During an appearance on a recent episode of the Make It Perfect podcast, HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale revealed that she is working on her first book. "I've been writing my biography, but it is also a fantasy novel because all the names have been changed, but the stories are true," she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET)." And this is how I feel comfortable doing my biography.

"The thing that makes me sad about reading people's biographies, especially in the music business, is that then you know their secrets, you know they've been raped, or you know their parents don't like them, or you know that they have to struggle to be sober, or they almost died," she explained. "And it's, like, it ruins the magic, because when I think about [Ronnie James] Dio or I think about David Lee Roth or I think about Eddie Van Halen or I think about Alice Cooper, I think about them as being the gods of rock and roll — you know, BLACK SABBATH, Tony Iommi. I don't wanna know that their mom didn't let 'em suck on their thumb when they were kids."

Asked by host Ryan Rado why she doesn't want to know that stuff, Lzzy said: "Well, because I think that it ruins the joy. Because people always focus on people's struggle and not on their recovery or not on their joy. And I feel like a lot of fans and people that aren't willing to understand and deep dive are seeing people like Eminem or people like my good friend Rob Halford [of JUDAS PRIEST]. He just celebrated his — I don't know — 25th anniversary from when he got sober, but everyone's, like, 'Well, you know, here's… ' It's, like, they focus on the alcoholism or they focus on the drug use or they focus on the drug use, and they're not focusing on the fact that they're celebrating themselves."

Earlier this year, Lzzy and her HALESTORM bandmate Joe Hottinger completed "Halestorm's Lzzy And Joe: The Living Room Sessions" tour featuring the duo performing acoustic, stripped down versions of HALESTORM favorites and the music that inspired the band.

HALESTORM has spent the last few months recording the follow-up to 2022's "Back From The Dead" album with producer Dave Cobb.

Cobb has shared in nine Grammy wins, including four for "Best Americana Album" and three for "Best Country Album". He's also been named "Producer Of The Year" by the Country Music Awards, the Americana Music Association (twice) and the Music Row Awards, and has been a Grammy nominee in the category.

Last summer HALESTORM and I PREVAIL completed a co-headlining tour. Produced by Live Nation, the trek was also the catalyst and the creative spark for HALESTORM and I PREVAIL's collaborative track "Can U See Me In The Dark?", which was released last June.

"Back From The Dead" has tallied over 100 million streams worldwide. Rolling Stone called the title track "a biting but cathartic howler about overcoming all obstacles," and that song as well as "The Steeple" marked their fifth and sixth number ones at rock radio, respectively. Associated Press said the album "will definitely be in the running for best hard rock/metal album of the year." Their previous album, "Vicious", earned the band their second Grammy nomination, for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for the song "Uncomfortable", the band's fourth #1 at rock radio, and led Loudwire to name HALESTORM "Rock Artist Of The Decade" in 2019.

Fronted by Lzzy with drummer Arejay Hale, Hottinger and bass player Josh Smith, HALESTORM's music has earned multiple platinum and gold certifications from the RIAA, and the band has earned a reputation as a powerful live music force, headlining sold-out shows and topping festival bills around the world, and sharing the stage with icons including HEAVEN & HELL, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett and JUDAS PRIEST. Additionally, Lzzy was named the first female brand ambassador for Gibson and served as host of AXS TV's "A Year In Music".

In a new interview with I Ask No One With Kevin Re LoVullo, former VOLBEAT and ANTHRAX guitarist Rob Caggiano was asked about his current activities. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[I'm] just keeping busy, doing a lot of recording, writing, all kinds of stuff. There's a couple of things I can't really talk about yet, but there is a young artist that I've been working with working with for a minute now. We're about to start releasing stuff. His name is Grant Dawson. It's like a pop/alternative type of vibe. I've been writing songs with him and recording, producing him for a little bit now, but we're finally ready to start putting stuff out. So I'm pretty excited about that. But besides that, yeah, I've been doing a lot of stuff. [I've been] keeping busy. [I've been] just experimenting in the studio with musical ideas and recording techniques and all kinds of stuff. [I've] just been having a lot of fun lately. But, yeah, you'll see me out there at some point. [Laughs]"

Regarding what he is looking forward to most before he turns 50 in 2026, Rob said: "Yeah, just, I guess, figuring out my next adventure, musically speaking. And, yeah, I'm excited for the future.

"A lot of people, I guess, fear the unknown or however you wanna say it, but there's something really exciting to me about — the world of possibilities is something that I find really intriguing and exciting," he added. "So, yeah, I'm looking forward to everything the future brings."

Caggiano's exit from VOLBEAT was officially announced on June 5, 2023. He has since been replaced on the road by Flemming C. Lund (THE ARCANE ORDER).

On June 12, 2023, Rob — who played on VOLBEAT's last four studio albums: 2013's "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", 2016's "Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie", 2019's "Rewind, Replay, Rebound" and 2021's "Servant Of The Mind" — issued a statement in which he said he was "extremely proud of everything" he and how now-former bandmates "accomplished together over the last 10 years."

As for why his time with VOLBEAT had come to an end, Rob said: "Sometimes relationships simply run their course. Sometimes certain obstacles, people or circumstances get in the way of the greater good. Sometimes people change and priorities shift. Sometimes it's unavoidable. We had a very special undeniable magic together as a band. It's not something that comes around too often in this life and it's not something to be taken lightly. I certainly do not. However, while this is really a very emotional time for me I'm also extremely excited about what lies ahead in the future. Lots of exciting things happening right now. I really couldn't be more fired up!!"

An acclaimed musician, songwriter and producer, Caggiano joined ANTHRAX as lead guitarist in 2001, appearing on 2003 album "We've Come For You All" and 2004's "The Greater Of Two Evils". He was onstage with the band during the famous 2010-2011 "Big Four" tour alongside SLAYER, MEGADETH and METALLICA, and he played on and produced ANTHRAX's 2011 critically acclaimed album "Worship Music".

Over the years, Caggiano has also garnered five Grammy nominations as a record producer/guitarist and has worked with a very wide range of artists including CRADLE OF FILTH, ANTHRAX, VOLBEAT, THE DAMNED THINGS, H20, Jesse Malin and even Bruce Springsteen.

When Caggiano was enlisted as producer for Danish heavy rock quartet VOLBEAT in early 2013, the collaboration was so phenomenally successful that he was quickly invited to join the band as well. The resulting album, "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", achieved major chart success on both sides of the Atlantic, as did "Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie".

In a 2022 interview with Metalshop TV, Caggiano spoke about how he went from his previous gig with ANTHRAX to producing the VOLBEAT album "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" to joining the Danish band as their guitarist. He said: "I decided to leave ANTHRAX back then because I kind of felt like… At that point I had been in the band for a long time, and I kind of felt like my role in the band ran its course, so to speak. And I just kind of felt like I was hitting my head up against a glass ceiling a long time. And it just felt like I needed a change. I wasn't feeling inspired. Don't get me wrong — I love those guys and I loved every minute of my time with them. It was such an amazing, wild ride. But I just felt like I needed to do something else at that time. And the VOLBEAT thing just happened, and it was organic, and it felt right. So, here I am."

Regarding what it was about VOLBEAT's music that appealed to him, Rob said" "I think for me, the thing with VOLBEAT, it's like a mixture of all the sounds that I like. [Laughs] It's a lot of stuff that I grew up listening to all wrapped into one package. When I first VOLBEAT, I heard the MISFITS, I heard METALLICA, I heard a little bit of the RAMONES… There's some SLAYER-vibe riffs. There's just a lot of different stuff. And it's all fun — it's a lot of fun; the music is a lot of fun. And it definitely connects with a lot of people. That's why I do it."

On Thursday (March 13),KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons took over Los Angeles meteorologist Adam Krueger's weekend report on Fox 11.

Wearing a denim shirt, sunglasses and a black cap, Gene opened the segment opened by roasting Krueger ("You look much better in real life than you do on TV"),while Kreuger slipped in relevant KISS puns and lyrics into the forecast, including "There's been a lot of rain lately, and the rain you drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy talking about this rain," borrowing a line from the KISS classic "Rock And Roll All Nite". Simmons seemingly approved, telling Kreuger, "Hey, I wrote that. I like that.'

After the broadcast, Krueger shared some behind-the-scenes photos with the rock legend on Instagram and wrote, "Do weather with @genesimmons" along with a checkmark emoji.

This is not the first time Gene has tried his hand at meteorology. Lat September, he joined KTLA 5 Morning News to read the seven-day forecast.

Simmons and his solo band, aptly named GENE SIMMONS BAND, will kick off a U.S. tour on April 3 in Anaheim.

In addition to Simmons, the GENE SIMMONS BAND members include guitarists Brent Woods (WILDSIDE, SEBASTIAN BACH, VINCE NEIL) and Zach Throne (COREY TAYLOR) alongside drummer Brian Tichy (LYNCH MOB, THE DEAD DAISIES, WHITESNAKE, BILLY IDOL, FOREIGNER, PRIDE & GLORY, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT).

Back in 2017 and 2018, the GENE SIMMONS BAND played a number of shows with a lineup that consisted of Simmons alongside guitarist/bassist Jeremy Asbrock, guitarist Ryan Cook, guitarist Phil Shouse and drummer Brent Fitz.

KISS played the final concert of its "End Of The Road" farewell tour on December 2, 2023 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

✅Do weather with Gene Simmons

Posted by Adam Krueger on Friday, March 14, 2025

In a recent interview with Headbangers México, ADEMA guitarist/vocalist Tim Fluckey was asked if he and his bandmates are working on new music at the moment. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Last year, we signed a record deal with Cleopatra Records, which is a label up here in the U.S. And so all the music is written and done, all the pre-production's done. So now we are getting ready to go into the studio and record the album here soon. We have a tour coming up, so we're gonna try to get a lot of it done before the tour, but then probably finish it after the tour — it's a six-week tour coming up. And so it should be all ready to be out middle of the year, maybe late summertime, we're hoping. But all the music's there."

Regarding the musical direction of the new ADEMA material, Tim said: "We have approached the last few years with that vibe of kind of, like, 'Okay, what's the best things that we've done in the last 20 years?' and just try to make sure that we're doing that. 'Cause we have a lot of hardcore fans and we wanna make sure that we're taking care of them.

"It's always fun to experiment in music, and we always do that, and we've done a couple of records where they were kind of not quite like the first records, but now we're just really concentrating on just bringing out the ADEMA sound and making sure, like I said, all those things are [there], when it comes to the groove of the songs, to the lyrics of the songs, to all that stuff," he added. "So we're excited about having a new album out."

On the topic of what has kept ADEMA going for 25 years, Tim said: "Now the four [core members], we've had a lot of changes at vocals. And Marky [Chavez], our original singer, came back and left and came back, and he essentially kind of retired. But for the four of us, this is what we were always going to do.

"I think that in a lot of bands, there's always two or three guys that, when adversity comes or when it's not as quote-unquote amazing as it was in the beginning or whatever, they kind of just give up," he explained. "The four of us, none of us have ever been that way. Ironically, it's kind of why you get to a certain point in the first place — you kind of don't give up; you keep on trying to evolve, write music. And that goes with anything. You're going to suck at the start of anything. When you start playing guitar or writing music, it's not gonna be good. But if you just keep working at it and you keep on being honest with yourself and saying, 'Okay, I need to do this. I need to change this. This needs to happen,' you're gonna have so much success, you're gonna reap the benefits of doing all that stuff. And like I said, we know how music goes. There's only a few bands — two or three bands — out of every genre that keep going and really are always successful. So we knew at some point there was gonna be something like that, but we also knew that we were gonna have fans no matter what, and that it didn't really matter what level you're at or whatever. We don't really keep track of that anyway. None of that really mattered to us. We just knew that we wanted to play music, and if people kept coming and people were still into our band, we were not gonna stop. And maybe if people weren't into our band, we probably wouldn't stop."

Last June, Fluckey spoke to Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", about the departure of the band's previous singer, Ryan Shuck, who joined the group in 2019. Asked what happened to cause the "divorce", Tim said: "I don't know if I would characterize it as a divorce. And Ryan — I'll start by saying we wish Ryan and Amir [Derakh, Ryan's bandmate in JULIEN-K] the best, for sure. It's nothing like that. And there's maybe a kind of a divergence of —and he can say what he wants to say — just kind of things like… We knew from the beginning, let's say, that he was in another band and that he was helping us out, and that we needed somebody in the band, including Amir, to be around. And for people don't know Amir was in ORGY with Ryan and they've been partners for years. And they don't just do music together; it's kind of definitely a package thing. But it just came to a point where, and even in his own words, he knew that it was somehow temporary. We just didn't know how temporary. And so it just came down to our band was heading in one direction as far as how we wanted to do what we're gonna do — like massive amounts of touring, get these new songs out and take advantage of what our band's about. And then his band was doing his thing. And it really was one of those things, we just [went], 'Do we do this now or do we do it six months from now? Do we do it two years from now? And so it was just pretty much, 'We're doing it now.'"

Regarding the progress of the songwriting sessions for ADEMA's long-awaited new album, Tim said: "We've been writing music for years now, and so we have a bunch of music. But also it was logistics of kind of putting it out. As soon as we parted ways with Ryan, we signed a record deal. And so we're on a timeline to do a record and get it done, and like any other record deal, get it out there. And so we've been sitting on a lot of music. And so we kind of focused on the timing of the Ryan thing and we were focused on the tour that we just did. And then now that we're back, we're doing some one-off shows. But most of what we're doing is concentrating on just getting this record done and making sure it's the best thing we can do."

Last May, Tim told the 97.7 QLZ radio station about the musical direction of the new ADEMA material: "I don't know if everybody knows, but everybody in the band is original members. So we really want it to be just an all-in ADEMA record where everybody goes, 'That's ADEMA.' We've strayed a little bit over the years, 'cause we had different members, but I think now that we're back together, it's gonna be back to those days of the real ADEMA sound."

Asked if he will be handling lead vocals on the upcoming ADEMA album, Fluckey said: "On the new one, I will be, yeah. We're done picking singers. We're terrible at it."

In February 2024, ADEMA "abruptly" parted ways with Shuck. A short time later, the remaining members of ADEMA — Fluckey, Dave DeRoo (bass),Kris Kohls (drums) and Mike Ransom (rhythm guitar) — posted a message on social media in which they said: "ADEMA has made the decision to move forward without Ryan Shuck. Our plan is to continue on indefinitely as a four-piece, and we sincerely wish Ryan all the best in the future."

In June 2022, ADEMA released a new song, "Violent Principles". It was the follow-up to ADEMA's first single in nearly a decade, "Ready To Die", which came out in August 2021. Both tracks were planned for inclusion on ADEMA's upcoming album, which was tentatively titled "360 Degrees Of Separation".

Original ADEMA frontman Marky Chavez first
left ADEMA in 2004 due to "creative differences" after two successful albums, "Adema" and "Unstable". The singer — who is the half brother of KORN frontman Jonathan Davis — quit ADEMA again in January 2011 in order to pursue his "solo project." He rejoined the group again six years later and played his first comeback show with ADEMA in May 2017 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

After Chavez's original exit from ADEMA, the other members of the band found their way with new lead singers Luke Caraccioli and later Bobby Reeves, while Mark founded MIDNIGHT PANIC with his cousin Peter Shubert. He also produced fellow artists.

ADEMA's last official release was 2013's "Topple The Giants" EP. The group's first CD since 2007's "Kill The Headlights" contained brand new tracks plus re-worked versions of ADEMA's chart-topping hits "Giving In" and "Unstable". A three-song EP, "The Cerberus", was sold exclusively on ADEMA's 2023 "Nu Metal Madness 2" tour.

Photo courtesy of ADEMA

In a new interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music, acclaimed hard rock vocalist Jeff Scott Soto spoke about the status of the second album from ELLEFSON-SOTO, his collaborative project with ex-MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The record's in the can.

"The way Erik Martensson, he's the ringleader, the overseer [of Soto's W.E.T. project], David is that with ELLEFSON-SOTO," Jeff explained. "He pulls the songs together, he gets the timing together, he gets the label side, all the industry-side stuff together. I just have to relax and sit back while I'm doing all the million of other things that I'm doing, and I come in and then I dive in and I put my input.

"I love working with David and Andy [Martongelli], who's our guitar player and also co-writer in the band. And I love the fact that they allow me to be me.

"I've proven myself as an artist, producer, writer, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, but there are still times where I'll do something and they'll go, 'Hmm, [it's] not really what I thought you were gonna do. Can you try more of this? Try more of that?' I don't mind that at all, because whatever is good for the song, the best thing for the song, of course. But when it comes to ELLEFSON-SOTO, I'm really, really headstrong on the ideas I come up with, and when I send it to David, [I'm] like, 'Oh, God, I hope he doesn't say, 'Oh, I don't know, man.'' And every time, him and Andy say, 'Home run. You knocked that one out of the park. That's awesome.' And that's what motivates me to wanna do more and to give my all into that, even that situation, because I know if I'm making them happy with what I'm turning in, I know in the end, it's gonna be a cohesive sound and project."

Regarding the songwriting approach on the second ELLEFSON-SOTO album, Jeff said: "It's weird because the first album, when we did it, it wasn't supposed to be an album. I was doing songs with David and Andy. We were just writing songs and recording songs during the pandemic. And it turned into, 'Hey, we're on to something here. We can't give these songs to someone else or just use 'em as catalog music. We have something here.' And that's what made us put that out as an album. This time around, we actually went in to record and write an album. We didn't say, 'Let's just write songs and see where it goes.' We actually went in and said, 'This is the sound. This is what we created on the first album. Now let's expand on it.'"

He added: "It's really, really good. I don't listen to my own stuff that often unless I have to learn songs for a tour or a show, but I actually find myself listening to this record just to listen to it."

As for a possible release date for the new ELLEFSON-SOTO LP, Jeff said: "We're getting together next month to do photo sessions and videos and stuff like that. So I believe it's late May. I'm not exactly sure of the exact timing."

ELLEFSON-SOTO's debut album, "Vacation In The Underworld", was released in October 2022 via Rat Pak Records. The duo was joined by Martongelli on guitar and keyboards and Paulo Caridi on drums. Giada Jade Etro from the Italian power metal band FROZEN CROWN made a guest appearance on the song "The Day Before Tomorrow". Steve Conley and Ken Mary from FLOTSAM AND JETSAM performed on the title track, "Vacation In The Underworld".

"Vacation In The Underworld" was produced by Chris Collier and featured eleven tracks and three bonus recordings.

The official music video for the "Vacation In The Underworld" title track can be seen below. The clip was produced by Jamie Brown at Smokin' Gun.

To officially launch the project, Ellefson and Soto played concerts in September 2022 in Italy where they performed some of the music as well as ran through various catalog highlights, including selections from MEGADETH and Yngwie Malmsteen. They were joined by Martongelli as the musical director, as well as Caridi on drums and Valerio De Rosa on rhythm guitar.

In March 2021 — two months before David was fired from MEGADETH — Ellefson and Soto announced that they had been collaborating on some new material under the moniker ELLEFSON-SOTO. The ELLEFSON-SOTO version of the RIOT classic "Swords & Tequila" was simultaneously released across all digital streaming outlets via Ellefson's Combat Records.

When Ellefson's collaboration with Soto was first announced, David said in a statement: "Jeff and I have been friends for so many years that it's great to finally collaborate on some material together. He has such a distinctive voice and perfect style for some new ideas my guitarist Andy Martongelli and I have been composing. We are excited about the progress of it all and thought this would be a perfect time to give a little sneak preview."

At the time, Jeff added: "As COVID-19 became a big negative around the globe, it actually offered many artists a chance to finally collaborate with one another that might have never happened otherwise… As I have known David for many years, I knew from our other efforts outside of our day jobs that we could come up with some badass jams…and here we are, letting you in on our cool little secret."

David was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes is perhaps best known for the infamous scene in the 1988 movie "The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years" in which he was interviewed while floating in a swimming pool, fully clothed and visibly quite intoxicated while his mother sat poolside. The interview stood out in stark contrast to the more light-hearted and humorous interviews conducted by director Penelope Spheeris, which mostly portrayed rockers as good-natured, though often dimwitted or deluded, party animals. During the interview, Holmes smiled drunkenly at the camera, deeming himself "a full-blown alcoholic" and "a piece of crap" despite his band's success, and punctuated his remarks by guzzling from three bottles of vodka. At the end of the interview, Holmes upends a full bottle of Smirnoff over his head as he rolls out of his inflatable chair and into the water.

Asked in a new interview with Dawn Osborne of TotalRock about "The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years" scene, Holmes said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "To me, the movie is a movie that's — I'm not gonna say 'stupid' movie. She could have got somebody that lived in L.A. that knows deep underneath the rock scene, that knows a lot about it and filmed it way better. She should have asked me where to film it instead of got — she got [the band] LONDON… She could have filmed it a different way and it would have been way better… She could have gotten a lot more scenes like that from other people."

Referencing some of the other musicians who were interviewed for the movie, Chris said: "You've got Lemmy [MOTÖRHEAD] sitting there. He ain't drunk and fucked up. You've got Steven Tyler [AEROSMITH] — he ain't drunk and messed up. You've got Gene Simmons [KISS] walking around — where was he? The porno place — and Paul Stanley [KISS] laying in the bed with the chicks."

When Osborne noted that his interview is the one that she still remembers, while she has no recollection of the others, Chris said: "Well, that's why. Because mine was a funny part. She could have got a bunch more of those if she would have talked to me about where to go and what to do."

After Osbourne opined that Holmes's scene in the movie has "come back in dividends" due to it being a highlight of the film, Chris said: "It probably went to sell W.A.S.P. records, which goes back into somebody's bank account somewhere that I don't know. And about me not getting paid [for my appearance in the movie] — [Spheeris] said she paid me 300 bucks, that she wrote a check to the management… She called me by phone [to appear in the film]. And she can fucking pay me personally. She called me personally [to film the scene], [so] she can pay me personally. Not call me, do a job and pay the management.

"So, fuck you," Chris added. "Penelope, you owe me 300 bucks. I don't care if you paid the management. I don't care. You could have paid them a million dollars. You still owe me 300 dollars. That's what I look at it."

Back in May 2021, Holmes was asked by Full In Bloom if that was "real vodka" he was pouring all over his face in the movie. Holmes responded: "Yeah. If you look at the footage, it burns my eyes. I have seen other interviews where Penelope, she's told somebody it wasn't, and it blows my mind. Why would I pour pool water down my throat? That'll make you barf; it has chlorine in it.

"I'm not the kind of person to really do too much fake," he added. "I'm sure you've probably noticed that by [my] documentary. It's the way my mom raised me."

A few years ago, Spheeris spoke to Goldmine magazine about the Holmes scene in "The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years". She said: "When I shot Chris Holmes, you know, I thought we didn't get the interview. I remember saying, 'We're going to have to reshoot this.' Because we didn't get anything. The guy's just sitting there screwing off and we didn't get anything. And then I saw Jon and Val [Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris], who are the producers, and I told them, we're going to have to reshoot that interview with Chris Holmes. And they said, 'Well, too bad, because we don't have enough money to reshoot it.' So I tried to cut something together and include it. I would never have imagined it would be the most talked about and kind of most memorable moment of the movie."

Asked what happened in the five or ten minutes after she finished the interview with Holmes, Spheeris said: "I think I was so stunned… You know how when you're in shock and you don't remember what happened? I don't remember! I don't remember him afterwards. Because I was just horrified that I didn't get an interview. I'm sure somebody must've given him a towel and… you know, most of that, [Penelope's daughter] Anna [Fox, who was instrumental in assembling the bevy of extras for the elegant box for the 'The Decline Of Western Civilization' trilogy], when she put the DVD extras together, she pasted together all of the interviews from beginning to end. And so you can see in there the entire progression — or I should say digression — of his interview. And most of that clear liquid was pool water, by the way."

Spheeris offered more details about how the scene was shot during a separate interview with Rolling Stone. She said: "I don't remember if the pool was my idea or Chris's idea, but it was my idea to have his mom come down, 'cause I knew Sandy [Holmes]. She looks like she knows how far she can go with what she says to him. Like, she can't be too critical or he's just gonna go off on her.

"I didn't know he was going to be as drunk as he was. When we finished the interview, I took [cinematographer Jeff] Zimmerman behind a tree and said, 'I don't got this interview. We're gonna have to film him again.' But the great thing about doing documentaries is you just have to let them lead you. It turned out to be the most memorable thing.

"What I liked about the scene is you had all these younger kids talking about how they were gonna make it, but Chris was sort of an example of, 'Okay, I made it. Are you sure you want this?' That's why I liked it just from a filmmaker's standpoint. It counterbalanced all those crazy dreams that those kids had that were not gonna happen. It was a reality check.

"By the way, the first half of the bottle of vodka was real, and after that he was filling it up with pool water."

In a 2014 interview with Metallväktarna, Holmes stated about his appearance in "The Decline Of Western Civilization": "I get a lot [of questions] about that. [People wanna know], 'Was it alcohol? Were you drunk?' Or whatever. Yeah, I was drunk. I'm not known to be a liar. In fact, I was real drunk; I couldn't even talk. So a lot of people ask me, 'How do you feel about that being on TV?' or whatever. The only thing I don't like is where some kid will come up to me and go, 'Man, that's the coolest! I wanna live like that.' And, to me, personally, that's, like, me going down the tubes. And why would somebody wanna live like that?"

STEEL PANTHER singer Michael Starr told The Verge that the Holmes scene in "The Metal Years" "shaped my whole career, to be quite honest with you. At that point, heavy metal was at its peak. It was awesome to be drunk, floating in a pool. You knew you had a disease and you were going to kill yourself eventually, but that was cool back then. People just looked at that and said, 'Wow, this guy knows how to party. Everybody knows how to party.'"

Holmes joined W.A.S.P. in 1982 and remained with the group until 1990. In 1996, Holmes rejoined W.A.S.P. and stayed with the band until 2001. Holmes has not played with W.A.S.P. since.

"The Decline Of Western Civilization" received a deluxe box set release in June 2015 from Shout! Factory. The four-disc set was made available in both Blu-ray and DVD formats, and contains Penelope Spheeris's "The Decline Of Western Civilization" (1980),"The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years" (1988) and "The Decline Of Western Civilization Part III" (1998),a 40-page book containing an essay written by rock historian Domenic Priore ("Riot On Sunset Strip: Rock 'N' Roll's Last Stand In Hollywood"),rare stills, and bonus features, including extended interviews, a commentary recorded by Dave Grohl in February 2015, and more. This was the first-ever official Blu-ray or DVD release of the films.

GUNS N' ROSES has announced the arrival of Isaac Carpenter, its newest drummer who will hit the road with the band throughout their 2025 European, Asian, and Middle East tour, headlining stadiums and festivals throughout the spring and summer.

Carpenter, born in Washington's Tri-Cities, is an accomplished American drummer and songwriter known for his dynamic contributions to alternative, hard rock, and beyond. He rose to prominence in 1995 by co-founding LOUDERMILK while in high school, only to be signed to Rick Rubin's label American. Carpenter's career spans an impressive roster of acts, including live and studio work with Duff McKagan's LOADED, AWOLNATION, Adam Lambert, the hardcore metal outfit BARBARIANS OF CALIFORNIA, A PERFECT CIRCLE, THE EXIES, OURS and BLACK LAB, in addition to his large session film and TV roster. Carpenter has made a name for himself by uniquely blending versatility and groove with crushing force and technical skill, cementing his reputation as a multifaceted drummer in the industry.

GUNS N' ROSES will launch the "Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things" tour on May 1 in South Korea. The trek will hit the Middle East and Europe in late spring and early summer, concluding on July 31 in Germany.

Earlier this week, GUNS N' ROSES announced the amicable exit of Frank Ferrer, the longest-serving drummer in the band's storied run.

Frank first joined GUNS N' ROSES during a show in June 2006, helping anchor the rhythm section during subsequent tours, including their recent outings featuring the reunited trio of singer Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan. Ferrer's last show with the band took place November 5, 2023 in Mexico.

Ferrer laid down drums tracks on five songs on GUNS N' ROSES' most recent studio album, 2008's "Chinese Democracy". He also appeared on the live portion of 2022's "Hard Skool" EP, with former drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia appearing on the studio tracks and GUNS' ROSES' 2023 singles "Perhaps" and "The General".

During a May 2020 appearance on the "Appetite For Distortion" podcast, Ferrer was asked to name "the most challenging song to play" in GUNS N' ROSES' live set. He responded: "That's a really good question, because there's three eras in GUNS — there's the 'Appetite [For Destruction]' [era] with Steven [Adler], there's the '[Use Your] Illusion' [period] with Matt [Sorum], and then there's the Brain [Bryan Mantia]- Josh Freese 'Chinese Democracy' [era]. And all three eras are really unique. The 'Appetite' songs don't sound like the 'Illusion' songs — they don't have the same feel. So, the toughest part… I mean, in a weird way, it's almost kind of like all of 'em, especially from the Sorum-Adler era. And what I try to do as a groove drummer is try to sit somewhere in between both drummers, so you still have a punk rocky, off-the-rails kind of feel, but then a nice, solid, dependable foundation, like Sorum gives you. So, it's kind of challenging. Now, the 'Chinese Democracy' stuff is more straight ahead. The challenges I have with that is playing it more like Brain played them, even though I was able to add some stuff myself later on, once I joined the band."

He continued: "The toughest part is finding the right groove in between those two eras — the first two eras — I think. And I think especially with Slash [guitar] and Duff [McKagan, bass] in the band now, because it was their era — they wrote that stuff; it's their music — I'm able to find a nice spot where those guys are really comfortable playing the songs, but I'm also comfortable playing from my heart without being cerebral and having to think too much about the parts. So, I would say somewhere in between those two drummers."

Ferrer joined GUNS N' ROSES in 2006 as a temporary fill-in for Mantia. Before he knew it, Ferrer was a permanent member of GN'R, contributing to the "Chinese Democracy" album.

When not touring with GN'R, Ferrer played with a couple of side projects, THE COMPULSIONS and his personal band PISSER.

In 2016, Ferrer spoke to Music Radar about his approach to playing some of GUNS N' ROSES' classic songs. He said: "I really try to keep the spirit of the way the song was played. When we play the 'Appetite…' stuff, I try to have the push and pulls. Steven's [Adler] punk rock bits are great.

"Adler's playing was one of the greatest rock drumming performances in the history of music," he continued. "You can put it in the top ten. His playing on 'Appetite…' is perfect. Then with [Matt] Sorum, it's a little more tight and more reserved kind of playing. I do try to keep that spirit, though.

"I have tremendous respect for the drummers in GUNS N' ROSES. I love Brain [Bryan Mantia] so much. What Brain told me was to try and make the songs my own. I never forget that. Obviously my own personality comes through, especially on some of the funkier stuff. I might give a more New York hip-hop kind of feel to it."

During a question-and-answer session aboard last month's Rock Legends Cruise, legendary rocker Alice Cooper, who was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2011, commented on the fact that BAD COMPANY has been nominated for the Rock Hall's class of 2025. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In the business, we call [BAD COMPANY singer] Paul [Rodgers] 'the voice', because he's just one of the best singers out there and one of the nicest guys ever. He had some physical problems lately, but I certainly voted for him," Alice laughed, referencing the fact that all previous Rock Hall inductees are voters for future classes after they're inducted.

Asked if there are any other artists he would like to make a push for to get inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Alice said: "IRON MAIDEN. I mean, come on — IRON MAIDEN. How can you dis IRON MAIDEN? They have their own army out there. And another one is [American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist] Burt Bacharach. Burt Bacharach wrote as many hits as THE BEATLES and he's not in the Hall Of Fame, and yet there's other guys that are in the Hall Of Fame that were writers. that weren't anywhere near Burt Bacharach. So, Burt Bacharach is certainly something that I would say."

Cooper also commented on the fact that for the past few years, the Rock Hall has broadened its base to include rap artists such as the late Tupac Shakur and N.W.A. The move has drawn criticism from many fans and fellow musicians who have taken issue with hip-hop acts — and other non-rock artists — being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

"Yeah, it's really hard for me to put somebody, let's say, like Missy Elliott in with THE WHO," Alice admitted. "I mean, those are two different worlds. But, like you said, it's a lifestyle. And it's really who brought what to the table. If somebody came in and had an impact that wasn't there before, and that's why you'll see some interesting people in the Hall Of Fame. I was like you. I was in there going, 'Come on. It's rock and roll bands — that's what rock is. But then I kind of loosened up that idea. Even Dolly Parton said, 'I don't belong in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.' I mean, she's going, 'What am I doing in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?' But then she made a rock record. I don't think anybody begrudges her that, but I would still I would prefer to see an IRON MAIDEN in there before I would see some of these other ones. Joe Cocker [would be good too]. [He] got my vote too [this year]."

While MAIDEN has been eligible to join the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame since 2004, the band has only been nominated twice — in 2021 and 2023.

According to the Hall Of Fame, the IRON MAIDEN members that would get inducted include the current lineup of singer Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris, drummer Nicko McBrain and guitarists Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers, along with former guitarist Dennis Stratton, ex-singer Paul Di'Anno and former drummer Clive Burr.

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility.

IRON MAIDEN was on the ballot for the second time in 2023, but the institution's voters snubbed them once again.

The only metal or metal-adjacent acts to have made it into the Rock Hall so far have been BLACK SABBATH, LED ZEPPELIN, METALLICA, AC/DC, JUDAS PRIEST, KISS, VAN HALEN, RUSH, GUNS N' ROSES and DEEP PURPLE.

IRON MAIDEN finished in the fourth place in the fan vote for the 2023 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction class.

Cooper was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2011 at New York City's Waldorf Astoria. He was inducted by Rob Zombie, who said during his introduction, "Alice Cooper invented the rock show. Before Alice Cooper, there was no rock show. They're more than a band. They were more like a murderous gang of drag queens — in a good way."

Bruce Dickinson photo credit: John McMurtrie

Legendary guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen will release his brand new album, "Tokyo Live", on April 25 via Music Theories Recordings. You can now check out the second blistering taster on the video for "No Rest For The Wicked" below.

The incomparable Malmsteen is one of the greatest guitarists to ever have lived. So, when the chance comes to witness the maestro in the live setting, you take notice. This mesmerizing spectacle can be witnessed on "Tokyo Live".

The concert was recorded at the Zepp DiverCity, Tokyo on May 11, 2024 as part of Yngwie's 40th-anniversary world tour. Calling upon an enormous catalogue of material, Malmsteen shredded his way through a furious set, backed by a mountainous Marshall stack wall.

Talking about the live experience, Malmsteen says: "Playing live in front of people is really what it's all about. It's exciting and dangerous because you have to take risks and there's no fixing afterwards."

Malmsteen's breathtaking technique takes center stage of the 100-minute concert while being cocooned by exquisite musicianship throughout. The setlist tracks Malmsteen's illustrious career, from "Hiroshima Mon Amour" and "Evil Eye" and through his remarkable solo career with "Rising Force", "Far Beyond The Sun", "Arpeggios From Hell" and "Seventh Sign" all the way up to his most recent material taken from 2021's "Parabellum", with "Wolves At The Door", "Relentless Fury", "(Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum", not to mention rousing renditions of "Paganini's 4th" and "Smoke On The Water".

The name of Yngwie Malmsteen has always stood for uncompromising excellence. In a career that now spans more than 40 years he has proven himself to be a unique artist. You can try to categorize him in any way you wish. But the manner in which this supreme Swedish craftsman has continually developed his music makes Malmsteen sublimely transcend any definition you attempt to impose.

He now has a catalogue of 22 solo studio albums, each of which has much to commend. Malmsteen's artistry has always clearly incorporated a healthy virtuosity, but his talent goes well beyond a comprehensive control of the guitar. The man is a fine composer and, on recent releases, has also showcased a strong vocal presence and now, with only this fifth live release, it captures four decades of relentless fury and blissful artistry of one of the true greats.

"Tokyo Live" track listing:

CD1

01. Rising Force (Live)
02. Top Down Foot Down (Live)
03. No Rest For The Wicked (Live)
04. Soldier (Live)
05. Into Valhalla (Live)
06. Baroque & Roll (Live)
07. Like An Angel (Live)
08. Relentless Fury (Live)
09. Now Your Ships Are Burned (Live)
10. Wolves At The Door (Live)
11. Hiroshima Mon Amour (Live)
12. (Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum (Live)
13. Badinere (Live)
14. Paganini's 4th (Live)
15. Adagio (Live)
16. Far Beyond The Sun (Live)
17. Arpeggios From Hell (Live)

CD2

01. Seventh Sign (Live)
02. Toccata (Live)
03. Evil Eye (Live)
04. Smoke On The Water (Live)
05. Trilogy-Vengeance (Live)
06. Cadenza 1 (Live)
07. Brothers (Live)
08. Fugue (Live)
09. Cadenza 2 - Grand Finale (Live)
10. You Don't Remember I'll Never Forget (Live)
11. Acoustic Cadenza (Live)
12. Black Star (Live)
13. I'll See The Light Tonight (Live)

In a new interview with Mojo magazine, QUEEN guitarist Brian May confirmed there is a possibility of him and his bandmates releasing new material. "I think it could happen," he said. "Both Roger [Taylor, QUEEN drummer] and I are constantly writing and coming up with ideas and doing things in our studios. I could have the beginnings of a QUEEN song right there in front of me now. It's just whether the idea reaches maturity or not. It's whether that seed can grow."

Last October, Taylor was equally hopeful QUEEN would release new music, telling Uncut magazine: "I think we might.

"Brian and myself were talking the other day, and we both said that if we feel we have some good material, why not?" he continued. "We can still play. We can still sing. So I don't see why not."

Back in November 2022, May was asked by Variety if there is "any chance" of him, Taylor and singer Adam Lambert recording new music together. He responded: "I've got to tell you it hasn't happened yet, but we do bring the subject up. Generally, when we are together, the live show is all-consuming. There isn't really time to discuss any studio action. We feel as if the live stuff is what the public wants. And when we're not on tour, Adam has his own career. So, I suppose that the opportunity to make an album together doesn't come up, but I'm not saying that it couldn't happen."

Five years ago, May and Taylor revealed to Classic Rock magazine that they tried to record a new song with Lambert but they ultimately decided against releasing it.

"We did record a song which we haven't actually finished," Taylor said at the time. "I can't remember what it's called. I think we were still discussing what we should call it."

Added May: "It was a song that we'd tried to adapt that had come from a friend. It had the makings of being a great song, but we couldn't crack it. We couldn't get there."

The recording sessions for track reportedly took place in Nashville during a QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT U.S. tour.

Taylor went on to say that he wouldn't rule out a new QUEEN album with Lambert on vocals.

"It would be nice to do some stuff," he said. "I wouldn't rule it out. Adam has said, 'Any time you want me to sing on something…' If the other two decide, 'Let's do something', I'd be there."

Lambert, May and Taylor first shared the stage during "American Idol" in May 2009 for a performance of "We Are The Champions". They teamed up again in 2011 at the MTV European Music Awards in Belfast, Ireland for an electrifying eight-minute finale of "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" and in the summer of 2012, Lambert performed a series of shows with QUEEN across Europe as well as dates in Russia, Ukraine and Poland. They have since completed a number of tours and performed at some of the biggest festivals in the world.

In May 2019, Lambert said that he wasn't convinced it was the right move for him to record new music with QUEEN. Speaking to Hunger, he said: "People always ask if we want to record together, and I'm not sure it makes total sense, because it wouldn't really be QUEEN, because, to me, QUEEN is Freddie. My favorite thing is collaborating and putting these concerts together and creating on stage — it's super fulfilling and exciting. To present these ideas to these two gentlemen — especially when they like the idea."

May previously described Lambert as the only singer the band had found capable of filling the shoes of iconic frontman Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991 of complications from to AIDS. "Adam is the first person we've encountered who can do all the QUEEN catalogue without blinking," said May. "He is a gift from God." Taylor echoed the guitarist's sentiments, adding: "[Adam's] incredibly musical, and we certainly take anything he says quite seriously."

Lambert, for his part, downplayed the Mercury comparisons, saying: "There's never going to be another, and I'm not replacing him. That's not what I'm doing. I'm trying to keep the memory alive, and remind people how amazing he was, without imitating him. I'm trying to share with the audience how much he inspired me."

In 2004, QUEEN recruited BAD COMPANY singer Paul Rodgers, with whom they completed two world tours and released an album, "The Cosmos Rocks", in 2008. They amicably parted ways a year later when Rodgers returned to BAD COMPANY. Since 2011, QUEEN has been fronted by Lambert.

In 2022, QUEEN shared a rediscovered track, "Face It Alone", featuring Mercury's vocals.

Is this just fantasy? The new MOJO stars Queen with new Brian May & Roger Taylor interviews. Plus Sex Pistols, The...

Posted by MOJO on Thursday, March 13, 2025

In a new interview with Audacy, GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge addressed the band's announcement last fall that GHOST's 2025 world tour would be "a phone-free experience", with guests maintaining possession of their phones at all times, secured in Yondr pouches. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's an experiment. And to be perfectly honest, my 16-year-old daughter was very, very, very, very skeptical of this idea. And then she was, like, 'No one's gonna buy a ticket.' And I was, like, 'I don't know. I have no idea what people [will do].' I just know one thing, and that is that over the years it's gone absolutely insane. If you have 10,000 people at a concert and 8,000 of them are holding a phone, there's something deeply disconnected. And, obviously, this implies that I had this conversation with my daughter, but we talk about a lot of things and we speak openly about things. But I was saying, like, 'That's like having an intimate moment with someone and that person would just take out the phone like that.' 'Oh, hold on. I'm just gonna take a photo.' I know some people do that.

"If I'm just speaking for myself — I know a lot of artists don't care and I know that there are plenty of upsides, especially commercially because you want people that… The whole thing in the business is, basically, 'Yeah, we want people to film because we want people to see the show, and that will sell more tickets.' Fine. I understand that there's a promotional tool with social media. I'm not gonna neglect that. Part of our success is obviously from social media… We started on MySpace. That was the root cause for our success at the time. I don't know if we would ever become anything if it weren't for MySpace. And, obviously, our TikTok has played a huge part.

"I'm not saying that all social media is bad," he clarified. "I'm just saying that when it comes to the actual live show, my calling, my reason for being there is the connection between myself and everybody that I brought with me that are working in tandem to give you an experience, that experience is completely decocked if everybody's just filming. Am I wrong? Am I right? I don't know. That's how I, and we, felt."

Forge went on to reference the fact that GHOST's feature film debut "Rite Here Rite Now" was filmed over two nights in September 2023 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. The two concerts were device-free experiences; use of phones and smart watches was not permitted in the performance space. Upon arrival at the venue, devices were secured in individual Yondr pouches that were opened at the end of the event.

Tobias said: "This is where we put some practice into the theory. Some of the best shows we've ever done in modern time was — I mean, as far as how it felt for us, what the vibe was — was when we played in L.A., when we recorded 'Rite Here Rite Now'. We were all taken by the fact that people were there. The crowd was there. We have never seen people like that. That was, like, 10 years ago when you saw people engaging. And I get goosebumps when I think about that. And I was, like, 'Fuck, I wanna do that every night. I want everyone to feel like this,' because I know — and this is the conversation I had with my daughter. It's, like, 'I understand that you in theory think that this is like a downside, like a bad thing.' I want people to experience this. It's just two hours of your life. Come on. If you hate it, okay. We all felt so good when we were in L.A., and I know a lot of people said the same thing. It was a great feeling. Fans were saying afterwards, like, 'I was allowed to just sing along and just act… I could do whatever I want. I don't have to worry about someone filming me or…' I mean, I'm not gonna place all the words in everybody's mouths here, but it's a great feeling, and I wanna recreate that."

Forge previously discussed GHOST's phone "ban" earlier this month in an interview with Planet Rock. He said at the time: "I really wanna underline that the ban has nothing to do with, let's say, copyright control. It's not that we wanna sit on all the material and we don't want anybody to monetize [GHOST videos]; it has nothing to do with that."

Tobias continued: "The 'Rite Here Rite Now', the film, the essence of messaging in that film was exactly that, but also I, but us collectively, working, making that film… We filmed two shows in L.A. in front of audiences where they had to put their phones into pockets. You don't give it away. You have your phone; you don't have to worry about that. If you need to call, you can go out. If you need to take a photo, you can take a photo of yourself out in the lobby; that's fine. But what ended up happening was that we had such an engaged crowd that seemed joyous in a way that… I had to go back years and in time since I last saw a fully engaged crowd where everybody's actually watching [the show]. They don't have to watch me, but they're watching the band."

The 44-year-old Forge added: "I don't wanna turn this into an ageist thing where I'm gonna tell 14-year-olds everything was better back then. But I swear that the experience of shows and the making of memories, the making of magic, was much more powerful. Some of the best shows I've ever been to, I have maybe not even seen a picture from that because they all live here [in my head]. They live in my core. That's the memory I have of that. And that is an experience I wish for… Obviously, the part of our crowd that are older and more aware, maybe this becomes a little bit nostalgic then. But I really believe that the younger portion of our crowd will, as they did in L.A., come out saying, like, 'That was not only a great concert; that was also an overwhelming experience.' Because I do believe that you will feel that."

Through the use of technology like Yondr, fans are able to place their phones in a pouch that unlocks only after they leave the no-cell-phone zone. The pouch can also be unlocked at specific cell phone stations inside the venue.

Phone-free concerts are touted as a way to cut down on illegal filming and non-stop selfies that can take away from the performance.

Yondr founder Graham Dugoni said his company's pouches were created for "phone-free spaces" where "creativity and productivity could flourish in the absence of technology."

Phones, Apple watches and other communication devices are placed in the pouch and sealed using a magnetized lock, which can be opened with an unlocking base.

Musicians like Jack White, Alicia Keys, and comedians Dave Chappelle and Jerrod Carmichael have used Yondr pouches at their shows to encourage people to live in the moment.

A number of other musicians have come out in recent years to say that mobile technology is ruining the concert experience, including SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor. He told "Loudwire Nights" that "it's fine" if people want to take pictures of his bands' shows, but not so much if they are videotaping entire performances. "It's one thing to film it, it's another thing to just be staring at your screen while you're filming it," he said. "It's right there. Are you so terrified of real life that you can't do anything unless it's on that little four-by-four screen? Ugggh. It's very weird."

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach in 2015 urged fans to keep their cell phones at the bottom of their pockets and just watch his performances. "Be in the moment," he said. "You're distracted and it's distracting to the performer as well. Like, put your fuckin' cell phone away, dammit! You're never even going to watch that footage."

The overuse of cellphones to capture grainy, blurry photos and videos at concerts has for years vexed and enraged artists like Bach, who lamented the fact that every one of his performances could be recorded and shared on YouTube almost immediately.

"If I go to a wedding and sing a song, it's on Blabbermouth the next day and everybody analyzes it," said Bach. "It's a really backwards way to watch a band. It's a drag sometimes when I go up there and the first thing I see is everybody getting their phones out and holding them toward my face. It makes you feel intimidated."

Back in 2012, Bruce Dickinson chastised a fan for texting during an IRON MAIDEN concert, calling him a "wanker."

When Axl Rose reunited with his former GUNS N' ROSES bandmates Duff McKagan and Slash for the first time in 23 years at the Troubadour in Los Angeles in April 2016, the concert was phone-free.

"God, it was wonderful," McKagan told The New York Times. "It was the old-school feeling, where people were dancing and getting down. It was really cool."

GHOST will release its new album, "Skeletá", on April 25 via Loma Vista Recordings.

The European leg of GHOST's 2025 world tour will kick off on April 15 in Manchester, United Kingdom and conclude on May 24 in Oslo, Norway. The North American leg of GHOST's 2025 tour will launch on July 9 in Baltimore, Maryland and wrap up on August 16 in Houston, Texas.

The physical home video of "Rite Here Rite Now" was made available on December 6, 2024.

In a new interview with RockTheLife, SAVATAGE guitarist Chris Caffery spoke about online criticism he and his bandmates have received for reactivating the band without late SAVATAGE guitarist Criss Oliva and Criss's brother, SAVATAGE mastermind Jon Oliva. Referencing the fact that he engaged in online banter during the pandemic on the social media channels of sites like BLABBERMOUTH.NET and SAVATAGE-related pages, Caffery said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have a decent relationship with the Blabbermouth people… In the COVID time, I would watch people get stir crazy and be online. And I saw what was going on with Blabbermouth, how they were really releasing a lot of frustration in the one-liners that were happening on that site. And you could see a lot of musicians that were a part of those conversations. They were getting so mad. And I would sit there laughing my butt off at some of these jokes. And I just decided one day to join in."

Chris continued: "There was one pretty ridiculous statement made at one point by somebody that had said he was the reason why a band or a particular type of guitar metal had started, and I kept putting that person's name into all these other posts, and the Blabbermouth people knew that I was being them. 'Cause they would always have Corey [Taylor] from SLIPKNOT — they had their one name that would wind up in every post to be funny. And I was doing it with the one name I was using, and they got pretty hip to it. So, even when I get to the title and the posts come out with me in the Blabbermouth thing, they don't attack me in it. And I think that what's pretty cool is I think there's a respect that happened over the fact that the roots inside of there know that my sense of humor got what they were doing. And I never thought it was anything that was bad. It was something that was so funny in the midst of the weirdest year of my life and I just chimed in with them and it was kind of funny. So look at that and I'm just, like, it's not a bad thing. I mean, those people are all music fans and they're having a good time. And I thought it was always funny when I watched the musicians that got so upset."

Caffery added: "I've had plenty of times where people had had their comments about me. Throughout the years with SAVATAGE — I get trashed more on the SAVATAGE sites than I do on Blabbermouth, because there's always people that aren't happy about things: 'As long as Criss Oliva is not alive, it's not SAVATAGE.' It's, like, well, you wouldn't be talking about Criss Oliva… The reason why you have thousands of people [talking about SAVATAGE alive online] is because we've kept the legacy alive. It's given you the ability to have two thousand people talk shit about me instead of twenty. So your voice of no reason is heard by a lot more. And I appreciate that 'cause you're advertising the legacy of SAVATAGE. And nobody likes Criss Oliva more than me. And that that's just a fact. He was a big reason why I am who I am and where I am. So, like I said, I brush it off. And you grow up a lot on that as time goes on."

Joining Chris in SAVATAGE's current touring lineup are Johnny Lee Middleton on bass, Al Pitrelli on guitar, Jeff Plate on drums and Zak Stevens on lead vocals.

Jon Oliva, SAVATAGE's founding vocalist and keyboardist, in 2023 suffered a T7 vertebra fracture in three places, a severe injury that has left him relying on a wheelchair. Additionally, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and Ménière's disease, conditions that have further complicated his health.

Zak joined SAVATAGE in 1992 as the replacement for Jon Oliva. Zak sang on four albums with the band — "Edge Of Thorns" (1993),"Handful Of Rain" (1994),"Dead Winter Dead" (1995) and "The Wake Of Magellan" (1997) — before departing in 2000, allowing Jon to return. Both Jon and Zak took part in SAVATAGE's 2015 performance at Wacken Open Air, which marked the band's first, and only so far, appearance on stage since they went on hiatus back in 2002.

SAVATAGE's last album release, "Poets And Madmen", in 2001 was highlighted by Jon's return as lead vocalist, replacing Zak, who left the band citing family reasons, and the departure of Pitrelli, who accepted an offer to join MEGADETH in 2000. Pitrelli did record solos for some songs prior to his exit. Another very limited U.S. tour followed, supported by FATES WARNING in the early shows, and then NEVERMORE for the remainder. Around this time, Jon chose Zak's replacement in the form of Damond Jiniya (DIET OF WORMS). Damond performed Zak's parts on tour, with Jon having an increased vocal role in proceedings.

In September 2021, Jon Oliva was arrested on the west central coast of Florida for driving under the influence as well as possession of a controlled substance. Police charged Oliva with possession of cocaine, which is a felony, and DUI, which is a misdemeanor. Oliva was reportedly arrested again in July 2023 on another cocaine possession charge.

Back in 2016, Jon announced on social media that he suffered a stroke in April of that year. At the time, he said: "It was not as serious as it could have been, but it did leave me with some physical recovery challenges often associated with strokes."

Despite his health issues, Jon said that he didn't regret the way he had lived his life. He wrote: "I lived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle since I was 18. It's all I knew and I enjoyed the ride very much. But there comes a time in everyone's life where you have to step back and make some life-changing decisions... which I have."

Shortly after SAVATAGE's reunion performance at the 2015 Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, Oliva claimed that he felt better than he had in 20 years because he had "stopped drinking and eating" in preparation for the concert. He explained: "It's my voice that's freaking me out, because, even when I was in my late 20s, early 30s, doing songs like '24 Hours Ago' were always really hard to do. And, of course, I didn't realize that it was all the drugs and alcohol I was doing. But, after doing that, getting my act together and stuff, singing '24 Hours Ago', it's actually easy now. [Laughs]"

In addition to his work with SAVATAGE, Oliva is well known for co-creating the classical music-meets-prog rock and pyro act TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA alongside Paul O'Neill. Oliva has reportedly remained involved in TSO's activities even after O'Neill's April 2017 death of an accidental drug overdose.

Jon's brother Criss, who was one of the founding members of SAVATAGE, was killed in October 1993 by a drunk driver when he and his wife Dawn were en route to the Livestock festival in Zephyrhills, Florida. The driver of the other car was found to have a drunk driving record of seven prior DUIs and having a blood alcohol content of .294 percent.

During an appearance on the latest episode of The Mistress Carrie Podcast, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren spoke about the musical inspiration for the band's new single, "I Will Not Break", which came out on February 21 via DISTURBED's own label, Mother Culture Records. Dan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We were out in L.A. last fall and just started getting the ideas out. And we had an album's worth of material already done. And me and Mike and Drew [Fulk, also known as WZRD BLD], our producer, were sitting in the room. And I like to keep going. Once the ball's rolling, I don't like to quit — I don't like to stop, because I always feel like the excitement's there. You've got something new so I keep writing. And David's [Draiman, DISTURBED singer] trying to play catch-up, because he's gotta write all these lyrics to these songs. So a lot of times he wants us to stop because 'cause we're getting too far ahead of him. And one day I was in the studio, and I was already digging back into old demos that I had at home, old cassette tapes that we had in the '90s, as we're going through the vault of things… So I wanted to go back and just kind of get back in that headspace of… Some of those recordings were actually just hitting the 'record' button and putting a little cassette player in the back of the room, so it's the worst quality ever. But I wanted to hear some of those improvised tapes and get in that headspace of where we were back then. And even though 'I Will Not Break' is a brand new riff, it kind of just had that vibe."

Donegan continued: "I was supposed to be tracking guitars in the studio for something else that day and I'm, like, 'Ah, let's just put that on the back burner. I just feel like doing something new.' And we just start messing around a bit and I'm just playing around with this riff for a while. I changed the riff probably 50 times as we were sitting there, and I think when the riff finally came about, I think me, Mike and Drew just looked at each other and were, like, 'That's it. That's the one. Go with that.'"

Dan added: "Cakebread is one of the wines we have backstage here [on tour]. And we were having that in the studio that night. We opened up a bottle of wine and started improvising. So the working title for the song was called 'Cakebread'."

Mike also reflected on the making of "I Will Not Break", saying: "[Dan's] riffing out, and we'll loop some beats for him and he just sits there. And he can riff for hours sometimes. Sometimes something comes out in five minutes. Sometimes it comes out in five hours. It had been going around. I'm, like, 'You know what?' I'm sitting in the back of the room. I Doordash some wine. The best that the store had on Doordash was Cakebread. So the guy shows up. I crack open the wine. Within five minutes of pouring the glasses for everybody, that riff for 'I Will Not Break' came out."

Asked when DISTURBED fans can expect a full-length follow-up to 2022's "Divisive" album, Dan said: "We really don't know. Ten minutes before you walked in the room, we were just talking with our manager too. Our main focus has been this 25th-anniversary tour [of DISTURBED's debut album, 'The Sickness']. We do have a lot of stuff recorded, obviously, with the first single out. There hasn't really been much talk about the release yet, just because we're so focused on these tours. It's hard to think about it when we're selling out the Garden and all these other places. We're just riding this wave and we're on a high right now that there hasn't been any deep discussion just yet of if it's coming out this year or next year. We've still gotta strategize that."

Donegan previously talked about "I Will Not Break" last month in an interview with Ryan McCredden of the I-Rock 93.5 radio station, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan. He said at the time: "[That song] came late in the recording process. We were out in L.A. this past September, October and November, just getting the ball rolling. There was no really gameplan of a timeframe or deadline in any way. We had some time off the road with only a handful of shows last fall, so we said, 'Let's get back in the room and get things going again and see how the creative process goes.' And everything was going great. We wrote a bunch of material, tracked it all, and then 'I Will Not Break' kind of came late in the session. I just felt like I still had a lot left in me. And I was supposed to be tracking guitars for something else that day, and I just told my producer I felt really creative. I wanted to kind of go with this kind of old-school — I wanted to give something to David that was gonna hopefully trigger kind of that old-school delivery out of David. So we just kind of worked on this heavy groove, this beat, and I just started improvising over it, and as soon as the riff came around, we kind of all just looked at each other, like, 'That's the one. That's the one.' And then I just continued down that road and put together a rough structure. David wasn't there at the moment, at the time, so we just kind of worked out the music and put together a rough structure. And when I'd seen him next, I kind of went over it with him and he connected with it. And he kind of gave us those elements that we were looking for — the still melodic, but still quick, rapid-fire syncopation at times and just that kind of delivery we were hoping to pull out of him. And we thought it would be a great lead-off track to share with the fans."

When McCredden noted that "I Will Not Break" sounds like something DISTURBED could have recorded 25 years ago, possibly inspired by the fact that the band was preparing to embark on a 34-date North American tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 2000 debut album "The Sickness", Donegan concurred. "I was going through the archives and going through a lot of stuff here, my memorabilia, gearing up for this 25th-anniversary tour, and I came across some old demo tapes," he said. "I had actually cassette tapes, if people don't remember what those are. Back in the day, in the late '90s, when we got David in the band, we would just set up a little cassette player in the back of the room and hit 'record' and record us — crappy version, but record our practices so we could hear us just improvising ideas. And so I was kind of in that headspace 'cause I was listening to these old riffs and these old deliveries of us just kind of improvising, like I said, and it just had me in that headspace. Actually, one of the song ideas was a riff I pulled from 1998 off the demo and I kind of slid it back into the mix. I have a history of doing that. I have a way of sneaking in old ideas and seeing if it triggers anybody, if they remember it and pick up on it, if it's been that long ago. But I try to get back into that headspace. And so, even though the riff for 'I Will Not Break' is brand new, I was kind of in the spirit of that old-school DISTURBED, and that's what we were hoping to do — trigger [David] in that that kind of way."

"I Will Not Break" marks DISTURBED's first new music since its acclaimed 2022 album "Divisive".

According to DISTURBED, "I Will Not Break" is "a necessary song, about becoming stronger than the forces that constantly try to tear you down." The track includes the stirring lyrics "I've had enough of feeling terrified, now I'm deciding that I won't be hiding from anyone," which encourages listeners to push back in the face of adversity.

Fulk previously worked with DISTURBED on "Divisive", which was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee.

According to Billboard, "Divisive" sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales.

On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, "Divisive" debuted at No. 13.

DISTURBED has had five No. 1s on the all-genre chart, beginning with "Believe" in 2002.

"The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour" kicked off in Nampa, Idaho on February 25. Produced by Live Nation, each night features two sets of music, opening with DISTURBED playing the five times platinum "The Sickness" in full, followed by a full set of greatest hits. The first half of the tour features support from special guests THREE DAYS GRACE, featuring the return of original singer Adam Gontier, and opener SEVENDUST, and the second half features special guests DAUGHTRY with opener NOTHING MORE.

Since "The Sickness" was released in 2000, the album was certified five times platinum by the RIAA, spent a total of 106 weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart, and Revolver named it one of "Top 25 Debut Hard Rock Albums." Billboard said of the title track upon release: "'Down With The Sickness' is, of course, the quintessential DISTURBED song, harnessing all the band's seethe and its now-famous tribal beat and guitar chug into three and a half minutes of alt-metal mayhem. It's menacing, it's rhythmic, it's rebellious."

Photo credit: Travis Shinn