In a new interview with SPIN.com, Dave Mustaine 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". Dave said: "It was to complete the circle and pay respect to my partners, [METALLICA guitarist/vocalist] James [Hetfield] and [METALLICA drummer] Lars [Ulrich], and make clear that, to anybody that has any doubts, I believe that James is an exceptional guitar player, and that Lars is an exceptional songwriter. I've always thought that. It wasn't doing a cover song, because I wrote it with James and it was our creation."

He continued: "One thing I've always believed is when you do a song from someone else — even if it's your band from an earlier time period — do it as good or better. We were thinking of songs we were going to do, and our management said, 'Why don't you do 'Ride The Lightning'?' At first, I thought people will think that's kind of strange for me to do that. We talked about it a little bit, and it just became clearer that it was a good idea. We sped it up just a teeny bit, and we made sure that we beefed up a couple of the parts."

After the interviewer noted that "it sounds like" he is "in a pretty comfortable place with METALLICA these days," Mustaine said: "James and I were talking about something, and I said, 'Well, there's your version, there's my version, and then there's the truth. I believe that the truth is the only one that's accurate, because I don't really remember everything.' And he had said, 'We don't remember stuff and we'd like to go over it.'

"We're constantly working on improving our relationship, me and James and Lars. I really do love those guys. That's why we fought so much — it was that I missed them. And the idea of leaving the band, it was just hard to fathom.

"You try and put things into perspective as you get a little bit older. I think about where I am at in my journey: I'm on the backside of the mountain, and I want to make sure that every day counts and that the people that I encounter, that I'm not obnoxious to them if they don't deserve it. If they deserve it, man, you got it coming, and here it comes."

Last month, 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 [METALLICA's debut album] '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" this past 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 [Mäntysaari, MEGADETH guitarist] 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."

"Megadeth" will be released on January 23, 2026 via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint in partnership with Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label.

Mustaine co-wrote the song "Ride The Lightning" with Hetfield, Ulrich and then-METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton.
Last May, Mustaine gave a three-hour interview to Shawn Ryan, a former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor, and host of the Shawn Ryan Show, in which he spoke about his brief stint as a member of METALLICA in the early 1980s. Asked how he ended up joining METALLICA, Dave responded: "I was done with [my previous band] PANIC and I said, 'I'm gonna find something else to do.' So I got a newspaper called The Recycler, and it's just a rag from Los Angeles, Orange County. It's like a county classified ad magazine. And I'm looking in the classified ad magazine. Go figure. The biggest band in the world would advertise in this newspaper. So I look at it and it says, 'Wanted lead guitar player' and mentioned a couple bands. So I called up and I got Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] on the phone, and I said, 'Yeah, well, I like MOTÖRHEAD and I like BUDGIE. And he goes, 'You like fucking BUDGIE, man?' And I went, 'Yeah, I do.' And that was the icebreaker because BUDGIE is a Welsh band. It's a three-piece. It's very obscure. And by me listening to them showed that I had credibility in the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal world because of the bands I was listening to. They were not a band like a white metal band or a progressive metal band. They were a three-piece from Wales that kicked ass. They didn't have to have all those silly names in front of it."

Mustaine continued: " So, [Lars and I] were on the phone, and he made that comment that I know them, and I said, 'Yeah.' So we talked about meeting face to face. And I drove down from Huntington Beach to Newport Beach where he lived in a place called — I think it was called Park Newport. And the funny thing was my mom was a maid and she had actually worked a event for catering in his complex he was in. And I'm thinking, 'Go figure. My mom was a maid here and your mom has a place here. What a story that is, two different sides of the same coin.' And so I went into his place and started talking to him. And he played this song called 'Hit The Lights' that was written by a guy named Lloyd Grant. METALLICA didn't write that song. Lloyd Grant wrote it, and then he was friends with Lars, and then Lars introduced him to James and then they started playing 'Hit The Lights'. That's a song that I heard from them first and I said, 'Wow, this song needs way more lead solos in it.' It was just me being cocky, being me: 'It needs more lead solos in it.' And he was trying to figure out if I was for real. And so we went to rehearsal. He said, 'We're gonna try you out.' I said, okay. I mean, I knew how good I played. I have been gifted, and I know it's not by my own doing, so I don't try to take any credit for it. So I don't care how good I am or not, or what people say or anything like that. So I just knew what I knew, what I knew. And I went to [then-METALLICA bassist] Ron McGovney's parents' fourplex. They had this place that James was living with Ron. And I went up there with Lars and I set up my amps and I plugged my guitar in and I just started warming up. [And] they wouldn't come in. They wouldn't come into the rehearsal room. So I put my guitar down and I thought, 'This is really strange.' And I walked out and I said, 'Guys, are we gonna do the audition?' They said, 'You got the gig.'"

Mustaine went on to say that he "knew" he would get the METALLICA gig when he first went to audition for the band. "'Cause I could play that stuff," he explained. "I mean, there weren't very many guitar players like me around at the time. Who were they? Randy Rhoads. There were people like that. The guy from RATT — Warren DeMartini was really great. But real shredders? There wasn't a lot of us around at the time."

Asked what it felt like being in METALLICA in those early days, Mustaine said: "Well, again, it's kind of like it seemed like this was what my destiny was. And when it came time for us to do our first concert, we played at a high school, or maybe it was a junior high school Lars might've gone to. I know he went to it, but I can't remember if it was elementary or junior or high school, whatever. And from that point on, it was just clear that whenever there was any kind of altercation that was going down, I would be the one that would take care of it. James was very peaceful, and Lars, he was a little bit of a devil; he liked to have fun. But, yeah, if there was ever any stuff going down, I had to take care of it. When we went up to San Francisco and did our first couple shows up there at a place called The Stone, I was the one who had to go and collect the money. And there's a million ways to embezzle or to be corrupt when it comes down to running a club or a bar when it involves a band getting paid. They can say all kinds of stuff. And if you don't know, you don't know. And most kids my age at that time don't know. And they try and get money and they'll say, 'Well, you sold 200 tickets and you have a bar tab here, and so we're gonna give you 150 bucks.' And you know that they made a killing on their booze. You know that they made money on the food and snacks that they have there and the ticket prices. Plus they take a giant whack of your merchandise. And that was my gig. I would go do that."

Reflecting on METALLICA's ill-fated cross-country trip in the spring of 1983 that resulted in his firing from the band, Mustaine said: "When we decided we were gonna move out to New York, that was because Lars had found somebody he wanted to manage us, this guy Jonny Zazula, who had Megaforce Records. And [Jonny] heard our demo tape, the 'No Life 'Til Leather' demo tape. And he lost his mind, just like everybody else in the world. And they wanted to get the band to come out and record a record. And while we were on the way out there, we got in a car crash. We were driving through the snow. None of us knew how to drive through snow except for Lars, because he was from Denmark. And I'm driving this Ryder truck. It's a 24-foot truck, and it had a tow bar and it had James's pickup on the back. So when we were driving, we hit black ice and the whole thing spun around while I was driving. And I managed to keep it upright in the middle of the freeway, but the truck stopped and oncoming traffic was coming towards us. And the events that happened at that location… The guy that had produced — I think he produced the first [METALLICA] record; his name's Mark Whitaker. He was the guy that was doing our sound and stuff. He almost died. I had to push him out of the way, and a truck was to the right or right where he was standing. So if I wouldn't have seen that truck coming and saved his life, he'd be dead right now. And when we went to the U-Haul place to get our truck, we placed and moved all of our gear into the new truck. James and Lars had made a decision to replace me because they tried to pin that driving thing on me as the last straw."

Addressing the allegations that his excessive drinking was the main reason he was fired from METALLICA, Mustaine said: "We all drank. That's why they called it ALCOHOLICA. I mean, they didn't call it DAVE-ALCOHOLICA. We all drank. And they continued to drink like that even after I was gone. But that was, I think, the beginning of the end. And when we got out to New York, I had a reel of tape, this quarter-inch tape, that had probably two days' worth of guitar riffs on it, just me playing and playing and playing. And we took that tape player and the reel of tape with us out to New York. We did two shows out there, and after those two shows, they woke me up one morning and said, 'Look, you're out of the band.' And I said, 'What are you talking about?' 'You're out of the band.' I said, 'No warning? No second chance? You're not gonna give me a warning? You're just gonna kick me out?' And I thought that was unfair. And it showed a grotesque lack of character. And so that pissed me off and was a huge part of the fuel. But at the time, I was really mad and I didn't wanna forgive them for what they did. And I told them when I left, 'Do not use my music. And of course they used it. [The] 'Ride The Lightning' [title track] I wrote. 'The Call Of Ktulu' I wrote. Let's see, what else? There's 'Phantom Lord', 'Metal Militia', 'Jump In The Fire', 'The Four Horsemen'. And I wrote a bunch of 'Leper Messiah' [on METALLICA's third album, 'Master Of Puppets'] too. They didn't give me credit on that. You listen to the riffs, you know they're my riffs. It's, like, you think I'm gonna all of a sudden hear my riff and say, 'That's not me.' So, yeah, I wrote a lot of their music that made them, and all the solos on that first record were mine — the best Kirk [Hammett, Mustaine's replacement in METALLICA] could try and copy them."

Asked why he was singled out and fired from METALLICA when everybody in the band drank heavily at that point, Dave said: "Because when I got drunk, I got violent. James and I had gone out to a club one time. It was the old Mabuhay [Gardens in San Francisco]. It was across the street from The Stone. And we were out front, and some guy came out of the alleyway and he said, 'There's a guy beating some girl up in the alleyway.' And, of course, I being the champion for justice, did not want to hear that and not do anything. So I went down the alleyway with James, and, of course, James not being a fighter, started yelling out, 'Kill him, kill him, kill him.' And the guy comes out from behind a van and he was much bigger than James, and he said, 'Who's gonna kill me?' And James goes — points to me. So I immediately grabbed a guy and put him down in a submission and started rabbit punching him until he stopped moving. And then we ran out of the alleyway and we stood out front until the paramedics came. And that was it. So I imagine he saw that and he figured, 'I don't wanna be part of this. Dave's already beat me up back down in Los Angeles, and he's just too violent.' 'Cause James did get a punch in the mouth from me. He kicked my puppy."

Elaborating on the punch-up that occurred between him and Hetfield, Mustaine said: "I was selling pot for a living, so one time I did a concert and people knew I was on stage, so they just shimmied the window. There was nobody there. They took all my pot, and I was pissed. So I got two dogs. My nephew took one and I took the other one, and I had taken her up with me to rehearsal. And she was playing and she's looking up at me. I'm standing over here. Ron McGovney's got this really nice GTO and she leans up against the car and puts her paws on the front quarter panel and [James] goes bang and kicked the dog. And I went, 'What did you just do? What did you just do?' And it went from the front yard into the house, and there was still stuff being said. And I said, 'You better shut up or I'm gonna punch you in the mouth. And then Ron McGovney says, 'If you hit him, you're gonna have to hit me first.' And I said, 'You stay out of it.' And then James said the same thing: 'If you hit him, you're gonna have to hit me first.' And I said, 'Okay, you win.' And bang, I hit James in the mouth, and then I hip-tossed Ron into his television set-up. And that was it. Two strikes and it was over. And Lars was pulling his hair going, 'I don't want it to end this way.' And I thought, 'You know what? I've already told you, it's either me or James.' And we did that a bunch of times, 'cause James was doing stupid stuff. And I told James the same thing. I said, 'Man, it's either me or Lars, 'cause Lars sucks.' And I got the ax in the end. So it's good. Fine."

Asked what he did after he got "axed" from METALLICA, Mustaine said: "I went home and I contacted a friend of mine and I said, 'I quit.' She said, 'No, you didn't. You got fired.' And I said, 'Yeah, I got fired. I quit. I got fired, whatever. I'm back home. Wrong word. [it's] not changing the outcome.' And I made sure not to ever say that I quit, 'cause I wanted people to know that I was unfairly dismissed and that I didn't give a shit. 'Cause we [MEGADETH] may not be as big as they [METALLICA] are. Hell, their biggest song, 'Enter Sandman', go look up the band EXCEL right now. Look up their song — I think it's something 'Into The Unknown'. [Editor's note: The track is actually called 'Tapping Into The Emotional Void'.] Pretty similar."

A decade ago, Grant told the "Rockzone Legends" show that he first heard "Hit The Lights" when Ulrich played it for him before their first rehearsal with Hetfield. "James was playing bass and I was playing guitar and Lars was playing drums," Lloyd recalled. "And we rehearsed that 'Hit The Lights' song. But way before that, Lars let me hear that song. We were hanging out watching soccer, and he says, 'Hey, I met this guy,' blah blah blah, 'and he's exactly what we wanna jam with.' And he played this one song, and it was great, and that's how I first was introduced to 'Hit The Lights'. And after that, I went over and jammed a few times. Then he called me and said they were gonna be on this compilation album ['Metal Massacre'] and he brought over a tape of 'Hit The Lights' recorded on a four-track and asked me to make some solos for that, and they were gonna bring the four-track down and they were just gonna put it out an dump it on the compilation album."

In a November 2022 interview with Greg Prato of Songfacts, Mustaine was asked to elaborate on his comment that he would like to collaborate again with Hetfield. Asked if he actually discussed that with James, Dave said: "The last time we talked it didn't end very well because we have some memory of a couple of things that took place when I was in the band. I remember it one way and he is saying that it happened another. But it's about somebody else — it's not even him. He's talking to me on behalf of 'you know who'," apparently referring to Ulrich. "They wanted to release 'No Life 'Til Leather' [the early METALLICA demo Mustaine was on] — 27 songs, posters, flyers, pictures, everything. I said I would love to do this thing, and James said, 'Look, we fucked up. The last three things we've done failed abysmally.' He said it was 'Lulu' [METALLICA's collaboration with Lou Reed, released in 2011], something called Orion [a festival called Orion Music + More that took place in 2012 and 2013], and there was one other thing... I think it was a film about a fan or something [the 2013 film 'Metallica: Through The Never']. I don't know. I don't see them as a failure. But I had said, 'Yeah, I'd be interested.' And he said, 'We'd like to get everything right with all the history, the publishing and stuff.' And I said, 'Good.' Because part of the reason why we haven't been able to really reconcile is because I had songs that when I left I didn't want them to record, and they went ahead and recorded them but they didn't pay me what my share of the songs were.

"James and I wrote 'Metal Militia' and 'Phantom Lord' — every note," Dave continued. "And somehow, on the record ['Kill 'Em All'] it says Lars gets 10%. And on 'Metal Militia' that Kirk gets some of it, and he wasn't even in the band.

"So I've come to terms with it, and when he said, 'We'd like to get this right,' I said, 'Great. Let's do it. I have no problem.' And when I said, 'This is what it is,' he said, 'No. It's kind of what it was, and that's how it is.' And I thought to myself, you know what? When you guys did that to me before, it was not cool. I said, 'Don't use my stuff' and you did it, and then didn't give me my fair share. So why would I want to willingly enter into something like that? I wouldn't. So that's where we stand right now.

"I would love to work with James. I'd like to work with Lars again, too, but I think the real talent in METALLICA has always been around the guitar — everybody makes fun of the drums.

"Lars is a really great song arranger. And believe it or not, I watched him on a piece-of-shit acoustic guitar write the opening riff to 'Master Of Puppets'. You know what that was? It was a guy with a guitar that doesn't know how to play, and he's going [mimics playing a chromatic run] on the neck. It wasn't anything really mind-blowing by any means. The way James played it made it mind-blowing."

Eight years ago, Mustaine said that he didn't want to "perpetuate false information" by giving Ulrich songwriting credit on the previously announced expanded version of "No Life 'Til Leather".

"No Life 'Til Leather" was released as a limited-edition cassette for Record Store Day in April 2015, available exclusively in independent record stores. It featured artwork copies from drummer Ulrich's own personal copy of the original demo, as well as his handwriting. At the time, the band also promised that expanded editions of the demo, which had never before been commercially available, would arrive on CD, vinyl and in a collector's set.

The seven-song tape was recorded with the first lineup of the band that appeared live as METALLICA, including Ulrich, Hetfield, lead guitarist Mustaine and bassist Ron McGovney. The original recordings were paid for by High Velocity record label owner Kenny Kane, with a view of making them available as an EP in 1982.

Mustaine discussed the proposed expanded edition of "No Life 'Til Leather" during a June 2018 interview with U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine. Saying that the last time he spoke to Hetfield was when the METALLICA guitarist/vocalist called him to talk about the "No Life 'Til Leather" re-release, Mustaine recalled: "He was trying to get me to give publishing over to Lars, despite James and I being the sole songwriters. Lars wanted a percentage and I just said no. I love James, he's a terrific guitar player, but yeah, I can't do that. The songs are already out there. I'm not going to release something just to have a product to sell — especially if they are perpetuating false information. Lars did not write the songs. It was just me and James. Period."

Ulrich told Metal Forces in 2016 that "some unexpected difficulties on the legal side… prevented the 'No Life 'Til Leather' box set and our vision for how we were going to kick this whole reissue series off. We spent some time doing that dance, but then James and I decided that it wasn't worth it getting bogged down in all the unpleasantries, because this was supposed to be a celebration and not end up being a tug of war, so we thought, 'You know what? Fuck it. We'll just move on to 'Kill 'Em All'," he said.

Ulrich did not want to get into the details of the exact issues that were preventing the demo tape from being released. "It's a little more complicated than that," he said. "There's no reason to go deeper into it. It was just something that we hadn't expected."

Back in November 2017, Mustaine tweeted that he was contacted by Hetfield two years earlier about "officially" releasing "No Life Till Leather" with "27 tracks, pics, the whole enchilada," but, he said, "the talks broke down because Lars wanted credit on two songs I wrote every note and word to. I have the texts. I passed."

When Ulrich spoke to Metal Forces in 2016, he made it clear that METALLICA was still hopeful that the expanded version "No Life 'Til Leather" would arrive at a later date. "As you know, I am the eternal optimist, and I am the eternal 'glass is well fucking half full,' so who knows?" he said. "I think some of those parties have circled back around now that they've seen that this is real and so we'll have to see. It would be great to share 'No Life 'Til Leather' in a year or two with our fans and with the people that care. We haven't shut the door on it."

"No Life 'Til Leather" was recorded on July 6, 1982 at Chateau East Studio in Tustin, California. All the songs on the tape later appeared on the band's 1983 debut album, "Kill 'Em All", including "Hit The Lights", "Motorbreath", "Jump In The Fire", "Seek And Destroy", "Metal Militia", "Phantom Lord" and "The Mechanix", which was renamed "The Four Horsemen" on the album.

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

For over a decade, NEAL MORSE BAND, now known simply as NMB, has stood as one of progressive rock's most enduring and unified collectives. With their latest studio album "L.I.F.T." set for release on February 27, 2026, Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Eric Gillette, Bill Hubauer and Randy George return with a work that embodies vision, passion and inspiration . Written and recorded during a period of major transition, "L.I.F.T." captures the band's creative chemistry at its most instinctive and inspired.

Today, the band has revealed the second single from the album, titled "Hurt People". Check out the accompanying music video below.

Neal Morse comments: "At some point in my life, I heard the phrase 'hurt people hurt people', meaning that those who are doing damage to others are damaged themselves. Anyway, the phrase always stayed with me.

"When we were writing 'L.I.F.T.', we were at the point in the story arc where the person has his or her break in belonging, and we were working on this heavy section. Mike and Eric were playing this heavy stuff and I started singing 'hurt people hurt people' over what they were doing. It didn't fully come to life until Eric sang it, (what a vocal! — not to mention guitar solo!) which didn't happen till months later, but when it all came together, wow."

Conceptually, "L.I.F.T." stands toe to toe with NMB's greatest works like their much-acclaimed concept album "Similitude Of A Dream", combining emotional depth with the band's trademark progressive rock grandeur.

"In short, 'L.I.F.T.' is a prog concept album that follows the journey of someone seeking to belong to something greater than themselves" Morse explains. "It starts with feeling connected to the world and life, then there is a break in belonging, after which comes the turmoil and desperate cry, leading to a return to that place of profound connection."

The album title came late, though its meaning remains intentionally vague.

"We thought it could stand for different things," says Randy. "It's kind of whatever the listener wants it to be."

True to the band's collaborative spirit, "L.I.F.T." began with the usual whiteboard full of ideas, with columns under each member's name filled with riffs and snippets. However, few of them made it on to the final album.

"We hardly used any of the ideas on the board," says George. "Most of it was written right there in the room, more so than in the past." While Bill Hubauer contributed a few early sketches, and Morse improvised piano pieces that evolved into key themes, much of the music took shape spontaneously.

The sessions were engineered by longtime collaborator Jerry Guidroz, with all drum tracks recorded on-site before each member continued working individually from home studios. For the first time, NMB worked entirely outside their familiar recording environment, at Eric Gillette's studio in Tulsa, adding a layer of uncertainty to the process.

"It was strange not being in the usual studio," George admits. "But hearing the final mixes, it all came together beautifully."

Mixing once again fell to longtime collaborator Rich Mouser, who has been refining NMB's complex sound for years. As George explains, the band sends him the tracks and lets him work independently: "We just let him do his thing." Despite the enormous amount of detail in the arrangements, Mouser once again delivered a mix where "everything lives." The drums, in particular, stand out. Mouser will experiment by removing or combining elements "to see what it sounds like if this isn't there." The result is another brilliant showcase of the band's trademark sound.

With artwork created by longtime collaborator Thomas Ewerhard, the "L.I.F.T." will be available as a limited 2CD digipak (including instrumental versions),standard CD jewelcase, gatefold 2LP and as digital download.

The full track listing is as follows:

01. Beginning (06:48)
02. Fully Alive (05:02)
03. I Still Belong (03:32)
04. Gravity's Grip (02:03)
05. Hurt People (08:05)
06. The Great Withdrawal (05:08)
07. Contemplation (02:20)
08. Shame About My Shame (05:50)
09. Reaching (07:32)
10. Carry You Again (05:02)
11. Shattered Barricade (01:25)
12. Fully Alive Part 2 (06:18)
13. Love All Along (11:18)

Swedish heavy metal veterans LION'S SHARE return with fire as they unleash "Another Desire", taken from their long-awaited comeback album "Inferno", due out March 27, 2026 via Metalville Records.

Marking the band's first full-length studio album in 17 years, "Inferno" is already one of the most anticipated heavy metal releases of the year — and "Another Desire" sets the tone with uncompromising riffs, massive hooks, and a dark, contemporary lyrical edge.

Vocalist Nils Patrik Johansson comments on the song's theme: "The lyrics of 'Another Desire' deal with gangs, brotherhood, money, and the destructive pull of addiction. It's about loyalty, power, and how easily you can become a slave to drugs and desires you think you control — until they control you."

Musically, "Another Desire" showcases LION'S SHARE at their most focused and aggressive, blending classic heavy metal power with modern intensity that reflects both the band's legacy and their renewed hunger.

Guitarist and founding member Lars Chriss adds: "This song represents exactly where we are today. Heavy, sharp, and straight to the point. After all these years, it felt important to come back with something that hits hard — both musically and lyrically."

Formed in Sundsvall, Sweden in 1987, LION'S SHARE quickly established themselves as a force within European heavy metal, touring extensively alongside legends such as MOTÖRHEAD, SAXON, DIO, MANOWAR, U.D.O. and Dee Snider. Their critically acclaimed catalog includes albums like "Emotional Coma" and "Dark Hours", praised for their balance of crushing heaviness and melodic strength.

Since 2017, LION'S SHARE has operated as a powerful duo with Lars Chriss (guitars) and Nils Patrik Johansson (vocals),supported by trusted collaborators in studio and on stage. With "Inferno", the band are ready to reclaim their place at the forefront of heavy metal.

Alongside the release of "Another Desire", LION'S SHARE has also announced their first live shows of 2026:

March 27 - Release Show @ Encore, Sundbyberg (Stockholm),Sweden
April 11 - Hell Yeah Rock Club - Palatset, Linköping, Sweden

"Another Desire" is available now on all digital platforms, accompanied by an official music video, which can be seen below.

Recording lineup:

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

MEGADETH performed the new song "I Don't Care" live for the first time this past Saturday, January 17 at "Let There Be Shred", a one-day fan event held a short distance outside of Nashville in La Vergne, Tennessee. The exclusive, all-day immersive celebration also included an opportunity for fans hear the band's new album a few days before its release, a MEGADETH acoustic performance, a MEGADETH masterclass, a question-and-answer session with the band, guitar talk with MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine and Gibson CEO César Gueikian, and much more.

Fan-filmed video of the "I Don't Care" performance can be seen below.

According to Setlist.fm, MEGADETH played the following tracks during the event:

Acoustic:

01. Angry Again
02. She-Wolf

Electric:

01. Tipping Point
02. I Don't Care (live debut)
03. Sweating Bullets
04. Tornado Of Souls
05. Symphony Of Destruction
06. Peace Sells
07. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

"I Don't Care" was the second single from MEGADETH's upcoming self-titled album, due on January 23, 2026. The follow-up to 2022's "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" will be released via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label.

When MEGADETH's music video for "I Don't Care" — directed by Keith J Leman — was first released last November, Mustaine said about the track: "How many times have you wanted to say this to someone? I know you want to! Deep down inside, if we had the balls, we would tell more people 'I don't care' more often."

Musically, Mustaine explained, "Part of the main riff in this track had been floating around in my head since we did 'The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!', so I was pumped to start recording 'I Don't Care' for this LP. I really love the guitar nuances in the track. There is the main rhythm riff, next, a very deliberate down-picking part, next, the octave chords with jump picking on octave notes (while still down-picking!). And the soloing and back and forth between me and Teemu [Mäntysaari] is magnificent!!"

MEGADETH played its previous single, "Tipping Point", live for the first time on October 14, 2025 at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, The Netherlands during the band's European tour as the support act for DISTURBED.

On August 14, 2025, MEGADETH announced that its upcoming LP will be the band's last. The Mustaine-led outfit will also embark on a farewell tour in 2026.

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

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

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

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

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

In addition to Mustaine and Mäntysaari, MEGADETH's current lineup includes drummer Dirk Verbeuren and bassist James LoMenzo.

Hard-rocking quintet TYKETTO will release its sixth studio album, "Closer To The Sun", on March 20, 2026. The band, consisting of Danny Vaughn (vocals),Harry Scott Elliott (guitar),Ged Rylands (keyboards),Chris Childs (bass) and Johnny Dee (drums),will make the LP available via British rock specialist label Silver Lining Music, which is home to the likes of EUROPE, URIAH HEEP, SAXON, Michael Monroe, SOEN and DIAMOND HEAD, to name a few.

A strong spirit of optimism and forward drive powers the album's more arena-ready passages, as TYKETTO tap backs into its classic arena rock roots — most strikingly on the second single, "We Rise", the official music video for which can be seen below.

"In the spirit of 'Don't Come Easy', we set out to create a couple of real arena rock anthems and 'We Rise' is definitely one of those," comments Vaughn. "It also marked the first real collaborative effort within the band for this album. Harry brought in the guitar riff and the chorus. Chris and I fleshed out the arrangement and the lyrics and before you know it, magic happened! It's a simple message; when you get knocked down, keep getting back up!"

When the album's first video, "Higher Than High", was released last November, it was described in a press release as "a burst of swing and swagger that perfectly captures TYKETTO's deep appreciation for the emancipation that music can bring."

"'Higher Than High' is, in my estimation, classic TYKETTO, where difficulties in life are seen and named but hope and, more importantly, music, is the thing that gets us through," commented Vaughn. "It's the first single from our new album which we think is going to be a real favorite with the fans. The song and the album say 'play me loudly and take me for a drive.'"

The "Higher Than High" video was filmed by Paul Hollingsworth at KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom and was directed and edited by Scott Wardell.

Throughout "Closer To The Sun", TYKETTO speaks to the listener about true life loves, losses and pleasures. From the title track's triumphant, anthemic appreciation of love's power, to the punchy rawness built to make fists rise and hearts race of "Hit Me Where It Hurts", to the power balladry of "The Picture", TYKETTO continues to confidently stride the same musical terrain as the likes of WHITESNAKE and AEROSMITH, with the added bonus of being fresh to the ears of many.

"Closer To The Sun" was recorded across multiple studios in Europe, including Flip Flop Studios and the legendary Rockfield Studios in Wales.

In support of the album's release, TYKETTO has already announced a string of dates for 2026, kicking off at Planet Rock's Winter's End festival in Porthcawl, Wales — and with a full U.K. tour set for the spring.

"Closer To The Sun" track listing:

01. Higher Than High
02. Starts With A Feeling
03. Bad For Good
04. We Rise
05. Donnowhuddidis
06. Closer To The Sun
07. Harleys & Indians (Riders In The Sky)*
08. Hit Me Where It Hurts
09. The Picture
10. Far And Away
11. The Brave

* Not included on vinyl formats

"I was pleasantly shocked when Danny and the band put pen to paper," said Silver Lining owner Thomas Jensen. "We're talking about a really wonderful band in terms of sheer songwriting quality and live delivery, and if I'm honest, one which probably didn't get the credit it deserves. We're all glad to be part of a team determined to shift that needle!"

Vaughn added: "Many years of hard work ground to a complete halt when COVID first hit us all, and it was really touch and go as to whether or not TYKETTO would continue. Since our return in 2023, the band has been on a steady upward trajectory, with more fans coming out to see and support us than ever before. This fantastic upward rise has now culminated in our signing a brand-new record deal with Silver Lining Music, who have already shown not only love and support for us, but also a real understanding for our personal relationship with our fans. The end result of all of this is an album that TYKETTO fans are going to absolutely fall in love with. For TYKETTO, these are the best of times!"

Last August, Vaughn told Euro Weekly News about "Closer To The Sun": "I'm buzzing about our new album — it's going to be a fan favorite. We just finished mastering it, and it drops in March. A tour is planned, along with some big festivals."

In late 2024, Vaughn told Myglobalmind about the TYKETTO songwriting process: "It's a team effort in that everybody is submitting music to me, and I'm just keeping it all in files. I get to decide what's TYKETTO and what isn't. I tend to want to be the guy that always does the lyrics and melody because I have to believe in what I'm singing. Harry has submitted some loose lyrical ideas, and I've thought, 'Oh, I can work with this.' It's not really a question of arrogance; it's just that I'm the vehicle that these songs have to get through, so I need to understand or believe in what I'm singing."

In a new interview with Drew Stone of The New York Hardcore Chronicles Live!, RAVEN frontman John Gallagher once again talked about METALLICA opening for his band back in 1983 and 1984. The trek marked METALLICA's first-ever tour. Asked if he had any recollections of sharing the stage with METALLICA, and particularly METALLICA's bass player at the time, Cliff Burton, John said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, yeah. Of course. You go on tour with somebody, if you get on with them, you're friends for life. It's like you've been in a war together or something.

"It was great," John continued. "They were kindred spirits. They were a gang. We were a gang. Because the one thing I always hear is, like, 'Well, did you know back then that they would be what they are now? It's, like, no. Who would? And that band then — no, they would never have been that. But the band that recorded that second album showed great hints of [bigger things] happening. So, that's what happened.

"But Cliff was great," Gallagher added. "Cliff was a real old soul on young shoulders. We'd sit and throw bass riffs at each other and talk music. He was a huge fan of many kinds of music. He loved fusion. He loved RUSH and BLUE ÖYSTER CULT. He had a pair of jeans with a RUSH patch and a BLUE ÖYSTER CULT patch, I think. And I don't think he took them off in a month. I think he showered in them. I'm not sure. [Laughs]"

A year ago, John told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about RAVEN's tours with METALLICA: "Yeah, [METALLICA] were good. They were energetic. They were like a gang, which is always appealing 'cause we were, obviously, like a gang. It wasn't the mentality of a one guy starting a band and putting adverts out and having a bunch of mercenaries come in. There was none of that. They were a gang. But as far as, 'Do you see them in — whatever — 10 years being the greatest thing since sliced bread?' It's, like, no, not a chance. And to be fair, the band that you could have said that with was at least a good year away because they really changed on the second record. It showed some maturity and breadth and the ability to do different things other than just [playing fast] all the way through. So, they sat, they learned and they soaked it all in and they did a whole bunch of stuff."

John continued: "They said to us on the tour, 'We love your 'All For One' album because you've broadened your sound without compromising who you are.' I was, like, 'Oh, well, I guess we did. Okay.' So they did kind of the same thing. They stretched out and did 'Fade To Black', which was, like, 'This is really cool. This is different.' Some slower-paced songs — still fast stuff, but mixed it up a bit."

He added: "We had a long conversation with James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] a couple of years ago up at METALLICA HQ [in Northern California]; we visited there. And [he was] very humble and very, 'I don't know how this all happened, but we're very grateful and humbled that it did. And we're gonna continue to do the best we can.' You can't ask for more than that."

Gallagher also spoke about what it was like for RAVEN to open for METALLICA at a November 2022 concert at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida celebrating the life, legacy, and achievements of Megaforce Records founder Jon "Jonny Z" Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula. He said: "Yeah, that was really cool. That was for a good purpose because Jon and Marsha Zazula, who managed them and managed us, made a huge difference in both our careers. Absolutely. And it was good to recognize and celebrate that. And they were so good… And we got to hang out for a long time and talk. And it's really surprising about the level that they're at and the things they've went through that it's the same guys. That's pretty cool."

RAVEN will return to the live stage for an extensive North American tour of more than 35 shows from March through May this year. Support on the trek will come from SLACKJAW.

Last August RAVEN announced that it was postponing its previously announced summer/fall 2025 European tour due to John's health. John later released a video message in which he said that he found out he had "a bleed on the brain."

Considered part of the "New Wave Of British Heavy Metal" movement of the early '80s, RAVEN is perhaps best remembered for its trailblazing tours in America in the early '80s that gave groups like METALLICA and ANTHRAX their first taste of the road.

RAVEN's classic albums "Rock Until You Drop", "Wiped Out" and "All For One" virtually invented both the speed metal and power metal genres, with the band consistently pushing the envelope while retaining its unique sound and attack — both in the studio and in their true element: onstage.

In a 2005 post on RAVEN's official message board, John stated about RAVEN's influence on other pioneering metal bands: "Anyone ever listen to the middle of 'Aces High' by IRON MAIDEN and compare it to part of 'Faster Than The Speed Of Light' [by RAVEN]? How about the chorus riff of METALLICA's 'No Remorse' to [RAVEN's] 'Lambs To The Slaughter'?? Makes me laugh...!"

In a new interview with the Stupid And Contagious Podcast, CANDLEBOX frontman Kevin Martin confirmed that there are no plans for him and his bandmates to retire from touring anytime soon, despite the fact that they announced their "farewell" tour, "The Long Goodbye", and released what was being billed as their "final" album of the same name nearly three years ago. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was done [in 2023]. We were putting out the record and we were going out with 3 DOORS DOWN, and I really wanted to focus on my family and my relationship with my wife and son more, and I was also releasing this bourbon and I wanted to focus on it. And I just kind of felt like I was done with this music business. And then the minute you say that, your value becomes tenfold. An then I was asked to go out with BUSH, and, of course, Gavin [Rossdale, BUSH frontman] and I have been friends since the '90s, and I was, like, 'I can't pass up on that.' And it was [also] with Jerry Cantrell [on the bill]. And then it kind of all kickstarted again. And my wife's, like, 'Look, you know you're not done with this.' And then Pete's [original CANDLEBOX guitarist Peter Klett], like, 'Hey, man, I'd like to come back.' So, yes, it's now — we're calling it the 'We Can't Quit You, Babe' tour. I mean, fucking RAINBOW said they were retiring. So did THE WHO, KISS…"

Asked if CANDLEBOX is preparing to hit the road again, Kevin said: "Yeah, we have rehearsals starting in February. We're only doing a short spring run, because Pete and I are working on a new record. So, that spring run will be short and sweet, but we're working on a big summer thing and a fall tour. We're also doing South America. I think we're working on Europe for '27, depending on how the record does, all that sort of stuff. [We'll] keep ourselves busy."

Regarding how touring has changed in the three decades since the release of CANDLEBOX's debut album, Kevin said: "It's a hell of a lot harder. It's a hell of a lot more expensive. Certainly with socials and social media and stuff, it's difficult because there are expectations, I think, that fans have of the bands. I mean, back in the day, CANDLEBOX was the most faceless rock and roll band out of Seattle. So it was easy to play a show and go out and watch the opening band and nobody knew who we were. Now your face is all over everything and people can reach out and say, 'Oh, my uncle's a huge fan.' And, 'I met you guys through this person' and 'You're not coming to my town. Why not?' That that kind of stuff... Everybody asks that, and it's, like, you live in a tiny little town in the middle of Iowa. Nobody goes there because it's the most difficult place to get to and it's incredibly expensive to get there. And it's not that we don't want to — we would love to. If we could afford to hit 70,000 cities in the United States in one year, we would, but the odds are stacked against you. But other than that, it's really just the expense of being a touring band. It's so financially unbalanced now. A tour bus, for example. If you're in a 2010 tour bus, let's say. That's 15 years old — a 15-year-old tour bus that probably hasn't been very well taken care of or upgraded or anything like that. It should be about $500 a day, but what you end up paying is about $1,500 a day for that bus. That doesn't include the driver, that doesn't include the fuel. So you're looking at a bus that's 15 years old that's gonna cost you $2,200 a day. The cost of hotels is $350 a night, [plus] taxes, insurance. I mean, my daily nut to tour is $22,000. That's a day what I have to pay to tour. And the merchandise isn't cheap. To print a shirt is about $12 to $15. That's why t-shirts at shows are $40 and $50 and $60 because it's like retail markup. You've gotta make a hundred percent markup. And it's not gonna get any easier as long as Trump's in office, with tariffs."

CANDLEBOX released "A Little Longer Goodbye (Tour Edition)", the digital deluxe version of the album "The Long Goodbye", on all DSPs in July 2024 via Round Hill Records. The digital release featured the 12 tracks on the record plus two bonus live songs, "Elegante" and "Cellphone Jesus" (recorded at Club Amanda in Santiago, Chile on October 27, 2023),as well as the single "Washed Up".

Martin previously discussed his decision to retire in July 2023 during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said at the time: "During COVID, I had a great awakening, being home with my wife and my son and realizing that maybe I had put far too much emphasis on the wrong syllable," he said, referencing a classic line from the 2003 Mike Myers/Gwyneth Paltrow movie "View From The Top". "My music career had become so encompassing of my time and my emotion and my energy and all this stuff that I realized that I had not given my family what they actually needed from me, which was me. And being home and being a dad and a teacher and a husband, and learning how to bake bread and realizing, 'God, man, I've missed a lot of things in my life that I enjoy,' I said, 'I need to figure out when I can wrap this up.'"

He continued: "I love music and it is a part of my life and I love playing live and I love performing and I love the fans. And that is something that I never take for granted. But I knew that I didn't love it the way I did when I started. And so I said to my wife, I said, 'I think I wanna make one last record and I wanna do it in 2023 when the 30th anniversary of the debut comes out, and then I wanna just put a nice little bow on this thing and wrap it up at the end of the year. And how do you feel about that?' And she said, 'I would love that, but only if you're ready.' And it took me from 2020 to 2022 to realize that I was."

Kevin added: "I don't ever wanna be a performer that phones it in on stage. I've been to those shows, I've seen those shows. I don't wanna do that. And I would hate to become that person. If this is my top, where I'm at, and I'm going out on it, and I'm in the best shape ever and my voice is in the best shape ever, and the music that I'm making, the shows that we're playing are fantastic, and we're having an absolute blast, then what better way to go?"

In a new interview with James Wilson-Taylor of Rock Sound, BLACK VEIL BRIDES frontman Andy Biersack spoke about the band's latest single, "Certainty". The track will appear on the band's upcoming album, due later this year via Spinefarm. Asked if the heavier sound of "Certainty" is representative of the musical direction of BLACK VEIL BRIDES' new LP, Andy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, I think there's kind of two things. One is obviously we've been around for a while and we've been making music together for a long time. So we've always been a band that we don't like to make the same record twice. And I think we had gotten to a place where none of us were really all that excited about the idea of making a grand sort of sing-along rock opera right now. And then for me, creatively, that really wasn't where my head was at in terms of writing. So everything, at least on a narrative level, was skewing much more, for lack of a better term, darker or serious or whatever. And so I think the music just sort of — it was birthed from the same perspective. We didn't wanna make a record that was, 'Hey, now we're gonna make the heavy record.' What we're trying to build here and what my ideas are in terms of the narrative, along with what Jake [Pitts, guitar] is writing from a musical perspective, was really kind of going hand in hand with each other. And so I think the record is heavy because it has to be for it to make sense with the narrative. And I also think it's a really solid record in the perspective that we weren't trying to go, 'Every song is the screamy song,' 'Every song is the' whatever. When people hear the whole album, I think that the heavy moments are purposeful and there are moments of what you might call more traditional BLACK VEIL BRIDES. But I would say overall the record is much more aggressive than previous albums."

Earlier this month, Biersack told Rock Feed about how "Certainty" was conceived: "A lot of times I think this happens, and I don't know why it is. We do the whole record and then we feel like there's a missing song. And this was the quote-unquote missing song. Jake and I did this song. Jake had an idea; he sent it to me. I wrote on it. We tracked it. It was one of those everything-came-together — bam, bam, bam — very quick sort of songs, 'cause we knew exactly what we wanted to do. And I knew lyrically what I wanted to say with it. And so it came together really quickly, and it was the last song for the record. Everything else had already been recorded. And it just felt like a real sort of mission statement for the album — from a lyrical perspective, from the musical perspective."

On the topic of the BLACK VEIL BRIDES members' decision to produce their new album themselves, Andy said: "This record is one that we've made on our own. Obviously, we have a label and we're very supported by that label, and we were very fortunate to be in that position. But when it came down to it, this record was primarily made here in Florida by the band. Jake and I produced it. And it's the kind of record that we wanted to make without any other cooks in the kitchen. And I think it's really representative of where we're at as a band."

Asked what it feels like to be getting such a strong response from the fans to BLACK VEIL BRIDES' new music, Andy said: "Well, it's fantastic. I think we're the kind of band that, for better or for worse, people don't necess[arily]… There's a version of the band that people have in their mind, most of which is primarily based on maybe when they first heard the band or what they think of the band. A lot of people who don't even know what the band sounds like have a version of the band in their mind, so it's been very interesting, having made this record on our own, very much committed sonically to the style that we wanted to pursue, playing these festivals and having people discover the band through these songs that maybe didn't otherwise give it a shot beforehand."

Andy continued: "We've talked about this before. We're kind of the little engine that could in that way. A lot of people dismiss the band outright, don't really know what we sound like, sort of associate an image that they saw in their mind of like 2010, of us looking like MÖTLEY [CRÜE] or whatever, which is fine. That's part of our history, but they don't really necessarily know what it is that we do. And so it's been fun to kind of — I guess in some ways so far these songs seem to have kind of snuck up on people in a way. And it's fun to surprise people this many years into our career with, tonally, what we do because people hear the singles and primarily the singles from records were sometimes outside your control, but they're the big anthem songs. So people's assumption is that the totality of our records, if they've never dug into the catalog, is 12 songs that sound like 'Fallen Angels' on every record or 'In The End' or whatever else. And while I love those songs, that is much less representative of the totality of our catalog as opposed to like things that are much more kind of guitar-oriented and heavy. And certainly moving forward, this record is what you might call a darker or heavier record in that way."

When "Certainty" was first released earlier in the month, Biersack said in a statement: "The concept of 'Certainty' is central to this record and appears throughout the album. The song was inspired by the film 'Conclave', particularly its reflections on religious certainty and how rigid belief systems can become prisons of our own making. When certainty hardens, curiosity, growth, and the willingness to change become impossible. Much of today's political and social discourse exists inside these echo chambers of absolute belief, and that tension drives the narrative of this record."

To coincide with the single's release, BLACK VEIL BRIDES unveiled a striking new music video for "Certainty", directed by George Gallardo Kattah (CHELSEA WOLFE, MÅNESKIN) and filmed while the band was on tour in Colombia. Featuring stunning cinematography and an intensity reminiscent of an A24 motion picture, the video mirrors the song's themes. Further, it exemplifies the bold visual identity BLACK VEIL BRIDES have cultivated throughout their career.

Biersack added: "This was the final song written and recorded for the album. It started from an idea Jake [Pitts, guitar] sent over, and it came together quickly over the course of a few days. It felt essential both narratively and musically, capturing the overall tone of what we're aiming for. The music video, directed by George Gallardo Kattah and his team in Bogotá, Colombia, is one of our favorites we've ever done. His interpretation of fear and pride as biblical twins is stunning, and the visuals are incredible."

Last September, Biersack spoke to PK of the ALT 105.1 radio station about BLACK VEIL BRIDES' 2025 track "Hallelujah". The Tampa, Florida-based choir One Voice Ensemble lent its talents to the song, which was produced by Biersack and Pitts and was made available in July 2025 by BLACK VEIL BRIDES' label partners Spinefarm. Andy said: "We just wrapped the [new BLACK VEIL BRIDES full-length] record. We put that song out… In the old days, they used to be called a 'street track', right? It's not a single; it's just showing 'this is what we're working on' kind of thing. So we did that before the record was done. We just wanted to get something out, because it had been a year since we had released anything. And so now the [full-length] record is done. It's fully mixed. It's going into mastering. Our work's getting done. I think that we'll probably have another song out before the end of the year. And the record will get announced early next year."

He added: "I'm hyped, man. I really love the record. We're really excited about it. We produced it ourselves. And it's our first record with Spinefarm as a label, and so it's just a great relationship, a great situation."

Asked if this is the first time members of BLACK VEIL BRIDES have produced their music themselves, Andy said: "Yeah. We've been able to work with really great producers over the years, and so Jake and I feel like we learned a lot from them. We worked with Bob Rock, John Feldmann, Erik Ron, all these guys who are top of the game. And so we wanted to try our hand. And we're never gonna do what they do, but we felt like it's our record and we wanted to take ownership over it and see how good we can do on our own. And I think the result is, at least for us, it's pretty exciting. I think it's one of the best things we've done because it's unfiltered us. If you're a fan of what we do, it's going to be the most of what we do, 'cause without anybody else's voice in the room, you're left to your own devices."

He continued: "As from a writer and a singer perspective, for me, one of the things I found to be the most exciting about this record was when you write a song and you work with a producer, a lot of times the producer hears it a certain way. So I get in the booth to sing it and the phrasing, they'll say, 'Ah, sing it this way' or 'that way.' And so for this, it's exactly how I pictured it in my mind as I'm writing the thing down. And so for better or for worse, it feels the most complete."

Seven months ago, BLACK VEIL BRIDES released an animated video for "Hallelujah", directed by Marco Pavone (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, PINK FLOYD, SHADOW OF INTENT).

"Hallelujah" received its live debut at Warped Tour in Long Beach, California on July 26, 2025.

When "Hallelujah" was first made available, Biersack said in a statement: "'Hallelujah' is an important song for us, not only because it is the first track from the new record, but also as a signifier of what's to come for the band. On a narrative level, it represents the themes and ideas I am exploring lyrically on the album.

"I am fascinated by the current state of discourse and how often we seem to prioritize ideological certainty over the heart and soul of humanity. Over the years we have developed a tremendous connection with our audience, which is often dismissed or misinterpreted by the 'scene.' We stand at a unique inflection point culturally and I want to be able to speak openly about how much I believe in being true to yourself over the fear of mass hysteria or in-group recriminations.

"When my grandfather's voice spoke to 'the outcasts' in the first moments of our first record in 2010, it was a sincere call to arms for all those who feel different. In many ways this record is the natural evolution of that same idea. This is the heaviest and most vitriolic BVB record by far but more importantly I believe it is the most sincere and honest record we have ever made."

Earlier in 2025, Andy credited Feldmann and Ron with helping him develop the skills in the studio to oversee a BLACK VEIL BRIDES recording from beginning to end. Biersack told Brandy-Baye Robidoux of Idobi Radio: "I wouldn't know how any of this stuff functions without particularly those two. Jake and I have always said we learned how to be people in a studio from John Feldmann. And then that carried over to where when we started working with Erik, who also had worked with Feldmann as an engineer in his early career, we come from that same school. And so I think in a lot of ways we brought that same sort of means of production to our record. It's just that we were doing it on our own. But it really comes from that for us."

Asked if it was "more challenging or easier" to produce the new album themselves, Andy said: "I would say it was a little bit more challenging in the capacity that you've gotta make sure that you get it right. I would say the easier thing is for me vocally, sometimes — and I guess this will be determined by how people hear it — but sometimes when you're singing, if you're working with a producer who is also a singer, they have a way that they want to hear something. So if I go, 'This melody goes this way,' and they go, 'Oh, this melody should go this way.' And then you're, like, 'Oh,' and that's unnatural. I always say, like, there's certain times when I can hear on records where I would've wanted it to be pushed this certain way, and then somebody else wanted it to go this other way, and then I just end up sounding like I don't know what I'm saying in the song. With this, it's just the way I want it, for better or for worse. So we'll find out whether that was the right way or not. We'll find out. We'll see if people like it."

Regarding whether BLACK VEIL BRIDES is "pulling from any unexpected influences" this time around, Andy said: "Well, I think we have a total lack of interest in any commercial crossover. We've been in the major label system for most of our career, where even though we were a band with a lot of shreddy guitars and I'm writing about theological ideas, they're, like, 'But where's the single?' And so you'd always kind of have to temper that with, 'We've gotta make sure that there's a single.' And what we have found, and thankfully working with Spinefarm now, 'Bleeders' was not a song that was made to be a hit. And yet it was a song that, because the label believed in it, did really well at radio and traditional places. So we want to be able to make songs that are enjoyable and that people at radio wanna play — we sincerely want that — but we are not in a position now where we're going to the studio going, like, 'Okay, but we've gotta make sure that we have the song that it's cool for the executives' kind of thing, which is kind of something that we had been bogged down by for a lot of years… And sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. In some cases, you make a concept record that's an hour and a half long, but you happen to have a song that is a platinum single on it. People are, like, 'All right, fine. You could do weird stuff.' If you do that same thing and then you don't have that platinum single, yeah…. And we've seen both sides of that. So, at this point I feel like the best bet is just to make the coolest thing we can make as opposed to trying to go, 'I hope we've got that big hit on there,' 'cause you can't prescribe those things."

In May 2024, BLACK VEIL BRIDES released the title track from their "Bleeders" EP, inspired by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's "Sweeney Todd". The band paid tribute to the classic musical with a music video for the title track that is inspired by the musical's 2007 Tim Burton-directed film adaptation.

Released in June 2024, the three-track EP, which included "Bleeders", a cover of "My Friends" from the Sondheim classic, and a cover of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday", was BLACK VEIL BRIDES' first release for Spinefarm.

In a new interview with RichardMetalFan, former UNEARTH and AS I LAY DYING guitarist Ken Susi spoke about how he ended up officially joining ALL THAT REMAINS as the replacement for Jason Richardson. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I  called [ALL THAT REMAINS guitarist] Mike Martin not too long ago just to say 'what's up?'. I can't remember why. I just randomly call my friends... So Mike and I have, in the past, gone to Bruins games and Red Sox games, and sometimes you just meet up for chicken, or if Adam [Dutkiewicz, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist and acclaimed ALL THAT REMAINS and UNEARTH producer] comes in town, 'cause he lives on the West Coast now, we'll meet up and we'll have food or something. So it's always good to see Mike… I went to go see LAMB OF GOD and KILLSWITCH and I bumped into Mike at the show and we made plans to hang out. So I called him and he was just kind of, like, 'Hey, dude, I have a baby coming,' or whatever, and he's, like, 'Do you think you could fill in for me? And I was like, 'Oh, yeah. No worries.' And at that point he told me that he was suspecting that something was up between Jason and the band. And he was, like, 'I don't know who's gonna play guitar on this tour or whatever, but I would love for you to at least cover for me.' And I just said, 'Hey, let me take a stab at the stuff. Let me see how insane the guitar stuff is.' 'Cause I'm a good guitar player. A lot of people don't know my abilities, because I'm a songwriter first and I don't like to shred over the top of every single song I write. So people know that I solo, people know that I contribute and I can play, but they also know that I'm not a wanker. So I was just kind of, like, 'Let me go through all this stuff. Let me see what's up.' And so I started learning all the music anyway 'cause I agreed to fill in, and I just started learning the solos while I learned everything. And at that point Phil [Labonte, ALL THAT REMAINS singer] was just, like, 'All right, this is great. Awesome. Let's move forward.' And it got to the point where we met up and I've been playing with Mike and learning stuff and we've been going back and forth with tunes and all that other stuff."

Susi went on to say that there has already been talk of him contributing musical ideas to ALL THE REMAINS' next studio album, which would be the follow-up to 2025's "Antifragile", the band's only effort to feature Richardson.

"The craziest thing is that while I was learning the ALL THE REMAINS stuff and the tours in May, I was writing so much music," Susi explained. "It was just one of those moments where I have this prolific — so much music's flowing out of me. I had a lot of family stuff happen. I just had a newborn son, and my father got sick, and I had all these really emotional things, and I had nowhere to put my feelings. And out of nowhere, music just started pouring out of me. So I went to the band and I just said, 'Hey, guys, do you like any of this stuff? Because I know that you just wrote a record with Jason, which is awesome, and now he's out of the band. Do you guys need help with writing and all this other stuff?' And they were really respectful and receptive. And I just said, 'What do you think?' And they seemed to be really into it. And at that point, I thought they were gonna make an announcement about 'you're touring with us' and it turned into, 'Hey, you're in the band.' [Laughs] Well, Phil called me and he was, like, 'Hey, how would you like to play in the band permanently?' And I was, like, 'It's such an honor.' Because they've seen me play all the songs and shred the solos and I'm sending them videos so they know I don't suck."

Ken added: "To be honest with you, I'm a very polarizing person, where I go on stage and I run around and I have a good time. Some people take me as a joke, so they don't know how good I am ability-wise. But a guitar player will tell you how good I am, or not, or whatever. I don't know. Everyone has an opinion. My thing is all I can say is the announcement that was made, I've never felt more re-energized to play music and also so loved in a way where people make me… People talk so much shit online that you never hear anything good, and ALL THE REMAINS camp as well as their fans have accepted me so quickly and so confidently that I expected so much more turmoil and so much more hatred or, 'Oh, this guy one time, he missed a riff' or something. You know what I mean. Everyone's down to just talk shit. But, man, I feel so great that everyone's been so nice to me."

Former UNEARTH and AS I LAY DYING guitarist Ken Susi has officially joined ALL THAT REMAINS as the replacement for Jason Richardson.

Last July, Richardson exited ALL THAT REMAINS after a nearly seven-year run with the band.

Richardson joined ALL THAT REMAINS on lead guitar after the tragic passing of the band's lead guitarist and co-founding member Oliver "Oli" Herbert in late 2018.

When Susi announced his addition to ALL THAT REMAINS on January 12, he wrote in a statement: "I'm incredibly honored to be joining ALL THAT REMAINS as their new guitarist. My connection to this band goes back to the late '90s, when I first met Mike [Martin, guitar], Oli and Phil [Labonte, vocals] at underground shows in Western Massachusetts. Those early days shaped so much of who I am, and coming back together now truly feels full circle.

"I'm also deeply honored to step in for my late friend Oli Herbert. Oli was not only an extraordinary musician, but a close friend whose presence and influence will always be felt. His shoes can never truly be filled, and I carry his spirit with me every time I pick up the guitar.

"After decades of friendship, shared history, and mutual support, it means everything to get on stage with this band and contribute to a project I genuinely believe in. I can't wait to hit the road and share what we've been working on with all of you.

"See you out there."

ALL THAT REMAINS recently announced a spring 2026 U.S. headlining tour. Support on the trek will come from BORN OF OSIRIS and DEAD EYES.

Richardson had previously collaborated with such artists as FALLING IN REVERSE, POLYPHIA, AUGUST BURNS RED, VEIL OF MAYA and WITHIN DESTRUCTION.

Herbert began playing guitar at 14. He co-founded ALL THAT REMAINS with singer Phil Labonte in 1998.

ALL THAT REMAINS's tenth studio album, "Antifragile", came out on January 31, 2025. The follow-up to 2018's "Victim Of The New Disease" included the four singles that band had released in the months leading up to the LP's arrival: "Divine" in May 2024, "Let You Go" in June 2024, "No Tomorrow" in August 2024 and "Forever Cold" in November 2024.

"Divine" marked ALL THAT REMAINS's first original new material since the passing of Herbert. "Divine" also ushered in a period of rebirth for ALL THAT REMAINS, which is, for the first in its career, 100 percent independent and will be releasing future material on its own label — All That Remains Records.

In July 2023, longtime ALL THAT REMAINS drummer Jason Costa announced his departure from the group, citing "deeply personal" reasons that "have nothing to do with any drama or anything within the band."

Jason was the featured drummer on the previous six ALL THAT REMAINS albums: "Overcome" (2008),"For We Are Many" (2010),"A War You Cannot Win" (2012),"The Order Of Things" (2015),"Madness" (2017) and "Victim Of The New Disease" (2018).

Back in March 2022, Costa left ALL THAT REMAINS' U.S. tour in order to "deal with some personal matters." He was replaced by Anthony Barone, who had previously played with BENEATH THE MASSACRE and SHADOW OF INTENT.

In 2023, ALL THAT REMAINS's breakthrough album "The Fall Of Ideals", was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States.

In 2022, ALL THAT REMAINS embarked on "The Fall Of Ideals" 15th-anniversary tour.

"The Fall Of Ideals" was reissued in November 2021. The best-selling title features such fan favorites as "This Calling", "Six" and "The Air That I Breathe".

Ex-FEAR FACTORY bassist Christian Olde Wolbers will once again fill in for OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni on the New Jersey thrash metal veterans' upcoming U.S. tour as the support act for TESTAMENT. Additional support on the "Thrash Of The Titans" trek, which will launch in March, will come from German thrashers DESTRUCTION.

Earlier today (Sunday, January 18),Olde Wolbers shared an admat for the "Thrash Of The Titans" tour and he included the following message: "See you guys and gals out there on the 'Thrash Of The Titans' Tour!"

Olde Wolbers previously filled in for Verni — who is dealing with an ongoing "shoulder issue" — in the fall of 2024 when OVERKILL supported KING DIAMOND on a North American tour.

For some of its European shows in September 2024, OVERKILL recruited ex-KREATOR bassist Christian "Speesy" Giesler as a temporary replacement for Verni.

In a 2024 interview with Portugal's Caminhos Metálicos, OVERKILL frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth addressed Verni's physical ailment, saying: "D.D.'s got a shoulder issue that's been going on for this entire time, even back to [2019's] 'The Wings Of War' [album], it was beginning back then. So I think that the amount of shows that we did was actually a light amount. We would normally do more shows, if he was healthy enough to do them. And he's gotta rehab that shoulder, so he can only do so much, put so much stress on it."

Verni also sat out OVERKILL's April 2024 Latin American tour while he was recovering from shoulder surgery. Filling in for him on the trek was former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson.

In a July 204 interview with That Metal Interview, Verni stated about his shoulder issue: "It's not so much playing, 'cause I can play; it's really just tours where I have to play night after night after night, 'cause that's what kind of did the damage in the first place. So, we'll see, I'll keep working as hard as I can, but if I have to keep doing little bits and pieces till I can get up to full strength, that's what I'll do."

Asked how he felt watching Ellefson play his parts at the OVERKILL shows that he missed, Verni said: "Oh, in some ways it's kind of cool. I mean, I've known David forever, and he's a great player. If I could pick anybody [to fill in for me], it would probably be him or Frank [Bello from] ANTHRAX. I think both of them are great players.

'You hate to miss shows — everybody hates to miss shows — 'cause it's just so much fun," D.D. continued. "But it wasn't as weird as I thought it was gonna be. It would be, like, 'Okay. This is okay. This will be okay.' And the guys in the band all know [David] too, so it was kind of like a friend of yours taking your car for a ride… That was kind of the vibe.

"It's a little weird — I get it — for fans," Verni admitted. "Like when I see people that filled in for Charlie Benante [in ANTHRAX]. It's, like, 'Wow, it's ANTHRAX without [Charlie].' Or [original ANTHRAX bassist] Danny Lilker was playing with ANTHRAX [in early 2024], and without Frank, it's like… Any time a guy that you're used to seeing is not there, it's kind of weird. But that's kind of the world we live in now. Sometimes you have to miss some shows, and you just hope that you get somebody who's kind of a great player to fill in.

"Did you ever think AC/DC would do a show without Brian Johnson?" Verni added. "My God. It was a little weird, but Axl [Rose] did a pretty good job. It was pretty good, I gotta say. It's either that or not playing, and I think at the end of the day, the music is kind of the best thing. So, that's the way it has to go sometimes."

OVERKILL recently entered the studio to begin recording the follow-up to 2023's "Scorched" album for a tentative late 20226 release.

In August 2024, OVERKILL confirmed Jeramie Kling as the group's new drummer. Kling joined the veteran New Jersey thrash metal outfit as the replacement for Jason Bittner, who announced his exit from OVERKILL earlier that month.

Bittner joined OVERKILL in 2017 and played drums on the band's last two studio albums, "The Wings Of War" and "Scorched".

OVERKILL played its first concert with Kling on August 30, 2024 at the Posada Rock festival in Câmpulung Muscel, Romania.

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In a new interview with Chile's Futuro radio, DARK TRANQUILLITY vocalist Mikael Stanne reflected on the birth of what is now widely known as "the Gothenburg sound" nearly four decades ago. At the time, Swedish bands like AT THE GATES, IN FLAMES and DARK TRANQUILLITY took the harshness of old-school death metal and combined it with the more melodic approach employed by 1980s heavy metal acts to create something new. After the interviewer noted that "the Gothenburg sound" was "a big thing" in the mid-to-late 1990s, Mikael concurred. "It really was," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And, of course, for us, we didn't see it. We were just friends. I mean, Gothenburg's a small town. We lived very close to each other. We've been friends since we were teenagers. But, of course, yeah, we recorded albums around the same time [at] the same studio, so it made sense for it to kind of be lumped together. But we never thought about it. And it was only when we started touring — I think it was '96 or '97 — I started hearing people go, like, 'Yeah, that Gothenburg sound is cool, man.' And I was, like, 'What do you mean? What is that?' 'Yeah. You know, you guys together.' 'Well, we're just tiny bands from our small city. That's nothing.' But, of course, I get it now. But for a while it was kind of strange. We tried so hard, all of us, all the bands tried to be unique and original and different from each other and from everything else. So all of a sudden, people said, like, 'Yeah, this is just a sound.' We kind of [took it as] a little bit of an insult at first."

Stanne previously talked about the experience of being lumped in with other Gothenburg bands less than two yeas ago in an interview with U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. He said at the time: "When people started calling it 'the Gothenburg sound', I noticed it on tour in 1995. All of a sudden I see a flyer in the venue that says 'true Gothenburg-style metal'. I had no idea what was going on.

He continued: "At the time, there was 'The Gallery' [by DARK TRANQUILLITY], 'Slaughter Of The Soul' by AT THE GATES and 'The Jester Race' by IN FLAMES. They came out in the same year and were recorded in the same studio. But, at the time, I thought it was an insult. Everything that we set out to do was to be original and new and interesting. We really tried to be different from each other and we were successful in that."

DARK TRANQUILLITY's latest album "Endtime Signals", came out in August 2024 via Century Media Records. Notably, "Endtime Signals" not only marked DARK TRANQUILLITY's thirteenth studio album, but also the band's tenth album collaboration with Century Media Records. It built on the success of previous releases such as "Atoma" (2016),which climbed up to No. 2 in the Swedish album charts, and "Moment" (2020),which earned the band a Swedish Grammis award.

"Endtime Signals" showcased DARK TRANQUILLITY's reinvigorated lineup, consisting of latest additions Joakim Strandberg Nilsson (drums) and Christian Jansson (bass) alongside Mikael Stanne (vocals),Martin Brändström (keyboards),Johan Reinholdz (guitars). It featured an eye-catching cover by founding DARK TRANQUILLITY guitarist Niklas Sundin and a "lived-in" production by Brändström (Rogue Music) and engineering by Alexander Backlund (Fascination Street Studios),as well as a mix and master by Jens Bogren (KREATOR, AT THE GATES).

Photo credit: Linda Florin (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

In a new interview with Dawn Osborne of TotalRock, former MÖTLEY CRÜE and current THE DEAD DAISIES frontman John Corabi spoke about the origin of his nickname "Crabby". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Somebody was just asking me — literally I still get asked, they're, like, 'Why does everybody call you 'Crabby'?' And I go, 'Well, it's not what you think.' [Chuckles] I have [MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist] Mick Mars to thank for that, because Mick used to go, 'Hey, Corabi.' And it somehow went from 'Hey, Corabi' to 'Hey, Corab' to 'Crab'. And that was it. I went from Corabi to Crab, and I've just been Crabby ever since. But that's a Mick Mars nickname, and it just stuck."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With his 2022 autobiography "Horseshoes And Hand Grenades" and 19 full-length records under his belt, spanning a 35-year career, John is anxious to release record number 20, and play the new songs live.

In February 2018, Corabi released a live album of his performance of MÖTLEY CRÜE's entire 1994 self-titled album, recorded on October 27, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee. "Live '94: One Night In Nashville" documents the album in its entirety along with the bonus track "10,000 Miles", which was originally released as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the "Quaternary" EP.

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

In a new interview with Greg Drugan of North Coast Music Beat, original SALIVA singer Josey Scott (a.k.a. Joseph Sappington) was asked if he had a favorite tour that he has ever been on. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, certainly. KISS and AEROSMITH [in 2003] was my favorite. We heard that that tour was gonna happen. I think we were out with DISTURBED or NICKELBACK. Or maybe it was SEVENDUST. And we heard, 'Hey, KISS and AEROSMITH are going on tour together. They've never toured together since the '70s.' Apparently there was some kind of knife fight with two of their roadies. An AEROSMITH roadie and a KISS roadie got in this knife fight, and they swore that they would never tour together, and didn't throughout the '70s and '80s, and '90s, for that matter. They said, 'KISS and AEROSMITH are gonna tour together again, and they're looking for new up-and-coming bands that want to open the show.' And I was, like, 'We'll never get it, but can we throw our name in the hat?' And they were, like, 'Sure.' And we went back on the road, sort of putting our nose to the grindstone, and a few months later our manager came to us and he goes, 'Hey.' He goes, 'I think it's sort of down to you guys and Billy Idol.' And I was, like, 'What?' I was, like, 'No way.' And they were, like, 'Yeah, it's come down to you and Billy Idol, and they're either gonna go with a retro tour with Billy Idol or they're gonna go with a newer act and it's gonna be you guys.' And I was, like, 'You are frickin' kidding me, dude. There's no way that's true.' And I'll never forget hearing that they were in some kind of boardroom or something talking about this, and they were really sort of debating whether it was gonna be Billy Idol or SALIVA. And [KISS bassists/vocalist] Gene Simmons's kid came in and ran up to him and her overheard them talking and said, 'Oh, dad, please pick SALIVA. Please, please let it be SALIVA.' And, uh, I could kiss him on the mouth when I see him for that."

Josey went on to say that touring as the support act for KISS and AEROSMITH more than two decades ago was "the most unforgettable, most emotional, just the absolute peak of our careers, was getting to spend every day and every night with our idols and watch KISS get ready and put their makeup on, and watch AEROSMITH pull up and [AEROSMITH singer] Steven Tyler get out of that limousine with a police escort. And every night, playing on stage, they would come and watch us. Steven Tyler almost every night stood in the wings and watched every song we played. And I finally got the chance to ask him, I said, 'Man, why do you come watch us every night? Little old SALIVA. Why would you do that?' And he poked me in the chest. He said, ''Cause you're the fucking competition. That's why.' … What do you say to that? I was, like, 'I could never be your competition,' but, man, what a compliment for him to say that. And he was just the sweetest, most giving, most humble, grateful human being I've ever seen in my life. He had his daughters out there, and he was just so kind and considerate to us. He took us right under his wing. Just an absolute sweetheart. And I got to hang with Gene and Paul [Stanley, KISS frontman] a lot, and [they were the] absolute same. They were just so giving and so kind to us, being a young up-and-coming band, and gave us advice."

Scott added: "I had food poisoning on the tour one time, and [original KISS drummer] Peter Criss came and took care of me and made sure I was okay. And him and his wife took me into KISS's dressing room and put a cold towel on my head and laid me out on the couch. And when it came time for KISS to go on stage — they're my heroes, so they literally walk by the couch, and I'm laying there with food poisoning with a rag on my head and Gene Simmons leans down with his bass. He goes, 'I hope you feel better, bro.' And I'm, like, speechless, bro, just speechless. So that's an easy answer for me. I loved that tour."

Last October, Scott released two new singles, "Who?" and "Famous", both of which appeared to be lyrical jabs at the man who replaced him in SALIVA, Bobby Amaru. The songs arrived less than two months after the current lineup of SALIVA — fronted by Amaru — released a new single, "Hit 'Em Where It Hurts", featuring lyrics which were apparently aimed at Scott.

In December, Scott released another new single, "F.A.F.O.", which was a collaboration with Doobie, who has been described as "hip-hop's Kurt Cobain". The track was produced by ScatteredBrains and Mason Sacks and was co-written by Jordan Centers.

SALIVA launched its career in 2001 with the release of "Every Six Seconds", a double-platinum selling album with hits that include "Click Click Boom" and "Your Disease".

Scott left SALIVA at the end of 2011 after 15 years with the group, reportedly to pursue a solo Christian music career. He was quickly replaced by Amaru, who can be heard on SALIVA's last several releases.

SALIVA reunited with Scott for a one-off appearance at the 2022 Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. Scott performed three songs with the group at the event, which also saw SALIVA play with Amaru.

SALIVA's founding guitarist  Wayne Swinny died in March 2023 after suffering a brain hemorrhage while on tour.

Former MEGADETH and current KINGS OF THRASH guitarist Jeff Young has offered an update on "rEvolutions", an "album project" which he says he has "been patiently working on for well over a decade now".

Says Young: "The process began with a specific intent but no conditions nor time limit. The goal was, to create a fresh sound, incorporating influences and skills garnered over the years... (rock. metal, world, classical, blues, etc).

"I wasn't seeking to 'form a band' but wanted to collaborate with the very best group of players I could find. On that note, I'd say, lady luck has been on my side. I keep telling my close friends and colleagues, 'Put me on the back burner, just have a listen to all these creative souls, who lended their unique talents, helping me sculpt these songs into something... magical.'"

He continues: "We are close to finishing the recording and mixing portions of this 'life's work' project. By beginning with the intent not to rush but to 'allow' the songs to write themselves. Waiting for the appropriate players to arrive and recording as much as possible, staying true to vintage analog recording methods — this album pretty much wrote itself. As a result, the songs reflect not only my journey as a musician, songwriter and producer... the listener gets to meet the musicians and influences that have fortunately crossed my path along the way.

"Sonically speaking, the actual process of 'recording' music has changed so drastically from a decade ago. Each song on the record is like its own 'time capsule' or movie. Along the trip, the listener can hear exactly where I was in a given year, also where the audio technology medium was in that moment."

Jeff adds: "I've talked with a couple record labels so far that wanted to help us release this album but I want to be sure it's really the 'right fit' and we make the most of our creative efforts!

"Songs were recorded in different studios, in different cities and countries so, it truly is a "world music" album — with elements of all the genres that have influenced my rEvolution.

"So, it won't be much longer! We are so close to the finish line and so excited to get this music out to the world. We can't wait to introduce you to these songs and take you all on a vocal and instrumental trip back in time and into the future..."

"rEvolutions" will be released under the JEFF YOUNG GROUP banner and will feature the following track listing:

01. "Lightning Rising" featuring Mohini Dey - Bass / Jeff Tortora – Drums

02. "Gypsy Soul" featuring Dyna Shirasaki - Vocals / Ric Fierabracci - Bass / Shane Gaalaas – Drums

03. "Slow Burn" featuring Andrea Whitt - Pedal Steel / James LoMenzo - Bass / Jeff Bowders – Drums

04. "Monsoon" featuring Tina Guo - Cellos / Ric Fierabracci - Bass / Brian Tichy – Drums

05. "Prodigal Son" featuring Mark Morales - Vocals / Gabriel Connor - Bass / Fred Aching – Drums

06. "In The Flesh" featuring Ric Fierabracci - Bass / Jeff Tortora – Drums

07. "Always Remember Me" (for Jeff Buckley) featuring Sage Sansone - Vocals / Jake Wolf - Bass / Matt Chamberlain – Drums

08. "Lost In Tejas" featuring Mark Morales - Vocals

Bonus track: "Summerland" (KING'S X live acoustic cover) featuring Sass Jordan on vocals and Brian Tichy on guitar and vocals

At last year's NAMM convention in Anaheim, California, Jeff Young told Metal Magnitude's Chelsea about his upcoming LP: "Well, I've been working on a album called 'rEvolutions', with a small 'r' and a capital 'e', 'cause it's the revolutions on a turntable, but it's also my evolution. I've been working on it for 11 years. And it includes all the musicians I've met along the way, some of the best players on the planet, including Mohini Dey, who's playing all over this year. She's on a couple tracks. Some great vocalists, great drummers, bass players."

Regarding the musical direction of his new solo material, Jeff said: "The album's got a hard rock feel, but there's also a lot of funk and world music vibes and It's really danceable. But it's also the evolution of the recording medium, because how we used to record music 11 years ago, with all the technology we have here at NAMM, it's a totally different recording world today. So it's kind of cool that the people will not only be able to feel my revolution, but… Many albums sound identical from track to track. My album won't, 'cause it was done in different studios, different engineers and different years."

Young's entire career with MEGADETH was spent recording and touring in support of the band's 1988 platinum-selling album "So Far, So Good...So What!"

Jeff made headlines in December 2009 for accusing MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine of, among other things, "dissing, exaggerating and just plain lying on some level about nearly every talented musician that has passed through his dysfunctional little ensemble." He also disputed Mustaine's claim in an interview that Young's drug problem led to MEGADETH's 1988 Australian tour being called off and the group being "banned" from performing in the country.

In a 2023 interview with Metal Edge magazine, Young was asked if he regretted his decision to "walk away" from MEGADETH in 1989. He responded: "Sure, I would have loved to have stayed in MEGADETH. But it was to the point where you had a guy suffering from paranoid delusions freebasing drugs 24/7."

Asked about the rumors that Young's dismissal from MEGADETH was caused in part by his attempt to put the moves on Mustaine's then-fiancée, Young said: "It never happened. But these are the bullshit lies that have been spread repeatedly. To this day, MEGADETH's fans look at me weirdly. And to be honest, I don't really appreciate it."

Over the last few years, KINGS OF THRASH completed several tours during which it performed MEGADETH's classic albums "Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!" and "So Far, So Good… So What!" A live CD/DVD package called "Best Of The West…Live At The Whisky A Go Go" was recorded and filmed live at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on October 15, 2022 and was released in March 2023 via Cleopatra Records. The DVD, which was directed by Michael Sarna for Inmotion Entertainment, includes an appearance by another former MEGADETH member, Chris Poland (guitar).

Image credit: Riff Crew

For Immediate Release: 1-07-2026
NEW Jeff Young Group - rEvolutions LP UPDATE:

Hello & happy 2026 friends! I hope this...

Posted by Jeff Young on Wednesday, January 7, 2026

In a new interview with Tobias Le Compte, a multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Brussels and Shanghai, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman was asked if he is interested in classical music. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes. All the time. And still now playing it and learning from it."

Asked what he thinks non-classical musicians could learn from classical music and vice versa, Marty said: "Well, you have to have some sort of interest in it or else there's no point in learning it. I'll never be a real classical musician, but I've learned so much from classical music and have played classical music, as a soloist, with many big orchestras, which is an honor and it takes so much work to do, but it's a whole different lifestyle to do it for real on the daily. For example, I'll do like a concert — maybe the most recent was I did a big [Antonín] Dvořák thing, and it was like 25 minutes of just playing without stopping. And that's very weird, and all the cues are different from a rock band, and it took a lot of practicing and rehearsing and learning in a different way. So I learned a ton from it, and I've done that several times. And it's always — you get nervous, because playing rock band I do since I was a baby. And I love doing it more than anything because it's such a thrill."

Friedman went on to say that classical musicians also can learn from performing with a rock musician like him. "Yeah. It's like another Japanese proverb — the grass is greener on the other side," he explained. "Those guys wanna rock out and shake their asses and bang their heads, and I wanna be in the big crescendos of classical music. So we both admire each other."

Friedman defined modern guitar playing with Jason Becker in CACOPHONY, was a key element in the wildly successful rise of thrash pioneers MEGADETH, and with his "Marty-esque" improvisations and exotic fusion of Eastern and Western music, has achieved global success with his 15 solo albums.

Friedman left MEGADETH in 2000 due to creative differences and pursued a solo career, having released his most recent album, "Drama", in 2024.

Friedman first visited Japan in the late 1980s with CACOPHONY, and came to Japan regularly with MEGADETH, all the while studying the Japanese language. After he quit the Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit, he moved to Tokyo.

Since also embracing Japanese music and eventually relocating to Japan, Friedman has cemented his image as a unique and unpredictable solo artist while further solidifying his celebrity rock star status. He has earned several top 10 spots on the Japanese charts and has performed in Japan's largest venues — from the Tokyo Dome to Budokan. He has also guested on over 700 television programs, acted in four motion pictures, and appeared in several commercials and TV ad campaigns. On November 4, 2016, the Japanese government named Friedman an "Ambassador Of Japanese Heritage."

Friedman's autobiography "Dreaming Japanese", was made available last December. Written with veteran music journalist Jon Wiederhorn ("Louder Than Hell", "Raising Hell"),"Dreaming Japanese" debuted at No. 1 on Amazon's Heavy Metal Books chart and has received praise from major outlets including Rolling Stone, Guitar World, Decibel and Publishers Marketplace. The autobiography shares Friedman's inspiring journey from landing a gig as the lead guitarist for legendary thrash metal outfit MEGADETH during their peak years to his emigration from the U.S. to Japan, where he became a prominent television figure and Japanese pop culture household name as well as being appointed an official "Ambassador Of Japan Heritage".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ellefson's ELLEFSON-SOTO bandmate Jeff Scott Soto, who was also part of the interview, chimed in: "I'm sorry, I have to interject here. I absolutely agree with you, David, that it would be a lovely way for it to end or go out is to have the surviving members of this legendary band all together, at least for one more hurrah. But as far as I'm concerned, MEGADETH, you guys [Ellefson and Mustaine] are the Joe Perry and Steven Tyler of this band. And to end this whole legacy without one or the other, to me, is wrong. And I'll put it right here. You can clickbait and Blabbermouth it all you want, Dave Mustaine, you need to call David Ellefson and you need to put him as part of the end — if this is truly the end and you're calling it a wrap, you need to include David at some point, even if it's one show, one song, something like that. To me, that's the true closure. That's the real way to actually close the book on MEGADETH. They have to at least include David, to include Chris Poland and all the others, Jeff Young, all the others that have been involved. That, to me, would be the ultimate farewell, sayonara, all of the above. That needs to happen, as far as I'm concerned. You need to get the Lennon and McCartney, the Joe Perry and the Steven Tyler of this band together for one final hurrah. That's how I see it."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

According to Page Six, POISON has scrapped previously proposed 2026 tour plans to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the band's debut album, 1986's "Look What the Cat Dragged In" after frontman Bret Michaels allegedly demanded to earn $6 for every dollar his each of his bandmates stood to make from the shows.

"We had a great offer [for a tour this year], I thought. But we left the table," POISON drummer Rikki Rockett revealed to Page Six. "It didn't work.”

"Really what it came to was [guitarist] C.C. [DeVille], [bassist] Bobby [Dall] and I were all in, and I thought Bret was, but he wanted the lion's share of the money, to the point where it makes it not possible to even do it," Rockett explained. "It's like $6 to every one of our dollars. You just can't work that way."

"I don't do this just for the money," Rikki continued. "I do have a love for this, absolutely. But at the same time, you don't want to go out and work really hard just to make somebody else a bunch of money."

Although he admitted that he was disappointed that POISON wouldn't tour again this year, Rockett said he didn't harbor any resentment toward his bandmates. "Every member of this band has given me so much privilege in life," he said. "It's like hating your parents."

As for the possibility of Rockett, DeVille and Dall touring with a different singer, Rikki said: "It's not out of the question. But doing that is like surgery: it's the last resort. I don't want to do that. I'm not quarreling with Bret… We just didn't come to agreement. I don't like it, and I'll say that, but it's not like, 'Let's put up our dukes.' I don't think there's a better frontman for POISON."

Last November, Rikki told Anthony Bryant of The Hair Metal Guru, about the status of POISON's 2026 tour:  "At this moment, it's no different than it was a few months ago where we got an awesome offer from Live Nation, and C.C., Bobby and I agreed to it, talked about it. It went in Bret's lap, and it hasn't moved. Now we're at a point probably where I don't think we can get that tour to happen now. If by October you're not moving on a tour of that size [for the following summer], it's really, really hard to shoehorn that thing in and get it to happen. It's not impossible, but it's super, super hard."

Asked if he still talked to Bret regularly, Rikki, who had spent a few months playing sporadic shows with his new band THE ROCKETT MAFIA, said: "We don't too much. We're cordial. We've had some road crew guys pass away, different friends pass away or some developing thing in our lives, and we'll exchange texts and say, 'Hey, did you know this happened to so and so?' Or there's been, unfortunately, a couple of tragedies have brought us together a few times. But C.C. I talk to all the time. But you have to realize that C.C.'s mom and my mom were best friends. They talked twice a week at minimum, sometimes every day, and they helped each other through cancer and different things. And C.C.'s fairly close — I mean, he's in Orange County; it's an hour — but he's shown up. He showed up to the BLUE ÖYSTER CULT [November 1] gig [in Anaheim where THE ROCKETT MAFIA was the support act]. He wanted to play. But he's got this hammer finger thing going on, which should be cleared up in a few weeks. But he couldn't play."

Regarding why he couldn't just text Bret directly and try to get him to give a final answer regarding touring with POISON in 2026, Rikki said: "I have thrown out a text to all four members and said, 'Hey, let's figure this out. Let's do it.' And it was tumbleweeds. That's the kind of thing that is much bigger than just me throwing it out there on a text, 'cause there's a lot of money involved and stuff. And I think the reason he doesn't wanna talk to me is because he knows I'll probably bring it up and say, 'Hey, what's up?', because we have been friends for so long. If anybody's gonna say it to him, it's gonna be me. A lot of the people that he has around him may not say things like that. And I don't go outta my way to be — I mean, I'm a nice guy too, but I have boundaries. So, there's nothing super… Uh, how can I say it? There's not all this hate going around POISON; it's not that. It's frustration. 'Hey, we wanna do this.' 'You wanna do this then.' 'You wanna this now.' It's that kind of stuff. But on the flipside, if we go back to earlier in the conversation, when you do commit to a tour, three months, you are taking that summer and that is a touring period of time— the spring and summer — that will take your spring and summer, and it's gone. Not to say you couldn't do other shows on the third and fourth quarter, but they're not as big. So, I get that. And it is a commitment, when you make that commitment. And it is harder, because every night you have to be up there doing it. On [2022's] 'The Stadium Tour', not one of us ever went out there half-assed; we always went out there a hundred percent. We get together. It doesn't matter, with our band, no matter how upset or weird something might be, when it comes to that 15 minutes before we're supposed to go on, we get together, we connect, we make sure everything's good, we go out there and we do the very best we can for the fans, give it every bit of energy that we have, and that's always been our commitment. So that's what keeps this band relevant in the, in the rock world, is that when you do get us, at least you get a hundred percent. And one day that a hundred percent might be me coming out with a cane. You know what I mean? But I'll still give you that a hundred percent. [Laughs]"

On the topic of whether there was a point where he thought a POISON tour for 2026 was "close" to becoming a reality, Rikki said: "I thought it was a done deal. Seriously, I was just waiting for the contract to come to me and say, 'Hey, sign on the dotted line. Let's start putting it together.' And that day has not come. And I would love to get out there. I have a blast on tour. I'm not one of these people, like, 'Oh, God, the road.' I really enjoy it. Of course I miss my family, but I fly 'em out. I could tour every year, many months out of the year, as long as I could see my family, because it's so ingrained in me after 40 years. To this point, it's hard to understand myself without that."

Rockett also addressed a recent comment from Pete Evick, who is best known as music director and guitar player for Michaels's solo band of the last 21 years, where Evick suggested that Bret gets the "lion's share" of the touring revenue from POISON. Rikki said: "The reason that this contract [for a POISON 2026 tour] has not gone through is because Bret wants more than the lion's share. The amount of money he wants would make it where it's pretty much impossible to run the production of the band. And he knows that, and I think the reason he's saying that is because he just simply doesn't wanna tour with us this year. He must have some ideas about what he wants to do with Bret Michaels [solo] band this year. I'm assuming — I don't know, because we don't talk. I would love to talk about it, but at this point in time, it's just not a deal. So we're not gonna do that. I'm not gonna go out there and play for peanuts or wind up upside down, so he can make all this money because he's out playing POISON songs with another band. I mean, really, if you think about it, does any of that make sense? I'm gonna ask for more money because I play POISON songs with other people. That's not carrying the torch [for POISON]."

Asked if there has ever been times where he was really concerned that POISON was over, Rikki said: "Oh, yeah, many times. Yeah, of course. Anytime you get into something like [a heated confrontation], especially if it gets sort of physical. Then, yeah, you cross a line and all that kind of stuff. But we've usually been able to work it out. The thing is, is that we really do love this. Bret and I talked about this a long time ago. A lot of people said, 'Oh, do a farewell tour at some point in time. Talk about when you're gonna retire.' Why ever talk about that? I mean, sure, maybe that could happen, but not for me. I don't see any reason to throw in the towel, just because one day you decide, 'Hey, it's time to throw in the towel.' I'm gonna throw in the towel when I can't do it anymore. That's when to throw in the towel. Or the band's dysfunctional to the point where you can't do it anymore. Otherwise, I don't see any reason. Why would you break up the band? I don't see any reason to do that. And I don't think we're gonna do that."

Rockett previously talked about the status of POISON's 2026 tour earlier in November 2025 in an interview with Robert Edwards of Talkin' Bout Rock. He said at the time: "I'm not trying to bash Bret. I'm not trying to start any fights… But one thing you have to understand is, for instance, the Bret Michaels [solo] band tours very differently from the way POISON tours. POISON tours the way DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE and Luke Bryan or whoever [tours], where we basically kiss our families goodbye for three-plus months, or however long it's gonna be, and go out on a tour bus and trucks, and we're playing five nights a week, sometimes six nights a week. And that's not how Bret tours [with his solo band]. He does weekend-warrior stuff, which there's nothing wrong with that at all. Joan Jett does it — I mean, tons of bands do this. THE ROCKETT MAFIA does it. We can't play in Omaha, Nebraska on a Tuesday night and make any money. We'll be upside down. But at the level we've managed to get to [with POISON], and DEF LEPPARD and bands like this, you can play on a Tuesday night and people will come, at the right time. You still have to manage it correctly."

Asked if POISON's long-delayed North American trek with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS — which was originally planned for 2020 and later moved to 2021 and then to 2022 — was a "good experience" for him, Rikki said: "Oh, it was great. Look, it's so funny, because people go, 'Man…' You would think that in these stadiums, there would be so much room to do everything you want. It's weird, because it's set up for sports. It's not set up for a bunch of trucks and buses and all that stuff. So most of the time our bus would be two miles away in a parking lot somewhere and we'd have to take a golf cart or an Uber or a van or something like that to get to the venue. And then you get to the venue and it's, like, MÖTLEY and DEF LEPPARD got all the nice dressing rooms and we're in the electrician's room or something. [Laughs] So from that standpoint, it wasn't as nice as when we headline. But we were playing these massive places for amazing fans. I mean, it was literally a once-in-a lifetime experience.

"We've played some big shows — we've done Donington, we've done a lot of these… Texas Jam, a lot of these things like that — but to do it kind of on that level, or close to that level, for 40 nights, or whatever it was, that was amazing," Rockett added. "And it keeps you on your toes, man. You can't go out there half cocked. I mean, we don't ever do that anyway — I don't think any of us ever go out there on stage nonchalantly. We're a band that pride ourself in giving it everything we got. Even if everything that we have isn't as good as it was the night before, I'm still gonna give it everything that I have, you know what I mean? And I know the rest of the band's like that. Bret's like that, C.C., Bobby, We never half-ass anything."

Last May, Rikki told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that POISON "got a great offer" for a tour in 2026 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of "Look What The Cat Dragged In". He said at the time: "To be honest with you, it's in Bret's lap right now — honestly. So, we're good to go, and hopefully we can make a deal and do it. I think it would be a shame not to do it, because this is our 40th anniversary — all original members. We're not getting any younger. We can tear it up. We've still got it. Let's do it. That's how I feel about it."

Rockett went on to say that the offer he and his bandmates received was for a "headlining" tour and that most of the POISON members had already agreed to do it. "I'm good to go, [and so are Bobby and C.C.]. It is [up to Bret at this point]. And that's just being truthful… I mean, as far as I know, we're good to go. There just hasn't been anything solid. I haven't signed anything or anything like that. But it's more than a year away, or about a year away, so we have time. But hey, with the economy, who knows? [Laughs] I just wanna get out there while we can."

In December 2024, Michaels told Ethan Dometrius about POISON's 2026 touring plans: "So here's the deal. I go through '25. We're doing a bunch of these big festivals [with my solo band] … So I'm doing a bunch of those. And then 2026, C.C. and Bobby and Rikki, I'm here because of them, because of us having each other's back in the beginning, through the middle, through right now. And it'll be four years since we've toured, since 'The Stadium Tour', together, and we're just hoping to make this absolutely 40 awesome dates, and just putting every, as we do, putting every ounce of energy on that stage and just bringing an absolute party."

Regarding POISON's mindset when performing live, Bret said: "POISON just goes out there. And I say this, that stadium tour, I was so grateful to be on it. And I just hit that thrust and I couldn't stop… I told 'em, I said, 'I can't stop smiling right now. It's ridiculous.' And we just went out there, and we play real live music. We don't mess around. We just give it, thrills and frills and good times."

In September 2024, Bret told Arizona Republic about POISON's plan to tour in 2026: "Yeah, that would be incredible. We've just got to work out all the moving parts. But all original members. There's so much planning goes behind that. When I'm out as Bret Michaels, it's simpler because I'm making all the end decisions. When you're in a band like POISON, it's a committee. You go in there, and you figure it out together. You make sure everyone's good. And hopefully, we can make that work in '26."

Asked if things were "good" between him and his POISON bandmates during "The Stadium Tour", Bret said: "Absolutely. I want to be very clear. Other than an occasional throwdown fistfight — I'm not making this up — we're like best friends. But there's no gray area. All of a sudden, we'll get in a fistfight. But the next day, we'll go out and play. We'll work it out like a band of brothers. 'The Stadium Tour' was amazing. We were having fun. We didn't get too many soundchecks. We just dealt with what we were given and were grateful to be there. DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY, they were amazing. They played great. But we just came out, and we knew we had one hour at 6 o'clock to go out there and give it everything we had. And it was one of the only stadium tours that from Live Nation's lips to everyone's ears, it was 98 to 100% filled when POISON went on."

Earlier in September 2024, Michaels released a statement via social media in which he said that he was planning to "perform limited shows" in 2025 to focus primarily on his health, "starting with my diabetes which needs a tune-up, not to mention a little R&R." He added that 2026 "would be the perfect" time for a POISON 40th-anniversary tour, "with 40 awesome limited dates to go out, play real live hit songs, and rock the world."

Bret's explanation came two days after Rockett revealed on social media that Michaels was no longer interested in touring with POISON in 2025.

On September 10, 2024, the POISON drummer took to his official Facebook page to write: "I keep getting asked multiple times a day, 'Why isn't POISON touring in 2025 now?' Super simple answer, Bret doesn't want to." The following day, Rikki clarified: "People, I never said that Bret is cancelling the 2025 tour. It didn't get booked. I said the reason POISON isn't touring in 2025 is because Bret doesn't want to. Doesn't matter what the reason for him is as far as what I said. I'm simply telling you why so that CC, Bobby or myself doesn't get blamed. It isn't dirt. It isn't a fight. Just the facts, ma'am. Surmise what you want from it. You will anyway!"

In 2018, POISON completed the "Nothin' But A Good Time" tour with CHEAP TRICK and POP EVIL.

POISON's last album of new material was 2002's "Hollyweird". An album of covers, "Poison'd", followed in 2007.

In 2015, Rockett and his now-THE ROCKETT MAFIA bandmate Brandon Gibbs joined forces with Dall and DeVille to play several shows as THE SPECIAL GUESTS in what was widely perceived as a not-so-subtle message to Michaels that they weren't willing to remain completely inactive while he pursued a solo career.

In a new interview with Australia's The Rockpit, former SEPULTURA and current SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera was asked if there is a music project he has always wanted to do but that has never happened, for whatever reason. He replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, I was thinking about that the other day. I was actually watching a Paul Simon video. And it was really interesting because I'm a big fan of [his albums] 'Graceland' and 'The Rhythm Of The Saints'. And when he wrote 'Graceland', he was in his mid fifties, I believe. And people had kind of written him off; they thought his best days were all over, which was the stuff with SIMON & GARFUNKEL and all the hits he had before. And so he made a second life with 'Graceland'."

Max continued: "I love watching things like that 'cause it kind of gives me hope that there's better things coming in the future. There's ways to get other things. And nothing wrong with what I've done. I'm super proud of the works, all the SEPULTURA records and KILLER BE KILLED and NAILBOMB, GO AHEAD AND DIE, SOULFLY — it's great — but the chase is what makes it interesting, that you can still find the magic to do something that surprises even yourself. And that never gets old. The chase never stops. And that's kind of a thing that it's really cool, is that inspiration to always try to be inspired as much as you can whenever you're gonna make a record. Touring is different. Touring, you don't need to be that inspired, because you're not creating a new body of music; you're playing stuff that's already written. So you just gotta worry about performing them very well. But I love both [touring and making music]. I don't know which one I like more. I probably like touring a little more, just 'cause I get to really just do what I love and know that that's there. Creating new music is always a bit bit scary all the time, but, yeah, I like to think that better things are still to come, and so that kind of drives me to the future."

Circling back to whether he has thought about pursuing something completely different musically, Max said: "I don't have any projects set up yet, but, yeah, I'd like to do some stuff… There are some things that I thought about. It's just gotta be done the right way at the right time. But, yeah, I love jamming. First of all, I like jamming in general and with different musicians and stuff like that. That's why I have so many bands, as you notice: KILLER BE KILLED, GO AHEAD AND DIE, SOULFLY, NAILBOMB, all that. I get to jump from one to the other, and it's different guys on all those bands… And I just love to interact with all of them, man. It's great. It's amazing. It's a really, really cool thing. 'Cause I think music — there's something really pure and magic about music that nothing else gives me that rush."

Regarding where he gets his musical inspiration from nowadays, Max said: "I'm a curious man by nature. That's why even watching things like Paul Simon documentaries and stuff like that always inspires me. As far as music goes, yeah, I'm always on the lookout for new things and sounds and records that really pique my interest. And then you get influenced by them, and sometimes it is a higher volume of influence. Sometimes it's less. But I think in general I've always kind of been the same guy; I haven't really changed much. So literally I'm actually a 17-year-old trapped in a 56-year-old body, because of that. I don't let the other stuff outside of metal, the politics of music and all that, I don't let that destroy the purity of why I fell in love with this music in the first place. And that's something that is sacred to me. And I fight tooth and nail to keep that thing sacred alive, the 17-year-old Max Cavalera that just loves metal and is actually a nerd. I'm actually a nerd. I like all the things about metal. I like to study it and learn. I think you're always learning, man. You never stop learning. Always. There's always somebody who can tell you [something] that you go, 'I never look at it that way. That's cool. I'm gonna apply that to my life.' There's always that. So, it's great. It's an amazing world and you just gotta keep your ears and your eyes open for the inspiration to come and then use it."

SOULFLY's thirteenth album, "Chama", came out on October 24, 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Last fall, SOULFLY completed the "Favela Dystopia" 2025 West Coast tour with GO AHEAD AND DIE. The 17-date trek launched on November 1, 2025 in Roswell and concluded on November 23 in Flagstaff.

SOULFLY drummer — and Max's son — Zyon Cavalera co-produced "Chama", which was recorded at the Platinum Underground Studio in Mesa, Arizona by John Aquilino. John has worked with Max and company multiple times before and is not only a talented engineer but a family friend. The album was produced by Zyon and Arthur Rizk. The latter was also responsible for the mixing and mastering. Rizk has not only worked with the Cavalera family numerous times before, but has also helped to shape the world of heavy metal in the modern day. SOULFLY enlisted Carletta Parrish to create the album artwork. For the album, Igor Amadeus Cavalera (GO AHEAD & DIE, NAILBOMB, HEALING MAGIC) played bass and Mike De Leon played guitar.

Guitarist Mike DeLeon has been touring with SOULFLY for three years. Prior to hooking up with SOULFLY, DeLeon had been a member of PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo's solo band PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, which he joined in 2015 as the replacement for Marzi Montazeri. More recently, Mike filled in for Zakk Wylde at the first rehearsal for the fall 2022 PANTERA shows.

In a new interview with longtime radio host Abe Kanan of Audacy, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory was asked about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the band's upcoming follow-up to its ninth studio album, "AfterLife", which came out in 2022. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's always bits and pieces in the vault, so that's kind of, like, when you have ideas… Today's technology allows you to just grab whatever you want, and it's in a pretty decent quality, usable quality, basically. So, we've been capturing things, ideas and this and that. And right now — I just went through the folder of what we have, [and] we have about 25-ish songs that eventually are gonna get chopped down to the ones that gonna make it. But that's where we are. Maybe two or three of them have vocals on it already, to some degree. So, we're working on it. And this is still the demoing phase, kind of. Actually, I don't even say 'demo', because we don't really demo [music]. That's what I meant by technology is there now that you can start recording and it's keepers [for the album]. But we are going to the proper studio probably somewhere in February."

As for the musical direction of the new FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH material, Zoltan said:  "The new record has a little bit of this soundtrack quality. The songs that we are writing, almost all of them has a little bit of that. It was actually sort of a goal to kind of… We don't wanna write a concept album, but it has a little bit of a soundtracky vibe to it."

Earlier this month, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH announced the first leg of its 2026-2027 world tour. Produced by Live Nation, the massive 48-city trek will kick off on Monday, July 20 at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey and wraps up on Friday, October 23 at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia. Platinum-certified outlaw country musician Cody Jinks will join the tour as special guest and will promote his current album, "In My Blood". The tour lineup will be rounded out by EVA UNDER FIRE, which has earned critical acclaim and will release a new album, "Villainous", in 2026.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's 20th-anniversary world tour will showcase new material from the band's upcoming tenth studio album alongside the anthems that defined a generation of fans. Additional international tour dates will be announced following the North American leg.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's current albums, "Best Of - Volume 1" and "Best Of - Volume 2", feature newly re-recorded versions of the band's biggest hits, including the No. 1 single "I Refuse" featuring IN THIS MOMENT's Maria Brink ("Volume 1") and No. 1 single "The End" featuring BABYMETAL ("Volume 2"). "The End" reached No. 1 on the Japanese iTunes Metal chart and No. 18 on the Japanese all-genres chart, marking a major milestone for an international rock release. In the U.S., the song made history as the first track featuring Japanese lyrics to chart at rock radio, ultimately reaching No. 1. Both albums were created in response to the sale of the band's original masters, a decision made without their knowledge or opportunity to reclaim them.

Bassist Nikki Sixx of the iconic rock band MÖTLEY CRÜE, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, took to his Facebook page earlier today (Saturday, January 17) to write: "As time rolls on, you forget the little things — the small, throwaway moments that years later turn out to be the birth of something that changes you… and a lot of other people's lives.

"Back [in 1981], I was pretty much living in a dilapidated house just off Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood. Falling apart. Barely hanging on. Worth noting, though — it did have a waterbed and an old rotary Bakelite phone. So yeah, we were doing just fine. That was the house where I showed a 17-year-old [MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer] Tommy Lee a pile of songs that would later end up on our debut album. It's where we first met [MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist] Mick Mars. It's where we dreamed, jammed, argued, laughed, and tried to turn noise, attitude, and fun into something you could actually explain. We rehearsed like madmen. Burned through a few singers before we finally met [MÖTLEY CRÜE singer] Vince Neil. That house — four broke, ratty kids with nothing but ideas and nerve — was where the name MÖTLEY CRÜE was born. Along with about a million other stories that probably shouldn't be told in polite company.

"The bottom line is this: we all start somewhere. And most of the time, we have no clue what's about to come out of those first moments.

"In that house, MÖTLEY CRÜE was born 45 years ago.

"I hope you've enjoyed the ride as much as we have.

"Proud to be part of this band. Thank you to Vince, Tommy, and Mick for decades of loud, dangerous, honest music. I still go back and look at those old lyrics and wonder how the hell I had the balls at that age to play and say what we said — and nobody ever questioned us. Complete creative freedom.

"Thank you. And God bless the Children of the Beast."

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

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

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

In a new interview with Chile's Futuro radio, THE HALO EFFECT frontman Mikael Stanne was asked if there are any plans for the band to tour South America in the not-too-distant future. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No real plans right now, but we are working on our third album right now, so as soon as that is out, like by the end of the year or something like that, it's gonna be time to tour again, of course. So, I hope we can come [to Chile] and do a proper tour."

Regarding his working relationship with his THE HALO EFFECT bandmates, Stanne said: "It's super fun. I mean, it really is like a passion project among friends. So, to get to travel together with my friends who I've known since I was a teenager, it's pretty awesome. And the new album is shaping up to be incredible. I just heard one song today, and, yeah, it's gonna be fantastic. So I hope we can come [to Chile after the LP is released]."

THE HALO EFFECT is the project featuring five former members of the Swedish metal band IN FLAMES — Jesper Strömblad (guitar),Daniel Svensson (drums),Peter Iwers (bass),Niclas Engelin (guitar) and Stanne (vocals).

Last November, THE HALO EFFECT released an EP, "We Are Shadows", via Nuclear Blast. The effort included five cover songs, featuring one track picked by each bandmember.

THE HALO EFFECT's second album, "March Of The Unheard", came out in January 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Shortly after "March Of The Unheard"'s release, THE HALO EFFECT embarked on its first-ever headline tour in Europe. Industrial outfit and labelmates PAIN were special guest on this tour and to round up this great package, melo-death shooting stars from Finland BLOODRED HOURGLASS joined as support.

THE HALO EFFECT's debut album, "Days Of The Lost", entered the official chart in Sweden in the summer of 2022 at position No. 1. This was believed to be the first time a debut LP from a metal act had ever topped the chart in Sweden in its first week of release. "Days Of The Lost" also landed at No. 6 in Germany.

A founding member of IN FLAMES, Strömblad quit the band in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction.

Strömblad's THE HALO EFFECT bandmates have been supportive in his battle with the bottle, going so far as to hire THE HAUNTED's Patrik Jensen to fill in for him at any gigs he is unable to play.

Photo credit: Linda Florin (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

In a new interview with Dale Holford of Dales Gig Reviews, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA guitarist Joel Hoekstra, who is also well known for his work with WHITESNAKE, Cher, NIGHT RANGER and the show "Rock Of Ages", was asked who uses "the most hair products", Joel or his "lady". The 55-year-old Hoekstra responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, my lady, for sure. I don't really use much, dude. Surprisingly, I'm just a guy with it. I can't believe we're talking about hair care on a podcast, but I tend not to shampoo very much. I find it dries my hair out and makes it scraggly and it all just falls out when you take a comb through it. So I just condition a lot — I [use] a lot of conditioner. And I let it air dry. I know my hair looks like shit if I blow dry it. If I use a blow dryer on it, it's all scraggly and all blown out and looks really weird. But I think you'd be surprised how much I don't really give a fuck about it that much. I mean, I do, but I don't. I don't wanna look like shit, but I also don't give that much of a fuck about it. I just try to make sure it's in generally the right shape or whatever. I'm lucky at my age that this much of it is still in there. That's the main thing, dude."

Joel went on to say that he understands why some fans pay attention to his hair. "I get it. It's, I guess, become associated with my rock career, definitely, me having long hair," he explained. "Because I did some videos earlier in 2025 with something where I assumed like an alternate look. 'Cause she's a younger artist, Austen Starr, and I co-wrote and produced her album. She's [in her] thirties, young thirties at that, so I went with more of an emo look. We just pinned the hell out of my hair — 10,000 bobby pins back — and just kind of made me look like an emo guy. And, man, people freaked out. They got all upset online and all pissed off. And I thought, 'Jeez, come on, man. What's up? I'm just having fun here. I'm in a music video just assuming a different look.' But she made four great videos, and the record's very cool too. [She's] just a brand new artist, first record, whatnot. But anyway, it was funny. I thought that was amazing how much people really cared about the hair. I thought, 'Wow. Yeah, that's a really big deal to everybody. Man. I'm fucked. I can't cut this stuff anytime soon.'"

Joel added that he has no intention of cutting his hair anytime soon. "I'm pretty used to having it right now," he said. "I used to say it'd be nice to cut it 'cause it can be sometimes… I wear it back a lot. If I'm not doing something professionally, it's usually back in a ponytail, out of my neck and face. And even when I teach, my hair is back. So I do wear it back a lot, and sometimes I think, 'Ah, it's a pain in the ass. It'd be nice to maybe have short hair.' But I don't know — at this stage of the game, now I've gotten so far in, I'm glad I have it, and I'm, like, I'm just gonna be grateful it's still there."

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Mike Polito

In a new interview with NME, SLIPKNOT co-founder and percussionist M. Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) said that he is not currently working on material for the follow-up to the band's 2022 album "The End, So Far" and, despite reports, nor are any of the other members of SLIPKNOT.

"We're doing the biggest thing we can do right now, which is taking a much-needed break," he said. "We're taking some real human time [after touring extensively for most of 2024 and 2025]. "Everybody is writing all the time, but we have not got into a place to work on what's been written." Crahan went on to say that there are tentative plans to get together later this month but only if everyone is up for it. "It feels very positive and everyone is looking forward to getting back at it," he said.

Last October, SLIPKNOT drummer Eloy Casagrande told Ollie Winiberg of Drummer's Review about the band's songwriting process: "What I can tell you right now is that we are cooking, we are doing some new music, for sure. Yes, we are. Since I joined the band, we have been working on some new ideas. We keep exchanging guitar riffs, drum beats, so we are always doing something. We had also some jam sessions. So we have a lot of material right now. We just have to sit and put everything together, start jamming, and it's happening. It already happened. It's gonna happen in the future. So new material is coming, for sure."

Last May, SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root told the Turning Wrenches podcast that he and his bandmates "need to write a record." He added: "It's really hard for me personally to be creative when you know you have a tour looming over your shoulder. I need to know that I've got some time off so that I can, like… This is my desk [at my home studio] behind here. I've got my reference monitors and the computer I record on. And I need time just to sit here and come up with ideas and layer and make arrangements that I can send off to Corey [Taylor, SLIPKNOT singer] and Clown [SLIPKNOT percussionist] and all that stuff."

He continued: "I told our manager, I'm, like, 'Stop booking tours, dude. Stop it.' I get it. It's SLIPKNOT, so there's always offers coming in. And it's hard to say no, because there's guys in the band that in some ways… We always love playing shows, love playing live shows, but there's some guys in the band, some of the newer guys, that they need the money 'cause they're family guys and they have families. And they're hired members of the band, and we don't wanna have to have them go back to work when we get off tour. We wanna be able to make enough money that we can still pay them so that we can work on music and get them out to the studio that Clown likes to use and just be creative and work. And you can't do that unless you have revenue to do that. But I kind of put my foot down and was, like, 'We need to stop, man. We just need to stop.' 'Cause I wanna write a record, and we owe it to Eloy to write a record. We need to get Eloy in a room and start jamming and getting creative and get all the rest of the guys in the band and start riffing out and then building them into songs. Plus I need the time for myself just to sit here at this desk and be creative. And it's coming back."

Root added: "I know I saw a little bit of a viral post about me. The press always takes your shit out of context, and it was, like, 'Don't expect the record anytime soon,' type of thing. And that was done a few months ago [in December 2024] on the last tour when I was [in London at the end of SLIPKNOT's fall 2024 European tour and] very tour weary. Well, that's not the case anymore. I've got, like, six new arrangements that I think are worthy of giving to the rest of the guys. I won't give the guys stuff that I don't think is worthy of being on a SLIPKNOT record and there's enough room there that everybody can put their input on and we can take it to that level. And right now I'm looking at six [songs] and I have four more that I'm working on. And I'd like to have 20 or 25 before we actually start doing pre-production and rewriting and rearranging and Corey putting lyrics on everything."

Asked if there are plans for SLIPKNOT to release a new single in the coming months, Jim said: "Earlier I said I've got, like, six finished arrangements that so far nobody else has heard yet. They're about ready to go to Clown and Corey and then filter out into the rest of the band. I would really like to release something before we start working on a [full] record, 'cause it's gonna take us… I think we need to be able to take our time to write and do pre-production, and that's gonna take a while. So I would like to get something out sooner to kind of satisfy… I don't know if it would show a direction or not. It depends on what arrangement it is. But of these six [songs] that I have done now, I'm willing to throw those out to the rest of the guys and see if any of them grab their attention. And we could very easily, after we get back from Europe, get out to Clown's studio and then start working on one and put one out. I'd like to do one, two, maybe even three in the meantime, as long as that affords me the time to keep writing and still have 25 separate from those three that we could work on before.

"You always wanna have way more material than what you're gonna need because you might be working on something that you think is absolutely amazing, but then once you actually start recording it, it kind of loses the vibe," he explained. "And then there's always that one weird song that you don't think is great, and all of a sudden that turns into the song that's, like, 'Whoa. Where did this come from? This thing's a banger.' 'Devil In I' is one of those songs. I wrote that song and I thought it was really repetitive and I hated it, and it was just gonna be kind of a filler idea. And all of a sudden that's one that we always throw in live sets, and the record label wanted to make it a single. And I'm just, like, 'Really?' I'm, like, it's almost the same two riffs over and over again. Literally, as long as it took to play that song is as long as it took me to write the arrangement for it. So, I don't know. Things surprise you. So, yeah, it would be cool to throw something out there as sort of a single or whatever, or an EP."

Less than two years ago, SLIPKNOT revealed that a new song "Long May You Die" was recorded during some of the early sessions with Casagrande.

"The End, So Far" arrived in August 2022. It marked the band's the last full-length LP before the departure of both keyboardist Craig Jones, who left the group in June 2023, and drummer Jay Weinberg, who was replaced by Casagrande.

Photo credit: Jonathan Weiner

Fresh off their fourth career Grammy nomination and their first release for 2026, progressive metal mainstays DREAM THEATER are starting up their "Lost Not Forgotten Archives" series again with "Live In Tokyo, 2010" scheduled for release on March 13. The latest live release from the band comprised of singer James LaBrie, guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, keyboardist Jordan Rudess and drummer Mike Portnoy documents their performance from Summer Sonic festival from Tokyo, Japan in 2010. That performance would end up being founding drummer Portnoy's last performance with the band until he returned in 2023. The six-track set captures some of the band's most-notable classics in one live performance.

"Live In Tokyo, 2010" is available in numerous configurations including a special-edition CD digipak, gatefold white 180g 2LP, limited gatefold white-lilac marble 180g 2LP, limited gatefold fig cream 180g 2LP and as a digital album.

"Live In Tokyo, 2010" track listing:

01. A Nightmare To Remember (Live in Tokyo 2010) - 15:48
02. A Rite Of Passage (Live in Tokyo 2010) - 09:35
03. Prophets Of War (Live in Tokyo 2010) - 07:07
04. Wither (Live in Tokyo 2010) - 05:14
05. The Count Of Tuscany (Live in Tokyo 2010) - 21:17
06. Pull Me Under / Metropolis (Live in Tokyo 2010) - 16:57

On DREAM THEATER's upcoming spring 2026 tour of Latin America, the progressive metal giants are continuing their "An Evening With Dream Theater" run that celebrates DREAM THEATER's latest album, "Parasomnia", by performing the LP in its entirety, as well as playing the entire seven-movement masterpiece "A Change Of Seasons" for the first time since drummer Mike Portnoy's return as well as other classics and fan favorites from the band's catalog.

DREAM THEATER played its first concert with Portnoy in 14 years on October 20, 2024 at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. The drummer, who co-founded DREAM THEATER, played on 10 of the band's albums over a 20-year period, from 1989's "When Dream And Day Unite" through 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", before exiting the group in 2010. Portnoy returned to DREAM THEATER in October 2023 after being replaced by Mike Mangini, who played with DREAM THEATER across five studio albums and accompanying world tours.

DREAM THEATER kicked off its summer/fall 2025 "An Evening With Dream Theater" U.S. tour on September 5, 2025 at Santander Performing Arts Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. The 30-city trek ran through October 25, 2025, when it wrapped in Long Island, New York.

DREAM THEATER launched the spring/summer 2025 leg of its "40th Anniversary European Tour" on June 3, 2025 at Logomo in Turku, Finland.

"Parasomnia" came out on February 7, 2025 via InsideOut Music. The LP was produced by John Petrucci, engineered by James "Jimmy T" Meslin, and mixed by Andy Sneap. Hugh Syme returned once again to lend his creative vision to the cover art.

"Parasomnia" is an eight-song, 71-minute set which was recorded at DREAM THEATER's DTHQ studio on Long Island, New York. It is the follow-up to 2021's "A View From The Top Of The World", which debuted at in the top 10 of Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Rock Albums and Independent Albums charts. Six songs on "Parasomnia" are over seven minutes and the closing epic "The Shadow Man Incident" clocks in at nearly 20 minutes.

The North American leg of DREAM THEATER's 40th-anniversary tour kicked off on February 7, 2025 at The Met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The trek was "An Evening With Dream Theater" and was the first tour of North America since Portnoy's return to the lineup,. The tour concluded on March 22, 2025 in New York City.

Portnoy, Petrucci and bassist John Myung started DREAM THEATER as MAJESTY in 1985, after meeting at the Berklee College Of Music in Boston. Singer James LaBrie came on board in 1991, while Rudess joined in 1999.

Prior to Portnoy's return to DREAM THEATER, the drummer and Petrucci worked together on the latter's 2020 solo album, "Terminal Velocity", and toured together. Portnoy and Petrucci also joined Rudess and bassist Tony Levin for a third studio album as LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT in 2021.

With the final single from their upcoming covers album "Not Like Everybody Else", punk legends THE DAMNED deliver a vibrant reinterpretation of THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL's classic "Summer In The City". With driving guitars and raw, energetic delivery, the cover heightens the song's gritty urban edge and captures the heat and restless pulse of the city life through a distinctly DAMNED lens.

Recorded in a blistering five days of emotion and creative fire at Revolver Studio in Los Angeles, the album finds THE DAMNED — Dave Vanian on vocals, Captain Sensible on guitar, Rat Scabies on drums, Paul Gray on bass and joined by longtime keyboardist Monty Oxymoron — reconnecting with the raw energy that started it all. "Not Like Everybody Else" marks the first time in 40 years that Rat Scabies has returned to the studio with the band. Every song on the album has been carefully curated by the band and is a personal and celebratory tribute to the band's late guitarist Brian James and his influences, who passed away last year.

Kicking off with R. Dean Taylor's "There's A Ghost In My House" and moving through classics like PINK FLOYD's "See Emily Play" and THE ANIMALS' "When I Was Young", the album closes with a powerful farewell: "The Last Time" by THE ROLLING STONES, featuring Brian James himself, recorded at the last shows he played with THE DAMNED, including the last performance at the O2 Academy in Birmingham and lovingly remixed for this release.

To celebrate the album, THE DAMNED will play one-off covers shows at Albert Hall, Manchester on January 28, 2026, Bataclan, Paris on February 1, 2026 and Essigfabrik, Cologne on February 3, 2026, performing songs from "Not Like Everybody Else" alongside fan-favorite covers that have marked their career. It will be an unforgettable night honoring Brian James and the band's shared history.

Set to coincide with THE DAMNED's 50th anniversary celebrations, "Not Like Everybody Else" is a heartfelt homage, and a testament to the enduring spirit of one of punk's most pioneering bands. The band will also perform songs from the album exclusively live on BBC Radio 6.

50 years of THE DAMNED also means 50 years of punk, with the explosion of 1976 hitting a half century. The band jumpstarted the revolution, releasing the first U.K. punk single in "New Rose" and album "Damned, Damned, Damned". Brian James wrote that debut single and was lead songwriter on the album. He left the group after the release of their second album, "Music For Pleasure" in 1977.

THE DAMNED has since earned an ever-expanding fan base fueled by legendary live shows, while their dark lyrics and Dave Vanian's rich baritone vocals catapulted them to the forefront of the goth-rock genre.

THE DAMNED has also announced a special 50th-anniversary show at OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday, April 11, 2026, marking five decades since the band first exploded on to the scene as one of the founders of British punk rock. The milestone celebration will also feature special guests THE LOVELESS featuring Marc Almond, PETER HOOK AND THE LIGHT and THE COURETTES.

"Not Like Everybody Else" track listing:

01. There's A Ghost In My House
02. Summer In The City
03. Making Time
04. Gimme Danger
05. See Emily Play
06. I'm Not Like Everybody Else
07. Heart Full Of Soul
08. You Must Be A Witch
09. When I Was Young
10. The Last Time

Press photo courtesy of The Outside Organisation

The global theatrical rights to the forthcoming feature-length documentary film "Billy Idol Should Be Dead", directed by three-time Grammy winner Jonas Åkerlund and produced by Live Nation Studios, have been acquired by Evan Saxon Productions (ESP). The film traces the life and career of punk pioneer turned rock 'n' roll icon Billy Idol. Through never-before-seen archival and personal interviews with Idol, his family, peers and collaborators, the documentary digs deep into his emergence as a prototypical punk rocker, his meteoric rise as a global superstar in the MTV era and the myriad of challenges Idol had to overcome to not just survive, but to remain one of the most beloved figures in rock n roll, almost fifty years into his career.

The film made its festival debut at the Tribeca Film Festival last summer, followed by an award qualifying run. The film will have its wide theatrical release in early 2026. Additional info will be shared shortly.

"Billy Idol is a larger-than-life artist who changed the face of pop culture and music history during his 50-year career," notes Evan Saxon. "From Generation X to now, he's still selling out arenas around the globe. We are honored to work with Another Planet's Laurence Freedman and Live Nation to bring the powerful and heartfelt documentary 'Billy Idol Should Be Dead' to his fans on the biggest cinema screens worldwide."

The film features Idol's original song with Academy Award-nominated writer J. Ralph, "Dying To Live", which is included on the shortlist for "Best Original Song" at the 98th Academy Awards. The film's coda sequence is built around "Dying To Live", featuring imagery — both animated and archival — from throughout Idol's life and storied career and was written by Idol and Ralph alongside longtime Idol collaborators Steve Stevens, Tommy English and Joe Janiak. Listen to the song and watch/share the video of the coda sequence below.

Billboard recently named "Dying To Live" a top contender for the "Best Original Song" Oscar, while The Hollywood Reporter praises "Idol's warm vocal delivery alongside the swelling strings." The original song was recently nominated for "Best Song - Documentary Film" at the Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA),which also nominated "Billy Idol Should Be Dead" for "Best Music Documentary - Special Program".

Idol's first full-length album of new music in over a decade, "Dream Into It", is out now on Dark Horse Records. The album reached No. 7 on the U.S. Top Albums chart and No. 4 on the U.S. Current Rock Album chart, No. 9 on the U.K. Official Album Sales chart and No. 2 on the German Top 100 Album chart. "Dream Into It" continues to see extensive critical acclaim from The New Yorker, New York Magazine, AARP The Magazine, Consequence, Billboard, USA Today and many more. The album includes performance and co-writing contributions throughout from Idol's longtime guitarist/collaborator Steve Stevens plus appearances by Avril Lavigne, Joan Jett and Alison Mosshart of THE KILLS, and is produced by Tommy English (KACEY MUSGRAVES, BLINK 182, BØRNS, K. FLAY).

Additionally, Idol recently returned to the road for "It's a Nice Day To…Tour Again!" The tour saw Idol sell out venues across the U.S., Europe and Latin America while touring with support from JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, NEW MODEL ARMY and more.

For 46 years, recent Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominee Billy Idol has been one of the definitive faces and voices of rock'n'roll. Between 1977 and 1981, Idol released three albums with Generation X as their camera-ready frontman. In 1982, he embarked on a transatlantic/trans-genre solo career that integrated the bold and simple lines of punk and rock'n'roll decadence. With his longtime guitarist/collaborator Steve Stevens at his side, Idol has toured consistently around the world for the last ten years. Showing no signs of slowing down, Idol released both "The Roadside" EP in 2021 and "The Cage" EP in 2022 on Dark Horse Records, earning praise from fans and critics alike.

Evan Saxon has been at the forefront of Event Cinema distribution strategies for music-centric films, leading the acquisition, global distribution and marketing of projects featuring some of the most influential artists in modern music, including THE BEATLES, LED ZEPPELIN, Dolly Parton, Paul McCartney, PEARL JAM, GREEN DAY, Syd Barrett/PINK FLOYD, Miles Davis, IRON MAIDEN, RUSH, Melanie Martinez, Cymande, MY MORNING JACKET, REDD KROSS and more.

Founded by Saxon, Evan Saxon Productions (ESP) works with artists, record labels and filmmakers to create innovative, audience-driven marketing, distribution and rights-management strategies designed to expand reach, deepen fan engagement and unlock new revenue streams. Saxon began his career at IRS Records and later held roles at Capitol Records.

Photo credit: David Raccuglia

“Dying To Live” from the forthcoming feature documentary “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” is included on the shortlist in the...

Posted by Billy Idol on Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Florida death metal veterans MASSACRE will return to their roots with plans for a brutal new compilation that revisits and reclaims some of the most iconic material from their catalog. This release features freshly re-recorded versions of select standout tracks from "From Beyond" LP and the classic "Inhuman Condition" EP, delivering them with modern production while preserving the savage spirit that helped define early Florida death metal.

Rather than simply remastering the originals, MASSACRE has chosen to fully re-record these songs, breathing new life into fan favorites with heavier tones, tighter performances, and an unmistakably aggressive edge. The result is a compilation that bridges eras — honoring the raw, primal energy of the early '90s while presenting the material with the clarity and power expected from contemporary extreme metal recordings.

This best-of collection serves both longtime fans and new listeners alike: a definitive entry point into MASSACRE's legacy, and a celebration of songs that helped shape death metal's most formative years. Ferocious, uncompromising, and unapologetically brutal, this release proves that MASSACRE's influence is as lethal now as it was decades ago.

MASSACRE frontman Kam Lee comments: "I understand that re-recording these songs may make some fans uncomfortable. These tracks come from a specific time in our history, and nothing can ever replace the original recordings. Those versions are sacred, and they will always be there for fans to go back to. This was never about erasing the past or trying to outdo it. It comes from respect — for the songs, for the fans, and for what this music has meant over the years. This release is simply a celebration of those classic tracks, revisited with the experience, passion, and intensity that still drives us today. The originals remain untouched. This exists alongside them, not instead of them. This release is about honoring that legacy — revisiting songs that still mean everything to me and that still burn just as fiercely today. To the fans who have stood by MASSACRE all these years: this is for you. Take it as it's intended — not as a replacement, but as a celebration. Thank you for keeping this music alive."

As previously reported, Kam, who was a member of an early version of DEATH as well as the pre-DEATH band MANTAS alongside guitarist/vocalist Chuck Schuldiner and guitarist Rick Rozz, and the rest of MASSACRE will perform live and re-record the entirety of the MANTAS's "Death By Metal" demo. As part of a significant music legacy initiative, MASSACRE will bring to life the demo and other MANTAS classics, which have not been performed live for over 43 years. The first show the band will be performing this event at is the Kill-Town Death Fest XI, set to take place September 3-6, 2026 at at Pumpehuset in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Lee commented: "I'm extremely proud of the material we've created. Throughout my career, I've consistently felt proud of the legacy and music that MANTAS and DEATH produced. These songs hold a significant place in the history and culture of death metal's origins. I appreciate the collaborative work we accomplished and recognize it as a substantial part of my legacy, similar to those who contributed to its creation.

"As MASSACRE brings these classics to the forefront, our objective is to pay homage to this material through live performances and re-recordings, thus securing its lasting impact.

"I'm cognizant that my perspective won't be universally shared, and some individuals may hold unfavorable opinions. However, I don't invest time in trying to alter the opinions of those with preconceived notions about me, deeming it an exercise in futility. My primary focus is on showcasing this material in a positive light, leveraging the expertise of top-notch musicians to execute these songs impeccably.

"As always I thank my fans and those who have supported me throughout my journey all these years. Thank you!"

MASSACRE is:

Kam Lee - vocals
Mike Borders - bass
Jonny Pettersson - guitars
Rogga Johansson - guitars
Jon Rudin - drums

Last August, Lee was asked by Soundterror what it was like working with Chuck in the early 1980s. He responded: "We were kids, so I only knew him as a teenager. So, I can't really expand on him as an adult. I can only tell you that we were teenagers, we were 15-, 16-year-olds just having fun playing music in the garage. We never thought it was gonna become what it did, what it's become."

Asked why he left DEATH, Kam said: "Why did I leave DEATH? [Chuck] kicked me out because I tried to get him to go out with a girl."

After the interviewer noted that many people consider the early MANTAS and DEATH demos "the birthplace of death metal growling", Kam said: "Well, in DEATH and MANTAS, when we started in DEATH, I basically just started kind of mimicking a lot of what we were taking influences from, which was… We were tape trading for one. I was a tape trader, so I was getting a lot of stuff from all over the place. So you'd get tapes from like POSSESSED, of course, was a big influence. There was stuff from SACRIFICE coming out of Canada. There was stuff from Paul Speckmann [DEATH STRIKE, MASTER] coming out of Chicago, and there was stuff overseas like early HELLHAMMER. There was stuff like VENOM. It was a big influence on MANTAS in the beginning. So it was kind of like a combination of trying to like combine all that stuff. Plus being underage and 16, you're just kind of screaming and you have all this angst and anger, and I come from the punk world, so I just wanted to kind of like express it that way. Plus I was playing drums at the same time. So it was a lot of trying to do that. But then when I found the growl, it really wasn't until MASSACRE that I really started… I changed it because earlier, prior to that was more screechy-type vocals, and Chuck started to sing as well, and he took it more in a more of his influence from [POSSESSED's] Jeff Becerra and was trying to sound more like Jeff, where I was, like, 'I don't wanna do that. I don't wanna sound like somebody else.' So I tried to come up with my own thing. And I thought, what was the most primal thing that I could think of? A lot of people will always say, oh, well, there was demonic movies like 'The Exorcist', or stuff like that. But to me, it was more or less about being primal, being natural. And to me, the most natural thing that was hair-raising is — I was raised around a lot of large dogs, like rottweilers and pitbulls, and I knew that the scariest thing that I ever felt as a 14-year-old was being between four or five rottweilers during feeding time, where you had to go out and give them food. And if you've ever been around large dogs, when you bring out a bowl of food, they all begin to growl this low growl because one wants to be the alpha, wants to be dominant, and it's kind of hair-raising. And I thought, that's what I wanna do with vocals. I wanna do something that's hair raising. I want to do something that sounds primal, sounds raw, sounds natural. And I started to mimic dogs. That's literally how I got the growl."

Lee went on to say that he didn't know anybody else at the time who had adopted quite the same style of death metal growling. But he clarified: "I took phonetic enunciation influences from Tom G. Warrior, only because I heard the HELLHAMMER demo and I really liked how he phonetically spoke, even though at the time I didn't realize it was 'cause he was from Switzerland and English wasn't his natural language. I just liked the way that he phonetically said things. So I took that, and there's a lot of his nuances, like his little 'ooh' and his 'hey', and I just took that and I expanded it. Instead of just going, 'Hey,' I went, 'Heeeey.' I kind of brought it out more. So there was that influence. And just the general influence of everything coming out in that late '80s time. Like I said, everything from VENOM to Lemmy from MOTÖRHEAD, just anything that was really raspy and raw I was attracted to. So I tried to kind of take all of those influences all together and put 'em all together."

Asked what the reaction was from other people to the kind of music he, Chuck and Rick were making at the time, Kam said: "Chuck and I and Freddie [Frederick 'Rick Rozz' DeLillo] at the time, we knew we were doing something that was completely different, and everybody hated it. Everybody hated it. I remember people would say, 'This is shit. This will never last. This will never catch on. This is garbage.' And look — 40-something years later, it's one of the biggest influential music in metal today. We didn't realize we were doing something that was going to have this much impact, but we knew at the time we were doing something different because everything that was popular at the time was hair metal, everything like MÖTLEY CRÜE and that kind of stuff, and we just wanted to be the completely polar opposite of that. So we just gravitated to more underground music, and that's literally… We did our own thing. My influences, especially lyrically, came from horror movies 'cause I'm a big horror movie fan. So I loved the Lucio Fulci films and stuff like that. And Chuck too — a lot of the stuff on [DEATH's debut album] 'Scream Bloody Gore' literally comes from our love of Lucio Fulci and 'Evil Dead' and all those '80s films that just came out during that timeframe."

Back in August 2022, Kam once again weighed in on the never-ending debate on who can lay claim to being the first "true" death metal band: DEATH or POSSESSED. He said: "POSSESSED came first, because we all heard the POSSESSED demo in the tape trading. We were tape trading and we got the POSSESSED demo. And there's where you can hear the change, because we were sounding different — we were sounding very much like VENOM in the first MANTAS demo; very, veryVENOM cloning. As soon as we heard that POSSESSED demo… It was two bands, actually, that literally changed everything in DEATH — the POSSESSED demo and SLAYER's 'Show No Mercy'. Those two things right there changed everything. Because once we heard SLAYER's 'Show No Mercy', as far as the speed and aggression, and we heard POSSESSED, as far as the technicality of the guitars and the way that Jeff was singing, that's when we changed. We said, 'Okay, we need to be a combination of all three of these — we need to be a combination of the rawness of VENOM, the fast energy of SLAYER and that just evil, screechy and guitar ripping ways of POSSESSED. That literally was it. There's the three bands that are the blueprint of death metal, as far as I'm concerned."

A little over a month earlier, Kam was asked to elaborate on his comment during an appearance on "That Metal Interview" podcast that "Chuck ripped off POSSESSED. "I guess that was actually a bad choice of wording," Kam admitted to VWMusic. "Saying 'ripped off' makes it sound bad. I guess the proper wording should be 'took heavy influence from.' Although you could say that I ripped off HELLHAMMER and Tom G. Warrior, and I'm not going to get butthurt about it. I won't because it's fact. Yet some people don't care about facts. They just want to keep believing the fiction they bought into because it fits the messianic mold their 'hero-worshipping' icons have been fitted for. It disrupts their ideology and topples the tower when they hear their gods might not be as almighty as they once believed. It's that same sunken feeling when a kid for the first time is discovering that just maybe Santa Claus is not real. It hurts their feelings. Worse yet are those others out there manipulating those people who are hurt. Some people are just trying to jump on the pity party bandwagon with that one."

He continued: "I got a lot of hate from that statement, though it wasn't intended to downplay Chuck's influence on music, but rather to end the debate of who came first, DEATH or POSSESSED. Sadly, morons spun it to change the narrative, to fit their agenda, and to further instigate and cause strife."

Lee added: "Do I feel Chuck's influence is overstated? Let me put it this way — for the 'product and commodity,' his legacy became post mortem. In order to keep reselling and repressing albums, it's exactly what it's being marketed as. No, it's actually exactly what one should expect from a product sales pitch. I mean, you've got to make sure that your product is the people's choice, right? It's Coca-Cola vs Pepsi. McDonald's vs Burger King. Starbucks vs Dunkin Donuts. In the end, the company with the better commercial is always going to win over the masses."

Press photo courtesy of Agonia Records

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine has clarified his political stance, stressing that he does not identify as a "right-winger". In a new interview with The New York Times, the 64-year-old guitarist/vocalist said. "I'm a Christian, and I answer to a different set of angels. I obey the law, but no, I'm not a right-winger." He also insisted that he is spiritual, not religious. "We used to always say that religion's for people who are afraid of going to hell, and spirituality is for people like us who have been there," he said.

Less than two years ago, Mustaine was asked during a press conference in Peru what the experience was like of going to the White House in 1992 with the "Rock The Vote" campaign for the Democratic National Convention coverage. He said: "What was it like going up to the White House and doing the 'Rock The Vote' thing? Well, I think if you wanna say something, you need to know what you're saying. And I was asked to help get people in my country registered to vote — not to become a Democrat, not to become a Republican, but to vote. And I've always said, when I talk to people, I try and show them both sides and then let that person pick. I don't try and tell people in my songs what to do.

"Would I do it again? I guess I kind of do it still every day, just being an example in heavy metal music that not everyone in metal is uninterested in civil matters in their country, singing about things that matter," he added.

Four years ago, Mustaine claimed that he "peed on the floor" of the White House bathroom when he went there more than three decades ago. Dave made the outrageous claim while introducing the song "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" during MEGADETH's concert at the Tucson Arena in Tucson, Arizona. Mustaine said in part: "I want you guys to know that I've lived through a lot of different eras in the United States and seen different things, and one thing that makes me the most proud of everything here in our country is you guys, the way that you are handling yourselves and the way that… as the metal community. There's a lot of people that go out there and they say things and they totally embarrass themselves. And I want you guys to know how proud I am to represent you."

He continued: "When I went up to the White House, I was so proud to be able to go up there and say, 'Fuck you. You think we're stupid? We are not stupid, motherfuckers.'

"By the way, when I went into the White House, I went into the royal — whatever the fuck it's called — White House bathroom, and I peed on the floor. I had to. I had to."

Seven years ago, Dave, who has attracted a fair amount of media attention over the years for his political thoughts, said that he and other public figures have fallen victim to so-called negative partisanship, in which people identify as being against the opposing political party, and vocalize their beliefs through anger or loathing.

"I've got this reputation that I'm a right-winger," Mustaine told Ron Keel of the "Streets Of Rock 'N' Roll" radio show. "Well, check my voting record to see that I've voted Democrat and Republican. And it's just a shame that people are trying to destroy people's careers because of a vote."

Mustaine has consistently denied that he is a Republican, telling Artisan News in a 2012 interview: "I'm an independent, not a Republican — I've never been a Republican. I've always said that. I don't belong to any party — I'm non-partisan. And for me, the sad thing is, instead of voting for the best man, I have to vote for the lesser of two evils."

Back in 2016, Mustaine refused to say if was going to vote for Donald Trump in that year's U.S. presidential election but called the billionaire real estate mogul "a very successful businessman." He also said that he wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton.

Four years earlier, Mustaine made headlines when he voiced his support for ultraconservative Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum. He explained at the time that the Pennsylvania politician looked "like he could be a really cool president… kind of like a JFK kind of guy." That same year, he drew ire on social media when he suggested onstage at a concert in Singapore that President Obama was behind the mass shootings in Aurora and at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

Mustaine later blamed media outlets for taking his statements out of context, explaining that he never said he officially "endorsed" Santorum. As for the Singapore concert, he claimed to have been repeating the theories of Larry Pratt, a pro-gun activist who runs the organization Gun Owners Of America.

Also in 2012, Mustaine revealed his "birther" opinions on a talk show, saying he doubted President Obama was born in the United States. He told radio host Alex Jones: "With all of the proof about his birth certificate being fake… And you see the signs in Kenya that say 'the birthplace of Barack Obama.' Hello?! C'mon, guys. How stupid are we right now?"

In October 2011, as Occupy Wall Street protests were raging across the country, Mustaine railed against what he saw as the president's inappropriate support for the populist movement, calling Obama the most divisive president we've ever had. "I've never, in my 50 years of being alive, listened to an American president try and turn one class of people against another class of people," he said. "I've never — never — heard a president say, 'Go down and join the protesters down at Wall Street,' knowing that there are Nazis down there, knowing that there are people down there who are trust-fund babies, that are super, super wealthy and they're going down there and pretending that they really care; they just wanna be part of the 'movement.'"

Photo credit: Ross Halfin