Records, which are covers, and that's always really fun to do. I enjoy working with Jeff. I'll be working with Jeff Pilson on both those records. So that might be something that I decide to finish up. But, having said that, those are obligations consistent with my past work, doing THE END MACHINE records and 'Heavy Hitters' records and LYNCH MOB records and various other projects, with KXM and so forth, that I have been doing. But what I'm thinking is I would really like to — not to be super self-indulgent, but do something different. And that requires kind of banking a bunch of experiences and exposure, different kinds of music and styles and saying something unique. Or doing a master guitar record, what I consider would be my magnum opus guitar record. That's easier said than done, but maybe I need [to do something like that]. I don't know. I'm not sure what I wanna do yet. But I'm gonna let this touring schedule ride out till the end of March and then I'm gonna sort of collect my thoughts [about what my next step will be]."

LYNCH MOB was formed in 1989 after Lynch parted ways with his former band DOKKEN. Their debut release, "Wicked Sensation", was met with critical and fan acclaim and went on to be certified gold in sales by the RIAA. The band would continue on through the years with a cast of talented players joining Lynch throughout their musical journey over the course of six more studio albums.

LYNCH MOB's eighth studio album, "Babylon", came out in October 2023. Joining revered guitarist and band founder for the LP were vocalist Gabriel Colón, bassist Jaron Gulino (TANTRIC, HEAVENS EDGE) and drummer Jimmy D'Anda (ex-BULLETBOYS).

In August 2020, Lynch announced that he was ending LYNCH MOB due to the racial insensitivity of the moniker, saying he would no longer record or perform under that name. Two years later, George had a change of heart, explaining that he had to "live with the fact that [the name LYNCH MOB] has some negative connotations that I probably have to continue explaining for the rest of my life, and I don't mind doing that. But it is a brand that I built, and I'm just gonna stick with it. As far as a marketing thing and a brand thing and a business thing and a working thing, and it keeps my band guys working and it keeps the fans happy, it makes sense."

Well, last night was our last show as Lynch Mob. We played medina entertainment center in minnesota which we’ve played...

Posted by George Lynch Fan Page on Sunday, March 23, 2025

Secure your tickets now for Lynch Mob The Final Ride with guest Paralandra at Medina Entertainment Center on March 22! Don't miss out!

Posted by Medina Entertainment Center on Friday, February 28, 2025

San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans VIO-LENCE have announced their lineup for their upcoming "Oppressing The Masses" European tour.

Recent additions to VIO-LENCE are former FALLING IN REVERSE guitarist Max Georgiev, bassist Jeff Salgado (PSYCHOSOMATIC),drummer Nick Souza (HATRIOT) and returning to VIO-LENCE is guitarist Ira Black.

VIO-LENCE frontman Sean Killian said: "I‘m very excited to have been able to play with great musicians since the return of VIO-LENCE. That trend continues."

VIO-LENCE will be performing the entire "Oppressing The Masses" album, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this summer. The set will also include songs from the band's back catalog.

"Oppressing The Masses" tour dates:

April 10 - Backstage Bar & Billiards - Las Vegas, NV
April 11 - The Teragram Ballroom - Los Angeles, CA
April 17 - Underworld - London, England
April 18 - Castle And Falcon - Birmingham, England
April 19 - Blitz - Preston, England
April 20 - Slay - Glasgow, Scotland
April 21 - Opium - Dublin, Ireland
April 22 - The Live Rooms - Chester, England
April 23 - Corporation - Sheffield, England
April 24 - The Patriot - Crumlin, Wales
April 25 - Keep It True Fest, Königshofen Germany
April 26 - Sala X - Sevilla, Spain
April 27 - Porta Caeli - Valladolid, Spain
April 29 - Sala Boveda - Barcelona, Spain
April 30 - Urban Rock Concept - Vitoria, Spain
May 01 - Revi Live - Madrid, Spain
May 02 - Sala Rebullon - Mos, Spain
May 03 - Rca Club - Lisbon, Portugal
May 09 - Diggers - Bahrain

Former FEAR FACTORY bassist Christian Olde Wolbers announced his departure from VIO-LENCE last month. He explained in a social media statement at the time that he wanted "to pursue my own new solo band and producing career."

VIO-LENCE released three studio albums between 1988 and 1993. The group reformed soon after founding VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel acrimoniously left MACHINE HEAD more than six years ago.

VIO-LENCE released a new EP, "Let The World Burn", in March 2022 via Metal Blade Records.

Formed in 1985, VIO-LENCE helped define and refine what came to be known as the Bay Area sound, dropping three seminal albums before splitting in 1993. Leaving behind a heady legacy, they reformed briefly a couple of times in the intervening years before becoming a full-time going concern once more in 2019. After playing a string of successful shows, the quintet started to think about new music and delivered "Let The World Burn", showcasing their first new material in 29 years.

Filling out the band's ranks on "Let The World Burn" alongside Killian and Demmel were drummer Perry Strickland, Olde Wolbers and former OVERKILL guitarist Bobby Gustafson.

Killian is the only VIO-LENCE member from the "Let The World Burn" recording lineup who is still touring with the band. Joining him at some of the band's recent concerts were drummer Nick Souza and guitarists Mario Salcedo and Pat O'Brien (EXHORDER, ex-CANNIBAL CORPSE).

"Let The World Burn" was recorded with Juan Urteaga at Trident Studios (TESTAMENT, MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS),with mixing handled by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, MESHUGGAH) and Grammy Award-winning engineer Ted Jensen (ALICE IN CHAINS, DEFTONES, PANTERA).

Demmel left MACHINE HEAD at the end of the band's fall 2018 North American tour. He was in MACHINE HEAD for nearly 16 years, during which time he played on five of the group's studio albums: "Through The Ashes Of Empires" (2003),"The Blackening" (2007),"Unto The Locust" (2011),"Bloodstone & Diamonds" (2014) and "Catharsis" (2018).

Demmel's final concert with VIO-LENCE took place on February 11, 2024 at Carioca Club in São Paulo, Brazil. The gig also marked the last show of VIO-LENCE's Latin American tour with EXHORDER.

VIO-LENCE played the São Paulo concert as a four-piece after an alleged altercation between Black and Olde Wolbers resulted in Ira being sent home from the tour a few days early.

Although MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn was part of VIO-LENCE's classic incarnation and played on the band's debut album, "Eternal Nightmare", he wasn't approached about taking part in the band's reunion.

Photo credit: Devil Presley